COOLED CONSERVATORIES, GARDENS BY THE BAY – SINGAPORE
DESIGN BY WILKINSON EYRE ARCHITECTS
COOLED CONSERVATORIES, GARDENS BY THE BAY – SINGAPORE
DESIGN BY WILKINSON EYRE ARCHITECTS
In 2006, Wilkinson Eyre was part of a British-led team
that won the design competition for one of the most ambitious cultural projects
of recent years – the masterplan for Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay. The
project, comprising three separate gardens covering a total of 101 hectares was
central to the government’s visionary plan to transform the city-state into a
City-in-a-Garden. Wilkinson Eyre’s brief was to design an architectural icon, a
horticultural attraction and a showcase for sustainable technology at the heart
of the Gardens at Bay South.
Their response was the Cooled Conservatory Complex.
The two main conservatory structures are among the largest climate-controlled
glasshouses in the world, covering an area in excess of 20,000m², and showcase
the flora of those environments most likely to be affected by climate change:
in the Flower Dome, the cool-dry Mediterranean zone; and in the Cloud Forest,
the cool-wet tropical montane.
The challenge of creating these conservatory
environments under glass was a fundamental driver of the design, which was
brought about through a uniquely collaborative relationship between Wilkinson
Eyre and the other members of the multidisciplinary team: master planner Grant
Associates, structural engineer, Atelier One and environmental specialists
Atelier Ten. Each conservatory has a composite structure composed of a
gridshell, which works in tandem with an external superstructure of radially
arranged, arched steel ribs.
These were introduced primarily to address the lateral
loads to the gridshell, although they also give the conservatories their
distinctive organic identity. In a city state famous for its bold architecture,
the cooled conservatories at Gardens by the Bay form a new landmark for
Singapore and is already one of its largest visitor attractions. In 2012 the
cooled conservatories were named World Building of the Year and in 2013 the
project received the prestigious RIBA Lubetkin Prize.
'Here they have produced greenhouses
covering two hectares that are carbon-positive. What's more they have pushed
the boundaries not only environmentally but also structurally, giving the city
a new and public landmark.'
http://www.wilkinsoneyre.com/projects/cooled-conservatories-gardens-by-the-bay
COOLED CONSERVATORIES AT GARDENS BY THE BAY, SINGAPORE
BY
WILKINSON EYRE ARCHITECTS
Project director Paul Baker discusses Wilkinson Eyre's award-winning cooled
conservatories at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.
Gardens by
the Bay is a large waterside park next to the Marina Reservoir
in central Singapore. It features two huge glass houses designed by London
architects Wilkinson Eyre,
which won World Building of the Year at
World Architecture Festival.
"The project was to develop two cooled
conservatories to accommodate a really extraordinary collection of plants that
would never be able to grow in Singapore without an artificial
environment," Baker explains.
One of the glass domes features a dry Mediterranean
climate, while the other recreates the cold, moist environment of a cloud
forest. Baker says that while they had to meet very strict requirements for the
atmosphere inside the domes, there was very little brief for how they should
look.
"The trick we explored was to get a really simple
structure, a grid shell, as light as possible and stiffened by a series of ribs
that stabilised the grid," he explains. "That allowed us to have this
totally clean internal view and externally it generated quite a strong form to
both of the biomes."
He continues: "One was pulled up to allow for a
mountain to sit inside, the other was stretched out to allow for a flower
field. The flower field being in the Mediterranean, the mountain being in the
cloud forrest."
A wooden canopy runs between the two freestanding
domes. Baker explains that the design team wanted this to contrast with the
steel and glass of the conservatories.
"The canopy is all about wood: it's got a lot of
colour in it; it's got a lot of play in it," he says. "It's also
deliberately quite dark so that the drama of entering the conservatories is
amplified by the darker compressive space outside."
Baker explains that the conservatories were designed
to provide very different experiences.
"There is no set path," he says of the
flower dome. "It is your own adventure. It is all about you making your
own route and understanding and exploring the building."
In contrast, the cloud forest, which includes a
35-metre-high indoor waterfall, is "an entirely prescriptive route,"
he says.
"As you enter, again you're coming from a more
compressed, darker environment and then you're completely assaulted by the
cold, the wet of the waterfall. You explore the base of the mountain and then
take a lift to the top. That then allows you to do the descent in a really
creative way."
He continues: "We have a series of walkways that
take you right out into the cloud forest with a whole range of different
plants. At all the levels you get a different horticultural experience."
Baker says that he takes the greatest satisfaction
from seeing people enjoying the conservatories.
"This building has got a pretty strong
educational remit," he says. "It's got nice messages [about
protecting the environment], but it's also an awful lot about fun."
"The more travelled you are, the more complacent
you get about those sorts of experiences. But being from Singapore, being very
much in an urban society, I think the real drama of a strong - although
artificial - environment is quite exciting."
http://www.dezeen.com/2014/01/21/movie-interview-paul-baker-wilkinson-eyre-gardens-by-the-bay-singapore/
WILKINSON EYRE ARCHITECTS
'Bridging Art and Science'
The title 'Bridging Art and Science' attempts to
represent the philosophy behind the architecture of Wilkinson Eyre. As a
practice we like to use the latest technology in our buildings and we draw
inspiration from both art and science. We are keen to innovate and try to
create something new with each project. Our first decade of work includes
projects that range from buildings to bridges, from cultural to commercial
projects, and from complex megastructures to small product designs. Each
project is different and there isn't a clearly identifiable style but there is
a distinctive design approach, which links all the work. It cannot easily be
summarised in a few words but there are a series of central themes which
underpin our design thinking.
Lightness, for instance, is a term much used in our
design discussions and remains a prime objective in our architecture. Geometry
is also vitally important to us, even though it is no longer a subject taught
in schools of architecture. Through the use of sophisticated computer software,
we are able to explore more complex geometries than ever before and with the
use of current technology these designs can now be built. We are genuinely
concerned with the movement of people through our buildings, and enjoy the
dynamic perception of movement in geometry.
At the same time, we find examples in nature and in
the parallel technologies of the aircraft, boat and car industries, which
inspire us. The design of space is the very essence of architecture – and we
are concerned with all aspects of spatial design. The concept of Universal
Space is one that holds particular interest as a progression of the ideas proposed
in my book Supersheds. The concept of a large roof enclosing a single volume of
space, which can be used for a variety of purposes, is gaining momentum and our
designs for Stratford Market Depot, Stratford Station and the Dyson
Headquarters in Malmesbury are all examples of large roof enclosures.
We believe that building structures should be more
responsive to the environment and their occupants. We design bridges that can
open at the press of a button and we are looking to incorporate these systems
in our buildings. Through our work with interactive science exhibits we are
aware of the potential for buildings that are more active and responsive to
their users. Sustainability is a key issue of our time and buildings should be
more efficient and environmentally friendly. We look to incorporate both active
and passive systems in our buildings where appropriate.
Quality is also a factor we strive for, which relates
to attention to detail in design, and we take Mies van der Rohe's maxim, God is
in the details, as an important consideration in our design.
We are known for our bridge designs, many of which
involve extensive collaboration with engineers.This leads into another relevant
theme, that of Architecture or Engineering, which is about the way in which we explore
the boundaries and crossovers of these two interdependent disciplines.
In many ways the scope of Wilkinson Eyre's work is
different from other architects in that we design engineering structures as
well as buildings. We have, for instance, been part of the team responsible for
designing the hundred or so bridges on the new Channel Tunnel Rail Link from
Dover to King's Cross in London. There were over 700 engineers involved in this
project and our role was to help formulate design principles for a family of
bridges and other visual elements for this important piece of infrastructure.
This may seem an unusual area of expertise for an architectural practice, since
we cannot calculate the stresses involved in bridges any more than we can with
buildings. We do, however, have a good understanding of structural principles
and a strong sense of aesthetics, which are invaluable to bridge design.
As our work is seen as technology-based, it is often
assumed that we are more concerned with science than art, but this is not the
case. We see ourselves more as artists than technicians and our primary
concerns are with aesthetics not calculations. We like to use the latest
technology but we are also passionate about what our buildings look like and
how they feel inside. Similarly, while we try to push the technological
boundaries of bridge engineering we also want them to look good. Technology is
for us only a means to an end.
Our buildings are functional but we strive for
something more, something that gives depth and lifts the spirit. All good
buildings have a spiritual quality, which affects one's emotions, but there is
no simple formula for creating it. The process of architectural design is
complex and difficult to define; it involves analytical decision-making combined
with the application of technical expertise and creative innovation. It is in
these creative aspects that architects look towards art for solutions but this
is not an easy link to define because the artistic processes involved in design
are quite different from those of fine art. Design involves a rational
decision-making process where functions have to be fulfilled, risks eliminated
and buildability ensured, whereas art demands high-risk factors and a freer,
more intuitive process.
As both painter and architect, I am acutely aware of
these differences. When I paint at the weekends I try to be free and lose the
discipline of my architectural training but it is not easy. I decide on a
starting point and see where it goes from there. Sometimes this leads to an
almost complete painting in one session; but when I return to it, it almost
invariably changes dramatically and this process continues until I feel
comfortable with the result. There are times when a decision has to be made but
I try not to worry about the consequences and if it goes wrong, I quite enjoy
having to retrieve the situation, for this often leads to something new and
different. The implications of 'chance' seem to be important to the creative
process in art but are seldom allowed for in design. Having been trained as an
architect, I am still in favour of the rigorous design process of fulfilling
functions but I now believe there should be more scope for intuitive input and
at Wilkinson Eyre we try to accommodate this in our work.
Perhaps architecture can be a natural bridge between
art and science. In the past the differences were less pronounced and the
quintessential Renaissance man, Leonardo da Vinci, succeeded in being a master
artist, scientist and architect.
The distinction between architecture and engineering
is relatively new. When Brunelleschi, the architect and goldsmith, designed the
great dome of Florence Cathedral in 1436 he also worked out the engineering and
had to invent ways of constructing it as well. At the end of the seventeenth
century Sir Christopher Wren was an eminent mathematician, Professor of
Astronomy and President of the Royal Society at the same time as being the
country's leading architect. Even in Victorian times, I.K. Brunel was able to
engineer the Great Western Railway and design the station buildings as well.
Later, at the start of the Modern Movement, there was
more of a bias towards the arts but the importance of innovation and technology
was recognized. Le Corbusier, who painted in the mornings and designed
buildings in the afternoons, succeeded in combining some of the fluidity and
colour of his paintings with the latest technology in his buildings. More
recently, the Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava has made a
powerful impact on bridge design. Being trained in both disciplines perhaps
allows him to break the rules with confidence. Certainly his designs are not
necessarily the most obvious engineering solutions, but do make strong visual
statements.
At Wilkinson Eyre we seek a synergy between
architecture and engineering and try to extol the best aspects of both
disciplines. We like to take a broad look at each design problem with the
design team, sort out the functional aspects first and then allow time for
creative ideas to emerge which might shape the basis of a solution. There are
always many possible options but soon one approach will stand out as offering
the best way forward. This idea is then tested in design development with the
production of sketches, working models and drawings of all kinds, including 3-D
computer modelling. The structural and environmental concepts are developed at
the same time. It is a team effort and through continuous design sessions the
scheme is rigorously challenged in terms of its intellectual, visual and technical
aspects. There is always an opportunity to change direction and we do whatever
is necessary to reach the right solution within the deadline. Because much of
our work is won in competitions, we have learned to progress from initial ideas
to developed concepts in a very short time.
Good design comes from a combination of technical
expertise, a high level of visual awareness and creative skills combined with
confidence.
Science (technical) and art (creative) inform the five
main visual elements of architecture: space, light, form, structure and
materials. Other factors, such as context, social aspects, function, cost and
programme may have more or less significance, depending on the kind of project.
These all relate to time and are likely to change with time. They also relate
to nature, which provides a source of inspiration for both art and science. It
would seem likely that all known structures, geometries and proportions already
exist in nature. They are clearly evident in plants, shells, landscapes and
rock and bone structures, and if you look through an electron microscope you
will discover a world of molecular structures that can open up an immense range
of possibilities.
Space and light are two fundamental elements of
architecture, which tend to work together and contribute to the quality of the
interior environment. Most people are accustomed to regular rectangular spaces
of modest proportions and it is therefore always exciting to experience
something different. In nature, spatial enclosures are often curvilinear,
organic shapes and if you imagine shell structures large enough to inhabit,
they would make dramatic architecture. Our design proposal for the Retail
Warehouse in Merry Hill draws inspiration from the sea urchin and our Merry
Hill Multiplex follows the spiral geometry of the nautilus shell. The
transparent beauty of a water spider's air enclosure creates an interesting
space and one can get an idea of what it might be like to inhabit from our Air
Pavilion at Magna.
From art, we can admire the experimental installations
by the Californian Space Light Artists. James Turrell, in particular, has
produced spaces where the enclosing surfaces lose clarity. Solid elements
become immaterial due to the way they are lit and the space becomes almost
infinite without a picture plane, in much the same way as it might in a
painting. The blue space of the Wellcome Wing at the Science Museum in London,
designed by MacCormac Jamieson Prichard, explores some of these ideas and in
many ways we found that it provides an ideal environment for computerized
interactive exhibits and digital displays.
Richard Serra's planar steel sculptures explore and
control space in a different yet new and exciting way, which relates to
architecture. The space, defined by planes of thick steel plate, is reminiscent
of Mies van der Rohe's houses. These are modern spaces that allow free movement
through from inside to out, which is something we have worked to achieve on a
number of our projects, in particular the Four Seasons House, the Goldschmied
House and more recently the Istanbul Science Centre, where the walls act as
planes that define the space.
The control of light is also an important factor in
the appreciation of space. Light from above, for instance from roof lights, is
more powerful than from vertical planes and north-light glazing is more neutral
than south-light glazing. Spaces that allow sunlight to penetrate the space
feel more human and friendly, due to the warm colour of the light and movement
of shadows, which animate the space and help with orientation. The roof light
at Park Hall Road, London, for example, draws inspiration from James Turrell's
Meeting House installation and helps to create an expansive space in which the
interior opens out to the sky. Clouds passing overhead seem to invade the space
and when it rains, you are very much aware of the external elements.
At Explore at-Bristol the huge plane of glazing at the
front of the building faces north. This not only prevents solar gain but also
allows clearer views through the building and ensures that the light within the
space is neutral and of even intensity. Where less light is required on the
first floor, the glazing is restricted to a narrow band of clerestory glazing
at each end, overlaid with a blue gel which greatly reduces light levels within
the space. The use of clerestory glazing here (and at the Dyson Headquarters in
Malmesbury) also serves to separate the wall and ceiling planes, giving clarity
to the construction.
Form is particularly important to sculptors concerned
with the shaping of materials and how light falls on surfaces. Michelangelo
took an idealized form of the body for his statue of David whilst modern
sculptors often distort and simplify the body to great effect. Both are equally
valid approaches and ultimately influence the space in which they are set.
Richard Deacon's work is more architectural, in that
the forms enclose and engage with the surrounding space. His Lets not be stupid
piece at Warwick University allows a twisted form of steel construction
partially to escape from a pen-like enclosure, which seems to provide form and
metaphor at the same time. The Spanish artist Eduardo Chillida also explores
space and form in a way that relates to his training as an architect.
In architecture, form not only strongly influences the
external visual appearance of a building but also affects the interior space;
the two cannot be separated.
We are fortunate to be living in an age of advanced
technology which allows us to design and construct much more sophisticated
forms than ever before but we cannot compete with nature which still provides
the ultimate source of inspiration.
We are only now beginning to learn about the
remarkable geometry and proportions that exist in our natural surroundings. It
is fascinating to read in Ian Stewart's book Nature's Numbers how often spiral
forms and the Fibonacci series (an infinite series of numbers in which each
number is the sum of the previous two) occur. The magnified view of the fly's
eye, for example, shows how a dome can be constructed of smaller elements in
much the same way as a geodesic structure. The fluid form of sand dunes and
wave patterns offers a rhythmic beauty, which surpasses most human
constructions.
Similarly, there is much to learn about structural
systems and how they work in nature. For in nature economy of means is
invariably a priority: the shape of bone structures, for example, clearly
follows the patterns of stresses applied to them, just as the skeleton works in
conjunction with the tension members of muscles and tendons.
The remarkable structure of the beehive sets a
precedent for lightweight honeycomb structures and parabolic curves occur
consistently in plant forms, but even more basic is the geometric code of life
itself in the wonderful form of the double helix. Crick and Watson's splendid
first model of DNA resides in our Making the Modern World Gallery at London's
Science Museum. Embodied in our bridge and building designs is our extensive
research into structures. For example, our 'tree structure' proposal for the
Willis Faber Headquarters courtyard enclosure, which was worked out with the
engineer Tony Hunt in 1984, would have been one of the first of its kind had it
been built. It was unusual in the way it branched out like a tree, to cover a
large area of support for the glazed roof above.
Then, more recently, the Challenge of Materials Bridge
at the Science Museum drew inspiration from several different sources. In the
initial dialogue with the engineer Bryn Bird, four images were produced which
influenced the concept for the structure. These were a spider's web, a
sculpture by the Australian artist Ken Unsworth called Stone Circles II, the
first man-powered flight machine Gossamer Albatross and a glass sculpture by
the artist Danny Lane. The completed structure utilized a deck of glass plates standing
on edge, supported by an array of high-tensile steel cables so fine as to be
almost invisible – like the spider's web.
Finally, the study of materials and the possibilities
for their innovative use plays an important part in the development of our
architecture. Understanding the qualities and performance of materials is
essential to achieving the right design and specification. This is relatively
easy with traditional building materials because there are so many precedents,
but new materials provide more of a challenge and with it the opportunity for
innovation.
New products are developed to fulfil a need and
although this may not be specifically for the building industry, there may be
applications in our work so we keep an interest in parallel technologies. There
are many opportunities for this transfer technology – the teflon coatings
developed by NASA for the space industry, for example, are now widely used with
fabric membranes to provide a long-life durable finish. Similarly, the
'shot-peening' process developed in the aircraft industry for creating smooth
curves on metal sheeting, is now used for other applications. Following our own
research, we specified its use for stainless-steel cladding at Stratford
Station, where it has proved to be extremely durable and London Underground
have adopted its use throughout the network.
Composite materials such as carbon fibre are also
widely used in other industries, such as boat building and Formula 1 motor
racing, but have been slow to take off in the building industry. With their
great advantage of high strength to weight ratio, we see their obvious
relevance to bridge building and we have been working on an experimental bridge
project with DERA at Farnborough to progress these ideas. We have also used the
material successfully on our Lockmeadow Footbridge at Maidstone – for the
balustrade supports. This was originally instigated by a subcontractor working
on our South Quay Footbridge, who suggested that he could match the price of
stainless steel for balustrading in carbon fibre and give us any shape we
wanted. He showed us a sample of the Lotus bicycle frame used by Chris Boardman
to win the gold medal at the Olympic Games and we were hooked. It was then only
a matter of time before a situation arose in which we could put the material
into practice and the result is the spectacularly shaped balusters that support
the stainless-steel wedge wire infill. We now have experience of this material
and look forward to developing new uses for it in the future.
Materials science continues to advance and the new
area of development is in the field of nanotechnology, where the molecular
structure of materials is changed to suit the requirements. We know, for
instance, that the molecular structure of carbon, when changed to a spherical
geodesic form, becomes more fluid. This new carbon molecule C60 has been named
a 'fullerine' or 'bucky ball' after Buckminster Fuller. With the progress of
this kind of technology, it will not be long before we are able to specify the
performance of the materials we want to use in construction instead of being
restricted to the use of known materials.
Adriaan Beukers, in his book Lightness, says 'The most
important thing to do when choosing a material for a certain function is to
keep an open mind', but then this could be said to apply to most things in
architecture and it is certainly true in our office. At Wilkinson Eyre
Architects we see ourselves as a creative design force, keen to take on new
challenges and find exciting new solutions to old problems. Since the practice
formed we have moved into many new areas of design work and have been able to
make a valuable contribution in these sectors. It wasn't until 1991 that we
started to work on railway projects but now, several projects later, we are
recognized specialists in that field. Similarly, it wasn't until 1994 that we
designed our first bridge but we are now working on bridge design throughout
the world. We very much enjoy designing museums, educational buildings and
leisure facilities as well as industrial and commercial projects. We have
successfully completed several commissions for product design, exhibition
design, landscaping and masterplanning, all of which have been both challenging
and enjoyable. There are no areas of design that we would not attempt, as long
as the problem is interesting and the opportunity exists for a good design
solution.
Chris Wilkinson
This essay originally appeared in the practice
monograph 'Bridging Art and Science' (Booth –Clibborn Editions, 2001).
You may watch
Chris Wilkinson’s and Jim Eyre’ s approach to architecture and design to click
below link.
http://www.wilkinsoneyre.com/thoughts/philosophy/our-approach
