Sentosa House by Nicholas Burns Associates, Singapore

Ellie Stathaki's avatar
By
last updated
in Features
3 storey house with large windows
Ever since people began building on it in 2003, Singapore's Sentosa Island has finally begun to justify its self-proclaimed title of 'Asia's favourite playground'. Indeed the number of ambitious residential projects on the island could certainly support a claim for Sentosa to be the architects' favourite playground. Case in point: Sentosa House by Nicholas Burns Associates, a resort within a resort and a playground writ large
(Image credit: Archinesia.com)

Back of building with huge windows & outdoor pool

Briefing the architect with a need for open, interactive spaces and flexibility, the private client requested a structure that could easily adapt to a variety of occasions and one that would remain timeless within the fast developing locale

(Image credit: TBC)

View from balcony

At first glance, the long balconies, abundant floor-to-ceiling glazing and slim, vertical cladding suggest a linear focus but it is the main core that dictates the space inside

(Image credit: TBC)

Indoor lounge area

The spatial arrangement around the core allows for a large sitting room, kitchen and terrace on the first floor

(Image credit: TBC)

Kitchen with breakfast bar

Nicholas Burns and his team designed spaces that transcend 'function recognition', however, so the kitchen hides any hints of appliances and interior furnishings are warm and inviting, like a wine-tasting bar at a lush vineyard

(Image credit: TBC)

Dining table & chairs

The spacious dining area

(Image credit: TBC)

Outdoor pool & seating area

The outdoor dining area is built into the architecture

(Image credit: TBC)

Outdoor pool

The outdoor dining area is built into the architecture

(Image credit: TBC)

Wooden staircase

The main circulation stairwell with peek-a-boo risers sits at the heart of the layout, carrying visitors to the three levels, each visible from the last

(Image credit: TBC)

Black lounge sofa next to large window

The floors are divided into front and rear wings, creating intimate spaces to escape the open plan

(Image credit: TBC)

Exterior of building

All timber is reclaimed teak. The concrete is mainly untreated with the exception of a few surfaces that have been left with a slight sheen

(Image credit: TBC)

Wooden blinds on windows

Wooden louvres filter the light and create graphic shadows inside the house

(Image credit: TBC)

Corridor next to stairwell

The light-filled hallway

(Image credit: TBC)

Outdoor stone staircase

Outdoor spaces are connected at each level by staircases and the steep slope of the land

(Image credit: TBC)

Green area outside of building

They benefit from a visual exchange with the indoors, enabled by openings in the façade and ceiling-height windows

(Image credit: TBC)

Backside exterior of building

Photovoltaic panels add an extra environmentally friendly element, at the same time highlighting the design's strong tropical character

(Image credit: TBC)
Ellie Stathaki
Ellie Stathaki

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).