Building The City

Overview  

Singapore's skyline is brimming with architectural gems. In addition to projects by local architecture firms, acclaimed international architects have also made their mark with ground-breaking projects that reimagine and redefine architecture.

Once a year, professionals from the architecture industry gather to celebrate architecture and the built environment at Archifest (Singapore Architectural Festival). The line-up for Archifest boasts more than 50 events, including trade exhibition, ArchXpo, which serves as an opportunity for industry professionals to mingle and learn from the best in the industry. The popular Architours brings participants on a walking tour to explore some of Singapore's best architecture, including those by acclaimed international names. Here is a round-up of the most prominent projects that were featured in the most recent edition of Archifest.

Learning Hub by Thomas Heatherwick

Reimagining the traditional educational space, the Learning Hub at Nanyang Technological University breaks away from the typical rows of corridors linking box-like classrooms.

Instead, London-based Heatherwick Studio has designed the Learning Hub to be a fluid social space that brings people together, facilitating spontaneous learning and exchange of ideas.

The collection of 12 handmade towers holds a total of 56 oval-shaped classrooms. The non-hierarchal oval shape does away with the conventional and is meant to encourage collaborative learning amongst the students, with tutors as facilitators. Classrooms are interspersed with nooks, balconies and gardens for informal dialogue, where the seeds of innovation are sparked and where future business partners meet. 

The Interlace by Ole Scheeren

This ambitious residential development presents a radically new approach to modern day housing, which typically consists of isolated tower blocks. The Interlace features 31 apartment blocks, each six stories tall, stacked in an interlocking hexagonal arrangement.

Nature features heavily in this "vertical village" – sky gardens and roof terraces are nestled within the blocks, the courtyards are filled with lush tropical vegetation, and the gaps between the blocks help to bring in light and ventilation. The result is a refreshing sense of community and connection to nature.

Designed by German-born, Beijing-based architect Ole Scheeren, The Interlace won the coveted 'World Building of the Year' award at the World Architecture Festival in 2015.

Jewel Changi Airport by Moshe Safdie

Bringing to life the concept of a 'paradise garden', Jewel Changi Airport, which is scheduled to be completed in March 2019, looks to redefine the airport experience. It will be housed within a stunning glass dome that resembles a massive greenhouse. A 40-metre-tall waterfall, the largest indoor waterfall in the world, will cascade from the ceiling of the glass dome into the Forest Valley, a five-storey garden filled with thousands of trees and plants imported from around the world. Forest trails, canopy mazes and sky nets will offer unique, immersive experiences for visitors.

Israeli-born architect Moshe Safdie, who designed the iconic Marina Bay Sands, is at the helm of this exciting project. The new complex will connect the existing terminals at Changi Airport, and is set to become a prime lifestyle destination for both locals and visitors.

You may visit the following link to find out more about the works presented at Archifest.