The refurbishment of Anchorpoint envisages the mall as a vital high street thoroughfare of the Queensway neighbourhood, animating its strategic location.
The overarching design agenda is to provide a physical space around which a local identity can form around. Instead of a complete overhaul of the building and brand, it was decided to build upon existing ties with the community, targeting key areas in the mall for renovation : the Main Lobby (Phase 1), the West Deck (Phase 2) and the Common Areas (Phase 3).

The main lobby sets a precedent for the design approach of the rest of the mall. Its main structure brings together two dominant cultural and formal references : the hull of a ship and the arch. Playing off nautical themes from the name ‘Anchorpoint’ and the 19th century Parisian shopping arcades respectively.

Individually, each form exists in our common vocabulary and brings with them certain assumptions. However, by placing them in dialogue, we hope to highlight how these meanings have been inherited, giving space for reinterpretation within the context of Singapore.

Despite offering a generous space and high ceiling, the pre-existing condition of the lobby was  awkwardly squarish without hierarchy in height or width. We introduced a series of 7m arches that delineates the plan into a triangle, thus adjusting the proportion to highlight the double height space.

Via a simple formal gesture, the apex of each arch is mirrored to become the hull of a boat to varying degrees. As the arch stretches wider towards the centre of the lobby, the hull dips lower. It is a transformation within the progression of the arcade that goes from an arch to a hull and then an arch again. The result is a crescent shape perceived as a boat structure in space.

The 19th century Parisian arcades were the result of multiple unmeditated interventions to interiorise the street. What does it mean to evoke this form in the context of an already enclosed space? While the arcades brought the interiority of the street, our hulled arches perform the reverse, bringing back the passageway. The existing linearity of the mall is emphasized to evoke the street— a convenient refuge for Queensway residents enroute home or work. The image of the arch intentionally reorganises inside and outside by blurring delineation between the two. This becomes more apparent in other areas like the West Deck.

The imagery of the ship reinforces that while deriving from the Parisian arcades, our arches belong to Anchorpoint, signalling a change in cultural meaning. The nautical themes inferred from the name Anchorpoint was in fact inherited from the iconic Anchor Beer. This name and the old brewmaster house are only what remains of what used to be Singapore’s first brewery, the Archipelago Brewery Company (“ABC”).  This playful passing down of meaning is preserved in the nautical elements of the design. It relishes the malleability of identity and invites participation of patrons in shaping it.

Alongside developing a new identity for the mall, the design across the board aimed to brighten each space and reveal its qualities. We used a light material palette of white paint and stone, beige travertine in addition to reflective materials like polished metal or mirrors, to bring inside as much light as possible. A specific type of travertine stone was chosen for its delicate vein pattern which, cut in thin strips, recalls the wood texture of a boat decking.

This flooring is echoed in the lobbies and the West Deck. To contrast, hints of bright yellow, orange, green, and blue are used at specific locations, such as door framings, mosaic floorings and wall skirtings. In particular, one can bath in a large blue pool mosaic with a floating figure in the atrium, and for one moment feel the introspective pleasure of a chilling swim on a warm summer day.

Retail, Refurbishment
Alexandra Rd, Singapore
Copperdome
83 sqm / 900 sqft
Delivered February 2022
Amongst (Design)
ACS (Structure)
Patriot Rose (Contractor)