Design Team
Tay
Kheng Soon
Eugene Seow
Design Data
Client:
Serangoon Gardens Country Club
Main Contractor: Greatearth Construction Pte Ltd
Structural Engineer: Executive Decisions Inc Pte Ltd
M & E Engineer: Low & Aw Consultants Pte Ltd
Quantity Surveyor: Davis Langdon & Seah
Site
Area: 22,864.3 sq m
Site Coverage: 66.19 %
Plot Ratio: 1 : 0.243
Gross Floor Area: 15,136.10 sq m
The focus of the Serangoon Gardens Country Club is the naturally-ventilated, glass- covered garden-room of exhilarating proportions. Central to this design concept is a reappraisal of what makes living in the tropics different; what makes it unique.
Thereafter,
the architects have endeavoured to capture all the positive aspects without
the discomfort of excessive glare, heat or humidity. This has involved
not only thorough and careful planning of the facilities, but also the
integration of sophisticated cooling and shading devices in the glass
vaulted roof.
The plan of the main clubhouse is generated from a square module, and
is expressed externally in the form of five glazed barrel vaults - the
centre vault being the highest, the two adjoining vaults a storey lower
and the outer two vaults the lowest.
The main activity rooms of the club are related to the central landscaped
space. A carefully-orchestrated interplay of levels and staircases gives
access to the restaurant, library, lounge bar, discotheque and cafeteria.
In contrast to the naturally-ventilated garden room, these facilities
are air-conditioned. Generous planting in the central area and careful
choice of furniture gives an image of relaxed sophistication. Trees, paving
and planting containers are organised to define space and focus direction,
screening out undesirable views. The sporting activities of the country
club are separated from the main clubhouse at the opposite end of the
Olympic-size swimming pool.
The success of this project is in the consistency of design from the initial
idea, to the detailing of fenestration, services and landscape. The modular
square grid is expressed in the structure, the exposed concrete waffle
slabs and the aluminium mesh walls. Each structural column is made up
of four smaller elements. The space between the small columns accommodates
variously, lighting or access panels to concealed services. Retractable
nylon sun screens are incorporated in the glass roof structure. These
screens can be activated electrically according to weather conditions.
In the end bays of the glass barrel vaults are extract fans, and along
the sides are fixed glass louvres designed to expel warm air. Although
this arrangement is not totally successful in achieving comfort conditions
at all times, it is preferable to the ubiquitous air-conditioned lobby.
The ideas explored, and for the most part successfully implemented, can
be reproduced in other buildings for public and private use. The building
explores new frontiers in technology and finds new expressions of traditional
cultural patterns. Tay sees this as one of the turning points in the development
of a design language for Tropical Asia.
The initial clarity of the design has been compromised by later unsympathetic
alterations by the club. These include a reception office which is out
of character with the original concept and blocks the open 'mesh' wall
which originally permitted cross ventilation. Without this cross ventilation,
the climatic strategy has been compromised. The shallow pools to either
side of the entrance which were part of an overall climatic strategy have
been removed and the bold planting policy that initially created a splendid
indoor garden has also been timidly altered.
