Cover The tearoom in this semi-detached house by RT+Q Architects is articulated with Japanese sensibilities, featuring tatami flooring, shoji screens, and the evocative scent of wood
The tearoom in this semi-detached house by RT+Q Architects is articulated with Japanese sensibilities, featuring tatami flooring, shoji screens, and the evocative scent of wood
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Dubbed the House of Voids, this semi-detached house by RT+Q Architects packs many programmes and delightful moments into a compact plot, including a Japanese tearoom
Japan remains a top destination among many Singaporeans who are enthralled by its cultures and rituals. This homeowner in Singapore wanted not just to experience the traditional Japanese tea ceremony on holiday, but in his daily life at home, too.
Thus, when he engaged RT+Q Architects to design his semi-detached house, he stated a preference for a tearoom in the brief. “The room itself smells of timber,” says architectural designer Allan Tongol, who worked on the project. “The Japanese-inspired space has a timber ceiling, solid-wood cabinetry and shoji screens.”
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Above The tearoom, located in the attic, opens to a terrace so the owner feels at one with the outdoors
Above A peek at the tearoom
The tearoom, located in the attic, opens to a terrace so the owner feels at one with the outdoors
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And the room is neither for show nor entertaining, Tongol adds. “The owner really uses the tearoom in a traditional way; he prepares and brews the tea using his collection of traditional pots, cups, et cetera.” The tearoom is located in the attic of the home, above three levels. The shoji screens open to a terrace so the owner feels at one with the outdoors.
Given its location in the topmost part of the semi-detached house, reaching this tearoom—or tatami room—must feel like arriving at a space of contemplation and escape. It is hidden away from the street, being sited at the rear of the semi-detached plot. The owner himself is a retired architect, and had also engaged RT+Q Architects to design his previous home.
Above This front view of the house showcases its gridded facade, which serves as a brise soleil—literally a “sun-breaker”—screening the abode from the harshest sunlight
Above The ground floor is expressed as a sort of void deck
This front view of the house showcases its gridded facade, which serves as a brise soleil—literally a “sun-breaker”—screening the abode from the harshest sunlight
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This new, 8,500 sq ft house features a gridded facade that presents a modern and functional expression. Tongol highlights it as “tropical sun-shading concrete brise soleil that protects the house from the heat”. This feature is articulated with depth so sufficient shade is provided for the interior.
The concrete screen is the facade for a double-volume balcony that fronts the family room on the second storey and the study room on the third level. Tongol explains that this is not only a buffer between the external and internal spaces, but also “gives the internal spaces some privacy”.
Above The living room offers views of the lap pool from the comfort of the indoors
The living room offers views of the lap pool from the comfort of the indoors
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The project is named the House of Voids for the horizontal and vertical voids expressed in the house’s section and plans. The first storey is conceived as a sort of void deck, a generous feature for houses in land-scarce Singapore. In the plan, one enters the house by walking past a semi-sheltered swimming pool after the car porch. The living room opens to the view of this body of water, which is linked to the wet kitchen behind.
Above A multi-level void connects the rooms across floors
A multi-level void connects the rooms across floors
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The dry kitchen and the dining room are housed on the second storey, separated from the front family room by a triple-volume “void” or atrium that connects this gathering space to the study and a bedroom above, and the master bedroom ensuite at the attic, with the aforementioned tearoom, as well as balconies at the front and rear.
Tongol reveals that the project overcame difficulties of a limited plot size and packed brief. Adding to these were strict setbacks and the regulation of a cap on the total height of the building—called envelope control—on an east–west-facing site. “The challenge for us was to create and optimise the spaces required by the owner, while at the same time addressing the effects of tropical heat on the building,” he comments.
Above Envisioned as a retiree’s forever home, the house is designed for ease of maintenance, mobility and tranquillity, as seen in this living room with convenient access to the lift and stairwell along the party wall
Envisioned as a retiree’s forever home, the house is designed for ease of maintenance, mobility and tranquillity, as seen in this living room with convenient access to the lift and stairwell along the party wall
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The “voids” in the home help to create a sense of continuity and extend sightlines both through the house and towards the natural views. This means that despite the many rooms in the property, it does not feel rigid or entirely insular.
Utilitarian features and fixtures such as the staircase and lift are packed in a neat, linear layout along the party wall shared with the neighbouring house. On the third storey, a smaller study room and yoga room are also tucked into this trajectory. In the attic, a small reading room and Jacuzzi line up with the staircase.
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Above Strategic architectural openings lend themselves to poetic shadow play, as seen here in the pool area
Above A top-down view of the lap pool
Strategic architectural openings lend themselves to poetic shadow play, as seen here in the pool area
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There are also many delightful surprises that one uncovers going through this semi-detached house. For instance, from the master bathroom and bedroom in the attic, one can look down to a view of small planters and the swimming pool on the ground floor.
The pool, being tucked at the front of the living room rather than at the side of the house, enjoys a greater width; it also gives the living room a serene view of water. Walls were thoughtfully placed at the end to block out the car porch.
Above Sunlight streaming in through one of the home’s many strategic architectural openings
Above Mirrored surfaces and mosaic tiles make for a stunning powder room
Sunlight streaming in through one of the home’s many strategic architectural openings
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At this “void deck”, columns have been expressed as slim poles, and a gap between the car porch and the main ceiling adds another opening for light and breezes to enter. A small storage room has been contained in a rounded concrete form in this space, edged by planters so it feels like a place to linger in rather than a utilitarian car porch area.
Credits
Photography: Fabian Ong
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