The Interlace apartment complex in Singapore doesn't need to be a skyscraper; it's too busy pioneering a future of horizontal living.
At this year's World Architecture Festival, the Interlace was crowned World Building of the Year for its innovative approach to design, eco-friendliness, and communal living.
With its stacked units and densely packed design, the Interlace could set a new standard for urban life in a world where megacities — cities with 10 million people or more — are quickly becoming the norm in highly populous regions.
"The Interlace is blazing a trail with an example of bold, contemporary architectural thinking," said WAF Director Paul Finch in a statement. "The project presents an alternative way of thinking about developments which might otherwise become generic tower clusters."
The Interlace, designed by the Office of Metropolitan Architecture and Buro Ole Scheeren, is composed of 31 apartment blocks six stories high and 230 feet long. In total, the complex contains 1,041 units.
At their highest point, the stacked apartments reach 24 stories. The entire property measures approximately 42 acres.
From ground level, each shoebox-like structure seems to be arranged haphazardly, but in fact its hexagonal set up has a great deal of order built in. The complex is well-ventilated and allows for natural light to pour in, along with passing breezes.
It was also designed with a passive energy strategy in mind. Rather than rely on heavy-duty heating and cooling systems, much of the building self-regulates temperature, reducing costs and the release of harmful emissions.
One of the key considerations when designing the Interlace was the sense of community it would foster, Buro Ole Scheeren explains in a product description. Embedded in the lush scenery are swimming pools, tennis courts, courtyards, quiet areas for relaxation, playgrounds, barbecue areas, and a track encircling the property.
And like other similarly innovative buildings — a plant-covered building in Switzerland and a vertical forest in Milan, both designed by the same company — the Interlace makes smart use of the horizontal surface. It offers extensive space for landscaped terraces and rooftop gardens.
Something tells us another Singaporean marvel, a vertical forest in the middle of a high-rises' atrium, could have some competition.
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