The Pinnacle@Duxton

The Pinnacle@duxton is an international housing model for addressing the social, physical, and economic issues associated with housing development in extremely dense and urbanized settings. At 50 stories, the tallest project developed by Singapore’s Housing and Development Board, the residential complex comprises seven towers connected by two continuous sky bridges that provide unique recreation and community spaces. Occupying an irregular 2.5-hectare (6.2-ac) project area that was the site of the first two apartment blocks ever built by the Housing and Development Board, the Pinnacle@Duxton features 1,848 modern apartments, injecting 7,400 residents—many young families—into an area of aging households.

The Pinnacle@Duxton reflects the ceaseless life cycle of the redevelopment of public housing in Singapore. Returning to the site of the Housing and Development Board’s first project, which was built to ease a national affordable-housing crisis, it illustrates the level of excellence that Singapore’s national housing authority has reached. The interconnected high-density development redefines what high-rise living can be with its sky gardens and open spaces, breathes new life into an area of aging households, and provides affordable housing options in a central location. The building has become a point of national pride, winning numerous awards, including the Best Tall Building 2010 award from the Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.

Elmpark Green Urban Quarter

The Elmpark Green Urban Quarter set out to create a new type of urban environment in Ireland, integrating an energy-balanced piece of urban landscape into the existing natural surroundings. Radora Developments led this innovative €400 million (US$560 million) project by purchasing a large parcel of land on the outskirts of Dublin owned by the Sisters of Charity, whose convent remains next to the site, and creating a large-scale, high-density, mixed-use development with the latest sustainable technologies.

Meander

Providing a range of residential options–including high-end residences, social (affordable) housing, and housing for seniors–Meander is a 17,270-square-meter (185,894-square-foot) mixed-use development located in Amsterdam’s Stadsdeel Westerpark along a canal known as Kostverlorenvaart. The result of a public/private partnership, the 278-unit project also includes a restaurant, a gym, a public elementary school, and a public library. The site plan integrates the project’s many uses into one complex while paying homage to the site’s maritime location and its industrial past. The building’s layout curves inward along the canal, allowing more housing units to have views of the water, as well as the formation of two pedestrian streets on the canal side and a private courtyard facing the existing housing.