Ming Architects designs a house with generous spaces that flow onto one another poetically.
January 23rd, 2017
Having outgrown their decade-old house due to lack of room, low ceiling heights and ventilation issues, a growing family of five engaged Ming Architects to redesign their house.
Maximising space on the long and narrow plot, the new house sports a clean and linear architecture, with balconies that enable ample daylight and fresh air into the house. Warm timber screens break the monotony of the sleek white facade with chamfered details.
Inside, spatial zones overlap one another to eliminate the corridor experience. “The new layout [of the house] reflects our attempt at maximising both the common and private spaces for the expanding family,” explains Tan Cher Ming, Principal Architect at Ming Architects.
The living, dining and courtyard areas feature sliding-folding glass doors that demarcate the individual rooms when closed. When tucked away, space boundaries are blurred, creating one big room that enables social activities to flow from one room to the next. The full-height glass doors also invite generous views from the outside into the home, and maintains physical connectivity to the outdoor swimming pool to impart a sense of openness and tranquility to the otherwise narrow site.
Flanked by the outdoor swimming pool and indoor koi pond, the courtyard possesses a double volume height that invites ample daylight to flood the living and dining areas. It serves as a central fulcrum that poetically facilitates the endless flow of horizontal and vertical movements throughout the house. The grand staircase cantilevers above the koi pond, backdropped by a spectacular three-storey vertical feature wall composed of black river pebbles.
Teak timber strips line the ceiling and floor of the courtyard, continuing the visual language from the exterior. The house also features materials such as Italian White Carrara marble for a refine touch.
As the corner house is situated on an elevated plane that faces unobstructed views of the surrounding greenery, the architects defined the roof terrace as a space for socialising, with outdoor lounge areas and a bar in response to the family’s modern lifestyle.
Photography by Edward Hendricks
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Create a configuration to suit your needs with this curved collection.
Sub-Zero and Wolf’s prestigious Kitchen Design Contest (KDC) has celebrated the very best in kitchen innovation and aesthetics for three decades now. Recognising premier kitchen design professionals from around the globe, the KDC facilitates innovation, style and functionality that pushes boundaries.
Marylou Cafaro’s first trendjournal sparked a powerful, decades-long movement in joinery designs and finishes which eventually saw Australian design develop its independence and characteristic style. Now, polytec offers all-new insights into the future of Australian design.
DKO’s Interior Design Director on how to create community and specificity in interior design, and how apartment living is being reconceptualised.
We spoke to Plus Architecture’s Chrisney Formosa about a string of recent Brisbane projects and what they might tell us about the city’s design evolution.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
A south coast escape that redefines hospitality architecture.
Salone del Mobile 2024 is only a few weeks away, so we’re highlighting here seven special events, spaces and installations that we’re certainly planning to check out.