Light And Shadow

This semi-detached house combines influences from traditional Japanese architecture with beautiful screens and colourful accents

- Luo Jingmei

Living in the tropics, there are pertinent issues an architect has to address to create a habitable environment. Mitigating the region’s harsh glare and heat are perennial challenges. The House of Light and Shadow, designed by Yume Architects in collaboration with Lian Architects, took a more thoughtful route. Home to a family of four, this semidetached house sits on a plot with the facade facing the west. It also bears the full brunt of strong sunlight during the day.

“The owners wanted a comfortable family home where they could host dinner parties and play dates,” shares the firm’s principal architect Asami Takahashi, who founded Yume Architects with her husband and business partner Jason Lim. “We did not want to view the western sun as purely a problem to solve. We felt there was an opportunity for us to consider the way the sunlight enters the house to animate its interiors and create a special atmosphere within, while being mindful of the spaces’ usability.”

BRIGHT IDEA

The architects conceived a series of layers to modulate the intensity of sunlight in the 6,673sqft home. The first comprises a double skin—a perforated, patterned aluminium screen behind a granite wall with small openings. This results in a lively facade for the house that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. The varied shadows it casts into the house enliven the walls.