The skyline in one of south central Singapore’s prime residential districts will soon receive a makeover of dramatic proportions, courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects of London and a four-member consortium of developers led by Singapore-based CapitaLand.
Conceived by Hadid, Hon. FAIA, and partner Patrik Schumacher, the radical design for a housing development at the Farrer Court site comprises seven towers of upscale apartments and 12 garden villas that collectively will accommodate about 1,500 individuals and families. It replaces a 618-unit condominium of the same name scheduled for demolition in September and, according to CapitaLand, will be the largest in the country’s history (in site size and project value).
Given its siting on 19.25 acres surrounded by low-rise development, the $2.1 billion project stands out not only for its height—each 36-story tower will ascend 492 feet—but for its flowerlike design. “The towers are subdivided into petals according to the number of residential units per floor,” Hadid explained in a project brief. “The petals are expressed in three dimensions thanks to vertical cuts, which give definition to the building’s façades.”
Construction will begin by mid-2009 and end in 2013. Once complete, the yet-to-be-renamed development will offer residents unprecedented views of the nearby Singapore Botanic Gardens, among other attractions, and easy access to the Farrer Road MRT commuter station already under construction nearby.
