Jetgala - FALL-WINTER 2022

92 L T he traditional Chinese dwelling consists of four houses surrounding a courtyard or si he yuan, which means courtyard house in Mandarin.This inspired a residential project in Singapore that Neri&Hu completed and named ‘House of Remembrance’. Shanghai-based Neri&Hu designed this house for three adult siblings who had outgrown their shared dwelling. They wanted a new and larger home with a pitched roof that they remember from their childhood.The premise of the design centres on communal living and collective memory. WALLS FOR REMEMBRANCE A modern bungalow references the past as it embraces the present Photos by Fabian Ong Embracing the Present The si he yuan traditionally housed multi- generational families. Neri&Hu borrowed the idea but added a twist by maximising the visual transparency throughout the communal areas and providing a cocoon of greenery on all sides. The individual homes surround a central courtyard where different family members could get together for festivities or meals. It was a purposefully designed for communal activities.The studio says: “To live under the same roof means to live together, and this metaphor is the nexus that ties the notion of community, especially in an intimate context, to the form crafted for this project.”