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VOLUME 2NUMBER 2

2011SINGAPORE

RETAIL ISSUE

CONTENTS

The latest happenings in DP

DP BluePrint 2011

New Logo Design for Dover Park Hospice

Friends of the Museums at RWS

Short takes on new & notable projects01 Novena Specialist Center & Oasia Hotel02 SIT Campuses: Ngee Ann, Republic & Singapore Polytechnics03 Infinite Studios04 NTUC Income Centre05 NUH Administrative Block06 Shanghai Guoson Centre07 Doha Festival City

Featured projects The Orchard Road Experience: - Wisma Atria- Paragon- Mandarin Gallery- Grand Park Orchard- The Heeren- Orchard Central- TripleOne Somerset

Central Park: A City Within a City

Awards & events

Asia Pacific Property Awards

BCA Awards 2011

BIM Skills Competition

BCI Asia Top 10 Architects

Liveable Cities Symposium

Asian Green Construction Summit 2011

SUTD Admission Briefing

DP personalities

Interview with Mike Lim & Fu Tingting

Celebration of past projects

Golden Mile Complex, 1970-1974

Volume 2 Number 2, 2011, Singapore

DESIGN IN PRINT TEAM

Ed

itoria

l

Writ

ing

Chan Hui MinNartano Lim

Kyle FultonToh Bee Ping

Collin Anderson

Gra

phi

cs

Lek NoonchooLoh Yew Cheng

Fu Tingting

Additional contributors: Gerard James, Tricia Koh, Edwin Yong

Letter from our Guest Editor

Dear Readers,

The latest issue of Design in Print puts the focus on our retail portfolio.

From early groundbreaking projects like Golden Mile Complex and People’s Park Complex to recent super malls The Dubai Mall and the still-in-progress Doha Festival City, DP Architects’ accomplishments in various mall concepts have positioned the firm as a retail design leader in Asia.

Singapore’s sophisticated retail market guarantees an abundance of opportunities to expand our portfolio. The retail sector alone contributed $26 billion in operating receipts in 2009. The need to constantly reinvent to keep up with changing consumer expectations and attract the tourist dollar means that malls transform at a rapid rate. Take Paragon – the mall has undergone three makeovers in 1999, 2003 and 2009 since it opened.

In the following pages, we share the thoughts behind what is perhaps our most significant retail contribution in Singapore – the transformation of Orchard Road. We explain our role as master-planner and designer of major malls along this famed shopping strip and the process of turning the street into a premier retail and lifestyle destination. We also put the spotlight on Central Park, an award-winning retail development in neighbouring Jakarta, a city as deeply entrenched in mall culture as Singapore.

Response from partners and peers to the past two issues has been encouraging; we look forward to putting together better, more exciting issues.

Ti Lian Seng, Director, DP Architects Pte Ltd

Cover photo: Mandarin Gallery

| The latest happenings in DP

DP 01

RESORTS WORLD SENTOSAWelcomes Friends of the Museums DP Architects brought members of Friends of the Museums on an

art and architecture tour at Resorts World Sentosa on 10 March.

The tour showcased the works of notable artists like Salvador Dali,

Fernando Botero and Dale Chihuly on display around the resort.

The group was also apprised of Resorts World’s design concepts

and architectural elements.

The 25-storey development comprises the eighteen-storey

Oasia Hotel above a seven-storey podium housing the Novena

Specialist Center and F&B outlets. The architectural concept

injects greenery by means of a roof garden, sky terrace,

landscaped decks and pockets of outdoor green. This introduces

a holistic and restful ambience, complementing the purposes of

the hotel and medical centre.

Assimilating this new development with the existing medical, retail

and public transportation facilities, Novena Specialist Center is

connected via a link bridge to Novena Medical Center, which in

turn is connected to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. The development

also connects to Square 2 shopping mall, which is directly linked

to the Novena MRT station.

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BLUEPRINT 2011Transforming for our Future Towards the Tipping Point

Held at Rock Auditorium on 4 April, the event

highlights include founder Koh Seow Chuan’s

opening address on the firm’s founding

philosophy, CEO Francis Lee’s speech on moving

On May 26, Dover Park Hospice held a ceremony to commemorate a fresh start for the non-profit organisation. The hospice announced their new patron Dr Tony Tan and unveiled

expansion plans, a new logo and tagline – all designed by DP Architects. The new logo features an illustrative dove emerging

from a circular brushstroke symbolising the journey of life, the ascension beyond and the importance of individual experience.

Echoing this sentiment, the new tagline “Every Moment Matters” stresses the importance of all life’s events, both grand and

mundane. DP Architects’ relationship with the hospice began six years ago and we are proud to redesign the corporate branding

and undertake the renovation.

| Short takes on new & notable projects

from good to great and key departments’

presentations of their goals for 2011. The

event concluded with a rousing speech by

Director Ti Lian Seng.

DP Architects designs new logo for

DOVER PARK HOSPICE

| Short takes on new & notable projects

Located along Portsdown Road and the artist enclave at

Wessex Estate, Infinite Studios is slated to be the seed

project of Mediapolis and the first of its kind in Singapore.

It comprises a ten-storey office block, a single-storey

annex block, two soundstages (1,670 sq m and 930

sq m) with an adjoining block of production offices. The

development is nestled in an extensive green area which

includes the ‘buffer park’. The theme for the development

as a whole reflects a campus atmosphere filled with

activity nodes and interstitial spaces to encourage

communal interaction between users.

The façade transformation of the NTUC

Income Centre is part of the insurer’s

branding exercise to present a new

corporate image that is professional,

energetic and contemporary. The former

façade was replaced by a glass curtain

wall to enhance the visual connectivity

between the inside and outside. A

second layer of low iron glass skin with

frit pattern was added to accentuate the

transformation. The result is a dynamic

façade that is corporate during the day

and youthful at night. The additional glass

skin forms an air gap to reduce daytime

solar heat gain. At night, LED fittings

illuminate the façade and add vibrancy to

the architecture. The building’s verticality is

enhanced by an overhead roof canopy that

conceals M&E equipment and turns the

roof into an outdoor deck with panoramic

views of Orchard Road and the CBD.

Infinite StudiosSingapore

NTUC Income CentreSingapore

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The Marina Bay Floating Entertainment Pod is

the first and only floating lifestyle destination

in Singapore and is set to become one of the

focal points along the beautiful stretch of the

waterfront promenade. The first of its kind in this

industry, this iconic marine structure is a hybrid

between a building and a marine vessel. Patrons

will get to enjoy close proximity to the water and

stunning 360 degree views of Marina Bay.

Nestled within the Collyer Quay lifestyle and

entertainment hub comprising mainly historical

buildings, the floating pod was designed with

a sleek and modern look to distinguish from

its context. The perfect circular form also

expresses a timeless visual meaning and

stands out as a strong geometrical structure on

the waterfront landscape.

Marina Bay Floating Entertainment Pod Singapore02

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Measuring at a generous 6m tall with a spacious

23.5m diameter, the floating pod allows

breathtaking views of Marina Bay. The first storey

holds about 260 persons and the roof deck

another 150. The design of the façade envelope

starts from solid opaque panels at the main

entrance and gradually evolves into clear glass at

the dining area to take advantage of the fabulous

Marina views. The outer layer of the façade is

made of laminated glass, giving the pod good

acoustics capability. At the exterior of the façade

frames, LED light strips are integrated in between

the glass panels. These light strips are individually

controllable, allowing lighting customisation to suit

different event and festive requirements.

The floating entertainment pod will be completed

by end of this year.

NUH Administrative BlockSingapore

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Located beside Kent Ridge’s lush greenery, the new

block consists of an entrance floor with common

facilities, four carpark floors, eight office floors and a

rooftop garden with a sports hall. The building’s design

brings the external greenery into the internal spaces.

Upon entering the landscaped entrance, a naturally-

lit internal courtyard comes into view. A green wall

cascades down the entire air-well, providing visual

respite for staff from their office floors. An internal

courtyard staircase with hanging planters connects

every floor, encouraging inter-floor circulation. The

rooftop garden promotes interaction and increases the

building’s green plot ratio. The glass walls of the new

auditorium offer a view of the landscaped entrance.

The building connects to the Kent Ridge Wing by way

of an iconic linkway bridge.

Shanghai Guoson Centre is one of the key commercial

projects in the Changfeng area of Shanghai’s Putuo district.

Comprising a retail mall, four office towers, a hotel, serviced

apartments and two SoHo (Small office, Home office) blocks,

the development is an ideal live, work and play destination.

Immediately adjacent to Changfeng Park, one of Shanghai’s

largest city parks, Guoson Centre aims to re-create the

lush environs within its plot. The development integrates

green technology and environmental features including

rain collection systems and the use of environment-friendly

building materials. The Guoson Mall, spanning the entire

eastern length of the site, offers a unique experience of

“shopping in the park” with its water features, lush foliage

and warm timber tones.Doha Festival City is poised to become the new super retail

and entertainment hub of the State of Qatar. The 433,847

sq m complex boasts a retail section with the best-in-class

international, regional and local brands, an entertainment and

theme park, hospitality and conference facilities, and auto

showrooms.

The interior design is inspired by natural elements: wind,

water, wood and earth. The design concept brings the various

ambiences of Mother Nature into a mall environment and re-

interprets the elements in novel forms. Within the retail loops

will be four distinct interior zones – Water Concourse, Garden

Promenade, Rainforest Broadwalk and Fashion Galleria –

offering different experiences for shoppers.

This mega complex is scheduled for completion in 2014. Along

with World Cup 2022, this development is expected to spike

the economic development of Qatar and its neighbours.

DP 03

INTERNATIONAL BUILDING A&A

YEAR: 1983

| Featured projects

DP Architects has

managed major retail

projects along Orchard

Road, transforming

Singapore’s most

popular urban space.

DP ARCHITECTS HAS REDEFINED THE FACE OF SINGAPORE’S MOST CELEBRATED SHOPPING STREET BY REINVENTING PEDESTRIAN ENGAGEMENT WITH ARCHITECTURE

Shopping space is arguably the most public of

spaces. It serves as a stage for the largest range

of human activity, and performs as a point of

convergence for social and cultural exchange.

In Singapore, the shopping centre today is a site

where visitors congregate, eat, drink and become

absorbed in an environment of unbounded

recreational forms. DP Architects has played a

critical role in developing this retail typology, a

form which in many ways frames Singapore’s

contemporary urban experience.

Singapore’s Orchard Road has come to

stand alongside Tokyo’s Omotesando, Paris’

Champs Élysées and New York’s Fifth Avenue

as a shopping district of world renown. But the

architectonics and spatial history of Orchard Road

is distinctive and demands a unique discussion in

the history of retail space.

The roles of architecture and urbanism serve as

transformative readings of this history. Perhaps

most notably, unique circulation networks have

played a primary role in shaping Orchard Road’s

ongoing transition at the urban scale. Specifically,

nodal development about MRT stations and

bus lines cater to the ceaseless ebb and flow of

crowds; these nodes serve as arteries of activity.

The retail space of Orchard Road has performed

as an urban centre of gravity about which more

extensive development patterns – which include

housing, schooling and commercial centres –

have been configured.

With all this in mind, the architecture and planning of

Orchard Road as a retail hub must accommodate

change; it must form a dynamic foundation for

the confluence of individual, social and economic

transformation. Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and

Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) programmes

have been initiated to directly address and

engage such dynamism. DP Architects was the

lead consultant in the development of a schematic

outline and master plan that has guided this

transformation through the past decade. This plan

continues to shape Orchard Road today.

THE

ORCHARD ROADEXPERIENCEBy Collin Anderson

DP Architects has been

particularly involved in the

overhaul of Orchard Road’s

mall frontages, stemming

from Urban Redevelopment

Authority efforts to enhance

street dynamics.

GRAND PARK ORCHARD YEAR: 2010 | AREA: 23,400 SQ M

TRIPLEONE SOMERSETYEAR: 2009 | AREA: 36,000 SQ M

MANDARIN GALLERYYEAR: 2009 | AREA: 110,000 SQ M

THE CENTREPOINT A&AYEAR: 2006 | AREA: 7,900 SQ M

ORCHARD CENTRALYEAR: 2010 | AREA: 71,200 SQ M

THE HEERENYEAR: 2010 | AREA: 1,024 SQ M

WISMA ATRIAYEAR: 1986, 2004, 2011-AREA: 41,300 SQ M

LUCKY PLAZA A&AYEAR: 1995

DFS GALLERIA SCOTTSWALKYEAR: 2003 | AREA: 47,270 SQ M

ROYAL PLAZA ON SCOTTS A&AYEAR: 2007 | AREA: 47,206 SQ M

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PARAGONYEAR: 1999, 2003, 2009AREA: 93,500 SQ M

DP 05

FEATURED PROJECTS:

Orchard Road appears vastly different than it did five years ago, marking

a recent paradigm shift in its architectural production. Innovative forms

have emerged as DP Architects has been challenged to think about

retail space in new ways. Particular focus has been placed on the 2002

URA programme headlined ‘Verandah and Façade Articulation’, a policy

encouraging the development of a diverse mix of building frontages,

openness and setbacks in pedestrian malls along Orchard Road.

To enhance dynamism in building envelope design and pedestrian

engagement with retail spaces, DP Architects has paid careful attention

to forming a unique identity for each project with which it has been

involved; design solutions for Orchard Road have not been prescriptive.

The following projects will explore the extent to which each has been

developed by means of a different conceptual practice.

RO

AD

The frame of Wisma Atria performs as a

moment of transition. The three-dimensional

grid that composes the façade expands from

the interior. The storefront merges inside with

outside by dismantling the face of the façade:

it holds glass-enclosed spaces at times within

it, while at other moments the frame sits

empty. These strategies blur the line between

the interior commercial space and the public

space of the sidewalk.

| Featured projects

The next phase

of Wisma Atria’s

redevelopment will

feature a dynamic

new crystalline façade,

shown here.

WISMA ATRIA

By Colin Anderson

By Colin Anderson

This frame reworks sidewalk circulation and

the surrounding urban context by encouraging

sidewalk travellers to reposition their routes with

reference to the grid. One does not experience

the grid head-on, but always arrives at it from

an angle, seeing it always in perspective; he

uses specific focal points held within the grid –

a store, a landing, an entrance – to reformulate

his route. Each of these focal points creates

an axis of circulation, and one can traverse this

A GRID DEVELOPS NEW AXES, REWORKING PEDESTRIAN VIEWS OF STOREFRONTS AND POINTS OF MALL ENTRY

grid by means of multiple paths, some at ground

level and others arrived at by escalator. In all these

ways, the addition to Wisma Atria develops a

striking new relationship with the street.

NEW WISMA ATRIA 2011- The continuing transformation of Orchard Road

is in many ways driven by the competitive

nature of its retail spaces. The rate of change

is often swift, and the planning of Wisma Atria’s

next enhancement is already underway. The

prospective all-glass skin will wrap the interior

shop volumes within a common dynamic

envelope, opening up shop visibility even further.

THE ARCHITECTURE OF SHOPPING SPACE IS A

BALANCING ACT BETWEEN LOCAL DIFFERENCE AND

OVERALL UNITY

WISMA ATRIA

DP 07

PARAGON Retail space is composed of an infinite

variety of products, activities and shops,

each of which fights for visitors’ attention

in often disparate ways. The architecture of

shopping space looks to articulate all these

differences while maintaining an overall

coherence. Paragon is perhaps Orchard

Road’s hallmark for this vital synthesis.

Paragon’s architectural harmony is

developed through materiality and

massing: shops are read as individual

elements projected outward from a

unifying base façade; each of these

masses showcases a unique luxury

brand. While distinction is achieved

through personalized glazing details

and features beyond, these storefronts

– Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, Prada,

Miu Miu, Tod’s – conform to a common

proportional and architectural framework.

The architecture expresses clearly both

local difference and overall unity.

This expression is aided by means of a

primary entrance, a solid focal point that

accentuates the retail spaces beyond.

The existing curved glazed entrance

was enlarged with the implementation

of a structural frame; the lightness of

this frame stands in stark contrast to the

retail massing, further emphasising the

featured showcases. A strong hierarchy is

developed: structure reads in opposition to

surface, and the standalone access point

invites visitors to a variety of stores within.

Undulating forms in architecture are often employed to evoke fluidity. The retrofitting of Mandarin Gallery in the Takashimaya-Paragon-Mandarin shopping triangle uses such forms to create continuity of retail space into street space. Its gentle glass curves can be described dually as a carving from Mandarin Gallery’s exterior and a bulging from the retail space within: one can sense the space of the street permeating that of the building.

The organic form of Mandarin Gallery’s 150 m-long façade mitigates the monumental presence of the Meritus Mandarin Hotel on Orchard Road. Repetitive glass paneling and intricate connections segment the façade’s curves; they are inset with white light boxes, spandrel panels and dark vertical fins. This technique adapts the materiality of the building to the scale of the passerby. In many ways the curvilinear forms employed to revamp this site establish new connectivity between pedestrian activity and the architecture of retail space.

The façade takes advantage of site and busy foot traffic along Orchard Road and leading to the Somerset MRT station. The storefront blends the horizontal movement of pedestrian traffic with vertical movement by means of an escalator that links the sidewalk directly to upper levels of the mall. An elevated entrance punctures the skin at the second-level to promote this connectivity. Sited between two street corners, the curves of the Mandarin Gallery’s façade culminate and project outwards at both corners for extended presence.

Façade segmentation

enhances the synergy

between storefront and

passerby.

MANDARIN GALLERY

UTILIZING CURVATURE TO BLEND HORIZONTAL

PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC WITH VERTICAL MOVEMENT

| Featured projects

The Mandarin Gallery is situated at

the convergence of Orchard Road

and Somerset MRT station foot traffic

streams. The façade retrofitting takes

advantage of this setting with a deep

first-storey setback and extended

overhead canopy to integrate sidewalk

with shopping space.

DP 09

The success of a retail space is often dependent

upon a site’s branding. But when every client

hopes his project will become a unique icon

for Orchard Road, how might a building stand

out against the crowd? Achieving the delicate

balance between retaining Orchard Road’s

inclusive identity and allowing each mall to attain

distinctive branding has been a priority in the

transformation of Orchard Road’s retail typology.

Grand Park Orchard arguably plays the most

significant role in this exploration. The project

seeks resolve by means of simplicity and

monumentality. The building’s exceptional

GRAND PARK ORCHARDWITH SIMPLE FORM AND REPETITIVE PATTERNING, AN ORCHARD ROAD ICON TAKES SHAPE

nature is born of its shear faces, enormous in

scale. The structure, which houses a hotel and

a four-storey retail podium, takes the form of

a single cube. This is a highly distinguishable

and recognizable design solution for a building

situated at the high-flow junction of Orchard

and Bideford roads. The cube’s form is broken

only at this corner by an eight-storey high

media LED screen: a single, clear point of

advertisement. In the same vein of simplicity,

the building’s faces are imprinted with a

clean and intentionally modest herringbone

pattern. The identity of Grand Park Orchard is

established by means of readability.

| Featured projects

The Heeren’s enhancement has been

calibrated to offer unique spatial qualities as well

as vertical expansion of pedestrian traffic. The

visitor is invited into a setting of intimate synergy

as he engages closely with the architecture of

this retail site: the sidewalk traveller does not

pass by The Heeren; rather, he passes under it

and through it. This is a key characteristic that

effectively articulates the goals of the Urban

Redevelopment Authority’s ‘Outdoor Refreshment

Area’ and ‘Urban Verandah’ programmes.

A number of strategies have been employed

to make this intimacy possible: a triple-volume

outdoor refreshment platform at the first storey,

slanting glass kiosks mounted with Plasma

screens, and an elevated ‘Urban Verandah’

platform on the third storey that offers spaces to

eat and drink while observing the sidewalk and

street activity below. The Heeren’s undulating

frameless glass façade is articulated to

incorporate the fluidity and movement of foot

traffic. A sidewalk escalator extends into this traffic

to invite building entrance via the upper verandah.

The experience of ascending to the upper level

places the traveller into a dramatic play between

interior and exterior space. The layered nature of

The Heeren’s façade marks an evolution of the

envelope beyond surface; it has become

a permeable space.

THE HEEREN

BUILDING ENVELOPE AS A PERMEABLE

SOCIAL SPACE

DP 11

Orchard Central operates through processes of

layering. While the fragmented geometry of the

mall’s external rain screen is often cited for its

nightlong performance as a backdrop for light

and colour, a more critical reading exposes a

number of underlying programmatic strata.

At one level, the envelope is a material layering

which boasts a façade of significant depth and

structure. The outermost rain screen of aluminum

louvres acts as a wrapper that in some instances

serves to shade outdoor landings while in others

remains a weather block for glazing beyond.

At a grander scale, numerous vantage points

designed within the façade encourage a surgical

exploration of the layers for those travelling

upward through the building’s skin: each break

in the envelope’s surface offers a unique view of

the surrounding city. These gaps in the outermost

layer reveal a collection of glass enclosures and

open-air circulation routes. Using this circulatory

system of escalators and landings, the visitor is

transported from ground level to the roof decks

through the building’s skin. This system extends

inward, puncturing internal spaces of shops and

restaurants. Layering reformulates the skin as an

inhabitable, social space.

ORCHARDCENTRAL

WITH AN EXTERNAL CIRCULATORY SYSTEM AND OUTDOOR PROGRAMMING, A FAÇADE BECOMES EXPERIENTIAL

| Featured projects

This façade retrofit for the former Singapore Power

Building embraces a gesture of geometric subtlety and

stateliness by means of a simple glass and steel frame

system for the sidewalk frontage; the large panels

of glass achieve lightness and transparency. On the

interior, new partition walls and materials re-programme

the existing structure: a double-height auditorium

has been transformed into an atrium space; bamboo

flooring brings nature inward. This revamp successfully

blends old and new, interior and exterior.

TripleOne Somerset’s site allows it to assume a

special distinction within the Orchard Road fabric.

The mall’s location just one block outside the district’s

main shopping route places it away from immediate

retail neighbours – it does not need to compete

for visual primacy. Even so, the building has not

been excluded from the street frontage imperatives

of retail architecture. Most importantly, the façade

enhancement has focused on amplifying interaction

between pedestrian and architecture at street level.

TRIPLEONESOMERSET

AT A DISTANCE FROM THE DENSITY OF ORCHARD ROAD, RETAIL ARCHITECTURE TAKES

ON SUBTLETY

DP 13

A City Within a CityCentral Park

As our contemporary shopping malls continue to outgrow traditional city centres, we explore

Central Park’s dual purposes as a space for retail and as a space for the local community

By Kyle Fulton

| Featured project

DP 15

Central Park is one of Jakarta’s newest and most vibrant shopping

destinations; with over 175,600 sq m of retail space set over five floors, and

over 5,500 parking spaces you would be forgiven for thinking that this was

an entirely commercially-driven project. Yet, as you begin to investigate the

succession of spaces which sinew through the eight-hectare site you will

come to realise that Central Park was imagined as a fully integrated social

space with a civic purpose as great as its commercial one. As such, Central

Park can be considered an important example in the evolution of the shopping

mall typology.

The origin of the shopping mall typology may be traced back as far as the

15th Century to the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul. This sprawling complex of 58

covered streets was opened in 1461 and is still one of the world’s largest

covered markets attracting over half a million visitors daily. The popularity and

importance of the mall has endured throughout our modern history, with the

YEAR: 2010 | AREA: 388,600 SQ M | INDONESIA

first conception of the modern type being Southdale Center in Minnesota, USA.

Introverted, multi-layered and with double anchor tenants, Southdale was the

world’s first fully enclosed shopping mall. With Southdale, architect Victor Gruen

(1903-1980) didn’t just design a building; he designed an archetype that has

dominated retail architecture since the mid 1950s.

Southdale Center was built against the backdrop of America’s post war boom;

the burgeoning car industry meant that the expanding middle class could move

further from the commercial centre of the city. Without a centre for people to

congregate, Gruen believed a break in social identity would eventually ensue. In

Southdale, Gruen aimed to integrate the concentration of goods, services and

entertainment found in a classical city centre within a safe, climate-controlled,

social space; an idea that was hugely successful. Throughout the last sixty

years, Gruen’s ideas have been employed and adapted to produce some of the

world’s best shopping malls, including Central Park in Jakarta.

Central Park is a highly porous building allowing visitors to

flow between interior and exterior spaces with great

ease and opportunity

Today, the mall’s social and commercial

importance continues to grow and

as it does so, the typology evolves to

meet the needs of each new generation

of consumers. The contemporary

shopping mall has expanded beyond

the parameters of a retail space and

has come to encompass every aspect

of the classical city, including areas

of employment and residence; a fact

evident in the planning of Central Park.

Located along the Jalan S Parman

Highway in Western Jakarta, Indonesia,

Central Park comprises five components:

a 5-storey retail podium, a 40-storey

office tower, a hotel, three 48-storey

residential towers and a landscaped

park. The different components of Central

Park are arranged in a characteristic

arched layout. While the crystalline form

of the office tower stands at one end of

the ‘arch’ serving as an iconic landmark

drawing crowds from the highway, the

hotel and residential towers are located

at another more reclusive end. Spanning

between the two is the retail podium.

By planning the complex as an arch with

important activity zones at either end,

the architects have created a ‘dumb-bell’

effect. This has resulted in heightened

foot traffic throughout the length of the

Client: PT Tiara

Metropolitan Jaya

Contractor: PT Total

Bangun Persada

Structural Engineer:

PT Gistama Intisemesta

M&E Engineer:

PT Skemanusa

Consultama Teknik

Wu Tzu Chiang

Dadi Surya

Rida Sobana

Bernard Tay

Vincentius Hermawan

Daisy Layadi

Fransiska Wongso

Andria D Adiputra

Andi Anggoro

Noer Ucen Hong

The project team

0 15m

| Featured project

Central Park may be seen as an idealised garden city with landscaping incorporated into the interior design of the atria as well as the large external park

mall as people navigate between these two zones. In

order to ease navigation and create retail drama, the main

thoroughfare is punctuated by spacious atria, a tactic first

employed by Gruen.

However, unlike the introverted ‘big box’ malls designed

by Gruen, Central Park responds to its urban setting and

actively engages with its environment. Designed as a

physical and visual retreat from the high-density and high-

rise areas which surround it, Central Park may be seen as

an idealised garden city, with landscaping incorporated

into the interior design of the atria as well as the large

external park. In doing so, the architects hoped to move

beyond the sealed environments of its predecessors.

In order to maximize the number of shops visited, most

malls strictly control predetermined pedestrian routes.

Alternatively, Central Park is a highly porous building

allowing visitors to flow between interior and exterior

Central Park is

comprised of five

components: a 5-storey

retail podium, a 40-

storey office tower, a

hotel, three 48-storey

residential towers and a

landscaped park.

Unlike the introverted

‘big box’ malls,

Central Park responds

to its urban setting

and actively engages

with its environment.

spaces with great ease and opportunity. The reason for

this is two-fold. The first is that Central Park has been

envisioned as more than a retail environment; it is also a

civic space in which people from the surrounding residential

developments may find a social centre. It is a space in

which to hold community events, such as the lighting of

Indonesia’s tallest Christmas tree, and also family events

like picnics. The second reason is more commercially

based – the architects, understanding the development of

the mall typology, realised that malls offer more than just a

retail experience; they are also for secondary recreational

experiences which intersperse a day of shopping, e.g.

lunch at an open-air restaurant or a post-shopping facial.

By designing Central Park as a fully integrated community

complex with residential and corporate components

alongside retail, DP Architects has created the idealised

new city envisioned, but never realized, by the late

Victor Gruen.

Retail Pods

Backdrop 1

Backdrop 2

Carpark

AtriumHotel

Outdoor Retail

Continuous Canopy

DP 17

Honouring outstanding residential and

commercial developments in the Asia

Pacific region, Asia Pacific Property Awards

2011 conferred three architecture awards

on DP Architects in these categories:

High Rise: The Trillium, Singapore

Leisure: Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore

Office: One Marina Boulevard, Singapore

In addition, the DP-designed Central Park

in Jakarta won an award in the Retail

Development category.

The award ceremony was held on 31 May

in Shanghai during the Asia Pacific Property

Summit 2011.

Team SportsHub wins

BIM Skills CompetitionDP Architects’ Team SportsHub was named the winner of the Architecture

(Professional) category of BIM Skills Competition. The competition, held

on 25 and 26 April, was part of BCA’s initiative to promote industry-wide

adoption of BIM (Building Information Modelling) technology. This initiative

is in line with DP Architects’ thrust towards technology.

Given the challenge of designing and delivering the model for a hotel-

retail complex in two days, the winning team exhibited creativity and

sustainability in their design concept as well as the innovative use of

BIM. The team members are Wykeith Ng, Richard Galang and

Ephraim Baluyot.

A second DP Architects team, Team GEN-R, comprising Tay Chin Nyap,

Dennis Tan and Raghavendra Ganapati Palankar, was honoured as The

Team with Best Publication and Presentation.

| Awards & events

DP Architects clinches 3

ASIA PACIFIC PROPERTY

AWARDS

DP Architects wins 12 awards

BCA AWARDS2011 DP Architects received twelve awards at the

annual Building and Construction Authority

(BCA) Awards ceremony held on 20 May.

DP Architects’ position as an advocator of

sustainable design is reinforced with the

following Green Mark awards:

Platinum - H2O Residences - 368 Thomson - 36 Boon Teck Road

- CREATE

GoldPlus- Resorts World Sentosa Festive Hotel

- Resorts World Sentosa Hard Rock Hotel

Gold- SIM Extension Building - NUS Cinnamon & Tembusu Residential Colleges

BCA also conferred Construction Excellence Awards on the following projects:

- Orchard Central- Pavilion 11- The Tate Residences- Sentosa Gateway

Top : The Trillium,

Resorts World Sentosa,

One Marina Boulevard

and Central Park.

DP Architects has been named one of Singapore’s Top 10

Architects at the BCI Asia Awards 2011. The award recognises

contributions made by architecture firms and developers to the

built environment in Asia Pacific.

BCI Asia Awards 2011

BCI ASIA TOP 10 ARCHITECTS

Jaye Tan, a certified Green Mark Professional and head of DP

Architects’ Environmental Sustainability Design unit, was invited

to participate in the Asian Green Construction Summit 2011 held

on 24 and 25 May. Ms Tan presented on the sustainable design

strategies for a ‘Zero Energy House’.

As a complement programme to her talk, Ms Tan led a site tour of

a DP-designed Green Mark Platinum house on 26 May, explaining

the passive design, energy-efficient approach and sustainable

construction of the residential project.

In conjunction with the opening of URA’s 20 Under 45: The Next

Generation exhibition at renowned architectural and urban design

gallery Aedes am Pfefferberg in Berlin, six architects from Singapore

and Germany were invited to speak at a symposium titled “Liveable

Cities: Architecture Agendas in Singapore and Germany”.

DP Architects Director Angelene Chan was one of the three

participants from Singapore in the lively debate on the different

approaches to designing everyday spaces. She discussed the

role that circulation spaces play as a negotiation between public

and private, drawing a comparison between Orchard Road and

Frederichstrasse, the traditional commercial street in Berlin.

The 20 Under 45 exhibition showcased the definitive works of

20 distinguished Singapore-registered architects aged 45 and

under. Among the 20 are DP Architects’ Angelene Chan and Tan

Chee Kiang. The exhibition was on display in Berlin from 28 Mar

to 12 May.

DP 19

Strategy for a Zero Energy House

Asian Green Construction Summit 2011

20 Under 45 Exhibition in Berlin

Liveable Cities Symposium

Architecture & Sustainability

SUTD Admission BriefingDP Architects was invited by the Singapore University of Technology

and Design to participate in the university’s Admission Briefing held on

19 and 20 March. Representing the Architecture & Sustainability field,

DP Architects exhibited several award-winning green developments.

DPians were at the event to answer questions from students and

parents on the campus architecture, the importance of sustainable

design, and the architecture profession and its prospects.

Photo courtesy of Aedes am Pfefferberg

MikeAn interview with

| DP personalities

Mark Twain said “There’s some human instinct which makes a man treasure what he is not to make any use of, because everybody does not possess it.” Associate Director Mike Lim and Graphic Designer Fu Tingting have honed this human instinct into a near-obsession. The two avid collectors tell Design in Print about their passion for what “everybody does not possess”.

Tell us about your collection.

ML: Everyone has a weakness and mine is art.

I bought my first Chinese ink painting 20 years

ago. I deliberated for a long time as it was very

expensive for me then, but I bought it because

I love it. Chinese ink paintings are getting very

expensive and the good pieces are beyond

my means. So in the last five years I have

branched out of ink and bought others like

contemporary Chinese sculpture. But Chinese

ink paintings are still my first love.

TT: I started collecting toys and figures by Hayao Miyazaki – Totoro, Laputa and Princess Mononoke – about ten years ago when I was a student. Now I also collect vinyl toys like DevilRobots’ To-fu Oyako, Evirob and Domo-kun. Oh, and the green alien from Toy Story. I have enough toys to open a museum! If I were to display everything, my collection can easily fill two bedrooms.

What is the most prized piece in your collection?

ML: The first painting I bought is still the most

special. It is not the most valuable but has the

greatest sentimental value to me. It is by Ding

Yanyong (1902-1978), a master of ink and brush

who is known for his portrayals of animals,

legends and opera singers. I’m drawn to the

simple strokes and monochromatic colors.

Another one is a Han Meilin (1936- ). He is very

famous now; there’s a museum dedicated to him

in Beijing. The value of my piece has appreciated

quite a bit since I bought it. But I do not intend

to sell as I do not buy for investment. Han has a

certain style I like – simple, monochromatic, few

strokes. My taste has been consistent through

the years.

“Everyone has a weakness and mine is art. I bought my first Chinese ink painting 20 years ago. I deliberated for a long time as it was very expensive for me then.” - Mike

IN PERSON celebrates the firm’s diversity by profiling members of the DP family. The interview is conducted

as a casual conversation between two individuals.

Interview by Toh Bee Ping

TT: The limited edition pieces from Studio Ghibli.

They are also the most expensive. I have a

Totoro that I bought for $100 five years ago; the

price has since risen to over $500. Not that I

intend to sell it. The toys by this producer are of

exceptional quality and are my favorites. My wish

is to visit the Studio Ghibli museum in Tokyo in

the near future.

Any interesting stories to share?

ML: 15 years ago I was offered two Han Meilin

paintings. The price for two works was too much

for me and the artist was a relative unknown

then. My practical side came into play and I

bought only one even though I liked both. There

is a tinge of regret as he has become very

famous in recent years. My advice for novice

collectors is to buy what you like and buy within

your means. Delight in the joy of buying; if you

can’t afford something, move on.

TT: I personalized a pair of To-Fu Oyako as my

wedding decoration. I drew the faces and even

sewed them bride and groom outfits. When the

designer, Shinichiro Kitai, came to Singapore for

a toy convention, my husband and I attended all

three days and I got my bride and groom To-Fu

autographed by him. The thing is, the fans are

usually the ones taking photos of the designer’s

works, but Kitai actually took photographs of my

creation! I felt really honoured!

Collectors are happy people, said Goethe. Do you agree?

ML: I would say collectors are naïve people. They

have a naiveté in the way they pursue the things

they like. They follow their heart, not their mind.

When I buy art, my rationale is different from

buying other things. When I buy shoes, I think

how much wear I can get out of them. When I

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and disclaim all liability from their publication. Copyright © DP Architects Pte Ltd

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MICA (P) 150/10/2010

Published by DP Architects Pte Ltd6 Raffles Boulevard,

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Photo Contributors: Wu Tzu Chiang, Rida Sobana, Wellington Kuswanto, Loh Yew Cheng and Jeremy San

All photos are credited to the mentioned photographers unless otherwise stated.

DP 21

“I have enough toys to open a museum! If I were to display everything, my collection can easily fill two bedrooms.” - Tingting

buy art, it’s another mode of thinking. I buy

simply because I am moved by it. If I come

into a large sum of money, instead of buying a

house or a car as most people would, I would

buy a painting, like a Wu Guanzhong.

TT: Collectors are also poor people! They

spend all their money on chasing the next

piece. It’s the worst feeling when you see

something you love but can’t afford or can’t

attain. But yes, I feel happy when I look at my

collection. I get a sense of satisfaction, though

not everyone can appreciate or understand it.

Tell us something about yourself that few people know about.

ML: Most people don’t know that I’m a very

traditional Chinese at heart – in the way I treat

people, my work ethics, my way of life.

TT: I make a good shepherd’s pie and I hope

to open a pie shop one day.

1970-1974

The ‘Golden Mile’ was conceptualised as a mile-long development of commercial buildings,

luxury hotels and offices along what was once a stretch of coastline between Nicoll Highway

and Beach Road. It was part of a government initiative to develop areas outside of the

historical central business district.

The Golden Mile Complex was the first mixed-use building to be completed as part of this

development and featured groundbreaking architectural elements such as a mix of private

housing and commercial spaces and a soaring interior atrium. The Golden Mile Complex has

been lauded by world-renowned architects as an iconic realisation of the Metabolist style of

architecture characterised by additive forms and mixing of programmes.

Golden Mile Complex