Singapore, Republic of Singapore
Home Team National Servicemen (HomeTeamNS) commissioned DP Architects Pte Ltd. to design the HometeamNS Khatib Recreation Centre, a socially and environmentally sustainable recreation center that benefits its users and community through its design.
For its range of sustainable technologies and ecological landscaping that reduce its carbon footprint, the HometeamNS Khatib Recreation Centre has recently been awarded a 2022 Green Good Design Award by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The HometeamNS Khatib Recreation Centre is a shared center for both the Singapore Police Force and Civil Defence Force to network and bond through social, recreational, and sporting activities.
HomeTeamNS is a non-profit association set up in 2005 to recognize the invaluable contributions of National Servicemen.
This recreation center has dedicated 85% of the built-up area to community-centred facilities, serving as a platform to build a greater sense of community.
HomeTeamNS also brings national servicemen and their families closer to their neighbors and neighborhood.
Due to its proximity to nature, HomeTeamNS Khatib is designed and positioned as an urban retreat.
Located adjacent to the neighborhood park and Lower Seletar Reservoir Park across the road, its connection to the sights and sounds of nature is intended to increase well-being.
In terms of massing and planning, the L-shaped block houses spaces such as the gym, bowling alley, and multi-purpose hall where visitors can overlook the surrounding green spaces and park.
A 10-meter-wide public thoroughfare connects the architecture with its environment.
The landscape is integrated with architecture to create sensorial experiences that contribute to improved mental health.
Visitors are encouraged to cycle to the facility through a park connectivity network including 100 bicycle parking lots.
Aware of the need to minimize energy usage in such a tropical climate, the architecture was planned to reduce energy.
Passive ventilation and daylighting reduce solar gain, and the building remains largely naturally ventilated.
The building is orientated north-south to minimize solar heat gain and back-of-house spaces were deliberately placed along the western elevation to shield the main spaces from solar heat.
Rooftop gardens on the 5th floor serve as social space and reduce the solar heat load on the spaces below while soil-less green areas reduce structural loading and indirectly reduce carbon footprint.
High-volume and open-sided corridors were designed to promote effective passive ventilation.
Initially, the recreation center was expected to consume approximately 4 million kWh of electricity per year.
To reduce the use of electricity from the grid, part of the clubhouse’s rooftop was installed with a Solar Photovoltaic system of 165 kWp capacity.
By reducing its reliance on the power grid for electricity and substituting it with a renewable energy source, the recreation center is now able to reduce its overall carbon emissions.
The swimming pools in the center utilize a biofilm filtration system that is chemical-free and uses photocatalytic oxidization to purify the water.
This system reduces the chlorine demand, saves up to 30% water, and uses lesser energy during maintenance.
HomeTeamNS’s landscape design is inspired by natural habitats where one can discover myriad species, thematically curated to evoke the senses through colors, textures, and fragrances.
The different habitat-creation and bio-diverse designs are assigned to each landscape area following spatial and micro-climatic conditions.
From the Fern Forest at the shaded strips under the MRT viaducts and landscaped corridor with the fragrant sensory garden to the arid garden with pre-dominant, drought-tolerant species at the roof-top gardens, irrigation is supplemented by harvesting rainwater, and the automated irrigation is carefully controlled with a usage and rainfall monitoring system.
The landscaping strategy and general reliance on natural ventilation also reduces the urban heat island effect.
Beyond environmental sustainability, HometeamNS seeks to be a socially sustainable recreation center that benefits its users and community through its design.
It seeks to be the new node in the neighborhood where everyone can gather and partake in various activities, creating stronger communal bonds.
Project: HometeamNS Khatib Recreation Centre
Architects: DP Architects Pte Ltd.
Design Team: Ng San Son, Ng Ching Hsiung, Johann Lim, Josiah Leong, and Tan Kok Meng
Consultants: SIPM Consultants Pte Ld (PM), KTP Consultants Pte Ltd (C&S), WSP Consultancy (M&E, Sustainable Design), Davis Langdon KPK (QS)
Client: Home Team National Servicemen (NSmen)
Photographers: Rida Sobana and Ethan Mok