Gallery ︎︎︎
Swiss Embassy Singapore
Setting the stage in lush green“Rooted in Singapore's lush landscape, our Glass Pavilion at the Swiss Embassy merges seamlessly with nature, creating a serene interplay of light and shadow that blurs the boundaries between indoors and outdoors.”
Sonja Berthold, principal and founder
Living in Singapore offers the most fascinating experience of having an immense closeness to the city’s lush greenery.
Our design for a Glass Pavilion Extension to the Swiss Embassy in Singapore is deeply informed by the city's profound relationship with its tropical environment. The architecture seeks to evoke the serene experience of sitting under the dense canopy of tropical trees, where light and shadow interplay, creating a tranquil, sheltered atmosphere. This pavilion doesn’t impose itself on the landscape but rather dissolves into it, becoming an integral part of the surrounding greenery.
The use of glass as the primary material for the pavilion allows the architecture to recede, enhancing transparency and openness while framing views of the lush landscape. The pavilion's minimalist form, clean lines, and purity recall the typology of iconic glass structures like Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House. However, here, the pavilion is not only about openness but about creating a dialogue with the tropical environment. It offers a space that blurs the boundaries between interior and exterior, where nature and architecture coexist in agreement.
To offer respite from the tropical sun, we designed a canopy of artificial leaves, subtly simulating the organic structure of a forest roof - the canopy. This delicate, lightweight intervention creates dappled shade, enriching the pavilion’s relationship with its natural surroundings and reinforcing the idea of architecture as an extension of nature itself.
Singapore, Singapore - Open competition
Landscape Architecture: Landscape Collaboration, Bangkok