Terrace House at Makepeace Road
This corner terrace house was built in 1924 and features an original two-storey front section as well as a three-storey new extension at its rear. As with all the houses done by Timur Designs, it is based on the concept that a house is not a just a box of rooms, but rather, a progression of spaces. Thus, behind the traditional facade, there is the openness of the living spaces juxtaposed with the use of water, landscape and the clever play of natural light to create a delightful ambience for tropical living.
Pre-war houses typically have structural timber floor joists that span the width of the house between two load-bearing brick walls. This structural integrity has been maintained despite having the soaring volume within the original roof form opened up with the living spaces on the different floors. These spaces focus around this central volume through which the open staircase rises.
Besides maintaining the historical facade and respecting the original streetscape, Timur has also not compromised on the fact that the wet areas in such pre-war houses were always built at the rear so that the timber flooring in the main house would not affected by dampness. Adhering to this consideration, Timur erected the new bathroom wing to abut the (length) side of the house instead.
The rear section of the house has three floors with the height kept discreet so that it does not overwhelm the original roof of the house. To avoid mimicking the idioms of the original main house, this rear section was deliberately lightened up through the use of a light-weight metal roof and a screen of adjustable aluminium louvres on the side wall that opens onto the garden. The screen has a privacy function while providing a homogenous front to the various internal activities.
The site is a triangular one which splays out at the rear. This feature allows a series of surprises as one walks through the house. The progression brings one through the living space, then to the open kitchen and dining spaces which are the main focal areas. The dining space is designed as a pavilion surrounded by greenery. It uses timber and steel to carry the lightest of enclosures. But what is especially significant is that the solid boundary wall at the rear has been removed so that the dining pavilion enjoys a direct visual connection to the public park immediately behind it through transparent glass screens.
Water is a prominent feature of the house with the use of a two-tier pond that wraps around the living space and a play pool which comes up to the kitchen and dining deck. The play of sunlight on water and the sound of water trickling in the pond results in a visual and auditory delight that masks this house’s city centre location.
The finishes within the house employ a combination of textures and colours to enhance the modern setting with the intensity of the Asian palette. The richness of details offset the dynamism of ever changing natural light, thus presenting different visual perspectives and delight to the occupants daily.
Article Source: Timeless Tropical, selected works by Timur Designs (ORO Editions)