Image Credit: Marina Central
ON VIEW TILL 30 DEC 2025
Suntec City, Garden next to Tower 5 Taxi Stand 5 Temasek Boulevard, Singapore, 038985
ON VIEW TILL 30 DEC 2025 Suntec City, Garden next to Tower 5 Taxi Stand 5 Temasek Boulevard, Singapore, 038985
SINGAPORE DESIGN WEEK 2025: FOREST BY TMMW AT SUNTEC CITY
Placemaking Installation
What is it:
Creative Direction, Spatial Design, Branding and Graphic Design, Fabrication and Build
What we did:
Supported by
Marina Central District
Special Thanks
Randy Chan, Zarch Collaboratives
Welcome to the FoRest, an urban sanctuary and a chance to slow down and reconnect amidst the city bustle.
Inspired by a forest's supportive network, these interlocking structures offer open yet intimate spaces for rest. The forest gently invites from all directions, encouraging the curious, the weary and anyone seeking respite to explore. Within, they'll stumble upon pockets of spaces, each one offering rest from the restless world that lies just beyond. This placemaking design one of the highlights of Design For Care at Marina Central, a key event of Singapore Design Week 2025.
AN URBAN INTERVENTION FOR THE RESTLESS & TIRED
We were deeply inspired by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith’s insight into the seven essential types of rest. This led us to design FoRest – a tranquil space dedicated to mindful pauses right in the heart of the city.
Placed deliberately against the cold, towering concrete of Suntec City, FoRest is a juxtaposition to the urban jungle. We took processed, man-made plywood and intentionally reconstructed it, creating a serene, forest-like environment.
This intervention created a carved-out sanctuary that offers the city's restless workers a much-needed moment of respite and recovery.
PUTTING “DESIGN WITH CARE” INTO PRACTICE
Our core principle is to put "Design With Care" into practice by maximising material efficiency and minimising waste.
The entire structure was engineered for disassembly and repurposing. This modular approach ensures that every component can be easily uninstalled and continue its life in other forms or future projects after the installation concludes.
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Each sheet of plywood has been designed to maximise the material by cutting it in a way that makes the most of the entire sheet.
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The cut pieces are pieced systematically to form the “trees” that make up the FoRest.
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The modular pieces are also made into the furniture used in the FoRest, while offcuts are used to strengthen the structure.
Image Credit: Marina Central