Located in the prominent Tanjong Pagar neighborhood, the office is housed within a preserved shophouse, a national architectural typology, unique to Singapore.
OWIU's interior scheme is dominantly wood and covers the lobby and reception area of ADDP's office. Each element contributes to the overall experience, from the curved marble reception desks, to the wooden visitors benches, lighting and geometric ceiling.
OWIU used parametric design to create a curved wooden wall with dual function, as both a strong design element, pulling the eye in, while also serving as a backrest for the lobby receptionist and visitors. The ergonomically optimized wall is a subtle, yet strong, dark wood texture that guides visitors from the lobby to the reception area and highlights the new ADDP Architects logo.
The reception area desk is a continuous structure that extends from the ceiling to the floor and was constructed using a thermoformed solid surface, which enables dual curvature surfaces to be created.
The wood and stone design is brought together by the patterned ceiling, a parametric design that is both aesthetically pleasing and creates volume and depth of space. Each wooden module in the ceiling functions as a light fixture, whose brightness varies due to the angle and rotation of each fin within. The fins are CNC fabricated out of reconstituted wood, which provides stronger consistency in wood grain and additional structural integrity.
OWIU also redesigned the staircase entryway of the ADDP office. The design of the staircase entryway directly contrasts to the more complex lobby, which is defined by its new walnut flooring and clean white walls. An emphasis was placed on the two sculptural handrails of the staircase that span over 30 feet in total. The rails are made of CNC-designed recomposited wood that encourages touch from the multiple users of this entryway on a daily basis. The design of the new entryway seeks to serve as an inspirational procession as one climbs up the staircase.
The interior of the lobby and reception area offer a modern refuge that both contrasts and pairs well with the building's classic exterior shophouse typology. Shophouse buildings are an iconic emblem of Singaporean architecture and speak to the city's diverse Asian heritage and culture. The buildings are defined by their narrow ornamental exterior, internal courtyards, open skylights and eclectic mix of Chinese, Malay and European styles.
ADDP Architects has been a prominent architecture firm and leader in high-rise residential building development in Singapore for more than 30 years. Having started with just four employees, the firm has expanded over the years to a team of more than 100 members.
Its key partners have been with the company since its inception and business card exchange has remained an integral networking practice for the company.
OWIU was keen to avoid making the logo too bold, and made sure to keep the logo's continued recognition at the forefront of their redesign.
OWIU Design Team:
Joel Wong, Amanda Gunawan, Claudia Wainer, Eduardo Cortazar
In collaboration with design team from ADDP Architects
Fabricators: Superstructure
Installers: XTRA