As part of a global competition to design a memorial building on Singapore’s waterfront, XTU Architects has presented their entry for the site located within the prominent Bay East Garden. First launched in January 2019, the project called to architectural practices around the world to create a new landmark in celebration of the country’s founding leaders and unique cultural identity. In response, the Paris-based studio, XTU, has envisioned a huge ‘root-like’ structure that puts nature and a giant waterfall at its centre.
For the plot that stretches a vast 5 hectares in area, the competition advised some guiding stipulations to entrants. A few of which included creating a building that is contextually relevant to both the site and local residents, and incorporating a successful landscaping strategy. With this and the Singaporean culture in mind, XTU Architects has looked to long-rooted mangroves, banyans and water as the starting concept for their design.
As can be seen from the visualisations, the proposed structure embodies the shape of mangrove roots, reaching up to nearly 100 metres in height and forming a powerful silhouette on the skyline.
In the centre, a waterfall is imagined to cascade down the middle, linking directly to the waterfront location and Singapore’s island geography. The scheme is also characterised by the lush landscaping that surrounds the built form, bringing visitors close to nature.
The principle functions of the memorial building take place underground, with the visitor centre, galleries and educational spaces housed in the lower ground floors. With this intervention, the main spaces appear simply as an extension of the landscape, punctuated only by an internal water garden.
The ‘mangrove’ element of the design can be reached via elevators, offering users the chance to gaze at the waterfall as they ascend. Upon arriving at the top, a panoramic viewing platform covered in vegetation greets visitors, providing an impressive vista over the water and urban environment as a whole.
Via designboom | Render © B Douliery
