BECAHouse丨新加坡丨ONG&ONG

Singapore-based design firm ONG&ONG envisions the BECA-House, a private residence designed in 2019. Featuring rectilinear lines, this modern dwelling incorporates spacious and well-ventilated areas, enhancing its fluid design. The house caters to multigenerational living, with thoughtfully designed interiors accommodating both communal and private spaces, such as the lush deck off the master bedroom for the grandparents and owners.

Rectilinear Design

The entrance features a wide porch, angled like a shoebox, revealing a distinctive design element. This connects to the main block through aluminium louvre patterns, leading to an undulating pebble and granite pathway. This pathway serves as a gentle transition from the garden plot and the retained Bucinda Tree to the house’s interiors, emphasising the house’s integration with nature.

Living and Design

Given the common challenge in Singapore of close neighbour proximity, aluminium screens across the facade on the second and third levels provide privacy. Tinted floor-to-ceiling windows surround the living room, borrowing the surrounding greenery, creating a communal space for all three generations. The interior combines the seating area, dining, and dry kitchen with pure grey marble flooring. A quartz countertop faces the sitting area, integrating built-in appliances against wooden laminated cabinetry. The level’s demarcation is through planter boxes and draping vegetation, softening the exterior façade and enhancing the garden feel.

Cantilevered Stairs

Cantilevered teak stairs lead to the daughters’ rooms on the second level. These rooms are connected by a Jack-and-Jill bathroom, reflecting the owners’ intent to maintain interaction between siblings. A plywood spray-painted veneer wall guides to the family room, sharing similar traits with the main living room.

Master Bedroom Retreat

The third level reveals the master bedroom and grandparents’ room. A shared but divided teak deck provides space for a rattan daybed or hammock. The grandparents’ room features antique dark wood furniture nearly 50 years old, preserving familiarity for the elderly couple. In the master bedroom, the bed faces the deck, allowing the owners to rise with the sun’s rays. A meticulously designed wardrobe lines an entire wall, while the master bathroom offers a resort-like showering experience amongst nature, screened by planters and aluminium louvres.

Emphasising sustainability, the home incorporates rooftop solar panels to reduce daily energy consumption. Abundant greenery provides visual comfort and helps naturally cool the house. The louvres redirect incoming sunlight, enhancing the house’s energy efficiency and livability while maintaining a connection to its environment.