The Stark House in Singapore by architecture firm Park & Associates, completed in 2018, is situated in a typical Singaporean estate community built in the 1980s. The angular, concrete home is located in an area of interesting albeit seemingly disparate architecture. Within a 1.5km radius, the Stark House is surrounded by other structures of varying purpose and design such as the award-winning redeveloped Changi Prison Complex, Changi Airport with its Jewel, and other industrial and commercial businesses.

The Stark House in Singapore

With this unusual confluence of building types, the architects began by questioning what this meant for their project. They cite that “More often than not, architecture participates in multiple contexts with layers of complexities. For a new element of architecture to be introduced successfully, there is an absolute need for a holistic consideration of the various contexts. For the sake of inclusivity and community conduciveness, our belief lies in that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Examining what it means to respond to site context eventually became the main driver of the scheme.”

That said, together with the client’s brief, the planning of the house was conceived to utilize the site’s natural topography and mature trees. Instead of facing the street and neighboring houses, the home’s living areas were designed to look toward the back of the house where the greenery provides a private, green sanctuary.

The entrance experience, a strength of Park & Associates, is enhanced. Besides enabling effective cross ventilation vital for the Singapore climate, the openness allows daylight to filter into the living room.

The site topography was taken advantage of to create a basement that opens out to the green yard. Combined with the outdoor swimming pool, the basement area – hardly perceived as a basement – becomes the focal point of family activities and outdoor entertainment.

The master bathroom offers a view to the outdoors in three directions.

The first story of the home maximizes the transparency of the design by providing a clear view to the greenery in the back.

Designing for porosity was also a response to the constraints of the property; a strategy to make the site appear deeper than it actually is. As one approaches the house through the long driveway, rather than being confronted with a blank wall or garage, they’re greeted with a green expanse that is welcoming both to the inhabitants and visitors alike.

Photography by Edward Hendricks unless otherwise noted.

Park + Associates

Singapore

images and information courtesy of Park + Associates and Habitus Living