How to combine the benefits of a country house in a garden and the convenience of living in a metropolis? That was the question Heatherwick Studio architects asked themselves when they designed the multi-storey EDEN residential building in the historic district of Singapore. As a result they deviated from the usual methods of construction of high-rise buildings made of glass and steel and proposed a completely different, innovative concept. What is the place of the vertical gardening of the facades in this concept? Why did the architects make extensive use of concrete in the construction of the building? And why is the EDEN façade in some way dynamic?
Vertical landscaping is increasingly being used not only in interiors, but also on the facades of buildings, including high-rise buildings. This is especially true in modern architecture in Singapore, where green facades in a tropical climate help create a comfortable microclimate inside the buildings, in addition to their aesthetic function. This approach is used not only in the construction of small buildings, but also in high-rise buildings, such as the Oasia Hotel Downtown. Late last year, Heatherwick Studio’s multi-storey EDEN residential building appeared in Singapore, which many call a “vertical garden”. This is exactly the effect the architects wanted to achieve.
At the foot of the building a tropical garden is planted and, according to the idea of the architects, the vertical gardening of the facades of the EDEN becomes a visual continuation of this vegetation. The green facades consist of 20 species of plants, which will grow over time, and the appearance of the building will constantly change. “The design of the building is inspired by the image of a sapling that has taken root right below the streets of the city. In this way, the architecture elevates the landscape of urban gardens into the sky, forming an original vertical garden,” Heatherwick Studio noted.
The multi-storey EDEN residential building has a height of 104.5 meters. The tower has a total of 20 residential floors, with each floor occupying a separate apartment. The basis of each floor is a Y-shaped plan: in the center there is a large open space, and individual rooms with balconies radiate from it. The first residential floor is 27 meters above the ground, thanks to which the EDEN has an impressive lobby with a high ceiling. This was done so that the garden at the foot of the building does not obstruct the view from the windows.
This original layout and the green facades are not all features of the tower. Concrete played an important role in the construction of the EDEN. Firstly, the material keeps the interior cool. Second, the concrete blocks, because of their texture, have important symbolic meaning. Heatherwick Studio sought to give the walls of the building a unique shape. Therefore they created special moulds for casting the concrete blocks, taking into account the peculiarities of the topography of Singapore. As a result, the panels were not smooth – their surfaces are a kind of topographical map of the area. But flat polished concrete was also used in construction. With its help the balconies were able to give smooth organic forms.