Designed by Mercurio Design Lab (MDL),Villa Otto, nestled in the Jervois Hill area of Singapore was driven by the client’s enthusiasm for the Chinese philosophy fengshui. Otto which is an Italian for ‘eight’
is a symbol of prosperity. Hence, the curvaceous interlocking of two circular pavilions, each with an internal ‘courtyard’ or atrium in the middle, emphasizes the eight form and draws light down into the
building.
Otto’s basement has an underground carpark. It has a cruciform plan with a lounge at the point where the
two axes intersect. Also here are karaoke room, laundry, sauna, spa and shower room, as well as a bar, wine cellar and home theatre. On the ground level are two dining rooms, a living room and a lounge leading out to the pool. The second story has two junior bedrooms, two guest bedrooms, a prayer room, study and game room and a master suite of about 500 square meters. The open to the sky rooftop allows natural light to penetrate all the way into the basement and its grand terrace is an ideal spot to hold social activities when the weather is perfect.
Tradition embraces modernity through floor-to-ceiling glass windows, stainless steel cladding, and outward thrusting walls and canopies that conjure the image of a spacecraft. The spectacular eight-shaped
stainless steel cladding was forged and welded into one single piece to achieve a ‘seamless’ effect. The continuation of fluidity is also asserted through the various stainless steel sculptures and radial canopy by the pool. Even the interiors are consistent with Otto’s architectural fluidity. The lighting fixtures, tables, couches, and tubs display the distinctive curvaceous feature harking to the house's form.
Otto is the best example so far of MDL’s integrative philosophy where everything ─ from the landscaping through the external form to the interior architecture, fixtures, finishes and furnishings ─ forms an
integrated whole, a single experience, to communicate one central, driving idea for the house.
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