Project: Cascading Courts
Architects: HYLA Architects
Location: Singapore
Area: 6,113 sq ft
Photographs by: Derek Swalwell
Cascading Courts Residence by HYLA Architects
The Cascading Courts residence is a luxurious contemporary residence located in Singapore. Just as its name hints, the key features of this home’s design are the courtyards that are placed all around. The idea behind this design was for the courtyards to provide privacy even though the home is located on an exposed plot surrounded by other houses.
HYLA Architects have solved this problem by placing a succession of courtyards in between the interior areas of the house.
A series of cascading courts between the house and the party wall forms the basis by which this semi- detached house is organized. From the outside one is scarcely able to see these courtyards due to the screeining and deep shadows. The courtyards are covered with a glass roof and timber pergola, which makes them pretty much all weather spaces. Indeed they are open at the ends and that makes it a very breezy space and house which is ideal for our hot tropical climate.
The exterior elevations have an almost Japanese simplicity with the vertical timber screens and off form concrete walls. The timber screens gives the upper level bedrooms privacy from the road. At the entrance, one is greeted by a cascading water feature with an upper level planter. The main living areas on the ground level open to a bamboo garden on the side. The family room on the second level is a double volume space which fronts the main courtyard with a feature tree set in a middle of a water feature.
