Sited in Singapore, this hotel design explores the potential of “Porosity” as a new residential-towers typology in tropical and sub-tropical regions.

Most high-dense residential-tower designs would inevitably confront the tension between smaller repetitive residential units and larger public programs. In contrast with typical podium-tower typology where the public programs (podium) and residential units (tower) are totally segregated, a porose tower allocates public programs along the core of the tower while residential modules along the periphery. These cubic rooms are separated from each other, forming a perforated 8-feet deep “façade”. Unlike the curtain-wall system where exterior and interior are only separated by 6 inches of construction materials, along a porose tower the exterior is diffused into the core through the gaps between the “floating” residential modules. Most of the public programs could therefore be semi-exterior with natural ventilation and self-shading.