There is no doubt that 3 Ash House in Singapore is bespoke on every level with tropical landscape and luxurious appointments at its heart. On a triangular site at the junction of two roads, the design of the project was challenging, however, the form of the home embraces the constraints and achieves a standout resolution.

Designed by Carl Lim, Principal of Czarl Architects, the brief was clear: to create a private villa with an emphasis on natural materials and to conceive a ‘masculine’ silhouette, even a bunker-like approach to the aesthetic. In reply, the architect has devised a design strategy that replicates the natural ground space through elevation and includes additional landscaping on the second and attic levels of the structure. As such, each separated area of the house can be experienced as a little villa extending outwards on each floor.

The home comprises basement, ground, second floor and attic levels and every amenity has been included in the sophisticated floorplan. Garage, gym, guest suite and gardener’s facilities are located in the basement and, on the first and ground level, the entertaining areas.

While a pool, family room, bedrooms and bathrooms have been positioned on the second floor and above this the main bedroom suite, study, lounge and rooftop terrace. It’s an audacious floorplan that utilises the ground and air sites perfectly.

What does make this home extraordinary is the landscaping that has been included wherever and whenever possible. Not only is there lush vegetation at ground level to shield the residents and provide privacy but also a sky garden and planters on the attic floor. Here, long ribbon planter ledges shade the sun, looping around the house to form a horizontal ribbon. Not only does this greenery provide respite from the elements but it also helps soften the mass of the structure. An adjustable aluminium screen wall for the pool, accompanied by dense trees for extra seclusion and to absorb noise, all combine to create an oasis within a busy city.

The interior features a large wide curved staircase at the side of the home that connects each floor and, within the stair void, a Bocci glass pendant chandelier becomes a visually diaphanous feature.

The colour palette reflects the materiality of timber, concrete and a variety of stone with greys, cream, soft browns and tan and pops of terracotta, ochre and muted green in the soft furnishings. The combination of colour and textures, with hard floors and walls, along with expert lighting, makes 3 Ash House the epitome of understated and luxurious design.

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Czarl Architects has designed a home that supports family life but affords so much more. It is a place of tranquillity and privacy, with defined areas within for quiet times or a party, and an abundance of landscaped greenery that adds soft definition to the built mass.

Czarl Architects was established by Carl Lim after working with SCDA under the mentorship of Mr Chan Soo Kian and W Architects. Lim has received many accolades that include a double nomination at the World Architecture Festival in 2012 and another in 2014. The practice seeks to understand the needs and desires of each client, examining the relationship that exists between the inhabitants and the built form. For Czarl Architects, every good design strategy reflects a key central idea, narrative or essence that is expressed through individualising spatial composition, materials and creativity.

3 Ash House embodies the ideals of the practice but also presents an intuitive and original design for the client. Czarl Architects’ design of 3 Ash House reflects people and place, creating an outstanding design in the process.

Photography by Jiwen Bai

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