Tailored For The Curious Explorer

The new Alma House at the New Bahru enclave reflects the collaborative spirit of a school environment.

Singapore’s New Bahru has made waves in the community since it opened in June this year. The former Nan Chiau High School has been transformed into a “creative cluster” that celebrates made-in-Singapore brands. One of these curated brands, and an anchor tenant is Alma House.

Derived from ‘Alma Mater’, Alma House is an 83key serviced apartment designed by award-winning homegrown architecture practice, FARM.

The brief from the client was to create a design concept that ensured a deep sensitivity towards the heritage of the site as a school. In a country like Singapore where residents are accustomed to shiny new buildings with glass facades, they believed such an approach would be the ideal showcase of the potential of adaptive reuse projects in preserving the character and soul of Singapore’s neighbourhoods.

“In conceptualising Alma House, we aimed to reinvent aspects of the school experience by reinterpreting familiar elements with a modern twist. We drew inspiration from this legacy, reflecting on the concept of returning to one’s roots,” shares FARM’s project lead, Nina Arily.

One of the central themes throughout the interior design is the use of louvres. These iconic glass windows evoke warm memories of local school classrooms, which were typically used for ventilation in humid Singapore. Inspired by this architectural feature, FARM developed a linear design language that drew a seamless connection from the living lounge through to the guest rooms.