Edmund Ng and Thomas Schroepfer
“Investigations in Generative Aesthetics for Tropical Urban Living”
Investigations in Generative Aesthetics for Tropical Urban Living discusses the fundamental relevance of architecture of how well it can encapsulate the meaning of space and time based on two projects in Singapore: Suying Metropolitan Studio’s One Rosyth and Advanced Architecture Laboratory’s Dhoby Ghaut Green. The text accompanies the showcasing of the two projects as part of the Time Space Existence – Made in Europe exhibition in Palazzo Bembo and Palazzo Mora as part of the Venice Architecture Biennale 2014.
Dhoby Ghaut Green is a pavilion designed as a temporary outdoor recreational space, which reinvents the experience of a public place in Singapore by providing a comfortable, unique and multi-sensorial experience of the city to be enjoyed by everyone. Located in a park in the heart of the city, the project encompasses a small library, a discussion and exhibition space as well as circulation. The project is designed with state-of-the-art computational simulation tools that analyze daylight factors and structural displacements to produce a building skin that responds to the lush foliage of the surrounding trees, pedestrian paths and urban views. It provides a naturally ventilated and shaded semi-outdoor space. The project uses minimal material to create optimal comfort for the tropical climate, producing an intricate pattern of varying porosity that complements and responds to the beautiful play of light and shade provided by nature.