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[COMPLETED] D4 | The Interlace | 24 Floors | 2013

53K views 130 replies 56 participants last post by  ben.zuraa 
#1 ·
OMA reveals design for large-scale Residential Complex in Singapore

2008.02.01




(Beijing/Rotterdam, February 01, 2008): CapitaLand Residential, a leading developer in Asia, and its partners have commissioned the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) to design a large-scale residential development in Singapore.

The project will be located on an expansive 8 hectare site bounded by the Ayer Rajah Expressway and Alexandra Road, in a central position between the National University and downtown Singapore. With 170,000 m2 of built floor area, the development will provide over 1,000 apartment units of varying sizes with extensive outdoor spaces and landscaping.

Instead of creating a cluster of isolated, vertical towers – the default typology of residential developments in Singapore – the design explores a dramatically different approach to the issues and challenges of living and social space.

32 apartment blocks, each six-stories tall, are stacked in a hexagonal arrangement to form six large-scale permeable courtyards. The interlocking volumes form the topography of a “vertical village” with cascading sky gardens and private roof terraces vertically extending the landscape of the courtyards. Extensive communal facilities which are embedded in the lush vegetation offer multiple opportunities for social interaction in a natural environment. While maintaining the privacy of the individual apartment units through generous spacing of the building blocks and unobstructed views, the horizontal and interconnected volumes create an explicitly social network of outdoor spaces within the green terrain.

The site completes a green belt that stretches between Kent Ridge, Telok Blangah and Mount Faber Parks. The stacked volumetric relationship of the apartment blocks extends the landscape and forms a mount/hill that relates to the surrounding topography.

Beyond the extensive presence of nature and collective space, the project will be designed to respond carefully to the tropical climate and address issues of sustainability through incorporating multiple features of energy-saving technologies.

“We are thrilled with the opportunity to create such an innovative project in partnership with OMA. The design expands our progressive ambition and enables us to add a radically new concept to environmentally-conscious living in Singapore” says CapitaLand Residential Singapore Chief Executive Officer, Patricia Chia.

“This project directly addresses concerns of shared space and community in a contemporary society” says Ole Scheeren, Partner of OMA and designer of the project. "It simultaneously responds to issues of privacy and individuality as well as to social and communal needs by offering multiple types of indoor and outdoor spaces specific to the tropical context”.

The project is lead by Ole Scheeren, Director of OMA Beijing, together with Eric Chang, Associate. Ole Scheeren is responsible for the office’s work across Asia, including the 575,000 m2 CCTV headquarters and TVCC cultural center currently under construction in Beijing, and The Scotts Tower in Singapore. Previous work includes the Prada epicenter stores in New York and Los Angeles.



 
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#9 ·
I actually like it, I'd like to see it built, just as how you would like to try out a novelty, and eveyone likes novelties.

Though, compared to the vertical tower means of building, this would pose a greater tear to the urban continuity. This project, tho similar to the CCTV hq, has a very different impact on its site, there are no portals or voids, but effectively an opaque 24 storey wall that spans the entire site.

Its really colossal, and quite scary in my opinion, its so big that it takes on the form of a natural formation, which then, can hopefully dissappear into the background just as how a mountain would. Its location, being so far from the city is very suitable for this.


I'm not sure if they are aware of its implications, but from the below...

Instead of creating a cluster of isolated, vertical towers – the default typology of residential developments in Singapore – the design explores a dramatically different approach to the issues and challenges of living and social space.

“This project directly addresses concerns of shared space and community in a contemporary society” says Ole Scheeren, Partner of OMA and designer of the project. "It simultaneously responds to issues of privacy and individuality as well as to social and communal needs by offering multiple types of indoor and outdoor spaces specific to the tropical context”.
It seems like they haven't got a clue as to what they are doing...

You know how sometimes, just a small alteration to something can change its entire feel and even its significance? Just like how painting a cyan car black can make it look slightly newer and sophicticated. Well, they made little twists to some towers to turn the complex into an urban nightmare, the only difference here, is that its not in an urban context, and thus quite beautiful.
 
#28 ·
DESIGN TO SHIELD OFF TRAFFIC NOISE IN CITY LIVING

I thought the architect should consider traffic noise as an important criterion in the design consideration. It does not help with the containers facing the AYE as trailers and motorcyclists generate lots of noise and soot most time of the day as it enroute to Tuas 2nd link. He should have done a survey on the residents at Gillman Heights.

At least half of the residents in interlace will have to face this everyday. The other half will have better view to the sea.
 
#31 · (Edited)
Though I can appreciate the architect's intention to be bold and adventurous, however I think Capitaland is taking a huge gamble here.

To begin with, the design is rather controversial as some might say it's like living in a series of container boxes stacked above one another, and with the living environment resembling a mumbai slump albeit in an upper class manner. Units on the lower floors will be perpectually under the shadows of the blocks above and thus having little or miserable dose of sunlight. It is not exactly a very pleasant condo environment created, as compared to Reflections or the upcoming condo by Zaha Hadid that exude a more exclusive feel to them, and all of which are designed by world class architects.

Secondly, the residents living in this development have to contend with waking up every morning to see the multitude of sharp angles from your neighbouring blocks pointing at your face. Feng Shui wise, quite a failure as Chinese considers taboo to have any sharp objects aimed at your house.

Thirdly, the idea of a green sustainable living is very superficially employed here. Just having more green rooftop gardens and sprinking of balconies here and there will not render your development more green in response to the neighbouring parks. It will just end up as a nightmare for maintenance and thus add to the maintenance charges which is to be borne by the residents. If the Developer and architects are serious about tropical green architecture, a good reference will be the Arcadia Condo which uses large green balconies as transition spaces between the hot humid outdoors and the cool interiors.

Lastly, I think the marketing ploy by Capitaland may backfire. For such a big development site yielding more than 1000+ units, they have engaged a world class architect probably in the hope of upping the ante with a brand name and thus enabling them to price the development higher than say most mass market condos. I feel the end result of the design, with the points as mentioned above, looked worse than most large scale condos designed locally, e.g. The Bayshore or Costa Del Sol. Living in Spore is already stressful enough, and rather than resorting to gimmicky architectural antics to create an even more chaotic living environment, it probably would have serve the Developer and the buyers better to carve the site into smaller developments with a better exclusive quality to them.

It will be curious to see how the development fares from the local reception when it is launched sometime next month.
 
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