A Water-Cooled Home in Singapore

Pools and water features in and around homes can be more than beautiful vessels to swim in or listen to, as this project in Singapore, titled the "Water-Cooled Home," demonstrates. The homeowner requested a contemporary home that prioritized environmental coolness and an ability to enjoy the luscious tropical surroundings. Wallflower Architecture designed this geometric gem, which makes use of a reflection pool for cooling on hot summer days.

On the home's first story, there's a koi pond strategically placed to facilitate micro-cooling of the first-floor rooms. The koi pond's 98-foot length and 612-foot width expose 600 square feet within the house to prevailing breezes for evaporative cooling.

As a gesture to the prominent role that water plays in the residence, an oculus in the pond highlights the main entrance. The circle of sunlight this creates is animated by the constantly changing sinusoidal patterns of refracted rays through the water above.