Project 04 | The Helix

Unstable structures, markers of Change.

Bachelor in Architecture, Year 2

---

Significant works of architecture have traditionally been thought of as permanent, ageless and unchanging. They embody the stability of the civilizations which make them. In an age where change is the only constant, the project explores structures that are designed embrace it; ‘unstable’ structures. A simple material is explored and its inherent characteristics manipulated and assembled to make a Tower in the park for recreational use

which is never ‘static’.

The difficulty for newer generations to recognize Singapore’s past has been widespread. The experience of past hardships by pioneer generations has been taken for granted, and its impact on Singapore’s young is constantly overlooked. Change cannot be defined without first recognizing the former. This project explores the idea of dramatizing interdependency, depicting the ever-crucial need of multi-generational support of the citizens in Singapore, and to memorialize a non-personified version of the foundational values of Singapore’s great leaders.

The design seeks to explore structural, habitable, and experientially rich spaces through the deliberate balance of structural elements. Structural interdependency drives the overall structure of the design; the idea of flirting with gravity, to achieve an interdependent structure to highlight the necessity of every element within the project.

The entire design revolves around a central helix core structure. The structure consists of steel trussing members that are stacked in an upward, helical fashion, from the 1st level to the top level, and is structurally dependent on each member of the helix. The looming volumes of trusses are stacked precisely and deliberately in a calculated manner to balance the moments caused by the offsets of the trusses’ placements. Each volume is counterweighted at structural apexes by means of concrete weights or by tension cables. These systems resolves the inbalances, allowing for seemingly levitating habitable volumes. This highlights the nature of interdependency of the structural system, and also the counterweighting systems that allows for the structure to remain in equilibrium while achieving a dramatic form.

Steel is inherently a very strong material. In order to provide the most strength to mass ratio while providing a rigid structure, trusses have been implemented. The design strives to push the boundary of how strong steel can become, and how it can be used to achieve balance in a calculated manner. The structural loading follows a strict logic: each cantilever must be counterweighted by 1 of 2 methods of counter weighting: Steel counterweighting tensile cabling (NE & SW), and Concrete counterweighting module (NW & SE). This design is inspired from the construction tower cranes, where they implement modular concrete slabs at the back of the jib to allow for massive spans, while being able to carry large loads. Each truss is able to contain different numbers of concrete counterweighting modules, allowing for a varying counterweights for different parts of the design.

---