The Space Between

In Room Without Roof, the archetypal gabled form of a house takes on a twist to envelop both interior and exterior spaces. In A Tale of Two Courts, a semi-detached house shuts itself from the street but reveals on the inside a thoroughly tropical, open environment. These are but two examples of HYLA Architects’ rigorous and sensitive methods of creating livable and comfortable homes through new expressions and creative datum. Key to the firm’s approach is found in the title The Space Between. It defines architecture as the space between the user and the environment and speaks of the architect’s important role in modulating this relationship according to context and climate. The 25 case studies in the book also reflect the five key values the works are designed upon: honesty, simplicity, clarity, strength, and dynamism. Derek Swalwell, Masano Kawana and Daniel Koh contribute to the visual compendium through photographs that capture the beauty of form, space, light, texture, and nature. Architectural writer Luo Jingmei provides thoughtful descriptions that take the reader through the homes and the ideas that ground them.