Located just out of the city, the Be-Landa House is a minimal yet beautifully designed property by 29designs. If you have watched Crazy Rich Asians, you might notice the lowest poolside living area which was used in a scene for the movie where the ladies gathered for Bible study and tea.
Depicted as the Singapore home of wealthy matriarch Eleanor Young in the movie, the Be-Landa residence staggers up a steeply sloped site as three volumes facing a forest reserve, with the upper two volumes lifted above the ground on stilts.
The starting point was to establish the minimum amount of flat land required for the house to be functional. The architects drew a line for the retaining wall to include a flat area for parking the cars, an adjoining main entrance, and the kitchen at the street level.
The retaining wall bisected the site acted as a datum for the master planning. All spaces were massed into three Pavilions with varying relationships to the datum wall; the 1st Pavilion is entirely “on the ground” within the flat land area; the 2nd Pavilion is half on the ground, and half hanging over the slope on stilts; and finally the 3rd Pavilion is entirely hovering over the slope on pilotis, accessed via a glass-sheathed bridge.
When viewed from the street, only the “grounded” portion of the 1st and 2nd Pavilions is visible. The front façade is decidedly low-key, a double story massing with little indication of what lies beyond. Upon entering, there is an element of surprise as the house unfolds. The Foyer features an elevated view straight through to the forest reserve across the valley, framed by the 2nd & 3rd Pavilions.
