In 2002, arc studio architecture + urbanism in collaboration with RSP Architects Planners and Engineers, won the international Duxton Plain Public Housing Design Competition, drawing attention from architects around the world. As the jury members selected the winning design purely on its own merits, without knowing the firm involved, the dynamic team of arc studio architecture + urbanism and RSP Architects Planners and Engineers were able to clinch the commission for the prestigious The Pinnacle@Duxton project.

The design brief for The Pinnacle@Duxton was extremely complex. While it was clear that the building would be massive, the architects wanted it to “feel open and to be visually elegant”, with a design that was “efficient and pragmatic while rising above pure pragmatism into the realm of aesthetics. The process of constructing the building should produce a new aesthetic.” They also imagined what it might be like to live at this unprecedented height and density, and felt that the design had to provide new communal spaces for residents. In short, “even though the units were compact, the entire development had to feel spacious.”

The design team started with analysis and research. Said the team, “We observed and looked at everything and asked questions about anything. We visited existing estates and sat below the blocks, trying to speculate what it might be like for the blocks to rise to the proposed height and density. We then created as many solutions as we could and tested some of these solutions with models and drawings until we found one that was able to answer all the requirements while delivering a certain formal lightness and porosity. We applied this process at all scales and levels. We then visualised what the design might be and looked at how the details came together.”

The next step was to analyse the mathematical figures and generate “tens of models and hundreds of sketches”. The team subjected each model to intense discussion and scrutiny in its search for the simplest and most elegant model.

The development was constructed using pre-fabricated concrete building components. The façade uses the seemingly undifferentiated pre-fabrication technology to create a highly differentiated design, one that demonstrates individuality and difference yet is co-ordinated to form a beautiful building envelope. The design team sees the façade as “frozen music, inspired by DNA sequencing and the structure within our chaotic world”.

The Pinnacle@Duxton comprises 1,848 apartment units contained within seven extremely efficient tower blocks united by three levels of parks, all spread over 2.5ha of land in the city centre of Singapore.

The building layout creates a large forecourt for the towers while maintaining visual connectivity with the existing Tanjong Pagar Community Club. While optimising views, connection, air and light flow and minimising west-facing exposure to reduce solar heat gain, the layout forms a powerful sculptural skyline that looks different from every direction.

On the ground, a new architectural surface flows over the car park and services, creating a lush environmental deck that connects strategically with the existing urban network while forming a green lung for the city. Multiple pathways, connections and landscape bands were created in the recognition that residents want a fast and convenient way to reach home but might also want the option of a slower, more relaxing path for recreation. This deck becomes an extension of the Duxton Plain Park that is part of an island-wide park connector.