The next high-density eco-friendly housing complex to come to the fair city of Singapore should look familiar to anyone who's played a game of Jenga, especially to those who like to idly build something off-blueprint after the inevitable catastrophe. The Interlace, as it's known, is made up of 31 six-story apartment blocks stacked diagonally across one another in a kind of honeycomb, with 1040 units in total. This wonder-inducing anti-highrise was unveiled in 2009 by former OMA partner Ole Schereen—who has an apparent affinity for stacking blocks—when he was still responsible for the firm's work in Asia, and its 2014 completion date is right around the corner.
The staggered layout of The Interlace lends itself nicely to communal gardens, which are employed on rooftops, terraces, and inside the complex's hexagonal stacks. Looking closely, you can spot this honeycomb motif all over, from the pattern on the undersides of the apartment blocks to the tiles in the garden pathways. The site, which spans a generous 42 acres, is encircled in a wide belt of trees, putting a good amount of green space between this human hive and the greater metropolis.
Expect this project to give the present Singaporean option for a well-forested high-concept living situation a run for its money. Yet as far as nutso heaps of buildings go, this one's actually quite tame.
—Spencer Peterson
· The Interlace by OMA and Ole Scheeren nears completion [Dezeen]
· All Singapore coverage [Curbed National]
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