Description

Marina One, completed in 2018, is one of the first urban blocks of the new development area at Marina Bay, southwest of downtown Singapore between the Gardens by the Bay park and the city’s port. The flat site with its mostly still greenfield plots is the product of a land reclamation project, which is the only way the dense city-state can grow.

The block-like complex is divided into two office towers on the city-ward side and two residential towers on the water with 1042 apartments. The upper floors of the office towers are connected by a multi-storey bridge section. Between the towers a network of solar shading lamellas can be made out that describe an undulating crater-like interior descending into the depths. Behind the glass façade, concrete columns shimmer, which on the lower floors are in plain sight – quite unusual for Singapore. Contrasting with the smooth flowing façade of the office towers, the balconies of the residential towers jump up and down in a restless rhythmic pattern.

Concealed within the inside of Marina One is probably its key strength: it’s “Green Heart”, which is also one of its stated goals. Here the architects have been able to incorporate an area equivalent to 125% of the building footprint – 37,000 m² in total – as green space containing 350 different types of plants, a ratio five times higher than the standard for new buildings in Singapore. Some of this takes the form of planting on the balconies and intermediate levels, but the majority is a specially planted area on the lower floors that creates the impression that the jungle is recapturing a piece of land.

The concave, carved out courtyard of the office towers is an unusual form of block interior. The shape, which grows narrower towards the top where the upper office wings have more floor space, is a product of wind deflection requirements and the need to fulfil public green space requirements by relocating cut away floor space from the lower floors to the upper floors. Its dynamic form is underlined by the contour-like lines of the perforated, up to two-metre-wide solar protection slats made of expanded aluminium. They project far into the interior of the lower floors to provide shade for the paths and outside areas. It is this functional element that gives the courtyard its characteristic undulating structure. The living flora reminds the employees and residents that they are still in the tropics despite their far-removed office and living environment. One can only hope that this greenery will be allowed to grow a little wilder without being trimmed to the precision of an English lawn in a frenzied desire for orderliness.

The client was a conglomerate of the Singaporean and a Malaysian state development company. Last but certainly not least, the 220,000 m² of office space (one of the tenants will be Facebook) and the apartments with their expansive views promise to offer a good return on investment.

Originally published in Bauwelt 04.2018, pp. 46-53, abridged and edited for Building Types online, translated by Julian Reisenberger

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