2016 National Architecture Awards: Australian Award

National Gallery Singapore by studioMilou Singapore with CPG Consultants International Architecture: Australian Award Australian Institute of Architects

Jury citation

Setting out to design the largest modern art institution in South-East Asia, by integrating two major existing public buildings in Singapore – the former Supreme Court and the City Hall – is no easy undertaking. StudioMilou has achieved a highly sophisticated result through a system of thoughtful and creative architectural interventions, namely an expansion of the public forecourt and the introduction of a new stair and a veil-like roof structure.

There is a clear intention to unite the new with the existing through the addition of this concourse between the two iconic buildings. The new stairs create a direct link to the galleries above. This connection made across the galleries ensures that the spaces no longer have to function independently and the experience of the gallery becomes coherent. The veil that drapes over the entry gives the facade a new identity, clearly contrasting with the existing structure. At a closer scale, this veil dapples light into the space and its tree-like branch structure makes the roof feel like the canopy of a tree. Although enclosed, the space below the veil feels open, light and, in a way, understated.

Credits

Project
National Gallery Singapore
Architect
studioMilou Singapore with CPG Consultants
Project Team
Jean-François Milou (lead architect); Wenmin Ho, Thomas Rouyrre (architectural team managers); Charmain Boh, Janis Goh, Trung Thanh Nguyen, Jason Tan, Jiarong Goh, May Leong, Eudora Tan (architectural designers); Lee Soo Khoong (project director), Tan Hooi Ong (team leader); Sandy Liew, Linda Pang Mui Choo, Lim Jiahui (architects); Hassana Abdullah Hameed, Shaji Eapen Mammen (architect assistants)
Consultants
Acoustic consultant Shen Milsom and Wilke
Builder Takenaka-Singapore Piling Joint Venture
Conservation Architectural Restoration Consultants Pte Ltd
Environmental engineer CPG Consultants Pte Ltd
Facade consultant Arup, Société Européenne de Mécanique
Landscape consultant ICN Design International Pte Ltd
Lighting consultant Lighting Planners Associates (S) Pte Ltd
Mechanical and electrical engineers CPG Consultants Pte Ltd
Quantity surveyor CPG Consultants Pte Ltd
Signage consultant The Press Room
Structural engineer CPG Consultants Pte Ltd, Batiserf Ingénierie
Site Details
Project Details
Status Built
Completion date 2015
Type Culture / arts, Public / civic

Source

Award

Published online: 3 Nov 2016
Words: National Architecture Awards Jury 2016
Images: Fernando Javier Urquijo/studioMilou

Issue

Architecture Australia, November 2016

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