South Beach
The South Beach development occupies an entire city block in downtown Singapore, between the Marina Center and the Civic District. Conceived as a sustainable urban quarter, the project combines new construction with the restoration of existing buildings and brings together places to live and work with shops, cafes, restaurants, a hotel and new public spaces. A wide landscaped pedestrian avenue – a green spine – weaves through the site and is protected by a large canopy, which shelters the light-filled spaces beneath from the extremes of the tropical climate.
Photography by © Nigel Young
The gently curving form of the two towers is a continuation of the undulating canopy below. Their facades are angled to capture prevailing winds and direct air flow to cool the ground level spaces. The south tower is divided into a hotel and apartments, while the north tower is made up of office floors. Continuing the Singaporean ideal of the ‘city in a garden’, the buildings incorporate densely planted sky gardens, with uninterrupted views of the Central Business District.
The treatment of the perimeter buildings is sensitive to the scale of the nineteenth century Raffles Hotel on the opposite side of the street – the four adjacent former military buildings along Beach Road are carefully restored and interspersed by conserved mature trees.
Photography by © Nigel Young
The canopy’s ribbons of steel and aluminum louvers flex above the primary circulation routes and public spaces and dip near the edges to meet the Beach Road buildings. The ribbons are supported by slender pillars and rise up the exposed east and west elevations of the towers to form a series of vertical louvers, which are carefully angled to encourage natural ventilation.
The entrance to the canopy rises up to form an arc, which acts as a wind scoop, drawing the prevailing breezes through space and promoting natural ventilation. Beneath the canopy is a series of smaller buildings and flexible spaces for functions and events. Combining rainwater harvesting with a range of environmental strategies, the development aims to achieve the Green Mark ‘Platinum’ Rating. The ground level is entirely pedestrianized, with individual vehicle access to underground parking and drop off points placed around the edges of the site, and public transport is integrated via a direct ‘green’ link to Esplanade MRT station.
Photography by © Nigel Young
Project Info
Architects: Foster+Partners
Location: Singapore, Malaysia
Client: South Beach Consortium, Singapore
Collaborating Architect: AEDAS PTE Ltd
Structural Engineer: Arup Singapore PTE Ltd
M+E Engineer: Parsons Brinckerhoff PTE Ltd
Area: 146 800m²
Height: 182m
Year: 2016
Type: Mixed use, Retail, Office, Hotel
