Merryn Road 40A, located in Singapore was designed by Aamer Architects to be the third in a row of three homes all owned by the same person. Two of the homes where built over a decade ago and the owner recently purchased an adjacent property that he wanted a third home built on, one for him and his wife and one for each of his two young adult sons. This third home would be harmonious with the first two, while at the same time being completely different. The brief included the inclusion of a garden courtyard and koi pond as well as a swimming pool and lush garden areas.
With the courtyard featuring a koi pond a lush garden, and outdoor lounging area, there was no room for a pool; however, the architects gave the owner a pool with a sweeping rooftop view of the neighbourhood thanks to the 2 storey bungalows that fill the area. The rooftop pool is designed with an end panel of glass overlooking the front yard, and a sunken glass “rug” in the centre of the pool looking down into the home. The front yard is designed with lush plantings that flank the driveway and spill onto the glass overhang sheltering the main entrance while a 3 storey wooden trellis on the side brings the garden up to the pool level.
The driveway is built with cobbled bricks while the side of the home is rough rock, these two textures are contrasted nicely by the smooth finish of the black powder coated steel and glass overhang that protects the main entrance, as well as by the blast of colourful cool blue peeking out from the roof.
While most homes feature the entry, Merryn Road 40A chooses instead to play up the surrounding gardens and the roof top pool with the entry fading casually into the facade. If it weren’t for the glass overhang, the entry would almost be invisible.
the trellis around the corner from the entry is built with vertical timbers that extend up and over the pool, creating a sheltering arbour effect. Vines wrap and twist around the trellis timbers, creating a vertical garden of geometric interest.
The trellis begins its rise from the private courtyard just outside the social zone. Surrounded by other lush plantings, the timbers blend with the thin trunks of the surrounding palms.
From a distance, the trellis emerges from the landscaping and offers some privacy to the rooftop pool.
While the trellis brings the vines up and over the pool deck, the landscaped plantings on the far side of the home rise above and spill over the edge of the roof as well.
With all the vegetation, its almost hard to imagine the pool is high above the ground, I say almost because the view gives the height away, as does the sunken rug window looking down into the courtyard.
The view from the courtyard up into the pool is an ever changing rippling water and the odd swimmer passing by.
At the back of the pool is a rooftop family room complete with TV. Behind the family room is a powder room and beside it is a pantry. The rows of vertical steel rods are the balustrade to the spiral staircase that accesses the deck.
The family room steps down from the pool deck for an intimate private setting that absolutely no neighbours overlook.
The powder room has a small porthole in the ceiling for a vine to poke through.
At night the family room has a private and spectacular view of the pool, the sky and the neighbourhood itself.
The spiral staircase leads down the side of the home, past the private volume to the courtyard below.
All three bedroom suites on the private volume open to a small deck accessed by the spiral staircase. This allows both grown sons as well as the parents to come and go without interrupting the others.
All three bedroom suites on the second floor have walk in closets and private ensuite bathrooms, but neither of the sons bedrooms have a bathroom as spectacular as their parents ensuite. With a double vanity running along one wall and a walk in shower on the window wall, complete with rough stacked stone an and a large boulder for sitting, the room has a complete Zen atmosphere.
With all the lush plantings outside of the window, the owners have complete privacy within their shower.
The bedrooms are connected to the other levels via the spiral staircase and a second inside stairwell.
The inside stairwell is located between the Master Suite and the other two bedroom suites with a study room connecting the stairwell to spiral staircase deck.
The back of the stairwell wall is one side of a hall that connects the study room with the Master Suite.
The spiral staircase leads to an outdoor lounge area within the courtyard. The outdoor lounge area is beside the dining zone.
Folding glass doors open wide to connect the interior and exterior zones for an indoor/outdoor lifestyle.
When all the doors are open, the connection between the indoors and outdoors is complete.
A glass overhang shelters the outdoor lounge area.
All the glass doors that open to the courtyard are framed in wood and the effect is one of fluid movement that flows harmoniously with the greenery outside.
The dining area is located between the kitchen and the living zones and just behind it is a small powder room.
The kitchen is a long and narrow efficient design that overlooks the spiral staircase. With the fridge and sink located in the wall of cabinets and the stove positioned in the long island, the chef can move comfortably within the working triangle while at the same time there is plenty of prep space for a helper to pitch in.
The living room can look directly into the dining area via the glass windows on either side of the small-planted courtyard. Within the plants is an outdoor red sculpture. Art is an important part of the homeowner’s life and original paintings are hung strategically on walls in such a way as to enhance the overall verticality of the rooms.
A koi pond was also important to the homeowners and the architects designed the courtyard with the koi pond running adjacent to the living room for the full enjoyment of those within.
With the koi pond on two sides of the living room and a planted courtyard on a third, the homeowners are able to enjoy all of their favourite things whether indoors or out and on sunny days with all the windows open, the sounds and smells of the water, vegetation and small wildlife fill the air with a serine atmosphere not easily found in an urban environment.
Aside from koi, birds and butterflies are equally at home in the courtyard.
While the homeowners and their sons have bedroom suites on the second floor, there is also two bedrooms on the main level.
Aamer Architects designed the second level as three individual bedroom suites with their own private entrances.
The rooftop pool has an enclosed family room, powder room and pantry close at hand when its time to dry off, relax, eat a few snacks and watch TV.
Aamer Architects
Photography by Sanjay Kewlani
