Tanah Merah Golf Clubhouse

As a firm, we strive to create design solutions that fit the context of a place and the Tampines Clubhouse has been designed to respect its history and setting to move confidently into the future with a contemporary yet timeless building that maximizes both function and aesthetics. We hope this will become the talking point for the golfing community.

The Commission was awarded to URBNarc in 2016 via a limited design competition organized by the Club committee to redesign their aged clubhouse facility.

The conceptual model was formed with the objective to integrate some of the existing buildings with a new build that would almost disappear into the land and become an extension of the golf course itself. We decided that the design must keep within:
• the natural setting and blend with it as much as possible
• Informal character of the club
• A low horizontal building with fluid lines merging seamlessly into the golf course.

The Clubhouse is designed to engage within its setting with a harmonious choice of building materials, subdued colour selection and design where transition spaces between built form and the exterior environment are seamless.

Conceived as a picturesque, low profile, low rise building sitting harmoniously in the landscape, all member facilities and services are located on a single floor at ground level to promote easy access and high member usage.

The arrival experience allows the clubhouse to be fully revealed after negotiating a long avenue from the road entrance, that winds through trees. The southern side of the clubhouse on the approach side features a porte‐cochere arrival and entrance, where members and visitors can alight from vehicles in a weather protected zone and upon arrival see a jewel-like lantern roof forming the foreground for the views beyond.

The siting of the original clubhouse offered the potential to capture stunning views of the lake and golf course; this was further enhanced by the decision to demolish the existing golfer’s lounge building and introduce instead an airy, covered golfer’s veranda.

Whilst the design of the new build is contemporary and sleek, they have been carefully crafted to merge with the pitched roofs of the existing changing rooms and create new areas for viewing, gardens for microfauna along with cleverly concealed zones for services.

The planning has been organised so that the numerous clubhouse facilities are identified into distinct precincts. Whilst the precincts remain separate, they are integrated to achieve several objectives;
• provide a club atmosphere and convenience of access for members and guests alike.
• promote members’ interaction and use of food and beverage facilities by members before and after sporting activities.
• ensure operations are highly effective and back of house activities are unseen and unheard.
• isolate staff support, equipment and goods storage, service movement and traffic from member’s areas, by use of discreet connections to the back of house kitchen and services areas at the ground floor.

The principal F&B areas such as the function rooms, golfers lounge, wine and cigar room, have been positioned along the northern facade of the clubhouse in the interest of providing panoramic views across the golf course.

The natural heart of the arrangement of spaces, both indoors and out, is the Golfer’s Veranda. This Veranda is oriented such that it captures the prevailing winds at all times and is covered with a low-slung green roof supported by slender columns designed to disappear and thus maximize views to the golf course.

The natural heart of the arrangement of spaces, both indoors and out, is the Golfer’s Veranda. This Veranda is oriented such that it captures the prevailing winds at all times and is covered with a low-slung green roof supported by slender columns designed to disappear and thus maximize views to the golf course.

This is the crossroads for all the sporting and social activities and a place to meet, sit and relax while enjoying splendid views. All the club functions are set within or adjacent to this Veranda allowing for guests and members to flow seamlessly from one space to another.

From this Veranda, one can easily step down a series of cascading landscaped terraces to the golf course itself. The landscaped terraces serve to blend the building with the golf course while creating viewing platforms for both holes 9 and 18. The Golfer’s Veranda becomes the transition gateway between the golf course and the clubhouse.

From the golf course, the new club is designed to merge seamlessly into its setting with low slung roofs, slender columns, landscaped terraces and building structures encased in dark bronze perforated metal screens. The perforations of the metal screen are inspired by the leaf patterns of the Rain trees and during the day create filigreed layers of light and shade and at dusk give the building an ethereal jewel-like quality.

In summary, the architectural expression and form of the clubhouse aims to be appropriate for its location, respects its heritage and embraces modernity simultaneously.