Gardens By The Way

There’s barely a view of this house from the road? That is perfectly fine with HYLA Architects.

- LOW SHI PING

Typically, the ground floor of a landed house in Singapore is heavily landscaped. As you climb higher, however, it feels like you’re living in an apartment. “You’re divorced from the land,” says Han Loke Kwang, founder and Principal Architect of HYLA Architects.

The latest residence he has designed is the antithesis of this idea. It is a two-story bungalow with a basement that accommodates a family of four, with generous rooftop gardens surrounding the entire front perimeter of the second floor. In fact, the flora and fauna are so verdant that it is difficult to discern the house’s architecture from the road.

“I have brought the ‘land’ up to the upper level as well,” says Han. “It’s a play on the term ‘landed housing’.”

LUSH EXTERIORS

The neighbourhood’s mature tropical evergreens offer a soothing sight and provide the perfect backdrop for this modern bungalow which has been designed to commune with nature.