SkyVille @ Dawson by WOHA won the Australian Award 2017 in the “International Architecture” category.According to jury chair Ken Maher, “The jury gave preference to projects demonstrating the contribution architecture can make to the public good; projects that were inventive in their responses to context, site and program; and those that celebrated an understanding of materials and making.”
Skyville @ Dawson is a public housing project of 960 homes in Singapore, commissioned by the Housing and Development Board as an exploration of the future of affordable public housing. It was exhibited to the public, enthusiastically received, and is under construction. The design focuses on 3 themes – community, variety and sustainability.
Community: There is a variety of community space. Each home is part of a Sky Village: 80 homes which share a naturally ventilated community terrace and garden. The block is composed of 3 villages, stacked 4 high, for a total of 12 villages.
Variety: The design gives variety by offering buyers flexible floorplans with a column free, beam free main space, eliminating waste and allowing diverse lifestyles, such as home office or loft living as well as future flexibility. 3 versions of each type were offered.
Sustainability: The design has been awarded Singapore’s Platinum rating, the highest rating possible. The project uses passive means and avoids the use of energy-intensive solutions rather than using high technology. Every unit is fully naturally ventilated, with every room (including bathrooms and kitchens) having windows. The common areas, lift lobbies and access walkways are all naturally ventilated and lit.
The design is fully precast, to avoid on site waste and make construction efficient. This design uses passive design for the tropics. The innovation is the external, covered spaces between the blocks. These social and community spaces in the sky are a way to ensure that high rise, high density projects do not cause alienation, but instead can be vibrant living, low energy communities.
The Sky Village concept gives a greater sense of community and identity within the large precinct, and is designed to be a social space to enhance cohesiveness as: the Community Living Rooms at ground level, which provides seating areas overlooking the park, and is located on the main entrance route of the development; the Landscaped Park, play and fitness areas, courts and lawns; the Rooftop Park, which houses a 400m jogging track; the Urban Plaza with supermarket, coffee shop and retail spaces.
The design allows tropical living without airconditioning, and all areas, whether common or private are naturally ventilated and lit. All units are cross ventilated. The units use passive means for comfort – all walls have vertical and horizontal sunbreakers to shade both the walls and the windows, all windows have overhangs and special mid-height top hung panels that direct breeze to seating height and allow the windows to remain open during the monsoon period, the units face north and south and have openings on all sides.
PV cells at the rooftop power the common areas, and a swale which is a major landscape feature treats storm water before discharging it to the storm water system. The project uses landscaping throughout the tower in the sky villages, additionally it covers 50% of all roof surfaces. Two major landscaped external spaces totaling 1.5Ha are provided and open to the wider community. Source by WOHA.
- Location: 85-88 Dawson Road, Singapore
- Architects: WOHA
- Project Team: Richard Hassell, Wong Mun Summ, Chan Ee Mun, Pearl Chee Siew Choo, Dharmaraj Subramaniam, Ho Soo Ying, Lim Yin Chao, Ranjit Wagh, Sabrina Foong, Daniel Fung Khai Meng, Tan Yi Qing, Nixon Sicat, Kwong Lay Lay, Sivakumar Balaiyan, Dennis P. Formalejo, Lau Wan Nie, Wan Pow Chween
- Civil & Structural Engr: LBW Consultants LLP
- Mechanical & Electrical Engr: BECA Carter Hollings & Ferner (S. E. Asia) Pte Ltd
- Quantity Surveyors: Davis Langdon KPK (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
- Landscape Consultant: ICN Design International
- Greenmark Consultant: BECA Carter Hollings & Ferner (S. E. Asia) Pte Ltd
- Main Contractor: Hor Kew Private Limited
- Client: Housing & Development Board
- Gross Floor Area: 113,959.60 sqm
- Completion Date: July 2015
- Photographs: Patrick Bingham-Hall, Courtesy of WOHA
