Dutch architecture firm MVRDV has completed two 36-story residential towers at Irwell Bank Road in Singapore, featuring a distinctive pixelated façade design that brings visual variety and identity to prefabricated modular construction. The project represents the latest example in MVRDV's portfolio demonstrating how efficiency and cost-effectiveness can coexist with architectural character and individuality.
The residential complex showcases MVRDV's innovative approach to façade design, working with a highly efficient, prefabricated modular building system originally designed by Singapore-based ADDP Architects. The Dutch firm's contribution focuses primarily on the exterior treatment, creating a lively and variegated façade that transforms the appearance of what could have been standard residential towers.
The pixelated design strategy serves multiple purposes beyond aesthetic appeal. The varied façade treatment highlights specific areas of the buildings, particularly drawing attention to green communal spaces located on the 24th floor and roof level. This design approach helps residents and visitors identify these important shared amenities while adding visual interest to the building's exterior.
Lead architect Nathalie de Vries oversaw the project, working with a design team that included Lorenzo Mattozzi, Marco Gazzola, Alberto Menozzi, Luca Beltrame, Fredy Fortich, Amanda Galiana Ortega, Andrea Ventura, Monika Wiecha, and Chi Zhang. The collaborative effort also involved several specialized consultants, including Ecoplan as landscape architect, TW-Asia Consultants as structural engineers, and United Project Consultants for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.
The project, completed in 2025, demonstrates MVRDV's continued exploration of how architectural creativity can enhance efficient building systems. Rather than accepting the limitations of prefabricated construction, the firm used the façade as an opportunity to inject personality and visual appeal into the residential development. The pixelated pattern creates a dynamic exterior that changes in appearance depending on viewing angle and lighting conditions.
This Singapore project adds to MVRDV's growing portfolio of residential architecture that challenges conventional approaches to high-density housing. By focusing on the building envelope as a site for innovation, the architects have shown how relatively simple interventions can significantly improve the quality and character of residential developments in urban environments.
