This thoughtful renovation by EHKA Studio gives an inter-terrace house in Singapore a relaxing indoor-outdoor feel
Inter-terrace houses tend to be plagued by a lack of daylight due to the way their plots are parcelled: narrow frontages, coupled with an elongated plan that’s sandwiched on both sides by adjacent properties. These conditions tend to give rise to dimly lit interiors that are spatially static, and populated by compartmentalised rooms that are disconnected from one another.
Which is why EHKA Studio’s addition and alteration to an existing 2,900 sqft, three-storey terrace house in Singapore is such a brilliant work of architecture. “The client wanted a house that was light filled.” recounts Hsu Hsia Pin, managing director of EHKA Studio, “With an understanding of the site constraints, we came up with the concept of spatial porosity and pushed the idea to its limits, creating openings in the façade, roof, walls, and floors to enable the interiors to be bathed in daylight. Doing so also improved visual connectivity between the various rooms and levels of the house.” The results are enlightening.
Don’t miss: Home tour: The Stiletto House in Singapore is all about the curves
From the street, the house presents an artfully composed asymmetrical facade consisting of an off-form concrete shell that frames an undulating veil of perforated aluminium screens which mimic the folds of a sheer curtain. The unique profile piques your curiosity, whilst imparting a touch of softness to the overall composition. The dark grey veil obscures line of sight into the house whilst allowing copious amounts of daylight to filter through to the second and third-storey bedrooms facing the road.