Ling Hao’s spaces are never static. The Malaysian architect designs with consideration for time, living things, sunlight, breezes and even the sounds of birds. His houses are not precious silos; instead, they’re intertwined with the wider natural world and are born from meticulous care for use, sustainability and surprise. As such, the openness, luxuriance and material honesty of this penthouse in Singapore is the antithesis of the kind of opulence associated with such city dwellings. The outdoors-loving owners bought the 23rd-floor apartment for its ample balconies and rooftop terrace, and were pleasantly surprised by Hao’s unconventional design approach. ‘He takes time to think. Unlike other designers, he told us to do less, to destroy only the minimum,’ says homeowner Aaron Hung, whose brief to the architect was to make the…