The hobby room showcases  Ying Chien’s extensive collection of action figures and car models
Cover The hobby room showcases Ying Chien’s extensive collection of action figures and car models

The owner’s childhood home becomes the site for a new house that accommodates the needs of his multi-generational family

For homeowner Tan Ying Chien, this detached house in Tanjong Katong holds a special place in his heart. “My parents bought this property when I was 15, so this was where I grew up, got married and had my three kids,” he reminisces. When his father passed away and he took over the managing of the household, he felt that it was timely to either renovate or to rebuild the house to meet the needs of his family.
 
Ying Chien, who is the chief plastic surgeon at SW1 Clinic, was initially more inclined towards an Addition and Alteration (A&A) project due to sentimental reasons. However, among the various schemes that architecture firm RT+Q presented to him, it was the new-build proposal that left the deepest impression, so he decided to demolish the old house and build a new one in its place.

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The kitchen features a dining table from Porada and a colourful set of dining chairs from Collinet
Above The kitchen features a dining table from Porada and a colourful set of dining chairs from Collinet

The house comprises three rectangular massing blocks arranged in a C-shape around a courtyard to create inward-looking views and enhance privacy. “For us, it was an opportunity to explore a hybrid between a Chinese courtyard house and a Roman villa,” explains Rene Tan, director of RT+Q. “The old house was a box that was dark and humid, especially in the middle, so the courtyard manages to address the issues of light and ventilation,” says Ying Chien.
 
There is a very clear hierarchy between the three blocks. The one upfront runs parallel to the street, giving the home a prominent frontage. The new roof over the car porch takes its cue from the old house, which was a mirror image of its neighbour, but with a twist. “It was a case of putting the wrong thing in the right place,” says Rene. “The porch needed a roof and we thought it was a good idea to turn that roof into a swimming pool.”

See also: Home Tour: This Modern House Pays Tribute To Architectural History

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Homeowner Tan Ying Chien
Above Homeowner Tan Ying Chien

Due to the sloping topography, the car porch and entrance lobby on the street level come across as more like a basement, while the main spaces are elevated on the first storey. In addition to the car porch and entrance lobby, the primary block in front also houses the living area, entertainment room and the master suite for Ying Chien and his wife, Carol. “In terms of form, we expressed this block in an inverted U-shape to give it a floating effect,” says Huang Wei, the architectural designer from RT+Q who was also involved in this project.

The middle block lies perpendicular to the first. The dining area and the dry and wet kitchens are located on the first floor, while the bedrooms for Ying Chien’s three children are lined up in a row on the second storey. The rear block completes the “C” configuration. Here, perched above the guest room and his mother’s bedroom is his hobby room, where his diecast cars and action-hero collectibles are displayed in wall-to-wall casing. 

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A view of the kitchen from the stairway
Above A view of the kitchen from the stairway
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The deep pool was purpose-built to house the owner’s prized collection of koi fish
Above The deep pool was purpose-built to house the owner’s prized collection of koi fish

A series of skylights has been incorporated into the roofs; one of which can be found at the base of the swimming pool, offering a glimpse at the pool from the car porch below. These oculi take on different shapes—circle, square, rectangle and trapezium—and their inner surfaces are painted in either orange, yellow, red or blue. Taking precedence from Le Corbusier’s Notre-Dame du Haut chapel in Ronchamp, France, and the Pantheon in Rome, Italy, the different profiles regulate and articulate the light that enters the interior spaces and offers an element of surprise when you cast your gaze skywards. 

“Colour is a useful but often overlooked tool,” says the architect. The colours for the skylights came intuitively to Rene, but Ying Chien has his own interesting take. “I associate them with luxury brands: Tiffany blue, Hermès orange, Ferragamo red and Fendi yellow,” he says. These light apertures are composed against the building backdrop to create architectural portraits that belong in the realm of art. “Everyone is so caught up with materials and finishes that we tend to neglect the importance of composition and of regarding architecture as a fine art,” Rene emphasises.

See also: This Scandi-Chic Singapore Home Is A Tropical Sanctuary

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The hobby room showcases  Ying Chien’s extensive collection of action figures and car models
Above The hobby room showcases Ying Chien’s extensive collection of action figures and car models

In every one of the homes that RT+Q designs, the studio sets out to present a creation that surprises, and this project is no exception.

Apart from the light apertures, elements that are out of the ordinary can be found in almost every corner of the home. The powder room on the first storey is hidden behind a concealed door. The only tell-tale sign is a porthole-like opening positioned high up on the door panel. This is a precursor to the powder room’s elliptical layout, complete with curved doors and a ceiling light in an oval ring that echoes the same profile.

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The master bedroom features a bed from Molteni&C, a sofa from King Living and a pair of pendant lights from Flos
Above The master bedroom features a bed from Molteni&C, a sofa from King Living and a pair of pendant lights from Flos
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The skylight brightens up the wardrobe area of the master bedroom
Above The skylight brightens up the wardrobe area of the master bedroom

Another surprise awaits in the master bathroom. Above the water closet is a circular window with a timber disc that swivels open and close. It also serves a more practical purpose of introducing light and natural ventilation into the deep recesses of the bathroom. Even the ubiquitous shelf takes on a different variation in the hands of RT+Q.

Along the corridor that runs the length of the second block, connecting the children’s bedrooms, are open shelves that appear to float on the walls as they do not touch the ceiling or the floor. The shelf divisions are non-uniform to create an interesting composition. The end adjacent to the staircase has been chamfered in response to the circulation flow, while the section facing the linkway to the third block is concave, as if engaging in a dialogue with one another.

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The orange skylight adds a dash of colour to the master bathroom
Above The orange skylight adds a dash of colour to the master bathroom
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This powder room features a porthole window
Above This powder room features a porthole window

“Linkages often pass us by unnoticed,” says Huang, which is why the bridge connecting the second and third blocks has been expressed as a portal to give it the attention it deserves. While she drew inspiration from the door in Le Corbusier’s Zurich Pavilion, the portal resembles a submarine door. It is perhaps a reflection of Rene’s constant refrain: “Don’t think like an architect. Instead, think like a toymaker or a submarine builder.”

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The living room features an array of furniture from Flexform, complemented with a floor lamp from BoConcept and pendant lights from Lee Broom
Above The living room features an array of furniture from Flexform, complemented with a floor lamp from BoConcept and pendant lights from Lee Broom

Apart from the creative talents of the RT+Q team, the success of the project can also be attributed to the client; Ying Chien’s interest in the arts made him more receptive to the ideas presented by the architect. “And in areas where he was not so familiar, he trusted us,” says RT+Q director, TK Quek. 

Credits

Art Direction  

Khairul Ali

Photography  

Jasper Yu

Photographer's Assistant  

Tan Ming Yuan

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