Hyla Architects has designed a 491m2 two-storey semi-detached house in Greenleaf Drive, off Holland Road in Singapore, using concrete as the core material. The design team, led by the principal architect and the practice’s founder, Han Loke Kwang, says: “The plasticity and structural capability of concrete presents a myriad of construction details deserving of one’s attention and showcase as done so in this house.” 
Designed with a focus on structure, the model’s shell was crafted in vertical and horizontal balsa wood strips, representing the concrete columns and beams/louvers in a modular size. When it comes to construction, the module is once again precisely formulated based on the actual dimension of pine board-form strip, yet adhered to its structural specification, resulting in a chamfer in-between the panels, which emphasises the division of the modules. 
Draping over both the house and the swimming pool, this concrete lattice blurs the boundary between indoor and outdoor space. The swimming pool extends deep into the house to become a key feature of the triple volume “courtyard”. From the inside, the spatial experience is animated by an array of framed apertures to the exterior green that extends to become part of the landscape of the interior.
Photo courtesy: Derek Swalwell
