| Category | Religious |
|---|---|
| Year | 2017 |
| Size | 21,000sqm |
Projects
Trinity Christian Centre
A differentiated canvas
We know that planting and landscaping oft come together to make for lush aesthetics. We also know that they simultaneously deliver ‘greening’ effects. What we may not know is the capacity of its aesthetics for narrative. In other words, the potential that planting and landscaping have to aesthetically chronicle its site context and purpose so as to elevate the relationship between space and end-users. Thus, when the opportunity to explore and challenge design boundaries and approaches arose, we dove straight in. Our canvas: Trinity@Paya Lebar, a religious institution situated off Paya Lebar Road.
The journey
Setting it apart from its contemporaries, our landscape design is inspired by stories from the Bible. To realise this, the scene for the stories must first be set. Comprising four buildings – the Community Hub, the Education Hub, Place of Worship and a hostel block – the undulating stone façade recreates the Israeli landscape; and it is in this symbolic context that the stories unfold in the landscape design mapping the narrative from the story of creation and the fall of man in the Garden of Eden through to the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the Age of the Church.
Symbolic and experiential, the landscape elements serve as symbolic pointers to the narratives. As you move through the different layers of the orchestrated landscape, you experience changes in ambience from cheery to solemn and formal. On the first storey, a 7.5m green buffer presents itself in the form of a lush front garden. Here, a water feature wall and a reflecting pool serve as natural physical barriers, achieving a fenceless landscape. The layered greenery and soothing sounds from the water feature act as a buffer to reduce noise and dust.
Details
Located along the major Paya Lebar Road, the layered greenery and soothing sounds from the water feature act as a buffer to reduce noise and dust.
Every aspect of the architectural, façade and landscaping design is inspired by biblical trajectory. This is characterised in the undulating stone façade, which recreates the Israeli landscape.
Peaceful and serene, the richness of the landscaping and outdoor patio design of this space evokes joyful meditation and quiet reflection – aspects that sit at the core of a Christian’s religious journey.
Entering the second storey, which houses the Community Hub and environment deck, you are greeted by a parched, cracked surface symbolising the barrenness of the fall of mankind. Here, water cascades down from a pool on the upper level and disappears into the ground. Tabernaemontana corymbosa trees sit in the island planters, across rhythmic green and glass walls, covered with Tristellateia australasiae vines. The green wall and crackled glass serve as backdrops to two sculptures representing the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
The encounter
Maintaining a joyful serene setting, the rooftop garden is characterised by the use of playful planes and curves as well as an elevated dynamic pavilion structure. Caesalpinia ferrea trees on mound planters lightly shade the curved timber benches and Leptospermum brachyandrum in island mounds soften the playful feature walls behind. The curved planters at the prayer pavilion areas feature a shrub palette of Tabernaemontana corymbosa, Trimezia martinicensis, Belamcanda chinensis and Phyllanthus cochinchinensis, forming a serene enclosed space for meditation.
Specialist Services
Integrated services provided for this project.