This project was a competition entry for affordable housing in Singapore to accommodate over 1500 families on 2.5 hectares of land in the center of the city. The site, adjacent to a linear park, is in the transition zone between the old city fabric of shop houses with arcades and continuous façades, and the new city layout of high-rise towers and slabs. The proposed density, more than double the norm, requires high-rise buildings of up to 50 floors. Our solution mixes tall, circular towers and shorter blocks that reflect the surrounding street pattern.

The challenge was to invent housing prototypes for a new way of living “in the sky”. Singapore is a garden city in which having a garden or access to the outdoors is of value. The proposed structures are organized around a series of public gardens in the sky that provide both community space and a means of natural ventilation for the towers. The units are designed to incorporate private outdoor space and through ventilation, as well.