Venice Biennale 2018

Free space is ubiquitous; a volume sometimes amorphous and sometimes captured and defined. Our Concept expresses Free Space as a socially shared space that manifests what Singapore represents. Flexible yet resilient, past, present and future like its society and culture become a distinctive blend that is reflected through architecture.

Flexible spaces read as one volume to create a venue that showcases The Republic of Singapore. Technology activates the visitor’s virtual experience when projected images, sound and sensory devices realise internal and immersive environments as the story of a particular exhibit unfolds. Each space represents an aspect of Singapore; as it was, the endeavour over the last 50 years, to the present day and future aspiration.

The visitor enters the Singapore Pavilion greeted by abundant displays of Orchids. The journey from space to space invites the visitor to experiences of daily life. For example, along narrow streets, shop houses and five foot ways that speak of yesteryear, rides on the MRT, flythrough along expressways into residential areas, along Orchard to the CBD and the Marina Barrage. Thus, the thrust for Singapore’s whole of nation infrastructure, renowned as Green, Innovative and a Smart City may be showcased in the Singapore Pavilion. The Scheme invites participants perhaps the URA, BCA, GovTech, NParks, National Research Foundation – Virtual Singapore, NUS and SUTD to name a few, to exhibit projects that are relevant to urban planning and design in Singapore.

Structure and skin are subservient to the space created for the Singapore Pavilion. Based solely on minimal surface tension, the use of flexible materials and lightweight structures allow for free forms that are stretched and pinned. This allows the spaces or pods of stretched membrane to morph according to a particular exhibit. The Scheme incorporates intelligent systems and skins that can react to external influences such as air pressure, temperature, humidity, solar-radiation and pollution.