Singapore’s Playful New Bowling Center Integrates History and Vision for the Future

Mixing fun, history and functionality in an intriguing entertainment venue concept, interior design companyKyoob-id brings an unexpected level of profoundness and innovation to the new Orchid Bowl bowling center in Singapore. Located in Punggol, a transurban planning area and residential town, the bowling center is the latest addition to the waterfront area under the Punggol 21 initiative, launched to transform the northeastern coast area of Singapore into a self-sustaining waterfront enclave, representative of the 21st century living.

The design team at Kyoob-id approached the project with a unique perspective, integrating history and a new vision for Punggol, while maintaining a playful and fun atmosphere. Echoing back to Punggol’s legacy as an early fishing village,while emphasizing the town’s recent transformation into a forward-looking, sustainable waterfront development, Kyoob-id’s interior design team unveiled a modern interpretation of a waterfront city within the center’s interior in a light-hearted and non-obtrusive way through subtle references, colors and design features.

In a nod to Punggol’s history, Kyoob-id created an impactful entrance wall consisting of polygons in varying textures to represent abstracted leaves and vegetation while strategically placing two tree-like displays with clusters of polygonal acoustic panels adorning the abstracted tree canopies close to the entrance. “The fruit tree installation has successfully managed to bring the noise levels down significantly and created an aesthetic and meaningful design feature with a [compelling] story,” said Kyoob-id’s senior designer Nut Ruangsorn about the playful and functional design.

Throughout the bowling center’s spaces, the design team introduced curves created by vinyl anti-slip tiles and carpeting to subtly suggest the bends of a riverbed and features like textured panels, black galaxy solid surface counter tops and wall graphics to hint at both the past and the future of the bowling centre’s neighborhood. Along the bowling lanes, Kyoob-id used strategically placed LED lights to run parallel to the ball return and gutter tracks, giving the space a dynamic and futuristic look without distracting the bowlers. The design team deliberately placed the reception counter at the back of the bowling centre, so that the visitors could experience the space in its entirety.

With functionality and fun driving the bowling center's overall aesthetic, the legacy and future vision of the Punggol town come together in the final design in ways that do not seem forceful or contrived.

“We wanted to bring the external environment such as natural foliage that exists outside the center’s walls into the interior,” summarizes Ruangsorn. “Our plan was to retain a semblance of Punggol’s rich history and blend it with its dynamic vision of a new waterfront city as seamlessly as possible.”

Photography courtesy of INFINITUDE.

Original Article from Interior Design: http://www.interiordesign.net/articles/12220-singapore-s-playful-new-bowling-center-integrates-history-and-vision-for-the-future/