III. Overall Design

III. Overall Design

Design of the Houses Regarding the nature of sustainability, the design aims to create a natural-like feeling with organic shape for the future dwellings and thereby circle is used as the key design element. To fulfill the needs of individuals, there are different sizes of circles which represent different communal spaces for daily necessity including the washroom, bedroom, and dining area. With an aim to encourage community engagement, several semi-public areas are designed for different activities. Meanwhile, to further strengthen the human-nature relationship, biophilic design is considered which can be reflected on the installation of the external green walls. By installing the green wall, we aim to connect the human with their 5 senses, including sense of sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch. It is because the walls can provide aesthetic landscaping and food sources, as well as nurture lives such as bees and butterflies during the blossoming season. As to enhance the thermal comfort and natural lighting, the design of the roof and high ceiling, together with the windows which are facing the northeast and southwest, allow natural ventilation and capture sunlight.

Figure 3.1 Master Layout Plan for 3 dwelling designs (Source: Design Team)

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Target Groups The proposed 3 types of houses will be suitable for accommodating households of different sizes and compositions, including standard family size of 3 or 4 people, couples, as well as co-living of 4-5 single persons. The target groups were derived from the urban development pattern in the vicinity to the Subject Site. For instance, House for co-living of single persons can accommodate college students from the nearby Nanyang Technological University, who would like to experience a brand new way of green and sustainable lifestyle. Employees and their families of the nearby eco-business park can live in houses designed with standard family size or for couples, so the employee can take advantage of the proximity of his/her home to the workplace, and his/her family members can also benefit from the proximity to the tranquil natural environment of the Jurong Eco Garden.

Functions of 1/F and 2/F A special space allocation and design feature of the 3 houses is that there’s a distinction in the uses of the ground floor and first floor. For the 3 houses, the first floors above ground are designed for residence. For the ground floors, they are proposed to be semi-public open space for accommodating various community activities shared among households living in the 3 houses.

Table 3.1 below summarizes the space allocation, functions and other facilities of the proposed houses. Figure 3.2 below shows the modular design concept while Figure 3.3 indicates the floor plans for the proposed houses.

Table 3.1 Space allocation, functions and other facilities of the proposed houses

#1 House #2 House #3 House

1/F (residence)

For standard family size of 4 people For 4-5 single people (one big communal area of kitchen, toilet and bath) For 2 couples or family size of 3 people (two kitchen and dining areas separated by a wall in one big circle)

G/F (semi-public open space for community activities)

Common area outside the houses

Eating place/ cafe/ cookery studio Communal / workshop area (i.e. co-working space in daytime and event space during evening) Mild exercise area (e.g. yoga/scratching) and nursery

- Table and chairs - Community garden - Vigorous event/exercise

Green Living Wall

- Vertical greening of plants and flowers for visual enhancement and cooling. - Hydroponic planter system for crop harvesting.

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Roof

Infrastructure

- Hybrid renewable energy generating roof with CO2 fixation technology.

- Integrated waste management and waste-to-energy system - Rainwater collection and water recycling facility.

Figure 3.2 Modular design concepts (Source: Design Team)

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Figure 3.3 Floor plans of the proposed 3 houses (Source: Design Team)

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