In the very center of the island state, the 27-storey Oasia hotel has appeared, the red facade of which is gradually covered with emerald mesh - real living plants. The building is equipped with four green terraces arranged in through openings. The project involves 21 species of climbing plants, which serve as a source of food and shelter for birds and plants. These hanging gardens create comfortable areas for hotel guests and business center employees: in addition to a 314-room hotel, the building houses offices and shops.
The original facade - in addition to the spectacular appearance, which was the main requirement of the customer, the development company Far East SOHO Pte Ltd, brought to the architecture of Oasia an additional advantage, valuable in the suffocating climate of Southeast Asia: an aluminum lattice surface combined with a "green carpet" natural cool the building. The same purpose is served by through niches through which air constantly circulates, thereby preventing the building from heating up. The Western "discreet" model with sleek and airtight facades proved to be uncompetitive in tropical Singapore. It should be noted that the stability of such a "leaky" structure is provided by a system of four central cores of rigidity - instead of the traditional one.
In addition to vines, 33 other plant species have been planted in Oasia. Richard Hassell, co-founder of WOHA, emphasizes that a low-tech system was chosen for planting and caring for the plants, as "it is quite difficult to find a staff of workers with the talents of both a Spider-Man and a gardener." The tower was built for five years and ended this spring. The project cost was approximately S $ 138 million (equivalent to approximately US $ 95 million).
The architects of the WOHA bureau, which already has considerable experience in designing "green" skyscrapers for the Asian region, hope that the "living tower" will become a precedent in the genre of high-rise construction and will overshadow the usual "solid" structures as more self-sufficient: the key interest here is the architectural creation of Oasia itself and what it contains, while in the usual high-rise buildings, the main entertainment is the view from the window.
