The Meera House By Guz Architects

The Meera House, designed by Guz Architects, is located in a new housing estate on the island of Sentosa, adjacent to Singapore. The plots are not large, and neighboring buildings are built close to the sides of each House.

The Meera House By Guz Architects:

The Meera House is designed with a central void and essentially shallow volumes, particularly on the upper floor. This maximizes cross ventilation and reduces dependence on mechanical air conditioning.

The large shaded areas of glazing in most rooms reduce the reliance on artificial lighting during daylight hours while minimizing solar gain. The large acrylic window in the basement-level media room floods it with diffused natural light, further reducing energy consumption. The gardens on each level typically overhang the story below, providing shade and reducing overheating in Singapore’s tropical climate.

The ambition of enhancing the occupant’s quality of life strongly influences the concept of the House. This is primarily achieved by the roof gardens on every level. In addition to having direct access to these, interior spaces have large areas of glazing with views out over the gardens to the sea and sky. The large amount of natural daylight contributes enormously to an excellent indoor environment. Large acrylic windows in the pool result in even the basement receiving significant amounts of diffused natural light.

The open-air stairwell design reduces indoor depth for better cross ventilation and high indoor air quality. Natural cross ventilation with mechanical assistance ensures high indoor air quality for wellness.

The integration of ‘Sky Garden House’ with nature and the outdoors is most evident in the garden areas on every level. The gardens, with many plantings and several trees, reduce carbon dioxide and help counter greenhouse gas emissions. The large grass areas absorb much less heat than conventional roofing materials, resulting in less thermal storage in the building and reducing the required use of cooling systems.

In Singapore’s tropical climate, water retention in gardens helps reduce pressure on the surface water system during heavy rains.

Photos by: Patrick Bingham-Hall

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