From Ground to GlowA Science Centre Reimagined

Executed over two phases, this project contributes to both the architectural re-imaging and guest experience design for the Singapore Science Centre — a cultural institution at the intersection of science, technology, and the public imagination.

At the heart of the existing complex is a pair of aluminium-clad twin towers, standing at 45 metres tall. These vertical landmarks anchor a vast, open plaza that is largely unutilised due to Singapore’s tropical heat. The project rethinks the arrival experience, posing key questions:

• How can architecture reshape perception without demolishing existing structure?
• Can science education communicate itself through form and atmosphere—even to passers-by?
• How can an urban plaza in the tropics invite community, play, and wonder?

Originally slated for a like-for-like replacement of its aluminium cladding, the project team challenged this brief. Instead, we proposed a full rebranding through architecture. The towers are now re-cladded in coloured glass panels, echoing Science Centre’s corporate palette, and acting as a vertical extension of the iconic rainbow-coloured perimeter wall.

A series of sun-shadow studies explored the poetic potential of coloured glass during the day. As the sun moves, the towers cast shifting chromatic shadows across the plaza, turning light into a dynamic, playful medium. At night, a DMX lighting system transforms the towers into a reactive installation. Programmed to interact with festive occasions, the towers glow with seasonal colours — becoming a beacon of science for the Jurong community and beyond.

Beneath the towers, the formerly passive plaza is reimagined as a public play and gathering space, titled Metamorphosis PlayGROUND. This urban intervention brings the ethos of the Science Centre — curiosity, exploration, transformation — into the public realm.

Rather than install prescriptive play equipment, the design introduces a free-form terrain inspired by the triangulated geometries of the Science Centre’s architecture. The landscape invites all ages and abilities to explore through instinct and imagination. There are a few key zones, namely Topsy Turvy, The Plaza, The Meeting Space and Water Feature.

At the Topsy Turvy, a soft rubber terrain of angled triangular facets, encouraging climbing, rolling, sitting, lying, and play. This sensory space engages balance and bodily awareness in a way that is non-linear and open-ended.

The Plaza boasts a versatile flat surface animated by graphic triangle patterns reminiscent of hopscotch. During events, it becomes a platform for food trucks, public gatherings, or outdoor projections, with stepped seating forming a natural amphitheatre. The colourful triangle flooring design, evocative of childhood hopscotch games, further activates the space through un-programmed interactive play.

The Meeting space is an oval-shaped gathering area with a suspended roof and a spiralling wall designed for community events like exhibitions and art displays, while negotiating level changes within the site. A central oculus captures and channels rainwater, creating a ritualistic water moment on rainy days.

A triangulated, sculptural water installation resembling abstract mountainous terrain borders the linkway and activates the otherwise mundane urban journey. Water flows over angled surfaces interrupted by tactile nodules — producing a playful effect akin to a pachinko board, encouraging visual delight and tactile interaction.

This project repositions the Singapore Science Centre not just as an indoor destination, but as a permeable urban experience — where science is not confined to exhibition halls but expressed through materials, light, and play. It reflects a belief that public architecture can communicate curiosity, education, and transformation through its very presence.

Whether experienced up close or viewed from afar, the reimagined towers and activated plaza stand as a landmark of learning, a beacon of colour, and a playground of ideas.