About the Interlace
The Interlace was envisioned as a vertical village rising from the greens of the Southern Ridges. This design and planning challenged a typical condominium living and piloted out a unique architectural form that creates a series of open spaces throughout the building at all levels. The landscape concept “ the forest strata” weaves the living green throughout the levels in four layers of the project; basement, ground, mid-level and roof. This landscaping technique provides the residents with an abundance of social, recreation and leisure opportunities.
Spacing and Massing
The project was evolved in an area of 170,000 sqm, which was completed and handed over to residents in 2013. This development provides 1040 residential units of variable sizes that were sold at a reasonable price. The planning is an unusual geometry of hexagonally stacked blocks that create a dramatic spatial atmosphere. The building blocks are organised on four main Super Levels. Three peaks have 24 stories, while other super level stacks range from 6 to 18 stories forming a stepped geometry. This arrangement of the multistorey building allows more light and air to circulate through the landscape of the courtyards.
Circulation
The circulation of the outdoor spaces is perfectly planned pedestrian routes. The primary pathway leads the residents from the main entrance to the courtyards, which acts as the fundamental point of orientation and identification. The entire pedestrian circulation is organised according to the density of residents around each courtyard, namely the central connector. A system of footpaths then connects the residents from the central connector to the private front doors of their homes.
This apartment complex has thirty-one blocks arranged in a hexagonal manner to form eight large scale open and permeable courtyards. The interlocking volume method forms a vertical village that possesses perplexing sky gardens with both private and public roof terraces extending the landscape of the courtyards. The horizontal and interconnected volumes create an interactive network of outdoor spaces while maintaining the privacy of the individual apartments. The shared public facilities for the people are embedded in the lush green vegetation and offers numerous opportunities for social interaction in a natural surrounding.
Landscape
The landscape of the Interlace is designed on a huge plot of eight-hectare land and further expands to the blocks thus maximizing the green area and the presence of nature. By providing a stacked apartment-style, the design allows for a free-flowing exterior with extensive roof gardens, numerous landscaped public terraces that open to more green areas than the original site. The landscape is designed to establish a relationship between the existing surrounding parks and green spaces hence completing the green belt. A lush tropical environment for the residents is bestowed with trees, plants and flowers that form a part of the residential spaces. This green space provides settings for leisure activities around the zone. The continuity of the landscape is expanded vertically, from the planting of green areas in the open-air basement voids, up to the balconies and rooftop gardens.
Catering generous outdoor spaces and private planting areas are the private balconies that provide an amazing view of the outside. Gardens on the stacked apartments are expressed on the building facades, as lush vegetation over balconies, visually connecting the elevated green refuges with the expansive tropical landscaping on the ground. Eight courtyards and their landscapes are made to be the heart of the project forming distinctive spatial identities. Every courtyard runs along a 60m path and extends further through the permeable interconnections, highlighting a specific character and atmosphere that serves as a place-maker and spatial identifier.
Community
The project highlights a vast collective space that aims at reuniting the desire for individual privacy with a sense of togetherness and living in a community. Social interaction is merged smoothly with the environment in a synthesis of tropical nature and habitable urban space. A variety of public amenities are woven into the landscape thus providing plenty of opportunities for social interaction and shared activities integrated with the natural surroundings. Surrounding the courtyard is the Hills and Bamboo Garden that makes space for shaded outdoor play and picnic areas with lower blocks surrounding the perimeter.
The central courtyards are occupied by the Central Square, Theater Plaza and Water Park offering numerous shared amenities such as clubhouse, function and games room, theatre, karaoke, gym and reading rooms. The waterfall, Lotus Pond, and Rainforest Spa present in the eight main courtyards offer residents further choices for social interaction. Along the perimeter of the project is a wide range of communal activities for residents such as multiple barbeque areas, tennis and multi-courts, organic garden, pet zone and the rock line. The diversity of the atmosphere encourages social interaction with the freedom of choice for different grades of privacy and sharing, contributing to the overall sense of community.
References:
- www.icn-design.com.sg. (n.d.). The Interlace | ICN DESIGN INTERNATIONAL. [online] Available at: http://www.icn-design.com.sg/portfolio/living/the-interlace
- Holmes, D. (2016). The Interlace envisaged as a “vertical village” rising from the Southern Ridges. [online] World Landscape Architecture. Available at: https://worldlandscapearchitect.com/the-interlace/
- Architecturalrecord.com. (2019). Architectural Record | Building Architecture, House Design & Products. [online] Available at: https://www.architecturalrecord.com/
- OMA. (n.d.). De Rotterdam. [online] Available at: https://www.oma.com/projects/de-rotterdam
- Arquitectura Viva (2018). The Interlace, Singapur – OMA – Office for Metropolitan Architecture. [online] Arquitectura Viva. Available at: https://arquitecturaviva.com/works/the-interlace-3
- Archinect. (n.d.). ShowCase: The Interlace by OMA. [online] Available at: https://archinect.com/features/article/91729/showcase-the-interlace-by-oma
- www.itsnicethat.com. (n.d.). Rem Koolhaas’ design for vertical village wins World Building of the Year 2015. [online] Available at: https://www.itsnicethat.com/news/the-interlace-rem-koolhaas-waf-2015
- ArchDaily. (2015). The Interlace / OMA / Ole Scheeren. [online] Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/627887/the-interlace-oma-2
- Scheeren, B.O. (n.d.). Büro Ole Scheeren. [online] Büro Ole Scheeren. Available at: https://buro-os.com/projects/the-interlace
