The house sits on a typical landed housing plot with an oncoming road directly facing the front and this becomes a privacy issue. To address this, a vertical court is inserted between the house and its adjoining neighbour. All the main spaces of the house look into this courtyard. At the ground level there are two pools, a koi pond under the covered skylit trellis extending into a swimming pool outside. The double volume living and dining rooms open to this court, with correspondingly tall sliding and folding glass doors that can open fully. The courtyard is covered at the top with a glass roof and an intricate pattern of anodised aluminum trellis. This creates a perfect environment for the house – sheltered from the rain, screened from the sun, hidden from the public and well ventilated through the large opening in front. It is a veritable oasis for the family and their guests.

This typology redefines how a typical landed house in Singapore can relate to the environment. It enables a space that can be fully opened up yet remain private, sheltered and comfortable. The house still has the usual assortment of (6) rooms and sits on a plot size of 445m2 so it is a very typical house with regard to its requirements. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines oasis as “something that provides refuge, relief, or pleasant contrast”. We think a house in Singapore can be all three, especially in this era of uncertainty and trouble.

Name: Vertical Oasis
Type: 2 storey semi-detached house with attic, mezzanine and swimming pool
Location: Ripley Crescent, Singapore
Site Area: 446 m2
Gross Floor Area: 673 m2
Status: Completed 2022
Architect: HYLA Architects
Principal Architect: Mr Han Loke Kwang
Assistant Architects: Tran Thi Thu Trang, Nicholas Teoh, Thomas Ong
Main Contractor: : Emma Groups Construction Pte Ltd
Structural Engineer: ASE Consultants
Landscape: Green Forest Landscape Pte Ltd
Interior: Graceful Décor Pte Ltd
Photographer: Derek Swalwell