House tour: Communal space and recycled materials create cost vibe in this Upper Serangoon terrace

Sandra Heng's terrace home in Upper Serangoon is pretty unusual. For one, it has two entrances - the front faces the road, while the back opens up to an open field.

As terrace homes tend to be dark inside, architect Goy Zhenru, founder of Goy Architects, created a courtyard with a sitting area that is naturally lit by a skylight. This area is a hit with anyone who comes to visit. The homeowner laughs, "one of my friends likes sitting here, looking up at the skylight."

Sandra wanted her home to have open spaces and a studio where she can teach Pilates pro bono to elderly folks and individuals with mobility issues. The mezzanine floor is now an open space and a bedroom which has been converted into a studio, where Sandra conducts her Pilates classes on the weekends. The open space also doubles as a play area for when her nieces come by.

The bedroom is separated into the sleeping area and a small sitting corner.

Zhenru suggested moving the kitchen to the front of the house, which Sandra was initially unsure of, but now has no regrets. The front of the house is spacious, with a dining table on the side, and a dry kitchen with an island counter that Sandra uses for baking. The wet kitchen is located in an open area with another smaller dining table on the side.

On the upper floors are reclaimed teak windows from Indonesia, which Zhenru and her team personally went to find. The home won gold for the best residential design for private houses at the Interior Design Confederation Singapore's Design Excellence Award.

Its president, Cameron Woo says, "this house is distinctive due to its approach as a kampong instead of as a single dwelling which it is. The communal spaces act as the village green and the recycled fenestration appear as individual shophouse facades looking onto the street. As a result, some of the interior spaces are made to feel like exterior spaces."

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This article was first published in The Business Times. Permission required for reproduction.