Pathfinder
Pathfinder is a series of temporary pavilions set within the lush gardens atop Fort Canning Hill, designed as part of the Singapore Bicentennial 2019. The pavilions invite visitors to explore 700 years of Singapore’s history through a spatial experience that combine artefacts, maps, flora and written word.
The seven pavilions are constructed from a white three dimensional steel lattice, which volumetrically expands and dissolves in response to the site’s landscape. The de-materialization of architectural form coincides with a curation that seeks to de-museumify the experience for visitors, who can enjoy the content within an open park setting.
With no definitive edges, the structures appear ambiguous from afar – as a form with no form, however on approach the axes of the pavilions reveal themselves, guiding the visitor through a series of directional passageways. These axes are based on a geographical mapping of Fort Canning and its connection to locations of historical and national significance. The grid in itself, representing a unit of cartographic measurement is then mapped onto these ordinates and extrapolated three dimensionally.
The lattice is adaptive to a range of physical actions and uses, transforming into seating, tables for writing and shelving. As a base structure, it acts as a vessel for modular attachments such as kinetic wind sails, planters and pools which are activated in relation to specific content.
Over the course of the exhibition the pavilions will be reclaimed by nature as plants embedded within the lattice grow and gradually cover the structure. A curated planting palette responds to Fort Canning as the site of Singapore’s First Botanical garden, showcasing native plants and those which were cultivated for aesthetic and economic reasons.
Year: 2019
Type: Exhibition | Curation | Gallery
Client: Singapore Bicentennial Office
Location: Fort Canning Green, Singapore
Project Team:
Bicentennial Creative Directors: Beatrice Chia-Richmond, Michael Chiang
Technical Director: Kenny Wong
Graphics Director: Cheah Wei Chun
Awards:
SIA Design Awards 2020: Award (Special Categories - Exhibit Design)
13th Annual Internation Design Awards 2019: Honourable Mention in Architecture Categories
