d'Leedon Singapore | Singapore, Republic of Singapore | 2014

Architects: Zaha Hadid Architects
Design Team: Zaha Hadid, Patrik Schumacher, Michele Pasca di Magliano, Vivivana Muscettola, Ludovico Lombardi, Clara Martins, Loreto Flores, Stephan Bohne, Amita Kulkarni, Soomeen Hahm, Yung-Chieh Huang Kanop Mangklapruk, Marina Martinez, Andres Moroni, Juan Camilo Mogollon, Michael Rissbacher, Luca Ruggeri, Luis Miguel Samanez, Nupur Shah, Puja Shah, Muhammed Shameel, Shankara Subramaniam, Manya Uppal, Katrina Wong, Paolo Zilli, Andrea Balducci Caste, Kutbuddin Nadiadi, Effie Kuan, Helen Lee, Hee Seung Lee, Annarita Papeschi, Feng Lin, Bianca Cheung, Dominiki Dadatsi, Kelly Lee, Jeonghoon Lee, Hoda Nobakhti, Judith Wahle, Zhong Tian, Akhil Laddha, Naomi Chen, Jee Seon Lim, Line Rahbek, Hala Sheikh, Carlos S Martinez, Arianna Russo, Peter McCarthy, Sevil Yazici, Sandra Riess, Federico Rossi, Eleni Pavlidou, Federico Dunkelberg, Evan Erlebacher, Gorka Blas, Bozana Komljenovic, Sophie Le Bienvenu, Jose M Monfa, Selahattin Tuysuz, Edward Calver, Yung-Chieh Huang, Ta-Kang Hsu, Emily Chang, Helen Lee, and Kelly Lee
Associate Architect: RSP Architects Planners & Engineers Pte. Ltd.
Clients: Capitaland Residential Ltd. - Hotel Properties Ltd., Morgan Stanley, and Wachovia
Contractor: Woh Hup (Private) Limited
Structural Engineers: AECOM
M&E Engingers: BECA, Max Fordham (Concept)
Landscape Architects: ICN, GROSS. MAX. Landscape Architects (Concept)
Photographer: Hufton+Crow

D`Leedon, Singapore comprises seven residential towers, 12 semi-detached villas and integrated landscaping with recreation facilities. The towers taper inwards as they reach the ground to optimize public space; a unique petal-shaped layout which allows for windows on three sides of the apartments to give the highest quality of living for all residents with cross-air flows to the living rooms and bedrooms – as well as natural ventilation in all kitchens and bathrooms; varied balcony geometries and the integrated landscaping all contribute to create a unique project defined by its site conditions and context.

The orientation and placement of the buildings is optimized in response to environmental considerations of managing intense sunlight and to maximize views across Singapore. The landscape and its facilities are organised in bands that respond to the existing alignments of the main axis surrounding the site which. These primary axes are extended within the site to generate a series of lines that define different landscape themes, giving many diverse experiences throughout the whole site.

The towers are subdivided into ‘petals’ according to the number of residential units per floor enabling a very large diversity of apartments. The generative floor plan of the petal changes shape along the height of the tower in relation to the different configuration and type of residential units. The changing composition of unit type enables the towers to respond to a series of parameters dictated by site conditions, internal organization and structural optimization.

D’Leedon’s design turns the challenges of the site to the advantage for residents, embrace the concept of differentiation and individuality, where single apartments have been customized and specifically designed according to their location and position within the site, as well as the requirements of the residents. This customization creates a vibrant setting for the residents through high differentiation at different scales of design: from the towers ‘petal’ configuration to the vertical expression of the facades and the articulated sky penthouses and garden units at the base, the design brings together concepts of individuality, differentiation and continuity.

The architects designed d’Leedon as a high-rise residential development that provides highly differentiated apartments layouts according to the specific needs of the residents. The residential programme accommodates 1715 units, distributed in 7 towers and 12 semi-detached villas, developing a GFA of over 2,2 million sqft. The concentration of residential units in towers with small footprint creates the opportunity for a fantastic public space for the residents and visitors at the ground level. The bulk of the residential program is organized into towers, which grow from private gardens within the site landscape. Organic towers stand out in the park, emerging from the green layer as organic forms.

The petals are expressed in three dimensions thanks to vertical cuts which give definition to the buildings’ façades and allow for natural cross ventilation of the flats. Through rotating the buildings across the site and the careful use of balconies and façade panelling a combination of self-similar towers produce an incredible amount of diversity across the development, giving each residential unit a unique and distinguishable location and appearance, both externally and internally.

The towers culminate at the top with a series of fingers stepped at different heights, which blend the transition between the architectural fabric and the sky. This distinctive feature of the different petals terminating at different levels, creates fantastic opportunities for penthouses with rooftops gardens and pools directly accessible from the petals below or on the side. Garden duplex units are provided at the base of the towers, with private car park space underground. With direct access from the garage these special units benefit from higher floor to ceiling height and a private garden at ground floor.

The seven towers are extremely slender in one direction with a height to footprint ratio of over 13/1, which is counterbalanced by the insertion of shear walls within the petal perpendicular to the tower direction. The structural system is a pure reflection of the tower geometry, a reinforced concrete structure with a vertical central core and each petal being defined by curved columns at its corners and post-tensioned slab to retain it towards the core.

One of the strongest features of d’Leedon, where the benefits of a large scale development and the tower design have been maximized is the landscape, a real park which makes the project resemble a holiday destination resort where people can live year-round in the city centre of Singapore. The site has been divided in bundling bands generated by the tower positions, where each tower lands with an extended petal shape to create the private garden and the access features. Water, lush vegetation, sports surfaces, urban plazas and green fields are the elements that characterise the landscape program.

The dynamic design d’Leedon, with its whirl of pedestrian pathways, but also pockets of quiet green and breathing spaces, infinitely fascinate the visitors and residents alike, aiming at enhancing the quality of living. Lighting plays a key role in the development as particular attention is given to the experience of the site at night, the time when residents switch off and get back home, a calm and luxurious light path drives them safely to their destination. All light sources have been concealed to allow the architecture and its surfaces to take centre place instead of the light fittings, with extensive use of linear lighting to emphasize the lines and the geometries.