You know you have done right by a city with an architectural landmark when its people are able to resonate with it on a very local level while successfully relating its cultural context on a global platform.
The Esplanade theater and commercial district in Singapore by DP Architects and Michael Wilford hosts an elaborate skin. The external shading system is also responsive in that the triangular louvers adjust during the day to the suns angle and position. “A secondary sun shading lattice is used with folded sunshades which gradually transform in shape and orientation. The resulting dynamic and ever-changing mesh of dappled sunlight and shadows have given this world-class performing arts venue its distinctively Singaporean personality.
Inspired by the durian fruit with its formidable thorn-covered husk to protect the seeds inside, a cladding system consisting of lightweight, curved steel space frames with triangular aluminum sun shields were designed. The local sun path was extensively studied which showed that it is almost exactly east-west, and this, in turn, determined the shape and depth of the sunshade louvers. Complex geometry analysis via computer modeling then calibrated the shields to change their shape and orientation depending on the angle the sun hits them throughout the day
Words From the Architects…
Fondly referred to as “The Durian”, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay was a major civic project that we undertook in partnership with Michael Wilford & Partners (London) till 1995 and saw it to completion thereafter. The key to our design success? We focused on delivering a localised design solution for a global platform.
Image courtesy of DPA
Image courtesy of DPA
Contemporary but Asian without resorting to ethnic archetypes, this enduring landmark is everything its original design brief envisioned it to be: iconic, all-representing and timeless. This is best exemplified by the architecture’s most prominent feature – its façade. The two rounded envelopes over the primary performance venues provide the dominating legible form.
Image courtesy of DPA
These lightweight, curved space-frames fitted with triangular glass and a system of champagne-coloured sunshades that offer an optimised trade-off between solar shading and outward panoramic views. The result provides filtered natural light and a dramatic transformation of shadow and texture throughout the day; at night, the form glow back onto the city as lanterns by the bay.
Image courtesy of DPA
Two primary performance venues, a 2000-seat theatre and 1800-seat concert hall, are supplemented with two smaller 250-seat experimental theatres and a popular 450-seat outdoor theatre on the waterfront. The project explores the continuity of public and performance space, thus its programmed is planned to engage both the casual visitor and those actively seeking the arts with a variety of formal and informal visual art display area distributed throughout the site.
Image courtesy of DPA
The interior of 2000-seat theatre. The space is programmed with side-and-rear stages with a fly tower above the main stage; and is designed to accommodate traditional drams, large musicals and heavily amplified musical performances. An outdoor amphitheatre hosts a diverse range of performances and has a magnificent view of Marina Bay and the city skyline.
Image courtesy of DPA
The triangulated sunshading system filters natural light for interior spaces and generates a dramatic transformation of shadow and texture throughout the day.
The Esplanade is in the civic district surrounded by wonderful views. To counter the strong equatorial sun yet allow these views, triangular sunshades were the most promising of the options considered. This, together with the base structural geometry of a mesh folding over the dome, evolved into the final design.
The Esplanade is in the civic district surrounded by wonderful views. To counter the strong equatorial sun yet allow these views, triangular sunshades were the most promising of the options considered. This, together with the base structural geometry of a mesh folding over the dome, evolved into the final design.
The need for a civic centre anchoring the arts was first explored in 1989 under the government-established Advisory Council.
Today, The Esplanade embodies the civic heart of downtown, an element that projects the creative energy of the performing arts in Singapore. As a major civic centre, the project explores the continuity of public and performance space. As a venue for art and culture, it identifies the civic core of a city. And as a space that renders local traditions visible, it is a nexus for the regional and the international.
In collaboration with Michael Wilford and Partners, UK.
Article courtesy of DP Architects
Singapore: 1 Esplanade Dr, Singapore 038981
Category: Civic & Cultural
Year: 2002
Size: 111,000sqm