Kampung Sayang

The project was approached as a selective expansion of the old house (built in the 60s) that the Owners grew up in as it belonged to their parents. As such there was a conscious effort to preserve these precious memories of inhabitation associated with the old house, yet still provide new practical living spaces for the family to grow.  The heart of the old house was identified as the main living and dining area and the front garden they opened out to, where most of the family gatherings and activities took place over the decades. This became the main focus of how we oriented and arranged the new spaces by expanding upwards and sideways from the old house, while retaining as much of the front setback for the garden as possible for landscaping and open space. The intention was also to repurpose old timber rafters and metal grilles from the original house into various decking, movable planters, and facade screens, while integrating existing brick walls into the layouts. This plays on the notion of “embodied memories” of reinterpreting and inhabiting the spaces, and helps to reduce its carbon footprint. 

​

Set on a roughly square plot that sits higher than the surrounding road level, the exposed concrete structural shell evokes a sense of robustness and permanence that is lifted off the ground, straddling new programmatic spaces on 1st storey and allowed a direct connection of the 1st storey living and dining space to the front garden and porosity of the indoors and outdoors.  Instead of a heavy solid monolith, the concrete structure reads as an open and permeable frame that wraps itself around the 2nd storey bedrooms and family areas of the old house, allowing cross ventilation and shaded eaves through the open facade, while also framing views from within. From here, a curved staircase to the new attic level master bedroom and family area affords a bit of drama as you ascend its double-volume and opens up to a panoramic view of the tree top canopies of the neighbouring estates and nature reserve beyond. 

​

​As the garden was always the focus of the old house, a biophilic approach was taken to blur the boundaries of both house and garden. This was achieved by allowing the house to be open and receptive to the natural elements and surrounding landscape on the whole. Preserving a row of existing mature Cook Pine trees along the garden's front boundary that much of the original internal layouts looked out onto, with new verandahs and carefully designed self-sustaining biophillic pools and overflow ponds, further obscures the boundary between indoor and outdoor. A sculptural steelwork feature in the form of a moongate set amongst a pond and greenery, presents a rear garden to the open double-volume carporch and formal entrance of the house. 

​

​Renowned Malaysian landscape architect Inch Lim of Inchscape, was brought on board to collaborate on the landscape design and planting scheme for the garden. He advised on reusing and transplanting an existing plumeria and orange jasmine trees and various shrubs from the Owners' previous residence into the garden. Various new fruit trees like banana and papaya, and fruiting climbing vines like loofah and pumpkin, were used to supplement and complement the existing greenery in the garden. 2 large ornamental clay pots that were gifts from friends were introduced into the side entranceway of the garden as decorative follies that also served as markers of the entrance's vista towards the garden.​

​

As we developed our design and perception of how we would like the new house to behave with nature, it became clear very quickly that this home should be more than just a refined shell or enclosure for inhabitation. We also gained a new understanding of how living well with nature and the community can have a deeply profound effect on one's well-being.

 

This close working relationship with the Owners also allowed us to share in their family history and traditions, of living well with the environment at large - a modern homage to "kampung" living in the tropics of being closely connected to the land, nature, and community.

 

"Kampung Sayang" became the name of the project - "Love for Kampung".

​