The 'Alleyway' House

Landlocked on 3 sides by party and rear walls of neighbours, the house with its dominant linearity is conceptualised as an “alleyway“. The “alleyway” with its porosity is crucial for effective cross-ventilation through the dwelling. Organised along the open thoroughfare are the extroverted communal spaces while the private spaces are “hung” on the upper floors within enclosing walls. Against the cement-rendered wall, sits the centerpiece of the thoroughfare; a 2-storey cage structure which houses the family’s precious parrots in the lower tier and on the upper tier, an outdoor shower accessible from the master bedroom. Beyond the ground-level communal spaces, at the “wall-less” front of the dwelling, a layer of plants shields the space from the street for privacy. The transparency of the alleyway spaces is only fleetingly noticeable from the street when the dwelling is viewed head-on, blurring the boundary between the street and the “alleyway’.