A detached house in Singapore with egg crate-like screens

Dubbed the Intricate Veil, this 7,600 sq ft detached house in Singapore by HYLA Architects features unique screens to tackle tropical climate

Screens form a vital part of the vocabulary of tropical architecture, going far back to the design of vernacular kampong houses where they efficaciously filter heat and glare. In the dense urban condition of modern Singapore where houses are built closely together due to scarcity of land, they also help with privacy.

HYLA Architects has studied this component in many of its projects, experimenting with different ways that the ubiquitous screen can be both a functional element as well as a vehicle for expression.

These have resulted in myriad creative interpretations, running the gamut of brick screen walls that embody a robust and defensive character, operable timber screens relating to their natural surroundings, as well as metal screens whose thin members naturally create skin-like surfaces and give the buildings they layer over a sense of lightness.

Above The interior of the detached house glows in the evening through the screen

Above The side elevation of the detached house showcases its basement entrance

The interior of the detached house glows in the evening through the screen

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Intricate Veil is a new 7,600 sq ft detached house for a family of four that takes the third approach. This moniker is apt in its description of the woven, fabric-like quality that the metal screens provide. Its origins were practical—to shield the interiors from the east-west sun that comes in directly as the front and back of the house faces this direction.

“It’s contradictory that the main views face east and west, where the sun is the harshest,” notes Nicholas Gomes, project architect and director at HYLA Architects. “The screen, made of 100mm-deep, 3mm-thick aluminium plates, forms an egg-crate structure with a tartan grid pattern. This uniform grid simplifies the façades, reinforcing the house’s orientation towards the front and back.”

Above The entrance is softened by greenery and natural materials

Above The screen that wraps around the detached house comprises operable panels

The entrance is softened by greenery and natural materials

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It is the first time the firm has employed an aluminium egg crate structure in creating a screen, and so the team, comprising Gomes, Wesley Fong and the firm’s principal Han Loke Kwang were delighted to find out that it worked very well in shading the sun while allowing for maximum views out—and vice versa, minimum views in. It was also the first time the firm used a powder-coated finish from New Zealand that “achieves a rich finish similar to anodisation,” shares Gomes.

Above The screen cast a poetic shadowplay inside the detached house

The screen cast a poetic shadowplay inside the detached house

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The project also featured a dexterous reshuffling of the layout. The plot perches atop a hill flanked by two roads, with the front road higher and the road behind lower.

The rear provides good views of a public park, which the owner wanted to take advantage of after purchasing the plot. The decision was made to relocate the vehicular entrance from the higher road so that a basement carpark could be created, dug into the lowered topography at that side.

The house was originally a semi-detached house that's been detached from the party wall, leaving some breathing space

Behind the interior screen is the dining room and kitchen

The predominantly grey kitchen features ample storage

Photo 1 of 3 The house was originally a semi-detached house that's been detached from the party wall, leaving some breathing space

Photo 2 of 3 Behind the interior screen is the dining room and kitchen

Photo 3 of 3 The predominantly grey kitchen features ample storage

The house was originally a semi-detached house that's been detached from the party wall, leaving some breathing space

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“With the car park out of the way, we could have a big front garden. The result gives the house [pleasant] views in two directions—a park at the back and its own garden to the front,” Gomes comments. In the process, the semi-detached house was converted into a detached house.

The pool was placed at the back so that the family can enjoy views of the park while playing in the water or enjoying a drink at the pool deck. The new two-metre set back at the party wall side of the house becomes a private courtyard with a koi pond that the ground storey common areas look out to.

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Above The interior aluminium screen appears like a golden translucent layer

Above The screen adds a subtle layer of visual interest in the interior

The interior aluminium screen appears like a golden translucent layer

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In the centre of the house, the staircase is wrapped in a bronze-coloured PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) mesh that “echoes the façade screens and dematerialises the staircase so it reads like a solo object, an [architectural] art piece,” describes Gomes. Its porosity defines the living and dining areas in a subtle way while allowing light and breeze to penetrate through the house’s section.

“It also allows for chanced interactions between the family members as they traverse the house,” says Gomes on the translucency. Light from an opening in the first storey garden also brightens the basement’s entertainment zone, which includes a gym and home cinema.

Above The screen frames the master bathroom's freestanding tub poetically

Above The freestanding bathtub and double vanity enjoy a sweeping view

The screen frames the master bathroom's freestanding tub poetically

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The house is rich in expression yet it does not compromise on maintenance. The screen finish is durable while off-form concrete surfaces on the side of the house means they don't have to be repainted every few years.

Composite timber decking, teak timber strip flooring in the bedrooms suited for the tropics and large-format tiles in the common areas that minimises grout lines also aid in this.

Photo 1 of 2 Thanks to the screen, the east-west orientation of the home poses no threat of overheating in the bedroom

Photo 2 of 2 The minimalist study enjoys fresh air when the screens are open

Thanks to the screen, the east-west orientation of the home poses no threat of overheating in the bedroom

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The suitability of the detached house to the tropics is found in the owner’s testament after living here for a time. The air-conditioner is rarely switched on, and even the basement enjoys natural light and soft breeze when the courtyard doors are slid open.

“The verandahs and screens are key elements in our toolkit to creating comfortable spaces in the tropics,” says Gomes. Rather than gilt materials or extravagant gestures, “luxury means having open lawns and outdoor space for the family to enjoy,” he adds.

Importantly, it is a family house, where memories are made at the pool area, and the children spend time together with the parents in the study, doing their schoolwork in tranquil, comfortable environs. It is, as the owner describes, “a house that functions for us.”