Architecture news: Letter from Singapore

Architecture | 22 Dec 2009

Singapore Chancery, Manila by Forum Architects

Forum’s design for Singapore’s new Philippines embassy eschews the bunker look in favour of soaring cantilevered ceilings, expansive courtyards and decorative pools (that perform double duty as security buffers for sensitive zones) and greenery, all contained within a formal, straight-lined frame – the combination, the architects say, reflects Singapore’s reputation for greenery, openness and efficiency.

Singapore Chancery, Manila by Forum Architects

House Around a Tree, Singapore, by Ministry of Design

Lead architect Colin Seah turned a long triangular slice of land and an inconveniently located tree to his advantage by twisting the living spaces into a zig-zag pattern. The solution creates intimate spaces; provides cross-ventilation and filtered light from the tropical warmth; while formally dividing the living spaces. The 600 sqm house is one of the six projects in the Lien Collective.

House Around a Tree, Singapore, by Ministry of Design

Marina Bay Sands Resort, Singapore, by Moshe Safdie

Rising 55-storeys over Marina Bay, the three central towers of Safdie’s controversial design is nearing completion with an expected soft opening in the first quarter of 2010. The highlight of the waterfront resort will be its roof-top Sands SkyPark, a vast 12,400 sq m green aerie dotted with 250 trees and a spectacular 150 metre outdoor pool.

Marina Bay Sands Resort, Singapore, by Moshe Safdie

People’s Association Headquarters, Singapore by Architects 61

Having made their name for their sensitive upgrade of the Raffles Hotel, Architects 61 were a natural fit for this project. Designed in 1933 by Frank Dorrington Ward, the former Victoria School is now home to the headquarters of the People’s Association. Despite the insertion of three new floors, the recent renovations to the neo-Classical building tread a careful line between conservation and relevance including the addition of a naturally lit central atrium that joins the existing building to the new annex.

People’s Association Headquarters, Singapore by Architects 61

Strange Times newspaper, Singapore by WoHa

The highlight of 2009’s ICSID design conference was an unexpected presentation by Aga Khan laureates WoHa. The medium was a mock, but entertainingly imaginative, Singaporean newspaper published in 2050. The subject: climate change. The challenge: addressing the scenario of rising sea levels and shortages of fossil fuel, food, energy and water. The hypothesis: how Singapore could address these challenges through design and still have a positive quality of life. Says director Richard Hassell, “I wanted to focus on how long term master-planning and architecture could affect lifestyles and attitudes, with people not having to change their essential natures, as they often do in science fiction.”

Strange Times newspaper, Singapore by WoHa

The Green House, Singapore, by K2Ld Architects

Taking its cue from the large neighbourhood park across the road, the façade of this residential bungalow is sheathed with copper sheets that will over time blend into the setting. Inside, sectional voids have been carved out to connect the spaces at various levels, while niches create glimpses of landscape and filtered light. Completion date: first quarter of 2010.

The Green House, Singapore, by K2Ld Architects

Double Helix Bridge, Singapore, by Cox Group, Arup and Architects 61

Comprising two duplex stainless steel bands that spiral in opposite directions like a DNA strand, the 280m long Double Helix Bridge connects Marina Centre and Bayfront. When complete, the bridge will be able to support 16,000 people. Four strategically sited viewing pods extend out over the water to provide wraparound views of downtown Singapore and water-based events on Marina Bay. Completion date: March 2010.

Double Helix Bridge under construction

Extension to Patriach House by Terre

The Lien Collective, Singapore, by K2LD Architects, Tierra Design, Terre, ZarchCollaboratives, PODesign, Ministry of Design, and Mo-X

In an unusual collaborative tour de force, six young architects were commissioned to each build a home on a 100,000 sq ft plot owned by the Lien family. The houses are not connected structurally, but like the seminal Commune by the Great Wall project in China, collectively, the houses are an unprecedented snapshot of the work of young Singaporean architects.

Patriach House by Terre: customised brass screen in a sunburst design between the foyer and dining room

View of Screen House from Patriach House by K2LD Architects

View of Cubic House from Landscape Axis by Zarch Collarboratives

Stadium MRT station, Singapore by WoHa

Set to open in the first quarter of 2010, the Stadium underground train station is shaped in the form of two bold calligraphic strokes. WoHa’s unusual design carves deep into the earth to create a steel lined crevasse that’s capped by a skylight running the entire length of the station.

Stadium MRT station, Singapore by WoHa

Architecture news: Letter from Singapore

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