Advisors: Petra Bus, Jaco Haartsen 

An important site condition which shaped the orientation of the architecture was the proposed train tunnel running through the main axis of the design. This provided an opportunity to construct the foundation together with the tunnel construction, resulting in an unobstructed line of view from the collective space.

The public plaza, which is sandwiched by the commercial spaces serve as a focal point for the public crowd. Both visual and physical interaction takes place as consumers move between the boutique section and the dining section, via the plaza.

This concept was then translated into a series of smaller, but more intimate sky gardens for the residential spaces. By staggering the positions of each garden, each capsular dwelling would be able to associate itself with a garden and thus an identity. To better organize the manner in which the gardens are staggered, modular units of capsules are designed. Each capsule has either two or three dwellings, with a garden in front of it.

The commercial spaces are located on the ground floor for easy access to the public, while the private residential dwellings occupy the upper levels. To allow for the residential access to the collective spaces (swimming pool and gymnasium), without having to navigate through the public, the facilities are situated in between the two residential blocks and vertically lifted to allow for semi-privacy.

A river was integrated into the redevelopment of the existing site, to provide a potential river dining commercial strip for the future. The selection of a restaurant chain for the commercial requirement was to avoid a clash of interest with the existing chain of shopping malls and supermarkets found abundantly in the nearby city centre. 

Since the capsules are designed as independent modules, the structural concept would follow the same organization. Each capsule is structurally independent, and is supported by a main framework. This gave the architecture an airy and light character, influencing the choice of façade materials. Wood and polycarbonate were selected for their porous and light nature. The combination of these two materials would give the facades a rich architectonic content.