L Architects was a big winner of this year’s Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) Architectural Design Awards, taking home three awards for its two projects: A Brick & Mortar Shop, which won the highest accolade, Design of the Year award, and Design award in the Interior Architecture category; and the House of Trees, which took home Merit Award in the Residential Projects category.
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When faced with an undesirable context, the biggest challenge for L Architects founder Lim Shing Hui was how to bring that spirit of respite, liveability and tranquillity into the house.
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She asked herself, “Can we create a great indoor space without having a great outdoor?”
“Can we create a great indoor space without having a great outdoor?”
Lim Shing Hui, L Architects
Her take was to focus on “a design strategy that could better respond to the undesirable surroundings rather than create a hermetic shell”.
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Trees and plants thrive with abundant rain and sunlight in the tropics.
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They also provide excellent shields from the eastern and western sun, while offering pleasant views.
![home-decor-house-of-trees_14_credit-finbarr-fallon-1](https://sonadecor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/home-decor-house-of-trees_14_credit-finbarr-fallon-1.jpg)
This rationale prompted her to use nature as a building material to form a porous, living facade.
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This re-contextualising of the urban surroundings through the use of deep, occupiable, lush landscaped balconies was what the jury appreciated.
![home-decor-house-of-trees_6_credit-khoo-guo-jie](https://sonadecor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/home-decor-house-of-trees_6_credit-khoo-guo-jie.jpg)