Bayfront Pavilion Cîhê Bûyerên Giştî

Press Kit

Unique Properties

Located in Gardens by the Bay Singapore, the Bayfront Pavilion, also known as The Future of Us Pavilion, follows the tradition of architectural structures that evoke a dialogue with nature by blending an intricate form made of a perforated skin fluidly with the adjacent environments. For visitors, the building offers a climatically comfortable outdoor environment and a visual experience akin to walking under the foliage of lush tropical trees.

Dimensions & Packaging

The Pavilion incorporates 11,000 unique perforated aluminium panels, 12040 bolts, 11188 plates, and 4620 elements for the main structure. The shell that has a thickness of 20 centimetres. It spans about 50 metres and covers an area of about 2000 square metres.

Tags

Computational Design, Parametric Design, Environmental Simulation, Environmental Performance Optimisation, Structural Performance Optimisation

Production Technology

A high level of integration between digital and construction technologies as well as building processes allowed for the rapid production of a large number of individual elements that make up the complex freeform structure of the Pavilion. Its primary structure is made from steel. The inner and outer skin of the shell consist of triangular aluminium panels of varying size and perforation fabricated with laser cutting machines.

Design Challenge

The analysis and its application to a detailed computational model led to an optimum solution for the structural form and pattern of the project. The latter was produced with an algorithm based on triangulation, which allowed each panel to be filled as required by the assigned environmental performance up to a level that is almost solid. The use of advanced design and fabrication methods throughout the project allowed for the prefabrication of most of its parts and the efficient, economical and accurate construction of its geometrically complex form.

Research

The analysis and its application to a detailed computational model led to an optimum solution for the structural form and pattern of the project. The latter was produced with an algorithm based on triangulation, which allowed each panel to be filled as required by the assigned environmental performance up to a level that is almost solid. The use of advanced design and fabrication methods throughout the project allowed for the prefabrication of most of its parts and the efficient, cost-effective and accurate construction of its geometrically complex form.

Inspiration

The inspiration for the Pavilion was the environmentally comfortable and visually beautiful experience of walking under the foliage of lush trees in the tropics. This idea was translated into a design with a clear mathematical logic that was determined by extensive environmental simulations and structural optimisations. The analyses and their application to a detailed computational model led to an optimum solution for the structural form and pattern of the Pavilion. Material usage was optimised, and the embodied carbon footprint minimised, pointing the way forward for the building industry to adopt similar design tools and methods.

Project Duration

Originally built to house The Future of Us, the fiftieth anniversary capstone event of Singapore, and completed for its current purpose in 2019, the project has become a permanent landmark in Gardens by the Bay that continues to serve as a public space and venue for community and cultural events.

Operation Flow

According to Tan Wee Kiat, former CEO of Gardens by the Bay, the success factors of the Pavilion are obvious. The hot and humid climate often dissuades people from visiting the Gardens. To enhance visitor comfort, its landforms were designed with wind direction in mind, while foliage and shelter provide as much shade as possible. The Pavilion is based on similar ideas. These are beautifully translated into a contemporary aesthetic and functional form that is determined by thorough environmental analyses. An enthralling vision for a garden of the future is thus encapsulated.

Image Credits

Image #1: Photographer Lim Weixiang, Bayfront Pavilion, 2020. Image #2: Photographer Lim Weixiang, Bayfront Pavilion, 2020. Image #3: Photographer Koh Sze Kiat, Bayfront Pavilion, 2020. Image #4: Photographer Koh Sze Kiat, Bayfront Pavilion, 2020. Image #5: Photographer Koh Sze Kiat, Bayfront Pavilion, 2020.