A Case Study on Marina One, Singapore. A top notch example of sustainable green architecture in the heart of Singapore.

1. Marina One,
Singapore
-Study By Divya Kothari (BARCH/10014/16)

2. About Marina Bay One
 Marina One is a mixed-use development
bounded by Marina Way and Straits View in
Marina South, Singapore.
 The area has been earmarked by the Urban
Redevelopment Authority to be a vibrant
new growth area for residential,
commercial and lifestyle activities.
 It was a joint venture of the Malaysia-
Singapore land swap agreement.
 Designed by Christoph Ingenhoven, Marina
One covers a total gross floor area of
approximately 3.67 million square feet.
 The development includes two 34-storey
residential towers, two 30-storey prime
grade A office towers and a retail podium,
The Heart, which features lush greenery
and landscaping by Gustafson Porter and ICN
Design.

3. Area Details
 Execution 2011 – 2017
 Build Area: 400,000 sqm
 Retail:18,382,10 sqm
 Office: 226,165 sqm
 Residential: 114, 235 sqm / 1,042 apartments
 Site Area: 26,200 sqm
 Height Office Building: each 200 m
 Height Residential Building: each 139 m
 Green Building Certificates: LEED Platinum,
Green Mark Platinum
 Green area: 37,000 sqm
 Number of plant species: 350

4. The development broke ground on 11 July 2012 followed by
the unveiling of Marina One’s architectural design by the
Prime Ministers of Malaysia and Singapore on 19 February
2013.
Marina One was inaugurated on 15 January 2018.

5. Concept
 The central element of the exhibition is a spectacular five-
meter high space sculpture which brings to life the unique
shape of the "Marina One" buildings.
 Today, more than 50 percent of the world’s population lives
in cities. This number will increase to 70 percent in the next
three decades.
 By 2050, the world’s population will increase to nine or ten
billion.
 In urban agglomerations, this growth cannot be
accommodated without high-rise buildings.
 The core concept for "Marina One", which consists of a group
of four high-rise buildings, is based on a shared central
space—the "Green Heart"—which was designed by
Ingenhoven Architects in close cooperation with landscape
architects Gustafson Porter + Bowman.

6. The interaction between the geometry of the buildings and the
garden facilitates natural ventilation and generates an agreeable
microclimate. The largest public landscaped area in the Marina Bay
Central Business District of Singapore provides living space close to
nature, the usable area of which is 125 percent of the original site
surface area.

8. Marina One comprises four high-rise buildings which accommodate
office, residential and retail functions and have been rated under
the Green Mark Platinum and LEED Platinum schemes. The two
office towers each have a usable floor area of 175,000 square
meters; the two residential towers provide 1,042 city apartments
and penthouses for about 3,000 residents

9. From the Landscape
Architects
-Gustafson Porter+ Bowman

10. “
”
The Green Heart is the focus of the
building, creating a large public
space with lush panting, waterfalls,
and pools. It is a unique
environment that blends landscape
and architecture.
-Mary Bowman, Partner, Gustafson Porter + Bowman

11. Design
 Gustafson Porter + Bowman’s design for the central ‘Green
Heart’ unifies the sculptural and planted elements of the
building’s architecture.
 While the outer face of the four towers strictly follows the
city grid, the maximised inner space is a free-formed three-
dimensional garden.
 A winding ramp creates both a visual and physical
connection between the most important levels of retail,
allowing visitors and residents to ascend from ground level.
 This creates a rich, engaging experience which takes one
through the abundant vegetation, where water descends
from above in vertical strands of water and light that falls
into a large reflecting pool.
 Gustafson Porter + Bowman’s work was undertaken in
collaboration with ICN Design International.

12. Drawings

13. The organic shape of the building complex with its iconic
louvres, and the generous planting, contribute to an
improvement of the microclimate and increase biodiversity.
Inspired by Asian paddy field terraces, the green center
formed by the four towers—with its multi-story three-
dimensional gardens—reflects the diversity of tropical flora
and creates a new habitat.

14. This Green Heart comprises over 350 different types of trees
and plants, including 700 trees, on a landscaped area of
37,000 square meters. Various types of animal become part
of this biological diversity. Inspired by the natural climate
changes at the different vertical levels of a rainforest, the
landscape architecture mimics a green valley with its
variations in climate according to level.

15. Restaurants and cafés, retail areas, a fitness club, pool,
supermarket, food court, and events areas on the different
open terraces not only provide products and services to the
residents, office workers, and visitors—they also create a
place for social interaction.

16.  The compact and efficient layout design is complemented by energy-saving
ventilation systems, highly effective external solar screening devices, and glazing
that reduces solar radiation into the building.
 Direct connections to four of Singapore’s six mass rapid transport lines, bus stops,
bicycle parking facilities, and electro-mobile charging stations ensure that exhaust
emissions caused by private transport are significantly reduced.
 The color scheme of the interior and the building facade features calm and earthy
bronze shades in order to support the harmonious atmosphere

17. “City Within a Garden”

18.  Marina One is an innovative, highly
sustainable, high-density building
complex in the Marina Bay financial
district which upholds the city’s
ambition to become a “City within a
Garden”.
 Comprised of four-towers arranged
around a central courtyard, the
scheme integrates an extensive
planted landscape into the fabric of
the building.
 Gustafson Porter + Bowman’s design
for the central ‘Green Heart’ unifies
the sculptural and planted elements of
the building’s architecture.
 While the outer face of the four towers
(designed by Ingenhoven architects)
adhere to the city grid, the maximised
inner space allows the building to hold
a densely-planted garden within.

19.  Conceived as one of the largest public
landscaped areas in Marina Bay, the Green
Heart creates an inspiring and multi-
functional space for public use.
 Visitors enter at ground level from four
entrances into a central garden.
 A large reflecting pond reflects the sky and
a three-storey waterfall animates the
space.
 The garden is traversed by intersecting
paths, whilst 240 trees and plants are
placed underneath the drama of the
building’s undulating louvres that extend
down to the central courtyard.
 A winding ramp rises gradually into the
building’s form, making a visual and
physical connection between the most
important levels. Strands of water and light
fall from above on either side, adding sound
as the water falls into the pool below.
 This engaging and immersive journey allows
visitors and residents to ascend skywards
through tropical vegetation, experiencing
the changes in climate across different
levels which resemble a rainforest valley:
From the Green Heart, through the Cloud
Garden, rising to the mountain’s peak.

20. Also observes the use of water bodies to act as breaking points in the space.

21. A winding ramp rises gradually into the building’s form, making a visual and physical
connection between the most important levels. Strands of water and light fall from
above on either side, adding sound as the water falls into the pool below.

22. A large reflecting pond reflects the sky and a three-storey waterfall
animates the space.

23. Conceived to bring luck, prosperity and joy to residents and visitors, the design
references the lucky number 8: A smaller diameter circle is superimposed in a
larger circle and inscribed by an oval form.

25. Plants were also chosen to attract insects and butterflies. At the
mountain’s peak, one is above the clouds. Here, the planting is
comprised of small delicate plants and soft grasses with a gold and
silver colour palette and trees and shrubs with crooked stems.

26. Wooden walkways, stone paving, and bronze tones used for the louvres and
interior spaces complement the garden’s natural aesthetic, which is further
augmented by a bronze Fortune Bowl located along the main path.

28. •One design element of Marina One is
the curved levels.
•But there is a twist to these terraces
because of the louvres on the inner
edges, which shield people inside from
the sun.
•The louvres also accentuate non-
symmetrical curves on the inside of the
buildings, giving the whole entity a
handmade, organic look.
Mr Ingenhoven says the louvres
are meant to make the Green
Heart more pleasant for people.
"Plants love the sun. People
love shade.“
He thinks the rice terraces and
the louvres have a fundamental
tension - one maximises sun
exposure, the other reduces it
- but both take a deliberately
technical approach to the issue
of sun management.

29. There is also an irrigation system, which is activated only in dry weather
and is monitored by rain sensors, which inform the central controls when
water is needed

30. Different Plant Species Used
 Amesiodendron chinense, sometimes called
the Chenille tree or Xi Zi LongWhere: Near
the pool This rainforest tree has a well-
rounded crown of light green leaves. When
new leaves appear, they are bright red,
fading to pink, giving the impression that the
tree is in flower. Amesiodendron needs good
light, so it has been planted in the central
and open zone of the green heart, which is
one of the sunniest areas at the site.
 Saraca thaipingensis, called the Yellow
Saraca, Gapis Golak and Gapis BatangWhere:
Near the pool This tree naturally belongs
beside a freshwater pool or stream, which is
why it is placed by the pool. This is a
relatively common tree in Singapore, with a
wide rounded crown of dark green glossy
leaves arising from a sturdy dark brown and
often twisted trunk.
 Agathis borneensis, also called Borneo Kauri
Pine, Dammar MinyakWhere: Central part of
the Green Heart This coniferous tree, which
can grow up to 50m, has dark-green, glossy
leathery pointed leaves. It has not been
widely used in Singapore's urban landscape,
though it has been grown indoors at Gardens
by the Bay and outdoors in Shenton Way.

31.  The aim is to see these trees with their
tall, slender and straight trunks rising up
to Level 4, adding to the three-
dimensional woodland nature of the
Green Heart.
 Angiopteris evecta, a tree fern from the
family Marratiaceae, native to tropical
Australia and South East Asia, often called
the Elephant Fern, Paku Gajah and Turnip
FernWhere: Underneath the shade of roofs
or overhanging tree canopies This tropical
forest plant is interesting because of its
natural place in the understory of forests,
giving the Green Heart a simulated, forest-
like appearance. It has a short bulbous stem
resembling a turnip, from which tall fronds
emerge, reaching a height of 2m and
arching over other plants for a
circumference of almost 3m. It is also a host
plant to some moth species, which adds to
the biodiversity value.
 Etlingera elatior, commonly known as Torch
Ginger and Bunga Kantan Where: Near the
ramp that rises to Level 2 Torch Gingers
commonly grow at forest edges and along
streams in large colonies, with their huge
stems and dark green glossy leaves often
rising to 5m in height.

32. Incorporating greenery into architecture is not new in
Singapore. But plants are typically placed close to or on
exterior walls, where they serve as decor. Marina One puts
the garden on the inside, where it hopes to lure anyone in
need of a break.

33. Kathryn Gustafson, Neil
Porter and Mary Bowmen
-Landscape Architects (Gustafson Porter+ Bowmen)

34. About
 Gustafson Porter + Bowman was
established in 1997 as Gustafson Porter,
when the acclaimed landscape architect
Kathryn Gustafson opened a London office
with architect Neil Porter.
 Mary Bowman joined the practice in 2002.
Kathryn, Neil and Mary, together with
partners Sibylla Hartel and Donncha O
Shea, are supported by a wider team of
landscape architects and architects from
around the world.
 Gustafson Porter + Bowman are a
landscape architecture firm based in
Camden, London, with work ranging from
conservation of significant sites to
innovative re-thinking of urban
brownfields.

35. Key Values
“Our designs are recognised for their
sensitivity, subtleness and
embodying an understanding of a
site’s charged context or complex
set of stakeholders. We seek to
create places where people can
pause and take the time and space
to reflect. For us, when a place
has meaning, it becomes valued and
timeless. We are also known for
creating three-dimensional
landscape forms by modelling the
ground plane to enclose and frame a
sequence of spaces.”

36. Awards

37. Other Projects
Rathbone Square New Ludgate
Zeytouneh Square ‘Towards Paradise’

38. References
 http://www.marinaone.com.sg/
 https://www.archdaily.com/886215/green-heart-marina-
one-singapore-ingenhoven-architects
 https://www.world-architects.com/en/ingenhoven-
architects-dusseldorf/project/marina-one-singapur
 http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/marina-
one/16878
 http://www.gp-b.com/marina-one/

39. THANK YOU