Perched atop a hill at the edge of Singapore‘s Central Nature Catchment Reserve, this exquisite residence, the House Above The Trees by Wallflower Architecture + Design, blends urban living with the tranquility of nature. This innovative home, surrounded by lush greenery, cleverly addresses both the beauty and challenges of its unique location.
The architects faced a dual challenge: embracing the nearby forest while maintaining privacy from neighboring homes. Their solution? Infuse the essence of the forest into the home itself. Two towering atriums run through the residence, bringing elements like trees, water, and daylight inside. It perfectly embodies the idea of the residence, integrating the living space seamlessly with its natural surroundings.
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Two Atriums Bring this Spectacular Home to Life
The home’s design features two central atriums flanking the main living areas. Water gardens form the base of these atriums, while trees ascend skyward. Sunlight filters gently through the leaves, creating a dynamic interplay of light and movement. As part of this masterpiece, the design proves that integrating nature within living spaces offers both aesthetic and privacy benefits.
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Water cascades downward, imbuing the home with a living, breathing sense of nature. This design minimizes direct views into the house from outside, maintaining privacy while allowing openness and light.
Living Spaces Gather Around Water and Planting
On the lower floors, family life unfolds amid gardens and water features, embodying the vision of this architectural gem. These shared spaces are surrounded by greenery, with each room offering a new perspective on the natural environment.
Each room opens not just to its own view but also to a connection, feeling water below or glimpsing foliage at eye level, creating a seamless indoor-outdoor experience.
An Entertainment Room Between Two Gardens
The entertainment room, nestled between the two atriums, sits slightly sunken to create a unique “clearing.” Waterfalls frame this space, transforming it into a serene escape embraced by plants, water, and sky.
Even indoors, the room offers a close connection to the natural world, with the sounds of cascading water and views of rising trees enhancing the experience.
The House Rises Through Different Layers of Nature
As the home rises, it transitions from communal areas to private retreats. This unique property takes its inhabitants on a vertical journey, from the water gardens to the tree canopies at the highest points.
Initially, the focus is on water and ground-level planting, gradually shifting to foliage and finally the vast skies above, where the horizon opens wide, true to the concept of a house intertwined with its environment.
A Screen Protects the Upper Floors
At the upper elevations, where sunlight and the gaze of neighbors become concerns, a delicately designed screen surrounds the bedrooms. This feature filters light and views, creating privacy without sacrificing the connection to nature.
The design extends greenery onto upper terraces and roofs, integrating the home with the environment and attracting wildlife such as birds and squirrels.
From Water Gardens to the Canopy
House Above The Trees offers a journey through diverse landscapes. Beginning close to water, it leads occupants up through foliage and eventually to the tree canopy and open sky, fully embodying the ethos of this elevated dwelling.
The architectural design transcends framing a mere view, creating dynamic, immersive experiences through its sequence of lush gardens and natural elements. Each level brings residents closer to the tranquility and majesty of the surrounding forest.
With these carefully designed elements, House Above The Trees transforms its hillside site into a seamless extension of the forest, enhancing the everyday experience for its residents. This architectural marvel truly redefines the boundaries between home and nature.
Source: contemporist.com
Frequently asked questions
How does the House Above The Trees integrate with nature?
House Above The Trees integrates with its natural surroundings by incorporating two towering atriums that run through the residence, bringing elements like trees, water, and daylight inside. The home features water gardens at the base of these atriums and uses trees to create an interplay of light and movement. Additionally, the design allows living spaces to gather around water and planting, offering an indoor-outdoor experience.
What features enhance privacy in the House Above The Trees?
To enhance privacy, the design minimizes direct views into the house from outside while maintaining openness and light. At the upper elevations, a delicately designed screen surrounds the bedrooms, filtering light and views to create privacy without sacrificing the connection to nature.
What unique feature is found in the entertainment room?
The entertainment room, located between the two atriums, sits slightly sunken to create a unique ‘clearing.’ It is framed by waterfalls, transforming the space into a serene escape embraced by plants, water, and sky, while offering a close connection to the natural world.