Team Studio Somapah, representing SUTD, bagged the Merit Prize at the International Building Design Competition 2020, held in conjunction with International Built Environment Week (IBEW) 2020, and organised by Singapore Building and Construction Authority (BCA).
The competition began in February 2020, and Team Studio Somapah was among the 25 teams that were shortlisted for the final presentation in July. Congratulations to Team Studio Somapah!
Click here to read more about the competition and view the results.
Team Studio Somapah
Lucas Ngiam, Naomi Wong, Lester Lim, Teo Shao Tian, Benedict Tan and Thet Naung Oo
About the Project
Microcosm seeks to address sustainability through two aspects: lifestyle and construction methodology. Besides a clear green vision of an urban farming integrated housing programme which seeks to propose sustainable lifestyle choices and habits, efficient 3D printing construction technology is integrated to streamline the sustainable construction process to create a mixed-use development of the future.
The flexibility and adaptability of the scheme ensure the relevancy of this development with the changes in demographics and time.
Project Concept Statement
Within the project’s scheme, we are addressing sustainability through two aspects: Lifestyle and Construction Methodology.
Urban farming integrated housing and commerce is proposed to encourage sustainable lifestyle choices and habits while 3d printing as a construction technology is explored to streamline the construction process and provide high customizability to the homeowners.
Sustainable Features
Microcosm is also shaped by several built sustainable features which can be found within both of the residential blocks and commercial podium.
The features within the commercial podium has
- Terracing of commercial levels that create interesting double-volume public spaces, as well as to form a highly-visible central atrium that can flexibly accommodate events/performances or markets.
- The circulation around the commercial pods and the main spaces of the commercial podium will be naturally-ventilated. The openings between these commercial pods also allow for cross-ventilation in these spaces
- Evaporative Cooling through the pool in the middle of the atrium.
The features within the residential area includes:
- Orienting the Residential units towards the north-south faces to avoid direct sunlight from the rising and setting sun.
- Aggregation of the residential units by staggering and spaced out to increase the porosity of the building. As long as there is some air pressure difference between the exterior and interior of the building mass, there will be air flow, and this helps to passively cool the building.
- A double layered roof shelter that adds a layer of green helps which reduces the heat apart from just shading.
The curved canopy also helps to direct rainwater to catchment areas and gives room for hardy plants to grow (like the money plant). It provides extra layer of protection for the users of the rooftop space.
Project Development Roadmap
We had projected a possible road map for the project from the design development down to the post construction stage while accounting for how 3d printing technologies will change the traditional processes.
Unit Adaptability to User’s Preferences
The customization and flexibility offered by the 3d printing method adopted for Microcosm allows for innovative unit designs. Some uses configurable parts to make it future proof and minimize unnecessary renovation works.