House at Central Road

Coming from a family steeped in Asian tradition and ritual; the owner wanted a house that was modern yet suited to a family lifestyle; open yet secure, relaxed yet urban; tropical yet able to take air conditioning.

 

These contrasting requirements provided us with a design theme. The main house with its simple gable roofs is contrasted with protruding pods, projecting walls and ledges. White painted exterior walls are set against a rich palette of stone, timber and greenery

 

A double storey atrium bisects the floor plan into living and family spaces; a device to modulate climate and to organise architectural elements — stairs, feature walls and sky bridges.Externally the house employs walled landscaped gardens and verandahs to add depth to internal rooms, while blurring the border between landscape and house. 

 

The house is set a fair distance from the street for privacy, using landscape to dissolve boundaries between house and street. In a year, the house will be seen from the street through a veil of trees; cultivating a mystique much like its pre-war ancestors.