Emerald Hill shophouse restored with Woha heritage and contemporary art
A historic Emerald Hill shophouse, originally converted by Woha in the late 1990s, has been sensitively restored by its current owner and designer Terence Chan. The project reinstates the firm's architectural vision while adding personalised entertainment spaces and curated art.
A shophouse at Emerald Hill, originally transformed by architecture firm Woha in the late 1990s, has been restored and reimagined by its current owner in collaboration with designer Terence Chan. The project won a 1999 International Award from the Royal Australian Institute of Architects and a 2004 Gold Award at the ARCASIA Awards for Architecture in the Conservation Projects category.
Woha, founded in 1994 by Richard Hassell and Wong Mun Summ, gave the early 20th-century shophouse a facelift that was more architectural than decorative. Flooring in the historic front section was removed so the second storey reads as a crisp, modern white box. A double-height glass facade at the courtyard puts the movement of people and light on show, contrasting with the rear extension's formal expression of repeated windows.
Over the years, successive owners had made changes to Woha's design, including smoothing textured walls, removing original ivory stone cladding and staining teak woodwork. The current owner, a professional in his mid-40s, engaged Chan — an architecturally trained designer who had worked at Woha before establishing Studio Terre in 2006 — to restore the property. Woha provided the original drawings for reference.
Chan described the shophouse as offering “a masterclass in spatial choreography, architectural reverence and client trust.” He reinstated a warm palette of beige stone and revealed the raw beauty of the teak by removing black stains. Damaged floorboards and timber cladding around the dining room's steel columns had to be replaced due to termite damage. The front door was replaced with matching solid timber panels following the original detailing.
Chan inserted four panels of sandblasted Paulownia timber veneer pivot doors in the gallery to augment the sense of transition and help segment the space. Glass balustrades were added to the staircase, replacing a barrier removed by a previous owner. Upstairs, the master bedroom was shifted to the attic, making the second storey the main entertainment zone. The bar features a curved counter capped with dark green Avocatus marble, flanked by 2.9-metre-tall timber glassware cabinets. To support the 50mm solid stone bar counter, hidden steel beams were used to reinforce the original timber floor.
Art is central to the home. Chan, an avid art collector, helped select pieces including Tania Marmolejo's The Long Wait, Edgar Degas' Woman with a White Headdress, and Bruno Surdo's 2023 painting A Selfie, A Pink Unicorn, Paparazzi! What Does It Take to Get Noticed. Chan himself contributed a Corten steel artwork in the courtyard spelling out “WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY, HOW METHOD,” visible through a polished stainless steel ceiling. The project also included a DJ booth with 30mm-thick clear acrylic shelves and a powder room finished with stainless steel ceiling and Metallicus stone walls.
Chan described the project as “a multi-layered restoration project and a creative playground rolled into one.” He added that shophouses are not simply about preserving history: “It is also about crafting an intimate dialogue between the original structure, modern spatial theatre and the evolving lives of the people who inhabit them.”
