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Set inside a 1978 high rise Housing Development Board building in Singapore, this once dark and segmented Waterloo Street apartment has been transformed by multi-disciplinary design studio three-d conceptwerke into a bright, comfortable and flexible space where the owners can live, work and play. Removing all internal walls and keeping only the support beam allowed more light into the center of the apartment, with vintage white terrazzo tiles reflecting it throughout the space. Key to the overall design is a series of custom white metal cabinets on wheels that can be moved around the apartment in various configurations. In the living room, two tables, also on wheels, can be pushed together to create a larger table for dining with friends or separated to become two individual work spaces; with an original ​​Paolo Rizzatto 265 wall lamp that can be adjusted as needed. Two sets of curtains, in front of the bedroom and kitchen, serve to provide privacy and hide clutter from guests, as well as assist directing air-conditioning throughout the home. The flexibility of the space has allowed its owners to grow into it, and left space for it to change as they do.

#smallapartment #architecture #interiordesign

Project Name: Waterloo Street
Designer: https://three-d-conceptwerke.com/

Produced by New Mac Video Agency
Creator: Colin Chee
Cinematographer: Kevin Siyuan
Director: Nam Tran
Producer: Lindsay Barnard
Editor: Jessica Ruasol
Music: Lieu Despoir by Roseblue
Transcript
00:03My client was looking for a simple, comfortable, flexible space where they
00:08can enjoy their hobbies. The most important thing about this concept of the
00:16house is to open up and allow cross ventilations. We designed and made
00:22custom modular white metal cabinets that the homeowners can shift around and
00:27effectively re-configurate spaces.
00:38This apartment unit is located in Watulu Street in Singapore. It's surrounded by
00:44shopping malls and Hindu and Chinese temples. The Chinese and Hindu temples were
00:50used as a place of wall streets by migrants when they settled in Singapore in
00:54olden days. The high-rise apartment was built in 1978 by Housing Development
01:01Board. 80% of the Singaporeans are staying in HDBs. This government building is home
01:08to residents of all ages and backgrounds. There are five levels of shops and above
01:12them are all residential units.
01:17This apartment was actually pretty dark. We tried to re-configurate the whole
01:23space and make it more spacious and bright.
01:28Because there's too many segregations, we have decided to take it off everything and
01:33redo it into a big space where there's different transitioners of space but it
01:39still looks as one. Once you arrive at the property, you'll be greeted by a white
01:46band door that provides a bit of privacy yet also allows ventilation.
01:53Stepping through the door reveals an open space with views of the work, dining space,
01:59living room and kitchen. The floor tiles throughout the apartment are the white vintage
02:05terraceos to have its consistencies flow throughout the whole space.
02:12As the clients didn't want to be locked into a certain configurations, we choose to have two tables
02:18on wireless that can be pushed together to create a large table for dining with friends
02:24or separated for two individual work spaces. Our clients also have an old authentic 265 wall lamp
02:33in white designed by Paolo Rizzato that can be directed over the tables as they move around this space.
02:41There are windows along the whole sides of the wall which brings in plenty of soft diffused light.
02:47But to increase the privacy of the space itself, we actually added in film and we also added in
02:54the porforated sheets to prevent their cats from jumping off. We replace modular cabinets in a row along
03:02the wall to look like one large piece of furniture. They can also be easily moved and configured in many
03:09ways as they are on wheels. This storage cabinet is actually designed like a pitch roof effect to reduce the
03:16dust that is collecting on top of every cabinet. They are durable and they are both sustainable in terms of
03:24materials which can be easily recycled.
03:29LEDs are being introduced to the E27 classic pubs to bring up the higher lumens and the brightness of the
03:38whole space.
03:41The IKEA sofas can be converted to become a sofa base so that their long distance cousins can stay over.
03:51There's a brown cabinet inside the home which gives the warm and 70s sphere.
03:57It allows the homeowners to organise the kitchenwares and other displays within the cabinets.
04:06It's a very simplified kitchen with very basic appliances.
04:10You will see a storage shelf just beside the fridge and as well as the washing machine and dryer.
04:18We try to bring in the eras of the 70s by introducing 10 by 10 mosaic tiles.
04:24We lay the tiles all the way to the ceiling for cleanliness and easy maintenance.
04:31There's two curtains. One is actually at the bedrooms and the other one is actually at the kitchen.
04:37Curtains act as a barricade to confine the air condition. It also doubles up as a segregation
04:44of space and also remove of unsightness when there's gas coming in.
04:51At the back of the apartment, it receives the morning sun which shines in, brightens up the kitchen
04:57and as well as the bathroom.
05:02The glass block walls allowing light to pass through and as well as allowing wind to pass through
05:08so that humidity doesn't occur in the toilet.
05:12And the bathroom area has a mosaic tiles but in a smaller version.
05:18The vanity is placed outside of the water closet and bathing area.
05:24We redesigned the vanity sink with a mirror and it can be swiveled and rotated.
05:35The bedroom is a small cozy space just beside the kitchen.
05:42The curtain also adds like a functionality for both of the couple in terms of one working
05:48from home and the other one would like to have a deep sleep in the bedroom.
05:56By keeping the house small, we minimise the materials required and reduce cleaning
06:02and maintenance. This makes more time for people to enjoy their spaces.
06:08Living in old buildings, dwellings itself brings in a different form of community.
06:14By encouraging populations to stay in old apartments, it also liven up the old neighbourhoods.
06:21And at the same time, allowing new generations to treasure what we cannot find in this modern society.
06:31That's why.
06:34I don't know.
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