Project Details
Project Description
1. Building to be iconic and stand out from the rest of the pitch roofed tropical houses.
2. Suitable for tropical island character and seafront surrounding.
3. To encourage harmony and enhance ambience to the neighbourhood.
4. To encourage natural material and preserve the environment.
5. In addition to Singapore’s standard national planning and building regulations, to comply
all special development guidelines and planning parameters under Sentosa Cove Pte Ltd
(SCPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Sentosa Development Corporation, a government
statutory board that established to undertake the master planning, infrastructure
development, project management, land sales of Sentosa Cove.
6. To comply with special Feng Shui requirements.
7. To maximize allowable building area and minimize site coverage
8. To Facilities Swimming Pool, Jacuzzi pool, sun decking, Roof lounge and terrace, Living
Lounge, Family Lounge, Home Theatre, Dry/Wet kitchen, Dining, En suit Bedrooms, Home
Lift, Natural ventilated Yard and utilities.
9. Fully furnished with custom designed and commissioned Artworks.
THE CONCEPT
‘Alba’ was born out of a single line on a piece of paper sitting by the coffee table looking
out to the harbor of yatch club.
The sites to these twin villas are of rectangular shape and are heavily constrained by
setbacks and regulations. In particular, a rule required by SCPL, is that the attic floor is
built only within a maximum angle of 30 degrees of roof line that originates on the spring
line, thereby greatly limiting the expression in the design of the building that for the sake of
maximizing its allowable area from market demand, the extra space on the roof top is
needed.
Paradoxically, the perfect enactment of this rule if one decides to deviate from the
traditional canons of pitch roof would be to just draw a semicircle on the floor line which
pitches from one end to the other, the sloping angle defined by the tangent line at attic
level, would be gentle and satisfying.
This geometrical resolution of a statutory problem inspired the beauty of making a house
that resembles the sun rising on the edge of the horizon, especially for a seaside
development felt particularly right.
Everything else just followed easily as compliments to the main idea. With the support of
the client, Dr. Tan, ALBA was carefully crafted from the exterior to the interior to maintain a
cohesive concept and feel.
The color palette was a consistent gradation of tones took inspiration from the concept of
sunrise. Warm and bright colors were applied to the facade as well as the inner spaces.
Terra-cotta roof with red and orange hues illustrates the colours of the sun while the
travertine facade compliments its warm sensations.
Travertine is also present everywhere in the interior ground floor, basement, and a
carefully selected combination of furniture and commissioned artworks provide the
necessary accents for an exciting visual melody. A feast for the eyes as colors flow into
internal spaces, where warm and earthy tones of stones and the brown of the teak wood
present in the upper floors are liven up by splashes of intense red, yellow and orange of
curtains, carpets, fabrics and artworks. A consistent exciting visual experience is presented
while browsing through spaces whether indoor or outdoor.
THE APPROVAL
‘Alba’ is loved by the client at first sight.
The elegant silhouette impressed him visually and it was the symbolic meaning supporting
the simple lines was what he really felt for: sunrise - the spirit of joy, positiveness, warmth
works perfectly for the ocean themed resort home. Functional planning was carefully
studied to suit the lifestyle of the family and interactions with outdoor scenery and activities
are created. The client is very satisfied with the spacious open concept of living-dininglounge
facing the pool with the backdrop of the golf course. With the client's special
passion for golf in mind, the master bedroom is located facing the spectacular view of the
Sentosa Cove golf course, extending outwards to a large balcony where he can enjoy
watching a game while sheltered and protected by the over hanging roof shell which is
akin to being accidentally hit by an escaping stray ball.A great interest to the client is
Fengshui. He would ask for his Fengshui Master to approve design, and in particular, to
layout planning. Massimo’s personal exploration of Buddhism in early life empowered him
a broad understanding of Chinese philosophy, and communication was made smooth
between Architectural principles and Fengshui theories.
Utmost respect was given by the client to keep the design integrity, allowing design liberty
in the process of making perfection.
THE LOCATION
Located on the tranquil eastern coast of Sentosa Island, Sentosa Cove is Singapore's first
and most exclusive marina residential community that offers tropical resort living minutes
from the hustle and bustle of city life in mainland Singapore, beingone of the world's most
prestigious marina residential communities, blending modern and innovative residential
design with the natural tropical environment. ALBA seats at Ocean Drive facing the
spectacular verdant fairways of the Tanjong golf course.
THE SURROUNDING
Being one of the world's most prestigious integrated oceanfront marina residential
communities, Sentosa Cove is the centrepiece of Singapore's billion-dollar Master Plan for
Sentosa Island.
The Cove has been transformed into a highly cosmopolitan community consisting
residents coming from around the world, who enjoy a unique waterfront living lifestyle.
With the azure sea and lapping waves at its doorstep, Sentosa Cove’s residents can enjoy
mooring their private yachts at their very own backyards.
Desired architectural style to be generally tropical and fits into the context of Sentosa
Cove. Preferably be designed with deep roof overhangs, weather shading and sceening
features, generous areas of covered terraces and verandahs, flextible layout to allow for
air-conditioning as well as good natural ventilation, and other features to reflect the tropical
resort style where generous attention is given to outdoor living. External Finishes to be
rustic, earthy and natural, color scheme to be warm and earthy.
ENERGY CONSERVATION
ALBA was designed with the typical issues of a tropical house in mind : Avoid large
exposure of glass facade to the west and provide plenty of shading. The house is mainly
oriented north to south and the larger glass position are facing south. Generous roof eaves
prevail from the curved roof profile of the house, providing sufficient shadows from the
front and back.
Terra-cotta as roof material comes with a long history that have served well many buildings
for centuries. Some ancient sites that have survived the test of time and relentless
centuries of baking in the sun. Terra-cotta tiles go through a baking process in ovens, or
kilns, which makes them harder and less porous, thereby keeping the heat out. Cladding
system leaves space beneath tiles which allows for air and water circulation and runoff,
which prevents heat capture and thus keeps the home cool.
Facade travertine, on the other hand, is famous for its porous 'coibentate' properties and
the cladding system allow for air circulation and aid in maintaining a cooler temperature in
the inside spaces of ALBA.
Large windows, doors and skylight are cleverly designed to allow generous wind breeze
and natural light to travel through the entire building, without too much use of airconditioning
and lights. With such particular attention to these fenestrations, large amounts
of savings can be reaped from the electricity bill.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Luminescent mosaic tiles are blended into pool finishes, absorbing solar light in the
daytime and gives off a gentle glow at night, providing cool ambience at night for hours
and is absolutely free of energy consumption other than solar light.
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
ALBA was designed with the consideration of eco-friendly approach. From selection of
material to design detailing, the aim is set to be eco-responsible, to reduce energy
consumption and create a healthy living environment. Solutions adopted in ALBA are:
1. Energy-efficient windows to separate the climate-controlled air inside from the outside
air. Being double glazed, the space between panels work as insulation. The glass is tinted
with a glazing material that reduces the solar energy allowed into the home. This not only
reduces glare, but also improves the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient of such windows.
2. Reclaimed wood is used for planter boxes, boundary wall and ceiling boards for
balconies and terraces.
3. LED lights are chosen for all outdoor landscape lighting and architectural lighting as well
as indoor ambience lighting, as an energy efficient choice to save energy. LED lights are
small and powerful, They shine in only one direction, producing a small fraction of the heat
of fluorescendent incandescent lights, and lasting longer than other types of lighting.
SAFETY AND SECURITY
1. Security cameras are installed to monitor the entire property. (Beyond minimum
requirement by code)
2. Home automation system is linked to the alarm system to provide additional safeguards.
When an alarm detects a fire, or a certain level of smoke, then all the lights in the house
could be set to blink to alert the occupants. Audio and video components could be closed
down to alert the homeowner to a possible fire or burglary. (Beyond minimum requirement
by code)
3. Remote control to activate motion sensors and security cameras and turn on exterior
night lights. Smart control of lights are used to set preferences to limit children’s access to
wholehouse audio, video and security systems. (Beyond minimum requirement by code)
4. Building is lightning protected.
5. Building is equipped with a household shelter, providing protection against weapon
effects such as blasts and fragments during an emergency.
