Marina One

When looked at from the outside, the Marina One looks like just another gridded building structure. It is after entering, that the building no longer remains ‘just another’ building. The experience of the three dimensional free form and biodiverse atrium makes the project unique. The creation of pure nature centrally in between the four high rise blocks, gives this atrium the name ‘green heart’ as the space is eventually going to be the life pump of these blocks.

photography by © HG Esch

Marina One is a mixed use building project by Germany based firm Ingenhoven Architects and Singapore based firm A61. It is situated in the heart of the new financial Marina Bay district of Singapore and comprises of two residential blocks, two office blocks and a central lush green podium. “Marina One is one of the first developments of its type to integrate soft landscape into the fabric of the building,” said the architects.

It has two 34 storey residential blocks and two 30 storey commercial blocks, featuring two sky gardens, Cloud Forest and Mountain Top. “Visitors and inhabitants ascend skywards into the Cloud Forests to the Mountain Top, which alludes to the changing environments and habitats that one might experience whilst climbing a mountain,” explained the architects.

“In the Cloud Forests, one can escape the activity and movement of people at the base of the building and find a relaxed setting for daytime and evening socializing,” they added. “The Mountain Top is filled with climbing vegetation to screen service facilities from view and provide habitats for insects and birds.”

photography by © HG Esch

The wavy form of the balconies in the atrium give an organic touch making it appear closer to nature. They surround the waterfall and the pool placed centrally.

Four out of the six Singaporean MRT Lines are directly connected; provision of bus stations, bicycle parking spaces and e-car loading lots indirectly reduces vehicular emission. The office towers have already been honored with the “LEED Platinum Precertification”. This ‘multiple level green heart’ is predicted to be amongst the largest civic sanctuaries of the CBD area of Singapore.