Design Team
Tay
Kheng Soon
Patrick Chia
Paul Appasamy
Design Data
Client:
People's Parkway Development Pte Ltd
Main Contractor: Wendy International Pte Ltd
Structural Engineer: KTP Ho & Partners
M & E Engineer: Rankine & Hill Pte Ltd
Quantity Surveyor: Rider Hunt Levett & Bailey
Site
Area: 1,684.8 sq m
Site Coverage: 57.41 %
Plot Ratio: 1 : 6.5
Gross Floor Area: 14,236.56 sq m
This thirteen-storey, L-shaped office block encompasses a soaring naturally-ventilated atrium enclosed by a glass-clad, aluminium-tube space frame. It represents one of the few serious attempts in Singapore to produce an environmentally-responsive solution to the problem of creating high-rise office accommodation.
The building is a conceptually challenging one. The full height atrium
is glazed on two sides and at roof level, and there is a series of giant
horizontal louvres attached to the outer face of the space-frame structure.
Air is drawn in and upwards. Air movement passing the open access corridors
further reduces energy requirements. There is an attempt to use the tropical
climate positively and to save energy, unlike the standard office tower
solution of air-conditioning which is derived directly from models of
skyscrapers in temperate climates. The ubiquitous enclosed atrium, the
modern version of which originated 30 degrees north of the Equator in
Atlanta, Georgia, is applied everywhere in the tropics without rigorous
re-examination. In Singapore, there are many derivatives of this model.
Three glazed passenger lifts rise out of the sheltered public plaza at
the base of the tower. The plaza accommodates a landscaped outdoor dining
space which is sheltered, yet exposed to cooling breezes. It can also
accommodate exhibitions and stage shows. In effect, it gives the ground
floor space of a private office block 'back to the people'. Responding
by design to climatic constraints and cultural patterns is the first step
towards producing an alternative high-rise architecture relevant to its
place and time. Parkway Builders Centre is an appropriate example in this
direction.
"This project explores the meaning of living and working in the
tropical urban environment. As one uses the building, one is always in
contact with the changing weather, light and impression of space. The
flow of space between the inside and the outside is perceived as one moves
through the building. A large naturally-ventilated atrium space provides
the changing experience of vistas of the surrounding urban landscape and
the changing activities in and around the building."
