The design for the China Town Community Center is the outcome of extensive research on the development of Singapore as a nation state. Understanding what needs to be built in a certain place, is not only the result of an in depth morphological or physical inventory of a place and its context. The analysis will also need to include the history, the culture, the social and political networks, the economy, and the climatological circumstances. Human life and its physical manifestation in built form is the outcome of all these variables influencing each other, at different scale levels and through time.
Understanding the role of Singapore in the globalizing markets and it’s part in a post (global) colonial trading network, appreciating the demographic composition and social interaction between Chinese-, Malay-, and Indian Singaporeans, understanding the vision of Lee Kwan Yew (President of Singapore) on the development of Singapore (from 3rd world country to 1st world country in fifty years), and what this means for public institutions like the Housing Development Board (HDB) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and for the morphological urban development of Singapore is crucial in order to ‘read’ the public space in China Town and understand it for the way it is.
The design supports the creation of a quiet residential community park, by functioning as a ‘filter’ between the busy commercial China Town market, and the elevated (+/+7 meters) community park. The park is a new type of public space in the neigborhood, in addition to the busy market and the tourist area, and rebalances the function of public space towards the residents. The design combines strategically placed community centre-, office- and commercial functions. The morphology is the result of an analysis of the major routes through the area, which have been cut out of the building envelope.
Temporal Integration
M.Sc. 2 Design Studio
Singapore 2009
design: Peter de Ruijter
mentors: Prof.dr. A. Graafland / dr.ir. G. Bracken / ir. G. Bruyns
design2sustain 
Discussion
No comments yet.