Mt Sinai

Inspired by nature, “Bamboo wing” takes the form of bird wings and floats over the natural landscape of the site situated near Hanoi, Vietnam.

The aim of the project was to study bamboo and the potential space it can create by using bamboo not only as a finishing material but as a structural one. This building is a pure bamboo structure, using no steel or other man‐made structural materials. This unique structure, flying over the sky as bird wings, allows us to experience a 12 meter open space without any vertical columns. The open space can be used for many purposes such as wedding parties, live music concerts, ceremonies etc. This is an achievement not only in terms of structures in bamboo but it also creates a new trend for new ecological materials‐ which easily available in Vietnam.

The shape of the roof as bird wings is good for capturing the wind inside the building. This contributes to the ecology aspect by minimizing the use of air conditioner. With its deep eaves and the water in the open spaces, people feel as if they are living in the nature.This fascinating residential refurbishment is on Mt Sinai Road, a quiet secluded road, to the west of the city of Singapore. Upon undertaking this project, the design team, in co-ordination with the client, asked some very basic questions. Firstly, how shall we revitalise the existing architecture whilst maintaining the structural form, and secondly, what approach should be taken to move away from the prevalent planar aesthetics applied to most “modern” architecture? The solution the design team arrived at was a distinctive geometric form enveloping part of the existing structure.

To design the 'screen' could have been a long drawn out process, particularly making it different from conventional architectural design, if not for 3D Max computer package. From the 3D modeled space, the screen components were then exported directly into CAD without any alterations and sent to the contractors for manufacturing. The result was a fluid screen wrapping around the building, mitigating the proportions of the existing structure, unifying the form and creating a shaded space.

Sustainability was also a major concern of the clients on this project so apart from ensuring that all the timber used came from sustainable forests, the most environmentally sustainable and climatic response comes from the screen. This is achieved by using the screen as an environmental filter, controlling the amount of direct sunlight from entering the house and the buffer created between the screen and the building structure creates a semi shelter zone from wind, rain and the sun. Both the screen and buffer zone reduces the ambient temperature of the internal spaces thereby reducing the need for additional cooling of the space and consequently reducing the energy consumption and carbon foot print of the building.

Prying eyes from the street and from neighbours cannot be avoided especially in dense residential areas in Singapore. However the introduction of the screen cleverly blocked neighbour’s line of sight through its density and angle. Also careful landscaping minimised views into the house from passing vehicular and pedestrian traffic. On the other hand the residents of the house always have a view out from within the house when looking directly through the screen.