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Brookvale Park / Tristan & Juliana

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© Rupert Singleton

Architects: Juliana & TristanLocation: Brookvale Park, SingaporeProject Area: 150 sqmProject Year: 2009Photographs: Rupert Singleton, ImageGarden

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Houses Selected WorksBrookvale Park Singapore

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Brookvale Park / Tristan & Juliana | ArchDaily

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© Rupert Singleton

© Rupert Singleton

Beginnings

Tucked away in a corner off the main road, surrounded by lush greenery, sits one ofthose increasingly rare and threatened species of our built environment, a private walk upapartment with space to breathe and quietude for the soul. Like others built in its era,Brookvale Park combine both a stroke of practicality in its economy of scale, whilstmaintaining sensitivity to the spatial proportions and distances that is required for itsinhabitants to live life without the intrusive pressures of urbanity.

Individual dwelling units enjoy that rare commodity of a generous span of balcony, whilstinternally, a sense of play abounds as different horizontal planes separate the publicdomain from the private. Belie this apartment’s aging exterior lies a potential sophisticationof spaces which we recognised in our search for a home some years back.

Brookvale Park / Tristan & Juliana | ArchDaily

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© Rupert Singleton

© Rupert Singleton

After viewing countless different yet similar cookie cutter apartment layouts, we instantlysaw the possible beauty of this top storey corner apartment. The slanted roof, thoughcovered by the false ceiling, and diffused sunlight through the side skylight gentlyilluminating the interior, sealed the deal and we set out to sculpt the apartment into ourhome.

Brookvale Park / Tristan & Juliana | ArchDaily

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© Rupert Singleton

© Rupert Singleton

Revealing the beauty

The entire original ceiling was removed and a series of solid timber rafters, concealed anddarkened over the years, was revealed. These were sand down, restored, given its duerecognition and fundamental objective to soar overhead and form the anchor of theapartment. Lush greenery, now framed by newly installed unadorned steel framed glasswindows, provides the necessary cross ventilation that every tropical home shouldembrace.

Cool grey stones greet the visitor as one steps into the living room and a built in bookcase meets the eye. A long bench which functions as the main settee is integrated with aseries of steps, serving to transit from the stone floor to the timber boards on the splitupper level of the unit. The open kitchen now serves as the new back drop of the publicdomain.

The new Master suite takes over the entire rear portion, occupying what was once twoguest bedrooms, a kitchen and a service bath. The collective space was given a completeoverhaul, exposing the original roof rafters and creating an uninterrupted flow from theintimate bed space to the striking, opened bathroom.

Brookvale Park / Tristan & Juliana | ArchDaily

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© Rupert Singleton

existing floor plan

The original Master bedroom now functions as a study. The wall separating the study andliving room was removed as much as possible, allowing one to peer into either spacethrough the voids of the book case.

The interplay of volumes within the apartment, brought about by the combination of thepitched roof, raised platforms and torn down walls reveal a strong yet flexible hierarchy ofspace that was intuitively understood and celebrated through the use of materials andcareful detailing. The resultant space is one that has been crafted and honed to meet therefined sensibilities of modern life.

Brookvale Park / Tristan & Juliana | ArchDaily

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© Rupert Singleton © Rupert Singleton © Rupert Singleton

© Rupert Singleton © Rupert Singleton © Rupert Singleton

proposed floor plan

An endangered species

Unfortunately, with economics and “p.s.f“ (per square foot) figures rather than refinementof the living space being the driving force behind todays’ developments, one would behard pressed to find an equivalent sophistication in the modern designs of today. Walk-upapartment blocks as old as Brookvale are an “endangered species” in our city-country ofSingapore. Many are “en-bloc” (where owners of separate units band together tocollectively sell their properties to a developer) and put up for tender for redevelopment,often replaced by typical floor plates which aim to pack as many units as possible into anygiven site. These alluring apartments are most often, torn down to give way to a blandpermutation of soulless architectural condition and utilitarian living.

Brookvale is no exception

It is currently in the midst of a potential en-bloc tender and is in the mercy of prospectivebuyers versus the dwellers. The hope of publishing our apartment is to tell the story ofsuch a charm that cannot be substituted with pristine new living quarters. Our wish is forlike-minded individuals to cherish these living spaces and live in as they were meant tobe.

Brookvale Park / Tristan & Juliana | ArchDaily

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© Rupert Singleton © Rupert Singleton © Rupert Singleton

© Rupert Singleton © Rupert Singleton © Rupert Singleton

© Rupert Singleton © Rupert Singleton © Rupert Singleton

© Rupert Singleton © Rupert Singleton © Rupert Singleton

© Rupert Singleton © Rupert Singleton © ImageGarden

© Rupert Singleton © Rupert Singleton © Rupert Singleton

© Rupert Singleton existing floor plan proposed floor plan

Brookvale Park / Tristan & Juliana | ArchDaily

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Cite:"Brookvale Park / Tristan & Juliana" 23 Jan 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 14 Apr 2013.<http://www.archdaily.com/200264>

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Beautiful! I especially love the details of the entrance door and the walk-through clothes-cabinetand the general openess of the place. I’d love to live there. Well done!

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Reply

I love the irony.The owners say they want “to tell the story of such a charm that cannot be substituted with pristine newliving quarters” and yet they’ve renovated the apartment, hacked out old walls and replaced the old layoutwith a brand new redesign.The apartment sure looks like “pristine new living quarters” to me…

0

Brookvale Park / Tristan & Juliana | ArchDaily

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