| Category | Sports, Community & Recreation | Civic & Cultural |
|---|---|
| Year | 2016 |
| Size | 15,100sqm |
Projects
Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre
A cultural beacon
Sitting amid Shenton Way’s dense urban development with the defined Marina Bay skyline hanging in the backdrop is Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC), a new civic and community institution to promote traditional and contemporary Chinese arts and culture.
Adopting a clean and subtle design approach, it was planned as a respectful complement to its architecturally striking neighbour, the Singapore Conference Hall – a landmark gazetted as a national monument and home to the Singapore Chinese Orchestra – while quietly asserting itself through its programmatic functions and planning. Seen as a cultural hub for the Chinese community, both buildings form a distinctive synergy through their programmes.
In terms of structure, SCCC obeys a framework of columns that parallels the modularity of traditional Chinese architecture. This structural grid configuration gives the advantage of easy planning, allowing spaces and programmes to be ‘stacked’ on one another, and provides a form that is clear and coherent at the same time.
Details
Traditional Chinese architecture is known for its symmetry and establishment of hierarchy; and important buildings have a three-tier division: firstly, a base that elevates the building and connects to the ground; secondly, a body that houses the functions; and thirdly, a crown that shelters the building and connects with the sky.
The SCCC adopts this three-tier division in its building massing, with a two-storey ‘urban living room’ as the base that connects to the city, a podium body from the third to sixth storey that houses the programmes and car park, and a glass-box crown where cultural performances and activities are celebrated.
The architectural language is contemporary without direct association with traditional Chinese architecture. However, being a cultural hub for the Chinese community, it embodies the principles of Chinese philosophy and culture.
While architectural order was respected at SCCC, it also took a more flexible and dynamic expression that was likewise inspired by the softer composition and multilayered texture of a Chinese landscape painting.
The glass-box crown is seen as a crystal palace positioned atop a mountain, whereby the podium is expressed as a ‘solid rock’. It is the expression of simplicity and purity, with vertical and horizontal mullions pushed internally, and a point fix glass system used in the curtain wall. The point fixing is covered with circular plates in stainless steel with brass vibration surface finish. From the exterior, the curtain wall appears to be covered in circular dots, which recalls the Chinese elements of clay tiles and Chinese seals found in Chinese architecture.
In contrast, the podium is the expression of natural creation that is richly textured and layered. Recalling rocky formations, the podium is layered to support respective floor slabs and tilted at various angles to create texture. Vertical louvres in a modular panel are used to create a ‘bamboo look’, with knuckle-like extrusions fixed on at random intervals. Various pocket gardens and sky terraces are positioned where the ‘rock’ splits within the podium to mimic the greenery growing in rock fissures depicted in Chinese landscape paintings.
The architecture adds a dash of modernity through a contemporary façade treatment, while respecting traditional Chinese heritage and architectural convention. Ultimately, SCCC aims to become a conduit for interactions across various socio cultural environments.
Specialist Services
Integrated services provided for this project.
AWARDS
| 2017 |
BCA Green Mark Award for Buildings (Platinum) Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre |
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