Open Studio Transforms a Compact Singapore by Removing the Corridor.

Being based in Singapore, Open Studio is no stranger to working within small footprints. For the practice, whose name Open is an abbreviation of ‘possibilities endless’, each new commission is an opportunity to experiment with existing interior conventions.

For this project, the studio considered the role of the corridor and whether it is redundant when working within a small footprint. To this end, they took out the corridor entirely and reassembled the home to fit the activities of its inhabitants. “Movement through the habitat is motivated by storage pods sensitively sized to use intent, and planted firmly to organise the habitat,” Open elaborates.

“A corridor certainly sounds efficient, if you intend to traverse through a complicated place in the shortest possible time,” continue the designers. “Ironically, while seemingly redundant in a dwelling place, we have come to expect the corridor, like a dark spine linking up rooms in any common apartment unit, small or large. But such a narrow hall of single utility, while perfect for navigating in a hospital, is simply not desirable in any habitat.”

Life in 65sqm: Singapore Apartment by Open Studio.

In this apartment, less is more with the studio culling partitions and introducing flexible spaces, unveiling a sense of luxury...

A multifunctional pod was introduced in lieu of the corridor. This intervention holds a study that can be packed away, an entertainment unit and storage area, with the rest of the apartment unfolding around it. Devoid of a dark narrow corridor, the space evolves into a brightly lit and well-ventilated home of 65 sqm.

The layout is matched with a clean, uncomplicated style. The kitchen and living space has white walls and polished cement floors. In the private spaces, walls and partitions are clad with timber veneer and coordinated with grey tiles and cement-rendered walls. Stainless steel finishes complement the minimalist furnishings.

Shrine Apartment in Melbourne by Studio Edwards.

For this compact 55-square-metre apartment remodel, a series of interconnecting living spaces anchored around views...

Interactive floor plan illustrating all the touchpoints of the multipurpose pod.

[Images courtesy of Open Studio. Photography by Khoo Guo Jie.]