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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. EDEN Singapore Apartments in Singapore by Heatherwick StudioJuly 15th, 2020 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Heatherwick Studio Heatherwick Studio was commissioned by Swire Properties to design an apartment building in the historic Newton district of Singapore. Inspired by the vision of a ‘city in a garden’ imagined by Lee Kuan Yew fi fty years ago, and by the lush tropical setting of the area, the studio’s design is a radical departure from the glass and steel tower typology. The studio set out to craft homes within a garden that also harnessed all the benefi ts of apartment living; a place where residents would feel connected to the city’s tree-lined streets whilst enjoying views, light and privacy.  Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio
 Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio
 Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio  Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio By pulling apart the square block of a conventional residential tower and moving the services to the perimeter, each apartment has a large central living space, surrounded by smaller individual rooms and wide shell-like balconies. The apartments are lifted 23 metres above an intensely planted ground-level tropical garden. The greenery from the garden is threaded upwards and around the building through a series of planted chandeliers which grow as they rise up the building’s dramatic 18 metre high lobby, to become generous private planted outdoor spaces. The balconies are alternated to create double-height outside spaces fi lled with planting from more than twenty species of fl ora. As well as surrounding each apartment with tranquil and calming greenery and natural shading from the Singaporean sun, the plants will grow to cascade down the building, softening its appearance. The unconventional concrete walls ae moulded with a topographical map of Singapore’s terrain, which has been abstracted to create a unique three-dimensional texture.  Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio  Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio The building represents a unique way of living in the city, with its combination of evocative natural materials, textures and crafted details and its celebration of the area’s natural landscape. Over time, the building is designed to mature, as the lush planting grows, like a sapling that has taken root beneath the streets, pulling the landscape of Singapore up into the sky. The lowest fl oor is raised 23 metres above street level so that every apartment benefi ts from views across the city skyline. Interior surfaces have been crafted to give the living spaces warmth by celebrating the natural imperfections of organic materials; natural knot marks are left visible in the handmade parquet fl ooring which continues outdoors with a textured herringbone-patterned slate.  Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio  Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio At ground-level, entrance is through a canyon-like corridor, 1.5 metres wide and more than ten times as high, lined with black granite. This opens into a dramatic 18-metre-high lobby at the heart of the building, hung with living plant chandeliers. The exposed underside of the balconies are rendered in smooth, highly polished concrete. The studio developed a bespoke casting technique to bring the ideal mixture and concentration of stones to the surface at these points, giving a rugged, industrial material a precious, gem-like quality. In the bathrooms, the sink, vanity unit and bath have been custom-designed for the project by Heatherwick Studio, and utilise a restrained yet rich palette of materials. A beautifully crafted lift takes residents to their private fl oor. At the heart of every apartment, there is a large light central space, sheltered by the concrete structure and wrapped in the greenery of the lush tropical balcony, with views of the city beyond – this is conceived as a place for togetherness. More private rooms and discreet service areas extend from this main living space in an intuitive, fl exible arrangement.  Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio  Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio At ground level the language of mineral textures and lush tropical planting is continued: the swimming pool is clad in deep green ceramic tiles to give the impression of a natural lake, the paths, social spaces and hard landscaping are paved in different shades of green granite, and the fi tness centre is in a garden pavilion. Specially commissioned Spun chairs made from polished green granite are set within the natural shade provided by the landsscaped garden at ground level. To create tranquil and luxurious outdoor living spaces for the ground level a rich variety of unusual and exotic tropical plants with different forms, heights, textures, and colours have been used.  Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio  Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio  Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio  Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio  Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio  Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio  Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio  Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio  Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio  Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio  Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio  Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio  Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio
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Tags: Singapore Categories: Apartments, Building, House, Housing Development, Residential |
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