Solid proof

An award-winning house built entirely of concrete shows how the seemingly cold material can be used to create a design that is both evocative and functional. -BT
Tay Suan Chiang

Mon, Jun 25, 2012
The Business Times

The owner of this single-storey house off Holland Road had specific instructions for his architect: it had to be constructed entirely of concrete, from the external and internal walls to the floors, ceiling and even the roof structure.

The new 3,900-sq ft home is an extension to an existing two-storey black-and-white bungalow which sits on 8,860 sq ft of land.

Concrete house is both evocative and functional Click on thumbnail to view (Photos: BT)

The owner, a widower, lives in the new extension, while his daughters live in the other house.

Interestingly, the owner also happens to be an importer and manufacturer of cement, concrete and dry mortar.

Designed by architect Yip Yuen Hong of ip:li design, the concrete house is a winner at this year's Singapore Institute of Architects Architectural Design Awards.

"The jury feels that the idea to build the whole house from one material is a powerful one," says Mr Yip.

The Jury Citation reads: "The house is instructive in showing how concrete can be used to create a design as evocative as it is functional."

Concrete is usually deemed to be a cold material, so "one of the challenges was to make the material warm, liveable and acceptable for the home," says Mr Yip.

Having concrete for walls can make an interior feel warm, so Mr Yip designed the house to have pitched roofs.

"Not only does having high pitched roofs make a house look grander, but it helps keep it cool, as the hot air will rise and escape through vents in the roof," he explains.

A modern take was given to the pitched roof, by making it multi-faceted.

The large pitched roof dispels rain and creates an airy lofty space inside.

To allow light to enter, there are squares cut out in the roof to allow sunlight to stream into the home.

While the house looks like a small cottage on the outside, it has a cavernous feel inside, made possible by its 6-metre high ceiling.

There is a feature wall on one side of the living area, which has blocks made of concrete embedded in them.

Water plants grow out of the blocks, with water running down this wall.

The water helps cool the wall, and the sound of falling water gives the place a relaxing aura.

Some of the plants are placed nearly five metres above the floor, requiring a manlift to reach them.

"Although concrete is a hard and industrial material, with special treatment of the material, it can be versatile and 'soft'," says the homeowner.

The water feature, the living room's high ceiling and the presence of a Big Ass Fan, lend a cool feel to the room.

Though concrete was used throughout the home, the material was given different treatments.

On the walls and ceiling, the concrete was left bare.

Concrete aggregate is used on the living-room floor, while in the bathroom seashells were added to the concrete and then later sanded down.

A selection of foreign coins were embedded in a concrete slab on the floor leading to the bedroom.

The living room's large folding doors open up to a patio, which overlooks the lawn where the family plays tennis.

There is only one bedroom here, with a large window that also overlooks the lawn.

The homeowner's books fill up a shelf on one wall, while the adjacent wall is adorned with family photos.

The master bathroom opens into a small garden.

The bedroom and bathroom are the owner's favourite parts of the house.

To make the house friendly to the tropics, Mr Yip designed the windows around the house to be set deeply in.

"Deep-set windows prevent direct sunlight or rain from entering the home," he explains.

Being a big art collector, the homeowner displays some of the pieces in specially created niches in the living room wall.

These include bronze sculptures by French artist Pierre Matter.

Apart from the challenge of making concrete warm, Mr Yip also had to ensure that the new wing would complement the older house.

The use of the pitched roof was a way of making the new home look similar to the old.

The car porch is covered by black canopy, and Mr Yip used black steel poles to fence up the linkway between the two houses.

"The use of black is my way of linking this home back to the black-and-white house," says Mr Yip.

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This article was first published in The Business Times.