DESIGN PREMISE
In October 2006, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) jointly organised an architectural design competition for *SCAPE Youth Space. It was MCYS’s intention to provide a space in the heart of the city for the youth. The winning design was publicly endorsed through a voting exercise held at *SCAPE and the National Library.
Located on a 1.2 ha site (adjacent to Cathay Cineleisure) along Grange Road, *SCAPE is a 13103.13 sqm youth community space. The design brief called for 6 major spaces conceptualised as Street + Market, the Playground, the Warehouse, the Grid, the Cache and the Studio. These conceptual spaces help to helm the youth activities by providing avenues for a bazaar/performance space (Street+Market), skateboarding/outdoor park (Playground), indoor hall (Warehouse), digital media (Grid), library (Cache) and recording/ music studios (Studio).
URBAN SETTING
The site for the project puts a community centre-related programme in the midst of a commercial zone. It has to perform its altruistic function as a youth “hang-out” place and come to terms with the commercial nature of the area.
The ground plane The site has many mature trees with large canopies, especially nearer to the Cathay Cineleisure and Meritus Mandarin.
The main goal of the ground plane design is to encourage and facilitate the enjoyment of the architecture in a park-like setting. To achieve this, the design allows for cross-circulation through and across the site on the ground plane, weaving through the architecture. Retail spaces are located on the ground level to generate retail crowd movement from the Cathay Cineleisure. The design is envisioned as a very porous public building with numerous points of entry and exit. Many of these smaller routes open up to the major skate park where skateboarding, street performances and other crowd pulling activities can take place.
EXISTING GREEN AS CANOPY AND FOR IDENTITY
By retaining the existing trees on site, the architecture benefits from the extra layer of sunlight filter provided by the tree canopy. It is also intended that the tree canopy form part of an imageable identity for the place.
‘INTERACTION GAPS’
The approach of breaking up the various spaces resulted in the blurring of the internal-external relationship. The “external” element of the building becomes internalised, sheltered from the elements. The spaces are however connected to each other through naturally ventilated links or “interaction gaps”. These spaces serve as transitory elements linking one functional space to another. They do not have specific programmes and this encourages the possibility ‘impromptu’ activities. The “interaction gaps” can be activated when desired.
While these additional spaces are planned for with specific activities in mind, many other programmatic activities of a transient nature can take place as well. The sprawling linkages become platforms for such uncertain nature of activities that the youth may want at a certain time.
The interaction spaces are free flowing and robust areas. These spaces are accessible at all times. The finishing and materials are meant for the outdoors. However, they are also sheltered spaces, giving these areas a special ‘transitional’ quality between outdoor and indoor.
THE 5TH DIMENSION: CEILING
The ceiling on the underside of the floor slabs of 2 feature areas is clad in curved reflective cladding. It is designed with the intention to reflect the activity taking place in the interaction spaces out to the area beyond the boundaries of the site. These 2 areas are the main drop-off and the 3rd storey terrace. They add dynamism to the visual image of the architecture and contribute by making the interaction spaces more open visually.
DESIGN INTENTION FULFILLED The design intention for the project becomes well integrated onto the site context. It anchored concepts of environment, sense of place, “en-space”, internal-external space relationships and linkages into a working model. The architecture fulfilled not only the design brief but also brought the level of contemporary understanding of what a community space can be like in the city.
AFTERWORD The design was awarded the 1st prize on 26 December 2006 and the project was completed in June 2010. The architects and the clients are proud to realise the design as a new addition to the Orchard Road landscape and as one of the event venues for the Youth Olympic Games 2010.