New Hotel In Singapore Combines Sustainability With Delight

A tropical skyscraper by WOHA and Patricia Urquiola is wrapped in a vine-covered sunscreen.

There is some debate about whether putting plants on a building is actually useful, or just what I have called greenwrapping, putting a green tinge on an otherwise awful building with green roofs or walls. But the new Oasia Hotel Downtown in Singapore, designed by WOHA and Patricia Urquiola, is a whole new ballgame. According to the press release from V2com,

Furry is not an adjective that immediately comes to mind, but there is a lot to love about this idea of a giant atrium hotel where it is not sealed up and air-conditioned, but shaded by the aluminum screen which will “gradually be overgrown by 21 species of creepers and vines, creating a lively contrast between vibrant reds and lush greens.” There are three giant “verandas” as well as the rooftop terrace, which is protected by a 30 foot high mesh cladding.

Architects WOHA adopted what they call ‘a club sandwich approach by creating a series of different strata, each with its own sky garden.’ Patricia Urquiola did the interiors and outdoor spaces, using a lot of AGROB BUCHTAL ceramics, sponsors of this press release. For more photos, see the hotel’s gallery here.

There is a lot to like about this design. The screen provides shading and a framework for the planting; creepers and vines are relatively low maintenance, and in Singapore, everything just grows like mad so it is one of the places where covering a building in plants actually works. Designing all these atria to be naturally ventilated is brave, in such a hot and humid climate. And I absolutely love the concept of combining sustainability with delight, a word and an ambition that we do not have enough of.