Church of the Good Shepherd

BRIEF, SITE & PLANNING Church of the Good Shepherd is an existing development in Queenstown, Singapore, and is blessed with a sizeable, albeit irregularly shaped land plot. The church desired to utilize the open car park and lawn to add a new building comprising of worship halls, an office and prayer rooms to support their growing needs. The majestic mature trees along Dundee Road were retained to screen the west sun but imposed protection setbacks for the extension design. Proximity and connectivity to the existing facilities were considered holistically, to ensure a seamless connection to the existing development. A Park Connector Network adjacent to the church provided both a constraint as well as an opportunity for the design. DESIGN CONCEPT Our design started with the language of folded planes, abstracted from the multiple axes from the existing buildings. These folds form the steps that bring everyone up to ‘new ground’ on the 2nd storey open terrace. The design is envisioned as if we retained the original car park and built the new requirements over. The ‘new ground’ is the heart of the design, housing a fellowship pavilion, baptism pool and foyer spill out area from the sanctuary, where congregation can gather. From here, worshippers percolate upwards to the ancillary multi-purpose spaces and prayer rooms on the 3rd and 4th storey respectively. By capitalizing on the shading effect of the mature trees, all floors fully open up to the west and view into the 2nd storey terrace. We see this open terrace as a form of ‘shopping mall atrium’ but more sustainable as it is naturally ventilated and daylit.