Hill Top Residence | K2Ld Architects

Hill Top Residence, image courtesy of K2Ld Architects

Hill Top Residence is a house that sits on a steep triangular plot located in Bukit Tunggal, Singapore, designed by K2Ld Architects.

+ Project description courtesy of K2Ld Architects

Hill Top Residence, image courtesy of K2Ld Architects

One of the first design hurdles designing this house was the topography and the land shape it sat on; that is, upon entering from the road, the ground descends gradually down 6 meters. This meant excavating into the ground from a point that was half the length of the house in order for a basement to open out to the pool on the same level, thus receiving natural lights and air. This was no small matter, because with this sloping terrain and subsequent height to the basement opening, this would hint at a house that could be a 3-storey structure. Therefore, to work around this imminent planning requirement, the architects devised a plan to reduce the basement opening while raising the pool level by a few steps.

Hill Top Residence, image courtesy of K2Ld Architects

As a result of turning this situation into a winning opportunity, the now well-lived basement gets natural ventilation and daylight. The space contains all necessary informal dwelling for family entertainment, kids’ play, a study and easy access to pool with washroom and showers.

Hill Top Residence, image courtesy of K2Ld Architects

Another challenge was the client’s brief to design the home to hold and showcase an extensive collection of valuable art. While light (whether natural or artificial) was essential for human comfort living, so was the need to shelter the artworks from excessive glare. Therefore, the architects set out to balance both competing requirements and made all considerations to carve out corners, nooks, crannies and niches for gallery track lighting (to illuminate hanging art) and sculpture placement. Similarly, all the interior spaces were carefully shaded wherever there are openings, whether recessed under overhangs or mediated with screens and adjustable vertical timber slats.

Hill Top Residence, image courtesy of K2Ld Architects

Having overcome both of the above, the architects took care to ensure the overall scheme was not compromised. This led to the construction of a very dramatic front and back cantilever on the upper storey, whose bulky volume now sits ever so “weightlessly” on a smaller ground floor footprint. In doing so, the house quietly asserts its majestic uniqueness on the overall elevated terrain, almost like a crane resting on the hill.

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