Nassim House, Singapore

This multi-generational residence was inspired by client’s appreciation of the vertical and monumental attributes of forests, and the rich minerals that hold them in place. Consisting of a large clubhouse, an inner garden, two inter-connected residences and a spacious basement, all components are linked with pathways on declining or inclining levels including a promenade that winds around the property, like a well-covered forest path. A simple, rectangular pavilion borders the street, resembling a public structure more than a private residence. Its slender columns are placed closely one beside another offering passer by a view inside and encouraging dialogue with the streetscape. By night, this aspect is heightened when the pavilion’s chandelier composed of over 1700 hand-crafted Czech crystal pieces installed like a wave of honey-coloured light glows softly. Behind the pavilion, a large garden and infinity pool lie before two contiguous family residences. Built into the land’s hillside, each has uninterrupted views over and across the road to dense foliage of older trees fronting a conservation property. Like the pavilion, the residences are designed to privilege simple, rectangular forms and verticality, keeping complex processes are hidden from sight, and eventuating in clean, legible structures placed in an orderly manner in relation to the site and to one another. The only significant curves in the design are those that following the shape of the land, on the West side boundary, serving to counterbalance to the verticality, and swooning from the rear of the residences and along the garden to connect with the pavilion. Nassim House is marked by a strong sense of gravity and materiality. The stone used in the facade and in the hardscape of the garden is brown antique granite with different finishes (leather finish for the facade, flamed for external spaces, slate finish in the hardscape and basement walls). This granite, a dark brown anorthosite abyssal rock is presented in different finishes and in large crystallization that creates distinct patterns and sparkling reflections when broken into a slate finish, which are inspired by the reflections of a dense forest landscape. Bronze is integrated throughout the project including the vertical concrete columns which were designed following exacting studies to create grained markings. Bronze also inflects the stonework, suggesting the minerals that a forest, capturing light and reflecting the darker hues of green, red and brown that merge in the project’s landscaping. The design of the driveway ensures that from the moment vehicles enter they are no longer visible from ground level. This both protects the unity of the architectural design from transient and invasive objects, while maximizing space for the gardens within the residence. With walls of greenery, the driveway and basement are in themselves beautifully drawn spaces. The driveway leads to the large basement accommodating 11 cars. Within the basement, curved walls of dark grey granite create alcoves for vehicles, access to a commercial-scale kitchen, and adequate space for guests to move comfortably towards the lifts and access the property above.