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Sublime Tropical House from Singapore’s Ong & Ong

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This truly serene bath tops the tropical house that Ong & Ong have just created for an active family in Singapore.

Masters of modern minimalism, the huge (500 employees) architectural firm is better known for their sophisticated commercial projects. When they do contract individual residences, they bring that experience to the project, creating substantial and serious houses.

The company has long had a reputation in new Asian architecture for integrating skilled architecture, clever interior design and sensitive landscape design. But the sense of interwoven Asian histories is even stronger.

In fashioning powerful and resonant homes for members of Singapore’s new elite, the company draws on a rich heritage of a mix of Asian cultures, from the solidity and mass of traditional Chinese architecture to the fragile sense of space found through centuries of Japanese minimalism.

When the very experienced (40 years) firm turns to the occasional residential design, as it has here, Ong&Ong displays a deft touch.

The client has active teenagers. You can see one of their bikes here.

The brief for the architects was to create spaces for introspection, to provide places for thoughtful time alone, as a counterbalance to a hectic life for the whole family.

As much as possible, natural materials with thermal sink properties were chosen. Marble, stone, wood and glass are as timeless as they are energy-efficient, cooling humid Singapore nights with cross breezes.

Spaces were designed with expansive peacefulness in mind. This sublimely simple outdoor room is an example. The enclosed courtyard with forest is another.