Cover The majestic raintree anchors the stunning view through the Good Class Bungalow’s glazed living area
The majestic raintree anchors the stunning view through the Good Class Bungalow’s glazed living area
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Assisted by Envelope Architects, Banyan Tree Holdings’ senior vice-president and group chief architect of Banyan Tree Ho Kwon Cjan designed his Good Class Bungalow in Singapore around a rain tree
There are few things that can make a person feel awestruck such that a few minutes of silence is necessary for quiet admiration. One is being in a grand cathedral or some other similarly towering space or glorious edifice. In my case, I am standing at the base of a rain tree so fetching and commanding in presence that I long to linger a little more.
The tree stands at a far corner of a Good Class Bungalow whose owner knows more than a thing or two about building in and with nature. Ho Kwon Cjan is the senior vice-president and group chief architect of Banyan Tree Holdings. A recipient of the Singapore Institute of Architects Gold Medal, he is the brother of Ho Kwon Ping, the founder and executive chairman of the same company that, 31 years ago, turned an abandoned former tin mine in Phuket into a tropical modern resort.
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Above From the outside, the Good Class Bungalow appears as if hidden among the greenery
From the outside, the Good Class Bungalow appears as if hidden among the greenery
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Above The rain tree, the site’s oldest inhabitant, is an integral and imposing part of the property
Above The Good Class Bungalow’s hospitality-inspired interface with its neighbourhood
The rain tree, the site’s oldest inhabitant, is an integral and imposing part of the property
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This plot was where the two brothers stayed in their younger years before their parents’ passing. It was subsequently subdivided, and the family home demolished. The semi-retired Kwon Cjan currently shuttles between Singapore and Thailand, where he oversees a few of the company’s projects.
Above This spread, clockwise from bottom left: Fans of Banyan Tree resorts will recognise the brand’s signature sense of arrival in this Good Class Bungalow
This spread, clockwise from bottom left: Fans of Banyan Tree resorts will recognise the brand’s signature sense of arrival in this Good Class Bungalow
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Born in Bangkok, Kwon Cjan came to Singapore at 15 years old. After studying architecture at the National University of Singapore, he worked with local architect Tay Kheng Soon at Akitek Tenggara for several years before his family bought a large piece of land in Phuket that eventually grew to become the multi-property Laguna Phuket enclave over the years. “I was called to do the basic design and one thing led to another, so I stayed in Thailand,” says the architect, who wishes to eventually retire in Singapore.
Above “It took careful planning and construction delicately around the iconic rain tree to avoid damage to the tree and its extensive root system,” says Sook Quang of Envelope Architects
“It took careful planning and construction delicately around the iconic rain tree to avoid damage to the tree and its extensive root system,” says Sook Quang of Envelope Architects
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Living Monument
The aforementioned tree is clearly important to Kwon Cjan, who worked with Envelope Architects to develop his home. The architecture expresses it so: from the circular drop-off, a flight of steps rises to a glass-box living room that offers a view of the tree at its other end, joined by a bridge. “I am fond of the tree,” says Kwon Cjan, on “celebrating” it with “the ceremonial axis through the living room.”
Above The glass-encased sitting area blurs the boundaries between the indoors and the outdoors
The glass-encased sitting area blurs the boundaries between the indoors and the outdoors
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Above The architectural volume brings the outside in via almost entirely glazed walls
Above Details of the exposed roof structure of the Good Class Bungalow
The architectural volume brings the outside in via almost entirely glazed walls
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He adds: “From my old bedroom, I could see it. It’s always been there; it predates the previous house.” The tree definitely has an unforgettable presence: its trunk is three people wide, and its foliage stretches high and far, lacing a large part of the blue sky to provide an abundance of pleasant shade.
Kwon Cjan valued the tree more than the old house, which he described as very conventional and boxy. “I never liked it. I was always a bit embarrassed about it because it was kind of ugly. I cannot remember who the architect was; I heard afterwards that he mainly designed factories,” he muses.
Above The main gate’s vehicular access is expressed with a tectonic clarity
The main gate’s vehicular access is expressed with a tectonic clarity
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Above The platform built around the rain tree allows dwellers and guests to interact with it, turning it into a design feature
Above On the feature wall is an artwork of a fortress-like communal house built around a well, created by the homeowner himself, who names Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer as one of the many artists he admires
The platform built around the rain tree allows dwellers and guests to interact with it, turning it into a design feature
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Architectonics in the Tropics
Kwon Cjan’s new, 4,582 sq ft house differs greatly from the insipid old house. Like his design of many tropical spaces, the architecture melds with the landscaping through glass walls and sliding doors that let one poke in and out at will. The house is also climatically attuned, with extended eaves mitigating rainfall and enhancing shade.
Above Owner and the project’s architectural designer, Ho Kwon Cjan, often entertains at the outdoor patio, under the shade of the rain tree
Owner and the project’s architectural designer, Ho Kwon Cjan, often entertains at the outdoor patio, under the shade of the rain tree
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The bridge to the tree was a genius gesture. It allows one to survey and admire the house from a distant perspective. At the other end, I turn back and make another observant pause, this time impressed by the house’s elegant tectonics. Slim white columns rise high to hold an inverted pitched roof (or butterfly roof) that is admired through the living room’s double-volume glass facades.
Above View of the Good Class Bungalow from the rain tree platfrom
View of the Good Class Bungalow from the rain tree platfrom
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Chow Sook Quang, who founded Envelope Architects together with Chin Kean Kok, reveals that they aimed for the structural elements to be as streamlined and slender as possible. “We also ensured that their placement did not impede the views out. The expression of the vertical elements is a language of tropical architecture, and was also to enhance the lightness and expansiveness of the large butterfly roof.”
Above The Good Class Bungalow’s rear facade is articulated with the elegance of a luxury villa with a semi-circular swimming pool designed to create a softer interface with the greenery
The Good Class Bungalow’s rear facade is articulated with the elegance of a luxury villa with a semi-circular swimming pool designed to create a softer interface with the greenery
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Celebrating the Roof
The living room is designed like a pavilion, with slim pilotis and glass on both sides. “I wanted a high and airy living room. As the land was higher near the road and sloped down towards the rear, I made an ‘upside-down house’ where the living room is on top, but still accessible from the main road.
This allowed for a tall roof. I made a butterfly roof so from the inside, I can see upwards, as well as outwards; one lesson I learnt from my other designs was [to include] the sky as part of the ‘vista’,” reflects Kwon Cjan. “In this case, it captures a lovely view of the big tree.”
Above The majestic raintree anchors the stunning view through the Good Class Bungalow’s glazed living area
The majestic raintree anchors the stunning view through the Good Class Bungalow’s glazed living area
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A shorter, flat-roofed volume links this to another “pavilion” housing Kwon Cjan’s bedroom, gym and study on the upper storey. Below these, the dining room, family room and guest rooms are arranged in a row, looking out to the garden where a semi-circular swimming pool breaks the house’s predominantly orthogonal character.
Above A view of the rain tree from Kwon Cjan’s study
A view of the rain tree from Kwon Cjan’s study
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Above The pool and garden as viewed from a ground-floor bedroom
Above Ho Kwon Cjan’s tidy study
The pool and garden as viewed from a ground-floor bedroom
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Within the planning’s rationality, Kwon Cjan has inserted some delightful and light-hearted moments. One is the semi-circular pool. Another is the bridge to the tree. A third is a slight kink in the plan that angles the secondary block slightly towards the tree. A fourth is the play between the two roofs: a slanted half-pitch of the secondary block and the living room’s butterfly roof.
An Artist’s Abode
Above The split-level layout imparts a sense of intimacy in scale
The split-level layout imparts a sense of intimacy in scale
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Above Envelope Architects, who worked on the project with architectural designer Ho Kwon Cjan, shares that it was challenging to design the integration and routing of the structure, and mechanical and electrical services, due to some of the spaces’ low ceilings and some spaces like the living room having no false ceiling
Above Artwork and graphic finish of the furniture lend colours to the interior
Envelope Architects, who worked on the project with architectural designer Ho Kwon Cjan, shares that it was challenging to design the integration and routing of the structure, and mechanical and electrical services, due to some of the spaces’ low ceilings and some spaces like the living room having no false ceiling
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The house’s scale was kept low and intimate in relation to the rain tree and the lush garden, helping to provide privacy from neighbouring houses, says Chow. These cosy spaces juxtapose with grander ones, like the tall living room, majestic tree and formal roundabout vehicular drop-off that she says is reminiscent of luxury resorts’ arrival experiences.
Above One of Ho Kwon Cjan’s “fantasy building” artworks in the living room depicts a tower with an inverted roof “because the people inside worship rain and whenever it rains, they would come inside and dance with the water pouring down on them,” he describes
One of Ho Kwon Cjan’s “fantasy building” artworks in the living room depicts a tower with an inverted roof “because the people inside worship rain and whenever it rains, they would come inside and dance with the water pouring down on them,” he describes
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Kwon Cjan’s artworks animate the interiors, which are finished with wood, sand-coloured marble and white paint. He is also a seasoned artist, although he ponders where his artistic inclinations came from, given that his parents were not in fine arts-related fields. “But I started early, according to my mother; I drew before I could talk. So, I’ve been painting and drawing, and drawing and painting ever since,” Kwon Cjan comments.
Above Dark wood lends a hushed, restful ambience to this bedroom
Dark wood lends a hushed, restful ambience to this bedroom
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Above Close-up of the minimalist bedside
Above Full-height openings frame glimpses of the outdoors throughout the house;
Close-up of the minimalist bedside
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His art ranges from realist oil paintings to his “fantasy buildings”, two of which hang in the living room across from each other. However, the biggest artwork is the house itself. It is a piece of quiet poetry, stitched to nature.
Above Woven chairs and timber carpentry bring a nostalgic feel to the TV room, while a blue rug introduces a pop of colour
Woven chairs and timber carpentry bring a nostalgic feel to the TV room, while a blue rug introduces a pop of colour
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Ambling through the home, I am reminded of Swiss architect Peter Zumthor’s description of his famed Therme Vals spa in his 2006 tome, Atmospheres.
“These were spaces you would enter and begin to feel you could stay there, that you were not just passing through. I’d be standing there, and might just stay a while. But then something would be drawing me around the corner. It was the way the light falls, over here, over there; and so I saunter on. And I must say, I find that a great source of pleasure… it’s a kind of voyage
of discovery.”
An evening view of the Good Class Bungalow
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Credits
Photography: Studio Periphery
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