The tropical skyscraper by WOHA and Patricia Urquiola is wrapped in vine-covered sunscreen.
There is an ongoing debate about whether putting plants on a constructing is definitely useful or simply what I call “green wrapping”, giving a green tint to an otherwise terrible constructing with green roofs or partitions. But the brand new Oasia Downtown hotel in Singapore, designed by WOHA and Patricia Urquiola, is a complete recent ball game. According to the V2com press release,
Unlike a standard, fully enclosed, air-conditioned tower, this hotel, designed by local office WOHA, combines architecture and nature and strikingly combines indoor and outdoor spaces. According to the architects, the goal was to “create an alternate image of economic skyscrapers. It combines modern ways of intensifying land use with a tropical approach that showcases a perforated, permeable, furry green tower.
Furry is not an adjective that immediately involves mind, but there’s loads to like concerning the concept of an enormous atrium hotel where it isn’t enclosed and air-conditioned, but shaded by an aluminum screen that “will progressively be overgrown with 21 species of vines and vines, making a vivid contrast between vibrant reds and luxurious greens. There are three giant “porches” in addition to a roof terrace that’s protected by a 30-foot-tall mesh cladding.
While the pursuit of sustainability is usually accompanied by a humorless seriousness, WOHA shows that it prefers to face out. Hotel Oasia, a part of the chain of the identical name, combines sustainability with delight, two terms clearly present within the office design philosophy. In addition to the red facade – which can soon be completely green – the sky gardens also offer greenery, fresh air and opportunities for natural cross-ventilation, and represent probably the most visibly sustainable and stunning features of the constructing.
WOHA architects took what they call a “club sandwich approach,” making a series of various layers, each with its own sky garden. Patricia Urquiola created the inside and exterior spaces using large amounts of ceramics from AGROB BUCHTAL, sponsors of this press release.
There’s loads to love about this design. The screen provides shading and a framework for planting; creepers and vines are relatively easy to take care of, and in Singapore every little thing grows like crazy, so it’s considered one of the places where covering buildings with plants really is useful. Designing all these atriums with natural ventilation is daring in such a hot and humid climate. I like the concept of combining sustainability with delight, words and ambition, which we will not get enough of.
Source: Treehugger.com | oasiahotels.com
