Bayfront Pavilion

Located in Singapore's Gardens by the Bay, the Bayfront Pavilion, also known as The Future of Us Pavilion, follows the tradition of architectural structures that evoke a dialogue with nature by blending an intricate form made of a perforated skin fluidly with the adjacent environments. For visitors, the building offers a climatically comfortable outdoor environment and a stunning visual experience akin to walking under the foliage of lush tropical trees - an idea of future nature. Originally built to house The Future of Us exhibition, the golden jubilee capstone event of Singapore, and completed for its current purpose in 2019, the Pavilion has since become a landmark in the Gardens by the Bay that now serves as a public space and venue for important community and cultural events. The design of the Bayfront Pavilion follows a clear mathematical logic that was determined by extensive environmental simulations and structural optimisations. Their application to a detailed computational model led to the solutions for its structural form and pattern. The latter was produced with an algorithm based on triangulation, which allowed each panel to be filled as required by the assigned environmental performance up to a level that is almost solid. A high level of integration between digital and construction technologies as well as building processes allowed for the rapid production of the large number of individual elements that make up the building's complex freeform structure. It incorporates 11,000 unique perforated aluminium panels, 12,040 bolts, 11,188 plates, and 4,620 elements for the main structure. The shell has a thickness of 20 centimetres. It spans about 50 metres and covers an area of about 2,000 square metres. The use of advanced design and fabrication technologies throughout the project allowed for the prefabrication of most of its parts and the efficient, cost-effective and accurate construction of its geometrically complex form. According to Tan Wee Kiat, former CEO of the Gardens by the Bay, "The success factors of the Pavilion are obvious. Singapore's hot and humid climate often dissuades people from visiting the Gardens. To enhance visitor comfort, its landforms were designed with wind direction in mind, while foliage and shelter provide as much shade as possible. The Pavilion is based on similar ideas. These are beautifully translated into a contemporary aesthetic and functional form that is determined by thorough environmental analyses and simulations. The Pavilion is a comfortable fit with the Gardens Supertrees, Domes and canopies. An enthralling vision for a garden of the future is thus encapsulated by its inclusion”.