Create Architecture reimagines an attap house as a vertical home

Jul 20, 2026

Cover An ornate timber swing sits within a drapery-lined living room in this Changi home by Create Architecture

An ornate timber swing sits within a drapery-lined living room in this Changi home by Create Architecture

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Create Architecture reinterprets a former kampong house as a vertical terrace, using a central lightwell and stacked volumes to retain openness

Set on a site in Lorong 108 Changi, this 7,700 sq ft corner terrace was conceived by Create Architecture following their appointment to reimagine a former kampong dwelling. The original house had a pitched roof clad in attap, or palm-leaf thatch, and was arranged loosely across a single level, with spaces unfolding outwards and remaining closely tied to shade, airflow and the outdoors.

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Completed in the last quarter of 2025 after a two-year process, the new house, christened The Attap Reverie, reworks that condition within a vertical structure. Rather than replicating the past, the new design reorganises it, asking how the spatial ease of the original can be retained without the stacked form feeling rigid or compartmentalised while remaining relevant for the lifestyle of today’s inhabitant.

Layered space

Above The generous terrace of the original house served as an inspiration for the design of the new house by Create Architecture

The generous terrace of the original house served as an inspiration for the design of the new house by Create Architecture

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The sequence begins before the interior. A planted forecourt and stepped entry create a gradual approach, softening the transition from street to house. The entrance does not lead directly into a room, but into a foyer that opens towards the living and dining areas, allowing the space to unfold in stages.

“The key challenge lies in conveying how the generosity, openness, and relaxed rhythm of the original sprawling attap house can be meaningfully preserved within a more compact vertical form,” say architects Tan Bing Hui and Xu Naiyan, co-founders of Create Architecture, who were also commissioned to redesign several units adjacent to this one.

Above Sliding glass doors connect the dining area to a balcony

Sliding glass doors connect the dining area to a balcony

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Within, the living and dining areas extend towards a balcony through sliding glass panels, while a central lightwell pulls daylight into the depth of the plan. Openings between levels allow views to cut across the house, so that spaces remain visually connected rather than isolated floor by floor.

Material memory

Above Carved timber columns frame the media wall

Carved timber columns frame the media wall

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Timber anchors much of the interior, from ceiling beams to built-in shelving and cabinetry. In the living room, carved timber columns frame a media wall, forming a structured backdrop to a series of niches and objects. The detailing is deliberate, with surfaces kept consistent and controlled.

Fragments from the original house are folded into this framework. A salvaged timber post is retained, while ventilation blocks and traditional switches are embedded into walls and joinery.

Above A foyer seating nook is set against a gridded panel referencing vernacular ventilation screens

A foyer seating nook is set against a gridded panel referencing vernacular ventilation screens

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In the foyer, a perforated panel references vernacular ventilation screens, sitting alongside ceramic vessels and carved elements. “Being able to salvage, retain and reuse materials from the original house was one of the most meaningful aspects of the process,” note the architects.

Domestic rhythm

Above A timber carving in lieu of a headboard complements the four-poster bed

A timber carving in lieu of a headboard complements the four-poster bed

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The house shifts noticeably in tone across spaces. The living room is more enclosed than expected, defined by heavy drapery, recessed niches and low lighting that create a contained, inward-facing atmosphere. A timber swing sits within this space, set against the shelving and curtains, recalling kampong life but within a more composed interior.

Above Green cabinetry and a stone island define the kitchen

Above The compact kitchen’s green tiles lend freshness

Green cabinetry and a stone island define the kitchen

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In contrast, the dining area opens outward and connects directly to the kitchen, where green cabinetry, stone surfaces and woven-backed stools introduce a lighter, more tactile quality. Sliding panels allow the space to extend towards the balcony, reinforcing a closer link to the outside.

Above The exterior of the original attap house, before Create Architecture transformed the place

The exterior of the original attap house, before Create Architecture transformed the place

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“Rather than treating tradition as a decorative reference, the design draws from the attap house’s lightness, openness, and sensitivity to climate,” the architects elaborate.

The result is a house that moves between enclosure and openness, rather than attempting to hold both at once. It does not recreate the kampong dwelling, but distils its spatial logic into a form that can operate within a denser, contemporary setting.