ANALYSIS: ARCHITECTURE
Architects design greener spaces for SG landscape Industry experts outline how the architecture landscape will change in the next year.
Singapore will see more mediating spaces that give access to greenery and healthier buildings
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early two years have gone by since the COVID-19 hit Singapore, yet it seems going back to the pre-pandemic normal will likely come later rather than sooner. The Singapore government acknowledged this as it recalibrated its strategy towards “living with COVID” even as it succeeded in vaccinating a large portion of its population. But, what would a “Singapore designed to co-exist with the pandemic” look like? “The pandemic has heightened awareness to numerous needs and priorities that will shape design in the new normal,” AR Seah Chee Huang, CEO of DP Architects, told Real Estate Asia. “We have seen this shift in mindset from wealth to health, where I believe the current national push for digitisation will be met with an equally intentional investment in urban environments designed for wellness.” Redesigning a ‘healthier’ Lion City Chee Huang said Singapore will likely see more mediating spaces that can be readapted and reused, as well as areas that give access to public domains, greenery, and healthier buildings. The shift is also expected to bring us more 42
REAL ESTATE ASIA | Q1 2021
“Healthier, more responsive and breathable buildings” will emerge as the industry adopts biophilic design strategies that connect people to greener spaces
automation and artificial intelligence incorporated in the design to protect the people. Amongst the approaches seen to emerge in the next 12 months is the M³ urbanism as architects attempt to design areas meant to hold a healthy density. “The idea is to create selfsustainability within a single site with synergistic programming, facilities that are flexibly designed, and network of shared domains, spaces of respites and landscape terraces for enjoyment,” Chee Huang said. “This also fortifies our notion of ‘sharing’ and ‘commons’ that have proven to be critical for the community’s well-being, especially during modes of emergency and crisis like the pandemic.” Designs geared towards this approach reinforces concepts such as 10-minute walkability, and generally, 10-minute communities and economies. This is also in line with the government’s 2030 plans for residential areas to be within a 10-minute distance of a park. Moreover, Chee Huang said architects will be designing on account of physical and mental health, as well
as the current trend towards a hybrid work setup. “Healthier, more responsive and breathable buildings” will emerge as the industry adopts biophilic design strategies that connect people to greener spaces. Features that will provide for contactless interactions, sanitation and sewerage amongst others will also be integrated. As for the home and workplace, Chee Huang said the home has to be redesigned to feature “swing spaces” such as a balcony or sky-gardens; whilst the office will have to feature higher flexibility as it is seen to cater to a meet and exchange function in the post-pandemic norm. “The future of architecture no longer only represents a physical space but more importantly, its purpose, the planet, and its people,” Chee Huang said. “This means that design is going beyond just an aesthetic form; it is about how it affects the environment, its people, and vice versa.” Designing for the new normal For the Surbana Jurong Group, design in the new normal will likewise lean towards sustainability and spaces that provide multiple functions that are also useful in emergencies. The group noted a growing demand for planning and designing for the new normal. For one, the government has tapped Surbana Jurong to retrofit buildings for care and recovery facilities and redesign spaces for safety, as the government anticipates the return of activities in the workplace. “One of the biggest gaps in the built environment that COVID-19 has surfaced is the siloed thinking around design and usage of spaces,” Ivy Koh, director of SJ architecture at Surbana Jurong, said. “In the ‘next normal,’ we will need to build more urban spaces with the potential to serve multiple functions and be useful in emergencies.” Prevention and crisis readiness are some of the major considerations for urban planning seeing that a large portion of the population lives in cities. She noted that the key to addressing this is a collaborative design that involves not just urban planners, but also healthcare architects, interior designers, and engineers, amongst others. Koh expects demand for sustainable
