A CITY IS remembered for many things, big and small. In the past two issues of Skyline, we have looked at exemplary architecture in a variety of commercial, residential, mixed, hotel, shopping and entertainment developments in Singapore. In this issue, we turn our eyes to some of the buildings that have responded to Singapore’s tropical climate and others that have displayed creative yet sensitive “old and new” adaptation and re-invention.

Besides these works of architecture, urban infrastructure of varying scale, also plays a significant role in enhancing our daily experience. Often overshadowed by the larger and grander architectural developments, these “small objects” also play an aesthetic role in enhancing our cityscape and help to enliven our urban environment.

Weathering Singapore
These buildings are examples of how strategies for dealing with the weather have borne significant architectural fruit.

The former Raffles Institution at Grange Road, now Ministry of Education’s Teachers Network, was a breath of fresh air in school design in the 1970s. It creatively dealt with issues of climate-control, and created a sense of community through its architecture.

Many mature trees were retained on the site, offering welcome shade from the intense tropical weather. The four-storey classroom blocks, sports track and playing courts face southeast, reducing exposure to the sun, while the northwest-facing corridors are sheltered from the afternoon heat by deep sun-breakers. A first-storey void deck secures both views and cross-ventilation across the site.

Raffles Institution is marked by careful placement of symbolic features such as the emblematic digital clock tower, and the classroom balconies which collectively overlook sports events on the field.

Dapenso Building is an infill office development in the heart of the Central Business District that stands out among the typical tower-and-podium models with its efficient spatial layout and consideration of bioclimatic factors. Sandwiched between two archetypal glass-and-concrete office buildings, the building mass of Dapenso Building is set back, creating a transitional space that mediates the external environment, and adds variety to the urban streetscape. Designed with energy conservation in mind, the building presents cascading semi-circular planter boxes that also soften the façade and shade the offices from the sun.

Dapenso Building