In an attempt to reunite the nation of Singapore with its harbor, SPARK Architects has designed the "solar orchid"—self-contained, solar-powered pods that mimic traditional hawkers.
Hawkers, or floating stalls where vendors sell various products, were once commonplace in Singapore, but have faded away after decades of urban development, designboom reports.
"The concept proposes a way to reinvigorate the Singaporean hawker centre experience, and to reinstate the everyday relationship with the waterscape that once characterised Singaporean life," SPARK said in a press release. "The proposal recalls the mobility of Singapore’s original hawkers."
The pods will include cooking stalls, complete with table settings, built-in exhaust, and water, gas, electrical, waste collection, and water recycling services. Protective canopies made of inflated ETFE pillows are intended to incorporate photovoltaic cells. In addition, the pods will have a reconfigurable structure that is viable in multiple different locations.
"We have a duty as designers to develop and propose ideas and visions that can enhance our cities, as well as contribute to making them more liveable places," said Stephen Pimbley, a founding director of SPARK. "History offers many extraordinary examples of visionary projects that remain on paper, serving as vehicles for debate about the future of our cities."
All renderings courtesy SPARK.
Related Stories
Cultural Facilities | Mar 8, 2016
The sexy side of universal design
What would it look like if achieving universal accessibility was an inspiring point of departure for a project's design process? Sasaki's Gina Ford focuses on Marina Plaza and the Cove, two key features of her firm's Chicago Riverwalk development.
Museums | Mar 3, 2016
How museums engage visitors in a digital age
Digital technologies are opening up new dimensions of the museum experience and turning passive audiences into active content generators, as Gensler's Marina Bianchi examines.
Cultural Facilities | Mar 1, 2016
China bans ‘weird’ public architecture, gated communities
Directs designers of public buildings to focus on functionality.
Contractors | Feb 25, 2016
Huntsville’s Botanical Garden starts work on new Guest Welcome Center
The 30,000-sf facility will feature three rental spaces of varying sizes.
The High Line | Feb 24, 2016
The last unused portion of the High Line is set to become a piazza
The piazza replaces an earlier design for the space that called for a bowl-shaped garden.
Museums | Feb 12, 2016
Construction begins on Foster + Partners’ Norton Museum of Art expansion project
The Florida museum is adding gallery space, an auditorium, great hall, and a 20,000-sf garden.
Game Changers | Feb 4, 2016
GAME CHANGERS: 6 projects that rewrite the rules of commercial design and construction
BD+C’s inaugural Game Changers report highlights today’s pacesetting projects, from a prefab high-rise in China to a breakthrough research lab in the Midwest.
Cultural Facilities | Jan 28, 2016
FIRST LOOK: Pikes Peak visitor complex will appear carved into the mountainside, at 14,115 feet
The minimalist structure will provide majestic views of the Rocky Mountains for the 600,000-plus people who visit the summit each year.
Architects | Jan 28, 2016
25-year-old architect wins competition for World War I memorial in Pershing Park
Joe Weishaar and sculptor Sabin Howard were selected from among five finalists and over 350 entries overall.
Architects | Jan 15, 2016
Best in Architecture: 18 projects named AIA Institute Honor Award winners
Morphosis' Perot Museum and Studio Gang's WMS Boathouse are among the projects to win AIA's highest honor for architecture.