Why this Singapore family who lived in Beijing built a tropical hutong ‘forever home’ here

Filled with Chinese art, the Grey Brick Vault House is a hutong-inspired home built by the Lim family, who lived in Beijing for two decades.

ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

Published Sep 11, 2026, 01:22 PM

Updated Sep 11, 2026, 04:36 PM

- The Lim family, after two decades in Beijing, built a tropical “Grey Brick Vault House” in Singapore inspired by Beijing’s courtyard houses, blending memory with climate-adapted design.

- The house uses a flipped layout with bedrooms on the ground floor and communal spaces above, including the kitchen. The design is ideal for natural light, ventilation and family bonding.

- The home, adapted for the tropics and replete with Chinese contemporary art, symbolises their deep connection to both Singapore and China as they balance life between the two countries.

SINGAPORE – The Lim couple spent two splendid decades in Beijing, where they built thriving tech careers, raised three children and lived by its rhythms – from cycling alongside the Great Wall to amassing Chinese contemporary art.

They were in China “from pandemic to pandemic”, living through Sars and Covid-19 before transitioning to Singapore, says the husband, 58, now a human resources consultant.

To anchor their homecoming, the family worked with Wu Yen Yen from Genome Architects to create a permanent family sanctuary – an “ah kong’s house” inspired by the revered aesthetic of Beijing’s grey-brick courtyard houses.

Adapted for the tropics, their corner terrace nestled in the Holland Road area was completed before Chinese New Year, in time to celebrate family bonds and continuity with a small reunion dinner amid unopened boxes.

“My parents provided me with a safe place I could always return to, and that allowed me to go overseas,” Lim says. The former Anglo-Chinese School boy, who flourished in China despite his less-robust Chinese-language background, adds: “I wanted to provide that same base for my kids so when they go on their own adventures, there’s always an anchor point for everyone.”

His 60-year-old wife, a recent retiree, pictures their home as “a place where you can send your mail” wherever its family members wander. The Lims have two daughters, 33 and 22, who live in Singapore, a 20-year-old son studying in the United States, and a newborn granddaughter. For privacy, the family asked not to be identified by their full names.

Their house was bought 19 years ago. Working with principal architect Wu – some planning was done over Zoom from China – they kept the structural bones while adding one level to the house. The roof and facade of the 2½-storey house were reimagined.

Some garden space was bought to augment the plot, now approximately 350 sq m. Built-in area is about 310 sq m.

Their Grey Brick Vault House project took about two years from exploratory discussions with Wu to completion, and cost a seven-figure sum.

‘Perfectly imperfect grey bricks’

The layout is flipped, with the bedrooms facing greenery on the ground level and the living spaces on the second storey. PHOTO: FINBARR FALLON

The layout is flipped, with the bedrooms facing greenery on the ground level and the living spaces on the second storey.

PHOTO: FINBARR FALLON

Instead of the glass and gloss of modern Singapore showpieces, grey brick clads the new facade.

In Beijing, grey brick wraps the hutong (network of alleys) and siheyuan (courtyard houses) that skirt the Imperial Palace. While the Forbidden City flaunts dazzling vermillion walls and yellow roof tiles, the precinct was restricted to a quiet, deeply dignified grey.

Grey historically conveyed humility and restraint, a signal that no citizen, however wealthy, should outshine the emperor.

The husband, who never desired a show house, did some research.

What sets grey brick apart from its standard red counterpart, he discovered, is an extra firing step known poetically as “drinking the kiln”.

The artisan pours water, triggering a chemical process that converts the red hematite in brick into dark, multi-tonal iron oxides. Significantly, the final grey brick is dense and strong.

The facade is clad in grey bricks, like the courtyard houses in Beijing. Each grey brick weathers differently in Singapore’s weather, creating a “living patina”. PHOTO: FINBARR FALLON

The facade is clad in grey bricks, like the courtyard houses in Beijing. Each grey brick weathers differently in Singapore’s weather, creating a “living patina”.

“The patina of the bricks changes a little over time,’’ he says.

After only six months, each brick is weathering differently. It is like a living house, registering Singapore’s climate on its skin.

His wife adds: “There are dark and light bricks. We say it’s very wabi sabi – very perfectly imperfect.”

Why the layout is flipped

The kitchen, dining room and communal family spaces are lifted to the second storey at tree-canopy level. The bedrooms and gym on the ground level, close to the gardens and pool, have a resort vibe. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

The kitchen, dining room and communal family spaces are lifted to the second storey at tree-canopy level. The bedrooms and gym on the ground level, close to the gardens and pool, have a resort vibe.

If the elegant grey-brick shell acting as a thermal shield outside seems novel, the climate-savvy flipped layout indoors is just as radical.

The Lims’ son in the ground-floor art-filled gym, next to the pool. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

The Lims’ son in the ground-floor art-filled gym, next to the pool.

The bedrooms and gym are placed on the ground level, close to the gardens and pool for a luxury resort vibe. The kitchen, dining room and communal living spaces are lifted to the second level at tree-canopy level. The result is an airy, relaxed, naturally illuminated zone for the exceptionally close-knit family, described as “homebodies” by the husband.

The wife savours the green vista framed by large arched windows on the second storey, where she cooks and relishes family time. The dark-green crowns of mature mango trees are visible, and beyond them lies a Green Corridor that takes them to Ghim Moh in 15 minutes on foot.

The spatial inversion was suggested by Wu, who said it was not a hard sell. The Lims considered the idea for a few days before embracing it. They were realistic that trash would need to be hauled downstairs and stairs may not be senior-friendly.

True enough, their next-door neighbour in his 90s hesitated at their staircase when he came over. They offered to help him up and everyone had a lovely, elevated dinner.

Principal architect Wu Yen Yen from Genome Architects devised solar simulations to build a climate-responsive house. GRAPHIC: GENOME ARCHITECTS

Principal architect Wu Yen Yen from Genome Architects devised solar simulations to build a climate-responsive house.

GRAPHIC: GENOME ARCHITECTS

Wu also used solar simulations to shape the home’s physics, angling windows and scalloping walls to mitigate the tropical heat.

“We tested for a long time to make sure our design is evidence-based,” Wu notes. She highlights Genome’s preoccupation with climate response, simulations “and the layering of tropical design interpretation with unique narratives of home owners’ stories”.

Data established, she designed three intersecting vaulted roofs, two separated by narrow glass panes to admit soft eastern light and all roofs pitched to reject the harsh western sun.

“When the windows are open, the double-volume spaces created by the funnelling of the roofs drive cross-ventilation through the upper floor openings,” she adds.

Chinese art on display

Lim in front of a stylised family portrait by contemporary Chinese artist Shen Jingdong. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

Lim in front of a stylised family portrait by contemporary Chinese artist Shen Jingdong.

Beneath these sun-washed, vaulted roofs is the family’s collection of Chinese art.

Prominent on one wall is a non-photorealistic portrait of the family of five painted by Chinese artist Shen Jingdong in 2009. Their son humorously channels Bob the Builder and one daughter wears a tiara, while the bespectacled father looks most like himself.

Because Shen paints his figures with ultra-smooth, reflective highlights, these intense pigments make them look like shiny plastic toys or polished porcelain dolls. The Lims look cheery, rendered in a style that alludes to both Western pop art and Chinese village art.

The portrait is riveting within their home gallery of 60 pieces, big and small.

In Beijing, the Lims had a front-row seat to the lively Chinese contemporary art scene. The years 2004 and 2005 are widely considered the peak of the country’s modern artistic expression. Artists, critics, galleries, museums, curators, auctions and galas filled this high-energy domain.

Art became a fun family pursuit, with weekend jaunts to gallery districts and art auctions. The accessibility was incredible and the atmosphere welcoming, the father says, adding: “The barriers to acquiring art weren’t there.”

In their new home, art has never been treated as an afterthought. After the design brief, Wu carved out a double-volume wall, a lavish stage for their artwork.

Commanding this wall are two circular portraits by contemporary artist Ling Jian. Ethereal and magnetic, his figures possess an androgynous quality, veiled beneath a delicate sheen that looks almost like a layer of cellophane.

Nearby hangs a slightly provocative piece titled Founding Of A Nation by Pan Dehai. The painting portrays Chairman Mao Zedong and his revolutionary inner circle, but with a stylistic twist: Their faces resemble corn kernels.

Pan distilled the cornfields of north-east China into his Corn Series to dissect human vulnerability and history. While some critics have viewed the distortion as disrespectful, to the Lims it represents the vitality of an era.

A trio of vibrant, playful sculptures, one for each of the three Lim children. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

A trio of vibrant, playful sculptures, one for each of the three Lim children.

The Lims bridge avant-garde with affectionate pieces. From an Affordable Art Fair, the couple picked up three bright red figurines by artist Guo Qipeng, one for each child, with their hands playfully raised in the air.

Home is Singapore – and China

Even with a “forever home” completed in Singapore, letting go of two decades in Beijing is a slow, emotional transition.

“After living in a place for so many years, it’s very hard to just suddenly let go,” he says. The family still loves the four seasons, the food and certainly the friendships forged over spontaneous invitations to fresh seafood dinners in China.

For now, their ideal is a slow transition – a foot in both worlds as they “reset roots”, as the wife sees it.

They have downsized to a smaller apartment in Beijing and now envision a 50:50 life split between the two cities. Their connection to China remains so deeply personal that their daughter still sees her favourite hairdresser there.

For him, cultural re-entry has revealed a beautiful ambiguity: There are “place homes”, the emotional bonds linked to geography and memory, like cycling in China.

There are also “people homes”: The bonds arising from relationships, community and the proximity of loved ones become the portable, borderless “homes” that are carried everywhere.

In this light, the Grey Brick Vault House may become a home redolent of place and people, a permanent address where a global family collects their mail and makes new memories ceaselessly.

灰砖拱顶屋是一座充满中国艺术气息的胡同风格住宅，由在北京生活了二十年的林家建造。

圣徒照片：吴索銮

发布于 2026 年 9 月 11 日下午 1:22

更新于2026年9月11日下午4:36

- 林家在北京生活了二十年后，在新加坡建造了一座热带风格的“灰砖拱顶屋”，其灵感来自北京的四合院，将记忆与适应气候的设计融合在一起。

这栋房子采用倒置式布局，卧室位于底层，公共空间（包括厨房）则位于楼上。这种设计非常有利于自然采光、通风和家庭成员之间的互动。

- 这栋住宅经过改造以适应热带气候，并摆满了中国当代艺术品，象征着他们与新加坡和中国之间深厚的联系，因为他们在两国之间平衡着生活。

新加坡——林氏夫妇在北京度过了美好的二十年，他们在那里建立了蓬勃发展的科技事业，养育了三个孩子，并按照北京的节奏生活——从沿着长城骑自行车到收藏中国当代艺术品。

丈夫现年 58 岁，是一名人力资源顾问，他说，他们在中国“经历了一次又一次的疫情”，经历了 SARS 和 Covid-19，之后才移居新加坡。

为了巩固他们的回归，这家人与 Genome Architects 的吴彦彦合作，打造了一个永久的家庭避难所——一个“阿公之家”，其灵感来自北京备受推崇的灰砖四合院美学。

为了适应热带气候，他们位于荷兰路地区的转角露台在农历新年之前完工，以便及时在未开封的盒子中享用一顿小型团圆饭，庆祝家庭纽带和延续。

“我的父母为我提供了一个安全的港湾，让我可以随时回去，这让我能够出国闯荡，”林先生说道。这位曾在英华学校就读的学生，尽管中文基础并不扎实，却在中国取得了成功。他补充道：“我希望也能为我的孩子们提供同样的保障，这样当他们开启自己的冒险之旅时，每个人都能有一个可以依靠的港湾。”

他60岁的妻子最近刚退休，她把家比作“一个可以把邮件寄到任何地方的地方”，无论家人走到哪里都能收到邮件。林家有两个女儿，分别33岁和22岁，住在新加坡；还有一个20岁的儿子在美国读书；以及一个刚出生的孙女。为了保护隐私，他们要求不透露全名。

他们的房子是19年前买的。在首席建筑师吴的协助下——部分规划工作是通过Zoom在中国完成的——他们保留了房屋原有的结构框架，并加盖了一层。这座两层半房屋的屋顶和立面都经过了重新设计。

为了扩大地块面积，购买了一些花园用地，现在面积约为 350 平方米。建筑面积约为 310 平方米。

他们的灰砖拱顶住宅项目从与吴先生的初步探讨到竣工历时约两年，耗资七位数。

“完美中带着瑕疵的灰色砖块”

布局颠倒过来，卧室面向底层绿植，起居空间则位于二楼。照片：芬巴尔·法伦

布局进行了翻转，卧室位于底层，面向绿化带，而起居空间则位于二楼。

照片：芬巴尔·法伦

与新加坡现代建筑常见的玻璃和光泽不同，这座新建筑的外立面采用灰色砖块。

在北京，环绕皇宫的胡同和四合院都以灰色砖瓦覆盖。与紫禁城耀眼的朱红色城墙和黄色屋顶瓦片不同，紫禁城周围的区域则以静谧而庄严的灰色为主色调。

灰色在历史上象征着谦逊和克制，表明任何公民，无论多么富有，都不应该盖过皇帝的风头。

这位丈夫从未想过要建样板房，但他还是做了一些调查。

他发现，灰砖与普通红砖的区别在于，灰砖多了一个烧制步骤，这个步骤被诗意地称为“喝窑”。

工匠浇水，引发化学反应，将砖块中的红色赤铁矿转化为深色、多色调的氧化铁。值得一提的是，最终制成的灰色砖块质地致密、坚固耐用。

建筑立面采用灰色砖块砌筑，如同北京的四合院。新加坡的气候使得每块灰色砖块的风化程度各不相同，形成一种“活的包浆”。照片：芬巴尔·法伦

建筑立面采用灰色砖砌成，如同北京的四合院。新加坡的气候使得每块灰色砖块的风化程度各不相同，形成一种“活的包浆”。

“砖块的光泽会随着时间推移发生一些变化，”他说。

仅仅六个月后，每块砖的风化程度都各不相同。它就像一座活生生的房子，在它的表皮上记录着新加坡的气候。

他的妻子补充道：“这里有深色和浅色的砖块。我们说这很符合侘寂之美——一种完美的不完美。”

为什么布局要翻转？

厨房、餐厅和公共家庭空间被抬升至二楼，与树冠齐平。位于底层的卧室和健身房毗邻花园和泳池，营造出度假胜地的氛围。（ST PHOTO：NG SOR LUAN）

厨房、餐厅和公共家庭空间被抬升至二楼，与树冠齐平。位于底层的卧室和健身房靠近花园和泳池，营造出度假胜地的氛围。

如果说优雅的灰色砖砌外壳作为外部的隔热层显得新颖，那么室内适应气候变化的翻转式布局也同样具有颠覆性。

林家的儿子在一楼摆满艺术品的健身房里，健身房就在游泳池旁边。（海峡时报摄影：吴淑銮）

林家的儿子在一楼摆满艺术品的健身房里，健身房就在游泳池旁边。

卧室和健身房位于一层，毗邻花园和泳池，营造出奢华度假村的氛围。厨房、餐厅和公共起居空间则位于二层，与树冠齐平。这样的设计打造出一个通风、放松、自然采光充足的区域，非常适合这个关系格外亲密的家庭，正如男主人形容他们是“宅男宅女”。

妻子坐在二楼，透过宽大的拱形窗户欣赏着窗外葱郁的景色，她在这里烹饪美食，享受着与家人共处的时光。成熟芒果树的深绿色树冠清晰可见，树荫之外是一条绿色走廊，步行15分钟即可到达金文泰。

空间布局颠倒的想法是吴先生提出的，他说这并不难接受。林家考虑了几天后就接受了这个方案。他们也意识到，垃圾需要搬到楼下，而且楼梯可能对老年人不太方便。

果不其然，他们那位九十多岁的邻居来访时，在楼梯口犹豫了一下。他们主动提出扶他上去，大家一起享用了一顿丰盛而高雅的晚餐。

来自 Genome Architects 的首席建筑师吴彦彦设计了太阳能模拟方案，以建造一座适应气候变化的住宅。图片：GENOME ARCHITECTS

来自 Genome Architects 的首席建筑师吴彦彦设计了太阳能模拟方案，以建造一座对气候敏感的房屋。

图表：基因组架构师

吴还利用太阳模拟来塑造房屋的物理特性，通过倾斜窗户和扇形墙壁来减轻热带地区的炎热。

吴女士指出：“我们进行了长时间的测试，以确保我们的设计以实证为基础。”她强调，Genome公司非常注重气候响应、模拟以及“将热带设计理念与业主独特的故事相结合”。

根据已确定的数据，她设计了三个相交的拱形屋顶，其中两个用狭窄的玻璃板隔开，以便引入柔和的东方光线，所有屋顶都倾斜以阻挡刺眼的西方阳光。

她补充说：“当窗户打开时，屋顶漏斗状结构形成的双层挑高空间会通过上层开口促进交叉通风。”

中国艺术品展出

林站在当代中国艺术家沈景东创作的风格化家庭肖像画前。（海峡时报摄影：黄素銮）

林站在中国当代艺术家沈景东创作的风格化家庭肖像画前。

在阳光普照的拱形屋顶下，是这家人收藏的中国艺术品。

墙上醒目地挂着一幅中国艺术家沈景东于 2009 年创作的非写实主义风格的一家五口肖像画。画中，他们的儿子滑稽地模仿了“建筑师鲍勃”，一个女儿戴着皇冠，而戴着眼镜的父亲则最像他自己。

由于沈氏运用极其光滑、反光的笔触来描绘人物，这些浓郁的颜料使人物看起来像闪亮的塑料玩具或抛光的瓷娃娃。林氏一家看起来神采奕奕，其画风融合了西方波普艺术和中国乡村艺术的元素。

在他们拥有 60 件大小作品的家庭画廊中，这幅肖像画格外引人注目。

在北京，林氏夫妇得以近距离感受中国当代艺术的蓬勃发展。2004年和2005年被广泛认为是中国现代艺术表达的巅峰时期。艺术家、评论家、画廊、博物馆、策展人、拍卖会和盛会充斥着这个充满活力的领域。

艺术成了一项有趣的家庭活动，周末经常去画廊区和艺术品拍卖会。父亲说，艺术的普及程度令人难以置信，氛围也很友好，他还补充道：“购买艺术品没有任何障碍。”

在他们的新家中，艺术从来都不是可有可无的。在设计方案确定后，吴先生打造了一面双层挑高的墙，为他们的艺术作品搭建了一个奢华的展示舞台。

占据这面墙的是当代艺术家凌健的两幅圆形肖像画。他笔下的人物空灵而富有魅力，呈现出一种雌雄莫辨的特质，表面笼罩着一层柔和的光泽，看起来几乎像一层玻璃纸。

附近挂着一幅颇具争议的作品，名为《建国》，作者是潘德海。这幅画描绘了毛泽东主席及其革命核心成员，但风格上却别出心裁：他们的脸酷似玉米粒。

潘氏将中国东北的玉米田提炼成他的“玉米系列”作品，以此剖析人类的脆弱和历史。尽管一些评论家认为这种改编有失敬意，但在林氏看来，它代表了一个时代的活力。

三座色彩鲜艳、造型活泼的雕塑，分别代表林家的三个孩子。海峡时报摄影：吴淑銮

三座色彩鲜艳、充满趣味的雕塑，分别代表林家的三个孩子。

林氏夫妇巧妙地将前卫艺术与充满爱意的作品融合在一起。他们从一场平价艺术博览会上挑选了三尊艺术家郭启鹏创作的鲜红色小雕像，每个孩子一尊，雕像中的孩子们都俏皮地举起了小手。

家在新加坡——和中国

即使在新加坡拥有了“永远的家”，告别在北京生活了二十年的生活也是一个缓慢而充满情感的转变。

“在一个地方生活了这么多年，突然要离开真的很难，”他说。一家人依然热爱四季分明的气候、当地的美食，当然还有在中国那些因即兴邀请而结识的、一起享用新鲜海鲜晚餐的朋友们。

目前，他们的理想是缓慢过渡——一只脚踏在两个世界里，正如妻子所说，他们正在“重新扎根”。

他们搬到了北京一套较小的公寓，并计划在两座城市之间各生活一半时间。他们与中国的联系依然非常紧密，他们的女儿至今仍会去中国找她最喜欢的理发师。

对他而言，文化回归揭示了一种美丽的模糊性：存在着“地方家园”，与地理和记忆相关的情感纽带，例如在中国骑自行车。

还有“人间之家”：人际关系、社区以及与亲人的亲近所带来的纽带，成为可以随身携带、无国界的“家”。

从这个角度来看，灰砖拱顶屋可能会成为一个充满地方和人情味的家，一个全球家庭收取邮件并不断创造新回忆的永久地址。