Sociocultural Village - Design Journal

Sociocultural Village Final Year Project (DS3 + DS4) Process Journal Aung Khant Myat S10177796A Ngee Ann Polytechnic

Design Brief The final project provides the opportunity to explore architectural spaces and experience(s) instilled in the societal life. Specifically, under the initiatives from Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), the proposal for the Life Experience Hub +Hybrid aims to inspire inclusive and active social engagement and participation.

This new placemaking is for partaking, identifying, learning, and creating social space typologies that offers “innovative, socially conscious, sustainable and spatial design solutions.”* The architectural design must take into consideration of the building’s programmes, the building’s formal expression and spaces that involve and revolve the social life of a community.

Design Pedagogy An institutional building design is challenged to transcend from its utilitarian spaces and rituals into assemblies for shared experiences of a community that can encapsulate the imaginative and unexpected spatial and experiential forms.

Client Ministry of Social and Family Development act as the main client of the project while Registry of Marriages was tasked to be integrated into the new Life Experience Hub + Hybrid.

Trends related to Social and Family Development in Singapore

Currently 1 in 5 marriages in Singapore are inter-ethnic.

The rise of inter-ethnic marriages means that there are more inter-ethnic babies and more young people growing up with diverse cultures to support them and mixed race identities.

Over half of marriages last year involved transnational and inter-ethnic couples, and the children of these bicultural households may eventually form the majority of society.

Urban + Site Analysis (Stage 1 : Sensing Spaces)

The first part of the Final Project was to analyse the site through group work in an urban and micro scale. The larger urban plot was split into 4 and my group did the analysis on Sub-division 4 which covers the Museum planning district with key national landmarks such as the Parliament, The National Gallery and St.Andrew Cathedral.

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URA Planning Area The site falls on the Museum Planning area and the planning area focus on developing the area to become an Institutional Hub and ‘Green Lung’ of the Central Area

Zoning There is a lack of permanent community due to little residential buildings near the site. It is therefore important to attract immediate users of the surrounding area.

Designer’s Statement The design approach was to first evaluate the client and the site on a macro scale.

Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) act as the main client with the task of creating a Life Experience Hub that integrate the Registry of Marriages (ROM). The site is located at the foothill of Fort Canning with direct access from Canning Rise and Armenian Street. The rich cultural and historical significance surrounding the site paired with the national and educational identity of the site created an opportunity as a prime location for a project that meet the changing social trends. In a study conducted in 2017, there is a rise in inter-racial marriages with 1 in 5 people being in an inter-racial marriage. Another social trend is of influx of various cultures brought in by immigration within the past few years. The project aims to ultimately meet the MSF’s goal of “a caring society” by creating a space that help transnational couples through issues such as language barriers and cultural differences while also creating a space that celebrate the growing multicultural nationalist identity of Singapore.

Developing on the aim, the concept chosen was to create a socio-cultural village that aims to create a place for sharing. From sharing love to stories to knowledge to food, the proposed building would aim to use the method of sharing in a village to develop greater social cohesion in Singapore. The result was a cluster of 6 separate masses that is connected and separated through 2 axis that forms the streets of the village. The central axis divides up the site and connects to the Fort Canning through an open staircase that can also be used as seating for performances in the central public square. The secondary axis perpendicular to the central axis forms the path that link the 6 masses together. The separation of masses along the 2 axis forms public squares that allow for various formal and informal activities. The main square that forms at the point where the 2 axes meet create a public square that is suitable even for various festivals such as the Singapore Night Festival. Bricks are used as the main material of the buildings as to integrate them as being part of the Fort Canning while also reminiscing the red bricks of the demolished National Library near the site.

DS3 INTERIM

Initial Planning revolves around a central staircase acting as an entry into Fort Canning with programmes surrounding it.

DS3 FINALS

Basement Plan

Level 1 Plan

Level 2 Plan

Level 3 Plan

DS4 INTERIM

DS4 FINALS

Basement Plan

Level 1 Plan

Level 2 Plan

Level 3 Plan

Elevat

tion 3

Elevation 4

Section A-A

Elevation 2

Section B-B

The use of bricks is a significance response to the rich historical Edwardian buildings, archaeological findings and the old National Library.

Main En

ntrance

View towards Solemn

nisation & Verifcation

View towards F&

&B and Gallery

View from

m Rooftop

Solemnisat

tion Room

Sociocultur

ral Gallery