House 229 is a compact, well-detailed residence that responds creatively to the design codes imposed on the Sentosa Cove development.

The public façade is closed and secure with vertical timber cladding above a rough texture masonry wall.

Born and raised in Penang, Chan Soo Khian received his architectural training at Washington and Yale universities. Against a backdrop of diverse design philosophies at Yale’s School of Art and Architecture, Chan set out to acquire a grounding in classicism. It was the classical language of architecture that was to significantly influence his development as an architect. It was also a focus from which he went on to appreciate the works of the modern masters. Two art galleries at Yale by Louis Kahn were a point of reference for him to develop a structural and spatial vocabulary–a language of volumes and planes enhanced by light and structural order.

Chan worked as an intern with Kohn Pederson Fox in the USA before returning to Asia where he joined A61 Architects in Singapore, leaving to set up his own design studio in 1995. Two years later, he established SCDA Architects, and the practice has subsequently established a reputation for designing buildings that explore a modern language rooted in the Southeast Asian context.

House 229 is a compactly planned weekend retreat at Sentosa Cove, which looks southeast towards the island of Kusu, with its celebrated Taoist Temple dedicated to Tua Pek Kong, and beyond to Pulau Bintang and the northern fringe of the Indonesian archipelago. The ‘L’-shaped plan embraces a landscaped courtyard with a reflecting pool, frangipani trees and a flat-roofed pavilion. Beyond, a palm tree-lined pedestrian path and cycle way lie between the house and the ocean.

Underlying the plan and section of the house is the notion of duality. This is first evident in the contradictory nature of the northwest and southeast elevations. The public façade is closed and ‘secure’ with a rough-textured masonry wall with narrow glazing ‘slots’ facing Ocean Drive, whereas the private façade is open and transparent, giving a panoramic vista of the shipping lanes and anchorage. Fronting the house is a flat-roofed carport entered from a short drive.

Daylight filters through a pergola to a subterranean court.

The pavilion looks out to the island of Kusu and beyond to Pulau Bintang.

The open-sided pavilion enjoys an exhilarating waterside location.

At night, the house has the appearance of a magical lantern.

The enclosed second storey contrasts with the transparency of the first storey.

The duality is also evident in the layout, where the first storey is conceptualized as a single open space. The living room, dining area and kitchen coalesce and look into the courtyard and beyond to the ocean. In sharp contrast, the second storey, containing four bedrooms, each with an en suite bathroom, is a compartmentalized, box-like container with incised windows that cantilevers over the lower structure. There is also a subterranean basement with a ground-level lightwell illuminating the guest bedroom and gym.

Duality is further evident in the cladding system. A veil of vertical timber louvres wraps around the second storey and monopitched roof. By day, the louvres appear as a dark, almost impenetrable shroud, but at night, with the rooms illuminated within, the effect is akin to a magical lantern.

The selection of materials and meticulous attention to orchestrating movement through space, coupled with the introduction of daylight, highlights the modern sensibility brought to this reinterpretation of a seafront residence in the tropics.

First storey plan.

The house presents an open façade to the coastal pedestrian and cycle path.

The seafront residence is planned around a rectangular pool court.

The dining room (left) projects forward and enjoys views of the sea.

A powder room.

The second storey is enclosed in a veil of vertical timber slats.

Second storey plan.