Project: Home Restoration Project
Architects: ONG&ONG
Completion date 2021
Gross Floor Area (GFA) 3,100sqft
Location: Singapore
Photography ONG&ONG
Nestled within the central area of the Katong district, 11CK-House represents a home restoration project befitting the area’s architectural heritage along Singapore’s East Coast. The clients were particularly enamoured with the shophouse typology due to its multiple levels and highly adaptive spaces. And with work-from-home arrangements becoming the new normal, this layout proved to be highly effective for its purpose. The owners were able to have separate work areas eliminating distraction.
Designers had to work within the specifications set by Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)mandating that they maintain the property’s rafters, vents, and other key architectural features, making it a challenge for the design team to bring light and airflow into the elongated interior space.
The solution was to create a dramatic spiral staircase that connects all three levels, offering a mesh in lieu of railings. A round skylight was installed at the top of the staircase to allow natural lighting to filter in while a second one is installed into a flat roof, bringing illumination into the family room. For the junior master bedroom, natural light is introduced via small windows along the perimeter of a jacked roof section.
The second challenge presented itself in the linking of the main building with a back extension which the designers solved by introducing a 45-degree bend in the roof, shoe-horning a doorway under the eaves that lead out to an open terrace facing a study and the helper’s room.
The owners had a particular respect for artisans and craftsmanship. Therefore, all the tiles and tiling schemes around the home, including for the pool, kitchen backsplash and bathrooms, all reflect a handmade aesthetic, and close attention was paid to the way the tiles were cut and arranged to create herringbone, chequer and other alluring patterns.
The kitchen was designed to be the heart of the home, offering periwinkle blue cabinets within the area that harmonise perfectly with the plunge pool just outside, creating a pleasing indoor-outdoor visual connection.
