An Umbrella at Kela Quay, Singapore

Known as the "heartbeat of downtown nightlife" in Singapore, Kra Quay is one of the top five must-visit tourist destinations in Singapore. Located by the Singapore river, Kra Quay is an entertainment paradise integrating shopping, dining and entertainment. In this vibrant port area, tourists and locals alike are free to express themselves and enjoy a leisurely time. Sightseeing by boat along the channel, dining in the harbor's local restaurants, singing and dancing in the nightclubs, life on Kra Quay is mesmerizing.

Clarke Quay is located in the center of Singapore, located by the Singapore River, covering a total area of more than 50 mu. The Quay was originally a small cargo dock and took its name from the second governor, Andrew Clarke.

In 2003, in order to attract more people to Clarke Quay and to enhance the commercial value of Clarke Quay, capitaland invited SPARK to carry out its second renovation design for the project.

Chief designer Stephen. Stephen Pimbley's challenge was not only to provide an attractive streetscape and riverfront view, but also to manage the perennial climate and mitigate the adverse effects of outdoor heat and rain on the commercial district.

Not only to achieve complete protection of old buildings, will not cause damage; Through the creative design of modern technology landscape, the old buildings can glow with new style, fully integrate, set off and coordinate with the modern landscape, and create a unique atmosphere space suitable for the modern city style.

The sharp contrast between the brick and tile materials of the old warehouse building and glass (with a large area of steel frame) and the thin film canopy, etc. is just a collision between modernity and tradition that Kela Wharf is willing to present. And the pursuit of fashion, showing the characteristics of personality, also in this group of buildings to write their own the most perfect interpretation.

Architectural color and architecture itself are interdependent. If there is no architecture, there is no support for color; And without color, architecture has less ornament. Architecture itself is inseparable from color, so color has become the most direct way to express architectural mood. In the common application of commercial buildings, the walls of buildings emphasize the use of transitional colors, mainly elegant colors.

Kra Quay, on the other hand, goes in the opposite direction, with a bold palette of warm red walls and grass green Windows and doors. Pink and sky blue interwoven wall, at first glance, still thought came to Disneyland, and full of children's fun and active feeling. And the commercial identity, also in this rich strong visual impact of bright color has been the biggest display.

Due to the specific geographical environment, Singapore has no four seasons and the climate is humid and hot. If air conditioning is used to cool the air in the open air, huge energy consumption will be generated. The Kra Quay uses passive environmental control, which uses natural ventilation and lighting to create a suitable indoor and outdoor physical environment with as little energy consumption as possible.

The designer carefully designed to transform the formerly hot and humid dilapidated commercial street into a climate-friendly streetscape arcade on Main Street Read RD. And Clarke RD., are covered with "umbrellas" made of ETFE membrane, creating a gray space that shades the sun and keeps rain out, preserving the street's natural character while ensuring that commercial activities are not affected by the climate. The elegant canopy design creates a cool environment to protect against Singapore's hot climate, while covering the four main roads and the atrium.

The famous "Angels" canopy, an elastic umbrella-like structure, is made up of steel structural supports and a high-strength, lightweight canopy. The canopy was made of a recyclable ETFE membrane that was light, self-cleaning and easy to maintain, the first of its kind in Asia. Such a large transparent "canopy" allows natural light to be brought in to keep the street in its natural look, while keeping the leisure and commercial activities of the pier unaffected by the climate.

ETFE, whose chemical name is ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer, is a kind of polymer material with good chemical resistance. Pure ETFE film is colorless. According to the architectural effect, a dye can be added to the raw material to produce various colors of ETFE film. In addition, ETFE films can also be printed on the surface of the coating, effectively protect against UV intrusion. The most famous application case of ETEE film in China is Water Cube.

The most successful part of Kra Quay is the introduction of natural wind and the operation of "Venturi effect", that is, when air flows from a relatively large space to a relatively narrow port, the suction effect will naturally accelerate the air flow. The Kra Quay facing the river is a reasonable application of this principle.

In order to solve the problem of ventilation, SPARK installed a number of invisible "fans" facing different angles in the middle of the street. The slow fan mouth like a whale tail on the support of the "angel" canopy can provide artificial fresh air to the street, cooling the street and effectively saving energy.

The dry fountain in the central square makes full use of the frozen water from the store's internal air conditioning, which keeps the temperature at 16 ° C. The fan in the street accelerates the air flow. When encountering the water mist of 16℃ in the drought fountain, the temperature of the wharf will drop by about 5 degrees Celsius instantly, creating a comfortable and pleasant constant temperature of 28 degrees Celsius. The secret lies in this. Kra Quay has abandoned the outdoor air conditioning, which generates huge energy consumption, and adopted the passive environmental control method to create a suitable indoor and outdoor physical environment with as little energy consumption as possible. Here, we can see the "environmental heart" of Singaporeans.

Combined with the rainy characteristics of Southeast Asia, the umbrella-like awning dotted on the riverbank is called "Bluebell" through the transformation of the riverbank itself.

The dining platform along the riverbank is dramatically called "Lily Pad", extending about 1.5 meters beyond the riverbank, maximizing the space and commercial value along the riverbank and creating an open dining space with excellent landscape. Dining here, visitors can have a close view of the Singapore River, and the unique shape of the pier itself is a major attraction.

At night, the hyacinths are reflected in the Singapore River and change colors in the night sky, reminiscent of the rows of lanterns that line the banks of the river to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival. The increase of open rest and dining space, the creation of colorful lights and water shadow effect, and the upgrade of water system ties change the original water proximity of Kela Wharf, make full use of its own landscape resources, and enrich its business form.

Another major innovation of the renovation of Kra Wharf lies in the design and application of modern optoelectronics. The colorful and varied color lighting technology really makes the night of Kra Quay "more beautiful". The group of five buildings is colorful under the illumination of various lights. Even if the distance is slightly, it will become the focus of people's sight under the guidance of this light.

The ceiling of the day, permeable; And one night, it also begins to bloom a charming magic, along with the rhythm, change out of different colors, very amorous feelings. Human beings are born with "phototropism", and the commercial landmark effect of Kra Quay is instantly displayed under the background of this light. Together with the starlight set off in the glass curtain wall, the casual atmosphere is played incisively and vividly in the Kra Quay.

The pier is divided into five areas with the square as the center, and the functional sections are divided according to the distance from the river. Areas A, D and E along the river are mainly catering, with coffee shops and open-air floating restaurants. Areas B and C are mainly for entertainment, with bars, shopping shops and a large area of parking facilities.

"45 per cent food and beverage, 20 per cent entertainment, 20 per cent bar, 4 per cent retail, and a little bit of office" make up the Quay. It can be said that its highly creative transformation has resulted in this classic commercial work, making it the top restaurant, entertainment and leisure plaza in Singapore.

Design unit: SPARK

Project Name: Clarke Quay

Location: The corner of Singapore River and Ribarbary Road

Floor area: about 50 mu

Construction area: 28,000 square meters

This article is reproduced from the public account: Design Express