The family room and the master bedroom overlook the pool court.

A 1989 graduate of the School of Architecture at the National University, Siew Man Kok revealed his creative potential in his pre-final year of the B.Arch. course when he won first prize, beating several practising architects, in a national competition for the design of Singapore City 2000 that ‘attempted to create a timeless city and demonstrated a keen awareness of relating to the urban context’. His final year thesis, the controversial Museum of the Western Han Dynasty in Guangzhou, identified him as an architect of considerable promise. After graduating, he joined the practice of Andrew Tan Associates where he met Cheng Pai Ling, another top graduate of NUS (1985) who, coincidently, was second prizewinner in the City 2000 competition.

In 1995, Siew and Cheng set up MKPL Architects. Their practice has subsequently flourished, founded on a mixture of poetic design and pragmatism.

MKPL has garnered numerous awards for its work, including the Urban Land Institute Award for Excellence: Asia Pacific 2006 for Glentrees Condominium at Mount Sinai Lane. The project also scooped a Design Award from the Singapore Institute of Architects in the same year. MKPL is now working in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Dubai, India (Mumbai) and Vietnam.

The Bishopsgate House is located on a steeply sloping, southwest-facing site and is essentially a composition of three pavilions around a central courtyard containing a rectangular swimming pool. A two-storey pavilion on the highest part of the site, with a master bedroom suite, two smaller bedrooms, a study and an audiovisual theatre, serves the most private needs of the family. These activities equate to the ‘nighttime activities’ of the household. A double skin of sliding-folding screens provides sunshading and privacy.

A second two-storey pavilion located in the southeast corner of the site contains the wet and dry kitchens, breakfast room, formal dining room, two guest bedrooms and a family room, together with the maid’s accommodation. These activities can be generally grouped under the heading of ‘daytime activities’.

The third pavilion is slightly more remote and is situated in the southwest corner of the site. This single-storey high-ceilinged structure contains the principal living and reception area and a spacious entertainment room overlooking the pool court and koi pond. Each part of the plan thus has a clearly defined function.

An essential element in the overall composition is the ‘processional route’ that conceptually links the three pavilions. On entering the house, there is a choice of routes. Turning left, an external ramp leads alongside a koi pond and via an open-sided gazebo, reminiscent of a Thai sala, to the living and entertainment area. To enter via this route is to have a gentle introduction to the house, culminating in the pool court concealed in a slight depression, that comes as dramatic conclusion. The alternative route from the entrance immerses a visitor immediately in the semiprivate areas: the ‘tea room’, formal dining room, kitchen and family room. This internal route loops around and also terminates in the central courtyard.

The spatial interplay along this circular route is the most memorable feature of the house, coupled with the hierarchy of privacy. The entertainment pavilion is remote from the private accommodation and the verandah somewhat exposed, but Siew’s response is unequivocal: ‘The open-sided verandah is intentional as the clients like a feeling of openness. The relative remoteness of the entertainment area is also intentional, as the clients wanted it to be as far away from the main house as possible and to be accessed separately without people going through the house. It is this element that differentiates the house from many other totally interiorized houses.’

Siew Man Kok has an analytical mind that seeks solutions in formal relationships. The delightful interplay of levels and the architectural promenade against a backdrop of tall, mature trees surrounding the site raises the dwelling above the commonplace. The house works exceptionally well with the natural contours. A collection of pots and jars from the owners’ previous home was transported to the new house and placed in the landscape–with moss and algae intact.

To the left on entering the house is a verandah leading past a small pavilion or sala.

An open-sided verandah leads to the living and entertainment pavilion.

A beautifully detailed water-spout, perhaps inspired by the work of Carlo Scarpa.

Speaking of his own ambitions, Siew observes, ‘I am currently studying Zumthor, Herzog & de Meuron as well as Paulo Mendes’ works and writings but Le Corbusier is the architect I still admire the most. I find references to his works and ideas in many of today’s architects. I am also inspired by the work of Carlo Scarpa for his craft and esoteric architectural language and Geoffrey Bawa for his sensitivity in crafting an architectural language for the tropics. Our work is very much about asking questions about the site, the context, history and meaning to evolve a unique architectural solution.’

Three pavilions surround a central courtyard containing a rectangular pool.

The house folds into the natural contours.

A double skin of sliding-folding screens provides sunshading and privacy to the master bedroom suite.

The house sits on a steeply sloping site with views to the southwest.

The first-storey plan showing three pavilions arranged around a pool court.

Section through the central pool court.

Double-skin sliding-folding louvred screens provide privacy and protection from the sun.

The delightful interplay of levels at the entrance to the house.