Tropical House With A Bamboo Veil Wrapped Around Its Middle Section

The Bamboo Veil House is located in Singapore and occupies a small, triangular plot. Its owner kept it in its original condition with minimal interventions being done over the years up until 2019 when the house got a complete makeover. It was studio Wallflower Architecture + Design who came up with the new design based on their clients requirements and ideas. The initial brief was quite simple. This was to be a minimal tropical house with a large social space on the ground floor. There was however one specific detail which made this project unlike any other.

The middle floor is the most prominent one even if incidentally it's also the most private one
The middle floor is the most prominent one even if incidentally it’s also the most private one

The owner fell in love with the design of the Nezu Museum when they visited Tokyo and wanted to incorporate that aesthetic into their new home. That’s where the inspiration for the bamboo screen came from. It’s like a veil which wraps around the building in a single continuous sheet, like a set of house shutters that perfectly blend into the facade when closed.

The bamboo veil wraps around the house and creates rounded edges on the facade
The bamboo veil wraps around the house and creates rounded edges on the facade

This unique aesthetic suits this semi-detached house perfectly considering the dense urban environment that it’s a part of as well as the tropical climate. In order to give the house a modern allure both inside and out, the architects designed the facade as a double skin. The bamboo veil is the outer layer and a series of aluminum-framed glass windows form the inner skin.

The bamboo screen is partially framed by a terrace with various plants and greenery on it
The bamboo screen is partially framed by a terrace with various plants and greenery on it

The bamboo veil is a unifying element that gives the house a unique identity and separates it from the neighboring structures but also helps it blend into the local landscape. From a structural point of view, the division of spaces internally is quite simple. The open space kitchen, dining and entertainment spaces occupy the ground floor with the bedroom being nestled on the second floor behind the bamboo screens and an additional study and a family room being placed on the top floor.

When all the screens are closed, the bamboo veil looks like a single continuous cloth that wraps around the building
When all the screens are closed, the bamboo veil looks like a single continuous cloth that wraps around the building
The bamboo screen is a unifying element for the entire building even if it's only associated with the second floor
The bamboo screen is a unifying element for the entire building even if it’s only associated with the second floor
The bamboo veil forms the outer shell of the facade, being part of a two-layer design
The bamboo veil forms the outer shell of the facade, being part of a two-layer design
All the social spaces are gathered on the ground floor, as requested by the owner of this amazing tropical house
All the social spaces are gathered on the ground floor, as requested by the owner of this amazing tropical house
The interior design as a whole is modern with certain influences from traditional and retro styles
The interior design as a whole is modern with certain influences from traditional and retro styles
The bamboo screens can be operated individually to either open up the spaces to the outdoors or to give them maximum privacy
The bamboo screens can be operated individually to either open up the spaces to the outdoors or to give them maximum privacy
The internal spaces are decorated with the owner's large art collection
The internal spaces are decorated with the owner’s large art collection
The open space kitchen and dining area transition into a terrace and a small garden
The open space kitchen and dining area transition into a terrace and a small garden
The facade has curved edges which are emphasized even more by the bamboo veil
The facade has curved edges which are emphasized even more by the bamboo veil
The two-layer bamboo and glass facade offers a lot of freedom and allows spaces to transform within minutes
The two-layer bamboo and glass facade offers a lot of freedom and allows spaces to transform within minutes
At night the house resembles a huge bamboo lantern which lights up from inside
At night the house resembles a huge bamboo lantern which lights up from inside