Prism House

“The perspective of the house, the interesting thing is, from the outside of the house, it looks like it holds a secret. And that secret is only unveiled as you walk up the stairs and into the opening of the house.”

The secret of this house lies in how it has been beautifully crafted over a sloping terrain. Sloping terrains can be challenging to build on but they have the advantage of breathtaking views.

How would you build on a site with not just one but multiple slopes? This is when space planning becomes crucial. Here, S/LAB10 has created a tiered complex with multiple interplay of spaces surrounding a central infinity pool.

Today we will be sharing with you this beautiful family home embracing nature, nestled in the green enclave of Ledang Heights.

The owner of this beautiful family home shares, “Hi, I’m Jason. I’m from the UK. I’ve lived in Asia for the last 16 or 17 years.”

The designer of this home is S/LAB 10, a design and architecture practice founded by Jason Sim and Hao Wang.

“The original intention is to keep the form as simple as possible.” Jason says.

“This is one of the trick that I actually studied from Barcelona Pavilion by Mies van der Rohe. So as you look from the outside, the architecture wise is on the arrival, the simple form, like tin roof. I wanted to create something heavy but at the same time, very light.”

“And also create a formal look on arrival hence, the reason why we introduced the colonnade. So this is actually, we took a little bit of inspiration from the classical architecture.”

An entrance of composed lines, timber slats and concrete create an amazing first impression. By curating a subtle entrance, S/LAB10 makes the infinity pool the heart of this home.

“This house is designed to open inward. A lot of the inspiration come from how we were being trained as an Australian architect,” Hao tells us.

Hao explains the layout of the house. “The house is split into three levels. There’s a garden level which hosts the art studio and the guest suite.”

“The main living floor where you enter the property will have an outdoor pavilion, and the main living, dining area, wet kitchen, dry kitchen and also the entertainment room and the parents’ room. So the upper floor is all private, there’s master bedroom and the kids’ bedrooms above.”

Master Bedroom

“After studying this site, we decided we’re gonna orientate the building towards the Northeast, so that would allow us to have the maximum sunlight into the pool and main living area. With the maximum sunlight coming in in the morning, we also have to look into how to protect the master bedroom above,” Hao explains.

“Therefore we have designed this special sun shading device that can operate together with the curtain inside and also create a very interesting architectural facade.”

A practical yet aesthetic function creating a bejewelled facade, contrasting the exterior. Mirroring light into the space, it creates a surreal, animated experience.

Clad in a herringbone timber pattern, the wardrobe adds subtle elegance to the walk-in closet. Its surface reflects light and the greenery from outdoors into the space.

Jason, the owner shares, “The design of the layouts of the room, they’re very spacious but very warm at the same time. It’s quite possible to be too modern and have this sterile, cold environment. The idea of the house is to have a beautiful house with nice things but the ability to enjoy those things and be comfortable.”

“The master bathroom is wild. It’s huge. It’s made for a couple, so you know, two sinks, two showers, two lavatories, a double ended bath. The whole idea was togetherness,” explains Jason.

The backlit onyx wall creates a soothing yet dramatic ambience. The stone’s natural translucence creates a unique play of light. The unique flooring heightens the elegance of the entire bathroom.

Staircase

The two spiral stairs to the first floor stand in dramatic backdrop of white marble flooring and a double volume window.

Living & Dining

In an open plan layout, the living and dining maximises entertaining space. The timber slats and marble flooring can be visually heavy. But here, the visuals are balanced by simple details and formal composition.

Furniture pieces in different styles and tones contrast yet complement each other, adding character. Pops of green liven up the entire space.

“So my wife is also from England, she’s an artist. She loves to paint, she loves to design things, the eye for detail. She has an eye for quality so a lot of that influence has been brought into the house.” Jason shares.

A dining table by the pool creates a pleasant alfresco dining experience.

Home Theater

The home theater dons a unique vibrant colour. By including similar timber flooring and motifs of nature, this ensures a cohesive look in the entire house.

Jason tells us about the home theater, “I like the space, the colouring of the room makes it a little bit darker which makes it really ideal for relaxing at the end of the evening and watching something on the projector screen.”

Pavilion

“The design intention is a horse shoe shape. Everything will orientate towards the infinity pool which is the central courtyard area.”

The designers shared, “For pool pavilion that we have wrapped around this area with natural timber. From the floor to the wall to the ceiling, it’s all finished with one timber finish. And so this really defined this area.”

“And everything else that faces outside will have essential openings, windows, just to draw the landscape into the house.”

“Architectural wise, there were a lot of inspiration drawn from Mies van der Rohe, to be honest. So if you look around, their columns, they are treated in the way that it’s obscured in the space with reflective stainless steel plates to mirage the column.”

By orientating the spaces towards the pool, the outdoor and indoor blends together seamlessly. The internal spaces of the house are bathed in constant natural light.

Guest Room

The guest room is positioned on a lower level, enjoying its own private garden view.

Hao shares how, “Walking past the outdoor pavilion, they will go into the guest suite which is separated from the main building. We wanted the guest and the host to have total privacy from each other.”

Jason explains, “If we have guests staying over, the two guest rooms have a beautiful bathroom with a focal point marble wall in the shower area which really draws your eye into it.”

Through thoughtful space planning and architecture in multiple levels, S/LAB10 has minimised the cutting of land and filling, preserving the original landscape of this home.

This is a family home created in close physical and visual connection with its green surroundings, in poetic celebration of the environment.

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