Penthouse @ Tembusu, Singapore

This penthouse house belongs to a young couple who are avid collectors of the Be@rbrick toys.  Thus, the design narrative started with a platoon of bears  from outer space coming  to Earth and settling on top of a Tembusu tree in a vast rainforest.  

Exploiting the  high ceiling of the penthouse and using the methodology of “Injecting Architecture”,  the irregularly-shaped floor plan is being carved in such a way that the entire space is seemingly defined by the few families of volumetric forms that were  “injected”.  The aluminium-clad “spaceship” bearbrick display cabinet which volume visually extend to the other side of the home, encasing the TV wall cabinet system at the Family area.  Part of this “family” are the 3 “light wells”  light boxes which “protrude” into the living space through the curved ceiling.  

The curved ceiling balanced the seemingly high tech vibe of the home with a slight vernacular touch for this Chinese family.

Above the dry Kitchen, the veneer-cladded fin-ceiling emulates the flow and random patterns of the rainforest canopies and overhanging roots.  Lighting in between the fins mimics the daylight seeping through the “canopies”.

Flanked by the wet kitchen and the service yard, the alleyway transit one from the huge “public” to the “private” zone where the family area, the liquor room and the 5 bedrooms are located.  The encased family TV cabinet system forms the rear of the  aluminium-clad “spaceship”.  The lighting of the fin-ceiling transited from spotlights to strip lighting at the family area to create an impression of a skylight above.

The corridor leading to the rest of the bedrooms are given the “volumetric” treatment as well with one wall being covered by the same black tinted glass. The fin-ceiling also extent fully into the corridor, making this narrow space a resultant of intersecting volumes.