Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Moulmein Rise Residential Building
Architect: WOHA Architects / Wong Mun Summ, Richad Hassel
Client: UOL Development Pte Ltd
Completed: 2003
Site size: 2'340 m²
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Moulmein Rise Residential Building Project BriefMost high-rises in the tropics do not exploit the fact that the climate is gentler higher up. This 28-storey apartment block does, redeploying several climatic strategies used in vernacular construction. Cross-ventilation is achieved by the plan, with two apartments per floor. Projecting ledges and perforated metal cladding provide shade and conceal air-conditioning. A ‘monsoon window’ - a bay window incorporating a sliding aluminium shelf - allows breezes in without rain. The building provides 48 apartments, 2 penthouses, a lap-swimming pool and parking. Its diverse curtain wall mixes planters, bay and casement windows, screens and sliding doors.
The interior planning gives uninterrupted views of the surroundings, since each apartment is opened on three sides.© Tim GRIFFITH
The swimming pool is integrated with the design vocabulary and has a quiet, inviting ambience.© Tim GRIFFITH
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The penthouse roof deck with swimming pool has large palm trees.
© Tim GRIFFITH
If the monsoon window is left open when it is raining it keeps the inside cool but stops the rain from coming in and also help to air the apartments.© Tim GRIFFITH
Landscaping is sensitively executed, with bamboo groves at parking entrances and near the boundary walls.© Tim GRIFFITH
The bamboo grove was a natural choice for the architects for the ground floor landscaping, not only for its aesthetic and space saving, but also for its high levels of carbon absorption.© Tim GRIFFITH
The common facilities set in ground floor tropical gardens are an added attraction.© Tim GRIFFITH
The natural slope of the site was maintained at the ground level by designing the pool over three tiers.© Tim GRIFFITH
The windows are well shaded to reduce direct heat gain.© Tim GRIFFITH
The monsoon window attached to the bay window is a traditional feature of Malay, Vietnamese and Indonesian vernacular architecture.© Albert K. S. LIM
To accommodate changing user needs, the two smaller bedrooms have the potential to be combined into one.© Albert K. S. LIM
There are many innovative features in the apartments. The washroom shower tray was specially detailed for the space.© Albert K. S. LIM
The penthouses consists of a well-proportioned, double-eight living room with a second floor and a balcony.© Albert K. S. LIM
One senses a continuous flow of the interior, from the entry right to the other end of the apartment.© Albert K. S. LIM
The No. 1 Moulmein Rise building contains 48 typical apartments and 2 penthouses.© Albert K. S. LIM
The front façade presents an elegant play of shadow and shifting screens.© Albert K. S. LIM
The rear façade take the form of a vast service cage containing air-conditioning units, drying racks and other utilities if required.© Albert K. S. LIM
The ground floor contains a 50-metre lap-swimming pool cascading over three levels, a tropical garden, a small gym and an underground car parking area for 52 cars.© Albert K. S. LIM
The division of major and minor spaces in the apartment is dramatically expressed by the tall black wall coming from the roof on the west façade.© Albert K. S. LIM
The building is set in a quiet residential area of the city© Albert K. S. LIM
Site plan© AKTC
Section© AKTC
North elevation© AKTC
South elevation© AKTC
First storey© AKTC
Typical storey© AKTC
2007 Award Recipients
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