The Interlace

For other uses, see Interlace.

The Interlace is a 1,040-unit apartment building complex located at the boundary between Bukit Merah and Queenstown, Singapore. Noteworthy for its break from the typical tower design in cities with high population densities, it resembles Jenga blocks or caskets irregularly stacked upon each other. Designed by The Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), it was awarded the World Building of the Year title at the 2015 World Architecture Festival.^[2]

The Interlace
The Interlace, as seen from the Alexandra Road in 2025
General information
Architectural style	Contemporary architecture
Address	180 Depot Road, Singapore 109684
Country	Singapore
Coordinates	1.28259°N 103.80324°E / 1.28259; 103.80324
Construction started	2007; 18 years ago (2007)
Completed	2013; 12 years ago (2013)
Height
Architectural	88.7 metres (291 ft)
Roof	88.7 metres (291 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	25
Floor area	170,000 square metres (1,800,000 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators	43
Design and construction
Architect(s)	RSP Architects Planners & Engineers
Architecture firm	List OMA RSP Architects Planners & Engineers
Developer	CapitaLand
Structural engineer	T. Y. Lin International
Services engineer	RSP Architects Planners & Engineers
Awards and prizes	World Building of the Year (2015) Urban Habitat Award
Other information
Number of rooms	1040
Parking	1183
References
[1]

The 170,000 square meters Interlace complex sits on 8 hectares of land, at the corner of Depot Road and Alexandra Road. It has 31^[3] interconnected residential blocks to maximize natural light and create communal spaces with units ranging in size from 800 square feet to 6,300 square feet^[4] for the penthouses at the top of each blocks.^[5] Recreational facilities include swimming pools, a gym, and tennis courts.

History

The Interlace's site formerly housed the 607 units Gillman Heights Condominium, which is 50 percent owned by the National University of Singapore (NUS).^[6] The property was subsequently sold to CapitaLand through a collective sale but the sale was controversial as NUS held a 16 percent stake in Ankerite, a private fund that was a subsidiary of CapitaLand.^[6]

The Interlace was designed by Ole Scheeren and the architecture firm OMA. The project architects who followed the project through to completion while resolving design and compliance issues were RSP Architects Planners & Engineers. The project was commissioned in 2007 and finished in 2013. The property has a 99-year lease from the Singapore government since 2009. The property is surrounded by several parks that are connected and promote the Singapore Green initiative of 2012.

Architecture

Overview of the complex

Interlace consists of six storey blocks staggered in a hexagonal arrangements surrounding eight courtyards. The blocks are stacked four high at the center to provide maximum of 24 floors. This provides almost every home with a wide view of the surrounding areas. The courtyards have swimming pools.

Reception

The architecture community have praised the Interlace, with the project winning World Building of the Year 2015. It has been viewed as a challenge to traditional architecture not just in Singapore, but all over the world by CNBC.^[7] Geoffrey Montes, writing for Architectural Digest, described the building as "striking residential complex."^[8] Laura Raskin praised the design by saying "Architect Ole Scheeren hypothesized that dense urban residential living didn't have to occur in an isolating skyscraper--and he was right", although Raskin was equivocal about whether the building would ultimately deliver on its ambitions, noting "it is unclear whether the Interlace will be successful in creating the kind of communal society Scheeren envisioned." ^[9] Interlace won the Urban Habitat Award in 2014.