Design Democracy Now!

Our objective in the first Case Study Villa is to develop a system that will make an architecturally designed home accessible to a wider audience

- Greg Shand

As an architect, I’ve spent a large part of my career studying Japanese art, architecture, and language, and developed a deep appreciation of the paintings of Toko Shinoda.

To me they exemplify elegant simplicity, yet there is a dynamic to the minimalism that makes them timeless. This is the governing philosophy in my work, and for my own design and build project, this was my design brief.

Ascend – Toko Shinoda

It has long been the dream of mine to design and build a home away from home with an ocean view. I contend that in beautiful natural settings, the architect’s ego should bow to the magnificence of the surrounding nature. Rather than impose a materialistic object in a landscape, the composition and layering of spaces should create the dynamism from within by framing views, modulating light, and creating anticipation.

Having worked as an architect in Asia for over 28 years, I’ve had the privilege of designing over 20 homes next to the ocean in Singapore’s Sentosa Cove, where I currently reside.

Whilst Singapore is a fascinating and invigorating place to live, the concept of a getaway home in an inspiring, natural setting, reminiscent of my home country New Zealand, led me on a quest to find a site.

After years of searching, the ideal location presented itself just 2.5hrs flight from Singapore; a tropical volcanic island in Indonesia with dramatic untouched hillsides and limitless ocean views.