Bishan Residential in Singapore by Safdie Architects

Article source: Safdie Architects

Safdie Architects has announced plans for a distinctive example of re-imagined urban living, designed by Moshe Safdie for mixed-income use. Unveiled in Singapore this week by Capital Land Residential Singapore and Mitsubishi Estate Asia, developers of the project, the new housing complex will be located on a 129,137-square-foot site in the heart of Bishan Central—one of Singapore’s most significant outlying residential areas. The condominium complex will comprise approximately 509 apartments, across two 38-story towers, and will incorporate private terraces, many common public spaces, and sky gardens. The design has been evolved from Safdie’s groundbreaking Habitat ‘67 by the architect and his firm, in a series of recent such projects, also including Golden Dream Bay in Qinhuangdao, China.

Night view

• Architects: Safdie Architects
• Project: Bishan Residential
• Location: Habitat ’67, Is Unveiled

View of towers

In the new Singapore project, Safdie has introduced a strong stepping form for the condominium complex, moving past the traditional approach of deploying individual towers, to create a multi-dimensional matrix of homes, private terraces, and public gardens. The design provides for lush vertical greenery, optimal orientation relative to the sun, naturally ventilated units, and generous views, all without compromising on efficiency or building structures.

View of bridging Sky Garden

“With fractal-geometry surface patterns, a dramatic stepping structure, and a network of gardens open to the sky, the condominium project at Bishan Central is the latest in our series of global projects evolving from the experimental project Habitat ’67 in Montreal,” said Safdie, whose firm, Safdie Architects, is based in Boston and also has offices in Jerusalem, Toronto, and Singapore. “Instead of independent towers, the building’s two towers are linked by three bridging ‘sky gardens.’ The overall mass is porous and open, allowing air to breeze through and the light to penetrate, and resulting in a more humane and delicate urban fabric than is usual in the traditional apartment building.”

Aerial view

Many of the towers’ residents will have good views of lush Bishan Park below. At ground level, 75 percent of the site’s area will be developed into gardens, outdoor “garden rooms,” swimming pools, and walking paths.  “While providing great quality of life, mitigating a sense of density, and maximizing contact with nature, the complex also results in a village-like clustering of residential units, echoing hillside developments and the integration of architecture and plant life into a singular experience,” said Safdie, whose firm is collaborating with Coen and Partners of Minneapolis on the landscape design.

Design of the project is in progress, as is development. Sales are targeted for the first half of 2012, and first occupancy is expected in 2015.

View of pool at ground level

Moshe Safdie
Safdie’s career as architect and urban planner has been distinguished by the great diversity of his work, ranging from urban to rural, small-scale to mega-scale, highly specialized to multipurpose— and cutting across geographic, cultural, and religious boundaries. Safdie has created buildings in communities around the world: Boston, Los Angeles, Ottawa, Jerusalem, Bangladesh and Singapore, among many other places. Guided by the belief that “a building cannot be experienced as independent of the land in which it is rooted,” Safdie’s designs are specific to place and culture—they are inspired by, and woven into, the historic, cultural, and social fabric of their site.

Major projects designed by Moshe Safdie include Exploration Place Science Center, Wichita, KS (2000); Salt Lake City Main Public Library, Salt Lake City, UT (2003); Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA (2003); Yad Vashem Holocaust History Museum, Jerusalem, Israel (2005); Lester B. Pearson International Airport, Toronto, Canada (2007); and the United States Federal Courthouse, Springfield, MA (2008).

Through the years, Safdie has built a diverse office of experienced architects. Leading his firm’s partners and staff, he engages in an iterative design process, working closely with the client and consultants to facilitate the development of appropriate and effective design solutions. Safdie Architects is nimble in its approach, combining the advantages of an intimate design studio with the network of a global practice that works efficiently on projects of great scale and complexity around the world. Based in Boston, Safdie Architects also has branch offices in Toronto, Jerusalem, and Singapore.

Tags: Singapore

Category: Residential

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