A semi-detached house undergoes a nip and tuck

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Text by Luo Jingmei

Most architects and designers would agree that renovating a home rather than tearing it down and rebuilding from scratch is more challenging. There is a need to critically assess which elements should be kept to improve the inferior qualities of the existing house while giving it a refreshed identity.

This was what Lawrence Puah of akiHAUS Design Studio was faced with when the owners of this 50-year-old semi-detached house in Seletar Hills approached him. The couple, who work in finance, had purchased the house in 2019 but the Coronavirus pandemic had put renovation plans on hold; the project was only completed in 2022.

Adaptive reuse is not usually the first thing on many homeowners’ minds. It was the case here as well. But after analysing the existing structure, Lawrence was convinced that he could brighten the dark house and rejig the layout to suit the family’s needs without tearing it down completely. Lawrence also appreciated the vintage details of the house built between the ‘70s and ‘80s, such as the cantilevered reinforced concrete walls on the architecture and interior curved elements.

The first storey’s existing plan had the kitchen and grandparents’ bedroom closed up from the dining room, restricting airflow and light through the section. Lawrence shifted the grandparents’ bedroom to the rear to create a larger kitchen. He replaced the walls at the dining room with glass sliding doors so that the kitchen is now well lit and the grandmother – an enthusiastic cook who prepares meals for the entire family – can close off the kitchen when doing heavy cooking.

Outside the grandparents’ new room, Lawrence added a landscaped deck. Thus, even when there are guests in the other parts of the house, the grandparents can be in their room and still enjoy outdoor views and natural ventilation. A new en-suite bathroom with wheelchair access was also added for the grandfather who has mobility challenges.  

“The room size was increased significantly to allow for two single beds, as the grandparents need to sleep separately. There is now also sufficient space for them to have their own sitting area to watch their own television shows, which are different from the children’s,” says Lawrence. This accessibility to the outdoors is a key strategy not just for this part of the house but other spaces as well. For instance, the kitchen’s new glass doors let whoever is using the kitchen have nice views of the garden beyond the living and dining areas.  

On the surrounding landscaping, Lawrence shares that it was simply “grass patches lacking character and definition.” The owners enjoy working in their own garden so he retained the gardens flanking the driveway. A new timber terrace outside the living room at the front of the house as well as at the side next to the dining area encourages enjoyment of the outdoors. A trellised canopy above the new side terrace helps cut off heat and glare from the sun that enters the kitchen and dining at the western elevation.  

Lawrence enhanced this part of the house with a garden that is more sculptural, compared to the lawn at the front of the house that is ideal for play and picnics. “It is like a Japanese Zen garden, covered with lava stone and with circular cut-outs along its length that is planted with more architectural Terminalia Mantaly (umbrella tree),” he describes.     

At the double-volume living room, Lawrence allowed for more daylight by replacing louvres above the windows with fixed glass panels. The timber ceiling was also painted white for a more uplifting feel. “We like the subtle tactility it brings to the interior space. Retaining the timber ceiling also helped bring down the cost of the renovation,” he comments. 

To increase the ceiling height at the dining area that is poised a few steps above the living room, Lawrence removed the timber ceiling panels here. In the process, he discovered an interesting pattern of beams. Taking inspiration from the curved profile of the mezzanine walls above the living area, he rounded the edges of the beams to create a coherent architectural language. “[We also did this] to the corners of the door openings between the dining and kitchen areas, as well as a few other details such as the kitchen island counter and staircase handrails,” Lawrence highlights.

Another vintage detail that lends the home charm and was kept is the existing staircase with an exposed reinforced concrete structure and timber treads. “We felt it had the same architectural language as the rest of the house, especially the cantilevering mezzanine study space it leads to. New mild steel frame handrails with glass infill not only adds a lightness to the reinforced concrete structure, but also allows for maximum transparency for one to appreciate the staircase’s construction,” he explains.  

These manoeuvres have given the family a ‘new’ home. They reflect the firm’s beliefs with regard to house design. “Besides ensuring that the spaces we create fulfil functional needs, the lifestyle aspirations of its users and is aesthetic, we always look towards the architecture to inform us – cliché as it sounds – of what it wants to be, what it could be; to reinforce the existing spirit of place, if you will,” Lawrence contemplates. “I think this house is a good example of this approach.”

akiHAUS Design Studio
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