This project investigates a new high rise typology for housing in Singapore. The north and south facades slope outwards from the base of the building. This allows the mass of the building itself to provide a substantive shade to the largely glazed facades, allowing for good views and daylight access without the solar gains and cooling loads commonly associated with such façade treatments. The east and west facing facades have used a stepped balcony arrangement creating external space whilst at the same time shading from excessive low angled evening and morning sun. The sky gardens act as good insulative and thermal mass layers to the roof apartments within the complex and mitigate the urban heat island effect. By offering an area of planting, rather than a hard surface, additional heat is not generated by the roofs and provides benefits to the wider community. The skycanopies supply shade to the upper skygardens and a medium for resource harvesting at high level, which will then be distributed by gravity. This rain water will be used to off set the usage of potable water in the use of WC flushing, washing machines, dishwashers and irrigation. In addition solar collectors will be used for the harvesting of hot water for bathing an for the generation of renewable electricity. These collector structures will also provide localised shading on the roofs, which will increase users comfort.
This project was done whilst at Ateleir One, in collaboration with Andrew Grants, Feilden Clegg Bradley, DP Architects and Atelier Ten
