The brief requirement for #5 was a house maximized to the permissible building volume stipulated by planning requirements.

The strategy of fragmentation was adopted to fragmentize a big volume into comprehensible parts .

To accommodate a lap pool of 3 meter width along the side garden, the building had to be set-back by an additional 1 meter beyond the 2m building set-back line resulting in a reduced building foot-print.

A 1 meter shift back to the 2m building set-back line, in the upper levels, regains the otherwise reduced building footprint. This strategy was adopted in the making of the PLAN.

The 1 meter shift was also repeated in the making of the SECTION and ELEVATION.

Resulting in multiple 'gaps', between wall and roof planes, for light and ventilation.

Roof planes were further tilted away from the western sun, sheltering the interior spaces from the tropical heat, to receive the rising morning sun and look to the distant.

Dark grey was painted on 4 ’shells’ to minimize glare (Daylight Reflectance) on its immediate neighbours.

Light grey was painted on the other surfaces to accentuate the dark grey ‘shells’ and spatial layering through the house.

Roof planes were tilted away from the western sun, in order to shelter the interior spaces from the tropical heat, receive the morning sun and look to the distant whilst escaping the prying eyes of its immediate neighbours.

#5 was a study in the making of tropical living spaces, in a dense urban environment, that is at once open yet private. (Photography by Beton Brut).

A shift of 1 meter back to the 2m building set-back line, in the upper levels, to regain the otherwise reduced building footprint resulted in the Strategy of GAPS. (Photography by Beton Brut).

Tilting the roof planes away from the western sun resulted in 4 clerestory windows which brings light deep into the interior.(Photography by Beton Brut).

Light from 1st clerestory window reaches the Family Area at Attic Level. (Photography by Beton Brut).

Light from 2nd clerestory window reaches the Stair Core. (Photography by Beton Brut).

Light reaches all the way to the lowest level.(Photography by Beton Brut).

From the Dining to the Lobby and the Living beyond, FRAGMENTS of spaces are connected visually. (Photography by Beton Brut).

Ascending the dark-floor open-riser staircase floating above water. (Photography by Beton Brut).

One arrives at the Attic Level, beyond which are the Family Area and Outdoor Terrace with commanding view of entire estate. (Photography by Beton Brut).

Leaving behind the Family Area, one crosses the link-bridge to the Dance Studio. On the left is the double-volume Gallery bathed with natural light and on the right, a double-volume Indoor Terrace below. (Photography by Beton Brut).

This double-volume Indoor Terrace, nested in the center of the house, is the ‘Heart’ of the private zone on the 2nd storey and attic level. (Photography by Beton Brut).

A motorized external blind ensures privacy, with the silhouette of its neighbor’s house as a back-drop, for quiet moments. (Photography by Beton Brut).

Above the Indoor Terrace is the Dance Studio, on the attic level, illuminated by the 3rd clerestory window. (Photography by Beton Brut).

The opacity of the house, perceived in the day, belies the transparency of the house as the sun sets. (Photography by Beton Brut).

At night, lighting from within the interior sips through the GAPS and interior spaces.  (Photography by Beton Brut).

Sliding doors completely housed within a ‘pocket’ in the wall allows the connection to the Side Garden which the Dining illuminates. (Photography by Beton Brut).

Light sips through GAPS and indoor spaces to illuminate the Outdoor Spaces. (Photography by Beton Brut).

As the sun sets, lighting from within the interior sips through the GAPS between roof and wall planes. (Photography by Beton Brut).

The Architecture of GAPS, between wall and roof planes, and FRAGMENTS of Spaces.(Photography by Beton Brut).