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Superb views of Singapore’s container port–the lifeblood of the island.

Located on the north shore of Sentosa Cove, the Harbour View House enjoys one of the most breathtaking sites on the island, with spectacular views directly across the water towards Pulau Brani, an extension of the Tanjong Pagar container port–the raison d’être of Singapore’s existence–and the constant movement of container vessels.

Designed as a second home for an avid golfer, this spacious seaside dwelling is used for entertaining an extended family, friends and business partners. The house has a ‘U’-shaped plan consisting of two wings (east and west) connected by an entry pavilion on the southern façade, which are organized around a deep courtyard. The two-storey east wing houses the main living areas, while the single-storey west wing is assigned to a home office and entertainment areas. Linking the two is the entrance patio, with the master bedroom suite above.

Entry to the house is expertly choreographed through a series of spaces in the inimitable style that is the hallmark of Chan Soo Khian’s architecture. A stone wall faces the vehicular driveway and initially conceals the entry court. The monopitched roof of the two wings ‘floats’ above this wall. Formed with aluminium sections, the roof wraps around the sides of the second storey, creating a strong datum. Crossing a stone bridge, through an aperture in the anterior wall, the visitor arrives at an entry pavilion surrounded by a pond. The space extends to embrace a swimming pool and lawn. The seafront view beyond the pool is ‘stretched’ by the large expanse of reflective glazed areas on the ground floor of the east and west wings.

Arriving at the ‘centre’ of the plan, the visitor turns to the right and encounters the larger of the two wings, which contains the principal living and dining areas. This wing is entered across a stone platform beneath a flying bridge that links the east wing to the south wing. The experience of the interior is delayed and anticipation is heightened. The bedrooms on the second floor are placed on the east-facing elevation, while the corridor on the west has a horizontal slit window that offers a dramatic view over the broad court to the shipping lanes.

To the west is the more ‘public’ wing, where a meeting room, working space and entertainment room are located. This is a single-storey structure with a timber roof deck and viewing gallery, which looks out over the port. Accessed via a steel spiral staircase, the deck is partially covered by a glazed roof. This secondary roof, together with deep projections over the extensively glazed ground floor, provides shade from the sun and protection from the rain. The master bedroom suite, located above the entrance pavilion, has an open plan with an open-to-sky internal courtyard that brings natural light and ventilation into the master bathroom and walk-in wardrobe areas.

Restrained in its language, the Harbour View House stands out for its precision and clarity of form among a disparate assortment of recently constructed dwellings.

The upper floor floats above a transparent first storey.

Entering from Ocean Drive, there are framed views of Pulau Brani.

In 2002, Chan received the Architecture Review (UK) Merit Award for Emerging Architecture, an award that confirmed his growing international reputation, a judgement endorsed by the selection of SCDA by Architectural Record (USA) as one of their Year 2003 Design Vanguard firms. In 2006, Chan was presented with the SIA-Getz Architecture Prize for Emergent Architecture in Asia.