From the architects
This is a tale of two houses – similar looking, yet independent and
coming together to form a coherent whole. The two blocks sit on a
sprawling piece of land, belonging respectively to the retired parents
and one of their children.
This separation of the house into two blocks, in part a response to
the sheer scale of the land, is also a requirement brief given by the
clients. Programmatically, it consists of a two-storey block with the
main living and master bedroom area, and a single-storey block housing
the entertainment areas of the house.
What links these two volumes together is the huge central courtyard
at the entrance expressed in an austere geometry of granite floor and
wall, an organically shaped oculus and a minimalist planting of six
willowy trees. Like a sparse yet artful Chinese landscape painting, this
sets the tone for the rest of the spaces.
The landscape design, similar to the house, is also experienced in
multiple correlated layers. It takes its inspiration from the philosophy
of classical Chinese Garden where views are borrowed through cutouts
and vistas, and where sight lines and spaces begin to overlap.
