Residential Villa Sentosa Island, Singapore Property Images, MDL Project

Villa Mistral: House on Sentosa Island

New Architecture: Luxury Home in Southeast Asia – design by Mercurio Design Lab Srl Architects

25 Jun 2016

Villa on Sentosa Island in Singapore

Architect: Mercurio Design Lab Srl (MDL) is an Italian design studio

Location: Singapore

New Residential Villa on Sentosa Island

DESIGN NAME:
Villa Mistral

PRIMARY FUNCTION:
Residential Villa

Villa Mistral: House on Sentosa Island

INSPIRATION:
Named after the seasonal strong, north-westerly wind that blows across the Mediterranean, Mistral is like a sleek cruise ship.

Painted in a a hint of metallic white, its structural elements are expressed both externally and internally, simultaneously referencing a boat and communicating the sense of a strong forward thrust. It exploits the angularity of outward-leaning structural elements and similarly angled glazed walls to fashion an almost vertiginous experience both inside and outside of a powerful vessel driving through the sea.

The street elevation of Mistral combines timber and concrete in a façade penetrated by windows of varying scale to generate a strong rhythmic quality. This is complemented by the forward-thrusting angularity of the building which leads the eye towards the water which is only barely glimpsed at this stage.

Villa Mistral: House on Sentosa Island

UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Mistral is over four levels, including a large entertainment room in the basement. Dining, dry kitchen and living are on the entry level, while level two consist of bedrooms and a roof terrace overlooking the canal.

The bedrooms on level two, including the master bedroom, are to the side with one at the rear (streetside) with views back to the ocean. With Mistral, the structure is the form. There is total integration, just as the project as a whole is assimilated with MDL’s building design, interior architecture, decoration, furnishings and art works.

It is an example of what Massimo calls a complete solution ─ complete also for the way it accommodates the client’s preoccupation with feng shui, harmonising wind and water. There is a carefully orchestrated sequence of arrival designed to heighten expectation and ensure maximum drama with the final reveal of the view. Floating concrete slabs form a footbridge linking the porte cochère across a pond with the entry vestibule.

Here a sculpted travertine wall (screening the stairwell) drives the circulation to either side, delaying the final dramatic tableau. Villa Mistral exemplifies the way MDL pushes the envelope formally and structurally. They invariably present a challenge to the contractors both structurally and in terms of detailing ─ for example, making and installing windows which fully integrate into the curved facades.

Villa Mistral: House on Sentosa Island

But they also represent an aesthetic challenge. These are unique, if not idiosyncratic, forms. Given Massimo’s love of ‘symbology’, it is not surprising that houses like Mistral have a story to tell, which begins on the outside where their forms and their landscaping blend to generate an integrated whole which then extends to the interiors, where the interior architecture, the materials and the planning ─ not to mention the customised artworks and other decorative elements ─ all work together to generate narratives unique to each building.

PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION:
Villa Mistral is located in the island of Sentosa in Singapore, a mere 15 minute drive from downtown. It is the only part of Singapore where non-residents can buy land freehold. Due to the complexities of the building and difficulties with the contractor, the construction started in 2008 and completed in 2014.

CHALLENGE:
Part of the challenge is the restrictive guidelines which calls for a 30º pitched roof if an attic is required ─ which it invariably is, because of the desire to maximise floor space while conforming to height regulations. In addition, the brief called for optimal use of natural materials, sustainable strategies and to observe certain feng shui requirements.

Villa Mistral: House on Sentosa Island

TEAM MEMBERS:
Massimo Mercurio, Kimberly Liu, Sujanti Pranoto and

IMAGE CREDITS:
Photograph by: CI&A Photography
All images and documents: sole property of Mercurio Design Lab.

Villa Mistral: House on Sentosa Island

STUDIO:
Mercurio Design Lab

PROFILE:
Mercurio Design Lab Srl (MDL) is an Italian design studio dedicated to the creation and crafting of cutting edge and outstanding design work. Since its inception, MDL has been a place for ideas and thoughts, a place where creativity and artistic sense merge with a highly generative energy of the design process of architecturally meaningful works. We commit with great passion to bring milestone making ideas and solutions into the fields of Architecture, Interior Design and Industrial Design. With the company’s Italian spirit and rich cultural contents that originated in Rome forty years ago, MDL has much to offer on the contemporary design table, where Art and Technology meet to craft the best of the world lifestyle.
http://www.mercuriodesignlab.it/

AWARD DETAILS
Winner – Villa Mistral Residential Villa by Mercurio Design Lab is Winner in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Category, 2015-16.

World Design Rankings in Arts, Architecture and Design

House on Sentosa Island – A’ Design Awards & Competition

Villa Mistral on Sentosa Island images / information from A’ Design Awards

Location: Sentosa Island, Singapore

Houses

Architecture in Singapore

Singapore Architectural Projects

Singapore Architectural Designs – chronological list

Singapore Building News

Singapore Architecture Tours

Singapore Architects

Another luxury Singapore house by Mercurio Design Lab Srl (MDL) on e-architect:

Lambda Residential Villa in Singapore
Architect: Mercurio Design Lab Srl (MDL) is an Italian design studio
Lambda Residential Villa Singapore
image from architect
Lambda Residential Villa – 7 Mar 2016

Another contemporary luxury Singapore villa on e-architect:

No 86 in Sentosa Cove
Design: Robert Greg Shand Architects
No 86 in Sentosa Cove
photo : Aaron Pocock Photography
Residential Villa Singapore, Sentosa Cove Property

Singapore Architecture

Singapore building designs selection:

Scotts Tower – Residential tower building
Design: Rem Koolhaas Architect / OMA
Singapore Tower

Moulmein residential tower
Design: WOHA Architects
Moulmein Rise Singapore

The Interlace Singapore Residential Development
Design: Ole Scheeren of OMA

The Interlace Singapore Complex

Marina Bay Financial Center towers
Design: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates>

Marina Bay Financial Center Singapore

New Singapore Architecture

Comments / photos for House on Sentosa Island – Luxury Residential Villa in Singapore page welcome

Website: Mercurio Design Lab Srl Singapore