Kengo Kuma and K2LD to create Singapore Founders Memorial
– Kengo Kuma
Kengo Kuma & Associates, working with K2LD Architects, have won a competition to create the Singapore Founders’ Memorial with a design that "draws from monuments of the past and the context of the present to create a space for the future."
The Founders' Memorial International Architectural Design Competition was launched in January 2019. It sought an integrated building and garden experience, with exhibition galleries, landscaped spaces and art installations, as well as stories about Singapore’s first generation of leaders.
The winning proposal was chosen from a total of 193 submissions, with construction now expected to begin in 2022 and completion expected by 2027.
Located at the Gardens by the Bay parkland destination, the concept uses paths as a metaphor for retracing the legacy of Singapore's founders, which wind through and shape the landscape while all leading to an amphitheatre that will host events.
"More than a building, we envision a garden park: a place for all people to gather close to nature," said Kengo Kuma. "The basis of the design, The Founders' Path, is a central spine, which cuts through the garden, defining the new topography with memorial slopes emerging from the landscape to house the programme. A network of meandering paths and canopies reaches out from the garden, drawing visitors inward; offering glimpses of the memorial, and finally revealing the city skyline beyond.”
The jury selected the proposal as the winner for best fulfilling the brief and doing so creatively, for including "distinctive architectural, landscaping and place-making characteristics", for its practical, feasible and logistically sound design and for the public's positive feedback on it.
The jury said: "Its organic form creates a welcome counterpoint to the domes of Gardens by the Bay. It represents a bold and imaginative new type of memorial which rises out of the landscape.
"Conceptually different from the other shortlisted designs, it emphasises Singapore as a 'City in a Garden' and allows for future growth. More than a singular building, it is a sustainable, environmentally progressive reflection of the ideals of Singapore.
"In addition, the design has great potential to provide multi-layered experiences for all visitors in its blending of external and internal spaces."
Kengo Kuma & Associates K2LD Architects competition Singapore memorialGoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Aman sister brand Janu launching in Tokyo in 2024 with design by Denniston's Jean-Michel Gathy
The Peninsula London unveils Peter Marino-designed spa inspired by London’s famous parks
First glimpses revealed of Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair's subterranean spa retreat
"Architecture is alive" says Ma Yansong, as Shenzhen art museum opens exhibition showcasing work of MAD Architects
Why shouldn’t sports facilities be beautiful? Across Asia, architects are creating landmark buildings for the public, discovers Christopher de Wolf