Weaving new magic through old buildings

Adaptive reuse has been a breath of fresh air for the architecture of Temasek Shophouse and Weave at RWS

- Yamini Chinnuswamy

(Top and above) Weave at Resorts World Sentosa features curved shaded paths, gardens and vertical planting. (Left) Jet vans and air ducts have been embedded throughout the premises.

(PHOTOS: LIANHE ZAOBAO)

If you have walked past MacDonald House in Orchard Road - right next to Dhoby Ghaut MRT station and Plaza Singapura you might have noticed a colourful display meant to emulate the ubiquitous mamak shops of Singapore's past.

The fake mamak shop is actually a part of the larger, newly renovat ed Temasek Shophouse (TSH).

TSH is a social impact hub managed under the auspices of Temasek Trust, the philanthropic arm of Temasek Holdings.

It previously occupied just a single heritage shophouse at 28 Orchard Road. But in December 2023, renovations began to combine it with three other shophouses on either side of it, increasing the final footprint to 6,400 sq m some three times the size of the original iteration.

Renovations are mostly completed on the inside, but there is an outdoor area that is expected to be ready in early 2026.

While the extent of TSH's overhaul is obvious only once you step inside, the dramatic transformation that led to the recently opened Weave mall in Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) is immediately clear to anyone who recalls the old Forum retail area.

That space resembled most typical malls in Singapore, in terms of its design and layout. There were fixed starting and ending points, with a straightforward thoroughfare between two facing rows of shops and food outlets. The main colour in play was an inoffensive sandy beige.

In contrast, Weave's architecture is defined by the curves suggested by its name. There is no front or back entrance and its layout defies any known labels.

It embraces an island rainforest theme in terms of its colours, textures and structural layers a theme that has also trickled down to the facades of each tenant.