Pan Pacific Orchard Hotel,
design: WOHA
The 23-story high-rise hotel of the Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts chain in Singapore, designed by architectural studio WOHA, has won the Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) award for best new tall building in the world. Situated in the heart of a concrete and glass landscape, the hotel reflects the architects' ambition to create integrated architectural and urban solutions that respond to 21st century challenges such as climate change, a growing population and dynamic urbanization.
A new era for Pan Pacific Orchard
Although the hotel has recently gained "star" status among Orchard Street accommodations, its history dates back to 2015. That's when the WOHA team, in collaboration with developer UOL Group, conceptualized the hotel as a new pattern of tropical architecture, creating a building that reflects Singapore's natural landscape. An earlier version of the hotel, located on the same plot of land, was closed in 2018 for redevelopment. Pan Pacific Orchard 2.0, featuring numerous eco-friendly features, spaces that promote ventilation and expansive terraces, made its debut in June 2023.
Pan Pacific Orchard Hotel in Singapore - view of beach terrace with pool and mirrored ceiling
©Darren Soh
An eco-friendly gem on Orchard Street
The building's slender, S-shaped massing consists of four landscaped terraces that reflect the different biomes that characterize Singapore's landscape. There is a forest terrace on the first floor, a beach terrace on the fifth floor, a garden terrace on the eleventh, and a cloud terrace on the eighteenth. The vegetation on these terraces has been carefully selected to correspond to specific biomes, and each offers unique views of the city.
Pan Pacific Orchard Hotel in Singapore - view of the forest terrace.
©Darren Soh
The terraces provide sheltered, outdoor spaces for guests, while allowing cross ventilation inside the building. The giant "pillars" that support the block contain staircases and are covered with dense vegetation.
Pan Pacific Orchard Hotel in Singapore - cross-sectional view
©WOHA
biophilic design
The hotel's interiors harmoniously reflect the theme of each terrace. The forest terrace introduces guests to a space full of greenery and tranquility, where the reception area, corridors, elevators and floating bar are inspired by the light, shadows and textures of the forest cover and treetops.
Pan Pacific Orchard Hotel in Singapore - forest terrace
©Darren Soh
The beach terrace evokes a tropical retreat, offering a lagoon, sandy beach and palm grove.
Pan Pacific Orchard Hotel in Singapore - view of the beach terrace.
©Darren Soh
The eleventh floor features a garden terrace, with lawn, pathways, water gardens and lounging spaces. The cloud terrace, located at the very top of the building, is an event space with a ballroom and meeting spaces. Surrounded by silvery plants, mirrored pools and a perforated ceiling, the ballroom resembles floating clouds, while a glass wall offers a view of the terrace. The color palette emphasizes the lightness as well as the elegance of this space.
Pan Pacific Orchard Hotel in Singapore - a view of the cloud terrace at the very top of the building
©Darren Soh
green architecture
and innovative solutions
The reflective ceilings of the terraces visually enhance the abundance of greenery and water features, acting as thermal mirrors that provide natural cooling. Aesthetically, the reflective surfaces cleverly mask the large dimensions of the building, camouflaging the thick terrace slabs. The design transforms the traditional tower into a vertical green space, enhanced by terraced gardens and water features, achieving a green ratio of more than 300%.
Pan Pacific Orchard Hotel in Singapore - second floor plan
©WOHA
At WOHA, we believe in creating living buildings that are integrated with nature and the urban fabric in which they function. Pan Pacific Orchard is a perfect example of our commitment to building with people and the planet in mind
- says Mun Summ Wong, founding director of WOHA.
Pan Pacific Orchard Hotel in Singapore - an aerial view of the building on Orchard Street
©Darren Soh
The Pan Pacific Orchard Hotel brings a fresh, natural aesthetic to the hotel, permeating all levels of the skyscraper and offering guests a diverse experience with each visit.
Elaborated: Anastazja Dżupina
Illustrations provided courtesy of WOHA studio.
