With the recent completion of two new projects in Singapore, The Scotts Tower and V on Shenton, we are celebrating our growing architectural presence in the city.
Beginning in 2006 with The Ardmore Residence, and establishing our presence further with the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), our designs for the people of Singapore range from housing to mixed-use space, to offices and universities.
Singapore is currently one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Although land reclamation has boosted the island’s size over the years, Singapore still faces significant density challenges. Vertical expansion has for some time proved to be a solution for the efficient use of valuable urban land. However, it has recently become clear that such expansion can be further maximised through the introduction of large scale, holistic, mixed-use developments that offer round-the-clock programmes. In these developments working, living and leisure activities are catered for within single plots, ensuring maximal use of scarce land. V on Shenton, with its mixed-use residential and office dual programming, is just such a mixed-use development. Meanwhile, The Scotts Tower defines itself as a vertical city, rooted in a design concept that incorporates a variety of residence types and scales, divided into four different residential clusters, or ‘neighbourhoods’.
Singapore, also known as the Garden City, is green by nature. As such, designing buildings that respond to the living landscape of Singapore, and incorporate biophilic design elements, and promote sustainability is key.
“I have often said that sustainability doesn’t mean simply adding a green roof. It is not an add-on. A building’s sustainable performance is determined by a whole host of passive and active strategies that are undertaken during the design process. In addition, architects may use locally sourced sustainable or recycled materials, incorporate technology, design for endurance and resilience and create flexible spaces that can be used in many different ways across a building’s lifespan.” Ben van Berkel
Environmental sustainability was built into the design for the SUTD academic campus. Building geometries carve a wind corridor for ideal wind flow through outdoor gathering spaces and tree shaded walkways also serve as the external circulation route around SUTD to encourage a walkable, low carbon campus. During the design phase, solar analysis and daylighting simulation tools were employed to control temperatures and account for Singapore’s tropical climate, reducing energy consumption from air conditioning. The Ardmore Residence responds to the living landscape of Singapore through an articulated facade that mimics organic forms and structures and uses an open framework to connect inhabitants to surrounding green space.