Challenge #13 is an structure workplace that doubles-up as a house

Studio Wills + Architects has reconfigured an residence in Serangoon, Singapore in order that it accommodates the studio’s personal workplace and a comfortable house for its founder.

The house and workplace, which Studio Wills + Architects has named Challenge #13, is shortlisted within the small inside class of this 12 months’s Dezeen Awards. It measures 64 sq. metres and takes over a 30-year-old residence inside one in every of Singapore’s public housing blocks.

All through the day it capabilities as a workspace, whereas within the evenings it serves as a house to the studio’s founder, William Ng.

“The design actually began simply as two distinct and autonomous areas below one roof that can be utilized independently and/or interchangeably,” Ng informed Dezeen.

“One half finally developed as a house for me, because it minimises time spent commuting between work.”

Though there wasn’t an abundance of area within the residence, Ng and his studio first determined to part off a part of the ground plan and switch it right into a lobby.

“It creates a ‘buffer zone’ between the private and non-private domains, and on the similar time permits two separate entry factors, permitting the areas inside to function independently,” defined the studio.

A door to the left of the lobby leads by way of the studio’s workplace, on the centre of that are two lengthy work desks for employees.

Set to the facet of the room is a tall wood quantity that’s built-in with storage and a tea-making station. There’s moreover a few shelving items for presenting architectural fashions.

In the direction of the rear of the workplace is a kitchenette and a rest room – full with a bathe – that’s solely clad with sq. blue-grey tiles.

Throughout workplace hours, employees can spill over into the right-hand facet of the residence to work.

It performs host to a soothing lounge dressed with a luxurious, cream-coloured chaise longue and a lantern-style lamp that emits a heat glow.

There’s one other tall wood quantity, inbuilt with stairs that lead as much as a mezzanine-level tea room the place employees can escape for “quiet and contemplation”.

They will additionally get a chook’s-eye-view of the workplace by way of a gap that has been inserted within the wall up right here.

Past the amount, there may be an extra desk and set of chairs that are used for conferences and one other bathroom.

These flip into home areas for Ng after employees go away. Dinner may be loved on the assembly desk, the break-out space turns into a front room and the tea room serves as sleeping quarters as soon as the seat cushions are changed with a roll-out mattress.

Instantly beneath the mezzanine there may be additionally built-in storage for Ng’s garments and dressing room.

Ng informed Dezeen that having work and residential so carefully interlinked has been significantly helpful through the coronavirus pandemic when there have been nationwide lockdowns, extra generally known as “circuit breakers” in Singapore.

“Earlier than the circuit breaker, house was felt to be extra inside an workplace, however through the circuit breaker, it felt extra like an workplace within the house; this was most likely as a result of the boundaries between the 2 shift and alter with use,” he defined.

“The eating/assembly room was an area for zoom conferences with out interference from adjoining areas; additionally, the lobby grew to become an area the place meals deliveries and materials samples could possibly be left with no bodily contact.”

Studio Wills + Architects’ Challenge #13 is one in every of 5 small interiors shortlisted within the 2020 Dezeen Awards. Others embrace Single Individual, a design gallery in Shanghai that is designed to resemble a cave, and Sensible Zendo, a household house in Hong Kong that is fitted with voice-activated know-how and space-saving furnishings.

Images is by Khoo Guo Jie and Finbarr Fallon.

Challenge credit:

Architect: Studio Wills + Architect
Design crew: Ng William, Kho Keguang
C&S engineer: CAGA Consultants Pte
Becoming-out contractor: Sin Hiap Chuan Wooden Works
Normal contractor: Wah Sheng Development Pte