Marina One, Singapore

Marina One in Singapore is a special building complex: four skyscrapers form the framework of a central three-dimensional garden – for a better interaction of working, housing and living. In particular, glass, steel and certified green concrete were used for the construction. Ensuring the longevity of the concrete in humid tropical climates is a challenge for major projects of this kind.

UNCOMPROMISINGLY GREEN

The tropical city state of Singapore is situated on the southern tip of the Malay peninsula between Malaysia and Indonesia. With a total area of about 720 square kilometers, the island republic is among the smallest states in Southeast Asia. However, with about 5.6 million inhabitants, living space is scarce and expensive. For this reason, land reclamation plays a crucial role in Singapore, and skyscrapers complete the architectural mix that also includes mosques and historic buildings.

The shared central feature “Green Heart” is the core concept of Marina One, which was realized by ingenhoven architects in close cooperation with the landscape architects Gustafson Porter + Bowman. The three-dimensional green oasis stretches over several floors, it includes 350 different tree, plant and animal species over an area of 37,000 square meters and contributes to improving the microclimate and increasing biodiversity. The architects also integrated a waterfall and sky gardens on different levels.

PROTECTING CONCRETE THE RIGHT WAY

“Concrete dries and cures unevenly, where it can become stained, sometimes lighter, sometimes darker and often times visually challenging. With a mineral product such as concrete, this unsightly appearance is common.

Concretal-Lasur Pigmented Mineral Stain is a sol-silicate based, thin layer finish for concrete to emphasize the natural character of concrete and provide additional weathering protection and decoration. Much of the concrete at Marina One required visual augmentation and protection. Concretal-Lasur is unique allowing for precise and custom mixing of transparency on site to meet any challenge while preserving the aesthetics as much as possible.

Here the concrete appears far more uniform in appearance, but completely natural, and it is water repellent and protected from wind-driven rain for decades, not years.

Products Used

Concretal—Lasur
Pigmented Mineral Stain

Concretal Fixative
Clear Sol Silicate Dilution

Silan-100
Penetrating Water Repellent

MORE REFRENCES

References–Concrete Ines Innovation Center, Concepción, Chile The two architects Mauricio Pezo and Sofia von Ellrichshausen created a new innovation centre on the Collao Campus