The centrepiece of the development - designed by the late Japanese architect Dr Kisho Kurokawa - is a S$20m (£8.6m) performing arts space suspended six storeys up between three 24-storey towers. Designed to look like a brain, the theatre - Genexis - is a flexible, curved performance space set to become a magnet for Singapore's most exciting artists.
The 120,000sq.m complex is intended to become a hub for the media and information technologies of the future and a creative environment where brilliant ideas are born: a nerve centre and, almost literally, a neural network.
Keeping with the idea of neural signals, Genexis glows and flickers with an interactive light show programmed to synch with activity inside the complex at night: from cool flickers when only a few people are present, through orange, to a warm red glow when fully occupied.
Genexis was built with the expertise of Arup - the global firm of design, engineering and business consultants - which provided a range of services using consultants from the US, UK and Australia.
Arup's regional acoustics leader, Andrew Nicol, who led the theatre design team for Genexis, says: "This place sizzles with a synergy of cultures, languages and creativity. A building like this has to be more than simply floors and walls - it has to have a spirit. What really matters is the way the building interacts with the people who live and work there.
"This is a serious matter because people - creative people especially - are much more productive when they are comfortable in their surroundings. Arup is particularly oriented towards a human approach, so our involvement was a perfect fit. What's also remarkable, from our point of view, is the convergence of so many of Arup's niche skills - sophisticated lightweight steel design, specialist theatre consulting and acoustics, tailored fire engineering and interactive lighting design."
Two of the most interesting aspects of the complex are hidden from view. The development's plans originally called for 20% more steel than was eventually used. The reduction in steel is a credit to design refinements engineered by Arup consultants in Singapore and has resulted in both an environmental benefit and a significant cost saving. "At Fusionopolis, less was more,"says Brendon McNiven, Principal at Arup in Singapore.
Despite the theatre being suspended mid-air, Arup's fire engineering team has also devised an effective evacuation plan which will ensure the safety of patrons in the event of an emergency. Evacuation is made via the linkbridge to the adjacent towers instead of using traditional vertical stairs.
The complex brings together state-of-the-art studios and business incubators - 'fused' with residential, recreational and retail facilities. "Our job was to help realise the Fusionopolis vision shared by the owner, JTC, and the architect," adds Nicol. "To make it a vibrant place receptive to outside trends, rather than inwardly focused. This small theatre is a vital element of the concept, because it's important that a complex like this attracts visitors from outside. Fusionopolis will attract theatre people and patrons, who, rather like bees, will cross-pollinate with new ideas."
As design leader for the theatre's interior - a complex task involving many different disciplines - Arup worked with Singapore's up-and-coming WOHA architects. The theatre's curved walls are covered with panels composed of over 400,000 mahogany beads which help achieve the desired acoustic.
"The shape of the sphere has broken all the rules of conventional theatre design, but visually, acoustically and practically, Genexis works," adds Nicol.
(Claire Beeson)
