Villa Lambda

Lambda, a geometrical description of space is near Singapore’s east coast and set in a very suburban sea of red-tiled pitched rooves in a mix of classical and modern pastiche. Its design was inspired by a scale model of the new Lamborghini ‘Gallardo’.

The model Lamborghini suggested two triangles that mirror one another, creating an off-set shape and interlocking figures. This feeds the idea contained in the name of the house – lambda, λ, the Greek letter used to signify the notion of a wavelength, a triangulated formal composition of apparent opposites held in dynamic tension. This, then, was elaborated to pick up on the spaceship image which has just landed or is about to take off: the house’s aero foil screens cantilever 20 metres out to form the protective canopy or the porte cochère of the car parking; the aluminum-clad roof with the extruded flaps at the rear of the attic sitting room; and the attic’s louver which serves as the air-intake of an engine room.

The driving image was of a weightless building whose only structure would be the exoskeleton, a space frame containing the house itself. Two triangles cantilever off one another ─ one chamfered at the rear to add to the aerodynamic quality ─ with the whole structure seemingly balanced on a single point. The large glazed walls of the house are set well back from the exoskeleton and adds to the impression of delicately poised composition of triangular forms. The framework complied to Singapore’s regulation for habitable attic spaces. Through a careful balancing of building lines and roof eaves, it remains within guidelines without any compromise to the formal character of the building.

The interiors are notable for their space and opulence. It contain many custom-designed pieces which serve to unify the interior and the exterior in an integrated design scheme.

Villa Lambda represents a unity between the exterior architectural form and the interior character of the house. The form of the house is expressed inside and by eschewing complicated furnishings, becomes the main theme of the interior design.