A unique challenge was organizing the program so that hotel and residences have distinctive and separate identities and provide their occupants with privacy and unique experiences of the site. The design accomplishes this through a site strategy that orients the buildings so that they address different streets and define a courtyard garden at the center of the site.
A lushly planted sunken garden forms an interior courtyard that both joins and separates the hotel and residences. The hotel embraces the garden on three sides, which provides the lobby, restaurant, and first-floor bars with views of the courtyard and landscaped terraces. Meeting rooms, ballrooms, and a speakeasy lounge on the lower level have direct access to the courtyard, so guests can mingle between inside and outdoors.
A skybridge on the ninth story of the hotel slips through the void between the towers. A ribbon of blue and green, it features a 43-meter swimming pool, sun deck, and an outdoor bar and lounge situated among lush greenery and mature trees. Swimmers can enjoy surreal views of the garden courtyard below through an underwater acrylic oculus in the pool floor.
In collaboration with Ian Schrager, the founding visionary behind EDITION Hotels, Safdie Architects and EDITION’s design team created a harmonious dialogue between the hotel’s architectural character and its interior design. A neutral color palette and rich natural materials complement the architecture’s crisp forms and provide a backdrop for lush greenery and abundant daylight.
To facilitate guests’ comfort and privacy, Safdie Architects developed a system of exterior screens that responds to Singapore’s tropical climate. Guests can customize daylight levels by manipulating the screen system’s distinctively colored, exterior mounted panels using a control pad next to the bed. The building’s ever-changing façade reflects each guest’s preferences.
