House of the Terracing Courtyards

Designed for a couple with young children, the brief of the House of the Terracing Courtyards was for a home which takes advantage of its proximity to the mature and lush greenery of the neighbouring Botanic Gardens. While the Owners requested for entertaining spaces to regularly host their friends/family, they also wished for separate private spaces for their children to go about activities of playing and learning while guests are visiting. The parti responds to the long, rectilinear plot with a dramatic 3-storey terraced courtyard introduced in the middle. The staggered form of the courtyard breaks the scale of the house and allows natural light and ventilation to enter the house without the destructive forces of excess rain and water. Given the prominent location and high traffic of the site, the staggered courtyard aids to deflect the surrounding noise rather than trapping it. The ascending terraces of the courtyard create inviting outdoor spaces for the homeowners. On the ground floor, full-height glass doors of the courtyard open up and form a seamless connection between the living and dining room. On the upper levels, the balcony spaces are an extension of the adjacent rooms, offering spaces such as the home-office with a panoramic view of the greenery beyond. The house is inward-looking, and the side façade is a solid wall kept largely opaque, composed and punctuated with openings to maintain privacy. The enclosing wall of the interior Main staircase follows the same language. Composed of openings and lighting features of varying sizes, they create a connection between the circulatory spaces and the outdoors. The wide staircase invites users to pause and linger with a book or children to explore and play. Above, a skylight reveals a glimpse of the sky and brings in daylight, creating a space both playful and contemplative.