PUBLIC GARDEN The Public Garden is an opportunity to give back to the estate a space that had been barren since a previous grassfire. Bringing back the spirit of a public gathering space full of fun and vibrancy, the public garden uses terraces leading to sunken plazas and retail to draw people in and provide spaces for people to congregate in a place full of greenery and nature. Voids are punctured through the ground floor to create a series of courtyards that wraps around the residential buildings, allowing trees to penetrate through from the basement retail. This also provides ample natural lighting and ventilation for the commercial areas below. Residential units are also centered around living in a garden. By nesting the living space and interior rooms within the enlarged garden for each unit, the walls are cut such that residents are able to see nature and be constantly surrounded by them.This layering effect gradually expands to the corridor area whereby it forms the fourth layer of greenery, with thin steel cables suspended between each level that allows wispy creepers form the planters to grow and surround the residents.
1840s Toa Payoh is mainly forest and swamp, with a few scattered plots of cleared land (likely plantations) in the north and south of the district.
1960s
1970s
HDB took over SIT and started to develop Toa Payoh and build HDB flats. This unoccupied plot of land was an ideal place to host travelling Trade fairs and Fun fairs that gather the people.
A large grass fire occured on this plot of land during a dry spell in the early 1970s. It was then left unoccupied until recently purchased for private residential developments.
1900s
1970
NOW
By the early 1900s, a number of landowners had moved their plantations to more fertile soil elsewhere. In its wake, settlers arrived and organised themselves into kampungs with Attap houses.
The Great Royal Circus of India came to Toa Payoh in 1970 and was an exciting event that attracted and gathered the residents of Toa Payoh.
To bring back the essence of what this space has been to the residents of Toa Payoh, the project will aim to create a public garden for the people to meet and interact. It will become the secondary activity centre of Toa Payoh with spaces for flea markets and an informal performance area.
90° 80° FAST TRAFFIC
BUSINESS
MRT
MEDIUM TRAFFIC
COMMERCIAL
TAXI
SLOW TRAFFIC
Apr 20
70°
May 21
11am
60°
COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL
Solar Elevation
SPORTS AND RECREATION RESERVE SITE
9am
40° 30°
UTILITY GREEN SPACE
Mar 20
RESIDENTIAL
50°
21 Jan 21 Dec
RESIDENTIAL WITH 1ST FLOOR COMMERCIAL
10am
0 Feb 2
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION
1pm 2pm May Jun 21 21
BUS
Apr 20
PUBLIC AMENITIES
3pm
4pm
8am
20°
OPEN SPACE
5pm
7am
10° 30°
6am
60°
90°
S
PEDETRIAN CIRCULATION
BIG TREES
PEDESTRIAN ACCESS
SMALL TREES
120°
150° 180° 210° East <-- Solar Azimuth --> West
E
240°
N
270°
6pm
300°
330°
360°
W
S
225° 45°
200°
186°
20°
354°
218° 38°
259° 78°
203° 223°
246° 235°
243° 55°
RECESS PUBLIC SPACE AT ACCESS POINTS AND MAINTAIN WIND FLOW
FORM 3 MASSES THAT WRAPS AROUND CARVED OUT PUBLIC SPACE AND MAINTAIN AXIS ACROSS SITE FOR WIND FLOW
TERRACE BUILDING ACCORDING TO URBAN CONTEXT AND SURROUNDING BUILDING HEIGHTS
SINK PUBLIC PLAZA TO CREATE TERRACES THAT BRING PEOPLE IN
43°
66°
23°
63°
GARDEN ORIENTATION TO RECEIVE MAXIMUM SUNLIGHT
GROUND FLOOR PLAN 1:200
LVL 2 PLAN 1:200
WALK THROUGH BRIDGE TO ENTER APARTMENT
1 ROOMCLOSED
DUPLEX L1 CLOSED
2 ROOMCLOSED
1 ROOMOPEN
DUPLEX L1 OPEN
2 ROOMOPEN
DUPLEX L2 CLOSED
DUPLEX L2 OPEN
ALL GARDENS WITH VOIDS NEXT TO THEM TO ENSURE EXPOSURE TO SUNLIGHT
PART PLAN 1:75 UNIT SHORT SECTION 1:50
DRAINAGE PIPE
UNIT LONG SECTION 1:50
DETAIL DRAWING 1:25
CAFE/OUTDOOR LIBRARY
CARPARK
COMMUNITY CENTRE
PUBLIC GARDEN
RETAIL/COMMERCIAL
RETAIL/COMMERCIAL
BASEMENT PLAN 1:200
NESTING OF SPACES With the nesting of living and interior spaces within the larger garden in the apartment units, the apartment comprises of 3 layers. Residents can look out into any direction and find themselves surrounded by nature, as though living in a garden.The living spaces created are hence very open, with visual connections to neighbours if one chooses to open up all the windows. Yet, privacy is attained as each unit is only accessible by a bridge and is isolated with voids right outside the unit.
EXTENSION OF LAYERS The layers of greenery then extends to the corridor whereby it forms the fourth layer of greenery that wraps around the whole building as a green facade. This layering concept is also further brought out by the layers of public gardens on the terraces of the building. The public garden is a place for people to gather in a natural and vibrant environment, also giving residents a sanctuary as they reside in their apartments, wrapped in greenery.