Science

The Venice Biennale Will Feature Some Amazing Visions of Vertical Gardening

Singapore-based WOHA architects share their plan to make future cities greener and more sustainable. 

WOHA Architects

The Singapore-based architecture practice WOHA, known for its long-standing advocacy of green cities, has revealed its contribution to the 2016 Venice Biennale Architecture Exhibition called “Fragments of an Urban Future.” The project, which will be on display as part of the Global Art Fairs Foundation’s exhibition “TIME SPACE EXISTENCE” in the Palazzo Bembo, will propose solutions to some of the most exigent problems large modern cities face, namely “unprecedented urbanization, accelerating climate change and the need for preservation of tropical biodiversity.” WOHA’s own solutions include a lot of green.

The Singapore-based architecture practice WOHA, known for its long-standing advocacy of green cities, has revealed its contribution to the 2016 Venice Biennale Architecture Exhibition called “Fragments of an Urban Future.” The project, which will be on display as part of the Global Art Fairs Foundation’s exhibition “TIME SPACE EXISTENCE” in the Palazzo Bembo, will propose solutions to some of the most exigent problems large modern cities face, namely “unprecedented urbanization, accelerating climate change and the need for preservation of tropical biodiversity.” WOHA’s own solutions include a lot of green.

A quick look at WOHA’s past projects that straddle the line between edifices and jungles will familiarize you with the favored approach for this group of architects: an abundance of vegetation. This architectural gardening system, known as vertical ecosystems, will be a key component in each of the three WOHA projects on display at at the upcoming multimedia exhibition. The building proposals feature “porous facades, airy pathways, and communal gardens” that signal a greener future for urban environments. Singapore, a densely-populated and tropical city, has begun to see this transformation take hold.

PARKROYAL on Pickering for "Fragments of an Urban Future"

WOHA Architects

The understood goal of implementing vertical ecosystems in architecture is to create a more visually appealing and sustainable life for both occupants and the city. The three buildings in WOHA’s display — PARKROYAL on Pickering, Skyville @ Dawson, and Oasia Downtown Hotel — range from hotels to social housing and take different approaches to merging architecture and landscape through the use of vertical ecosystems. Vertical gardens reduce noise pollution, absorb CO2, and provide thermal insulation to buildings, three major bullet points on the agenda for sustainable megacities.

Skyville @ Dawson for "Fragments of an Urban Future"

WOHA Architects

The opening reception for WOHA’s “Fragments of an Urban Future” at the Palazzo Bembo will also include a presentation of “Garden City Mega City,” a publication that contains photographs and more information about WOHA’s verdant plans for Singapore. The Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale takes place from May 28 to November 27.

Oasia Downtown Hotel for "Fragments of an Urban Future"

WOHA Architects