DESIGN STUDIO : SEMESTER 1 STUDIO DESCRIPTIONS (AR5801)/(AR5805)

WORKHOUSE

Tutor: Hitoshi Abe

Developments in manufacturing technology led to a shift in labour practices, resulting in work activities that were previously conducted within the home being relocated to designated workplaces. The separation of work from home became a key concept in modernisation, driving the design of buildings and cities. Recently, we have witnessed a paradigm shift in this principle: the spaces traditionally designated for domesticity and work are gradually merging, leading to the emergence of a blurred or interconnected area. The activities and experiences of daily life have exceeded the structures that contain them, becoming more fluid and seamless. At the forefront of this shift are numerous co-working/living spaces that have appeared. Admidst this period of critical evaluation and experimentation, these spaces serve as indicators of the broader shifts resulting from technological advancements, lifestyle changes, and the rise of the sharing economy.

WORKHOUSE studio will explore what the phenomenon of coworking/living means for architecture, and how it can serve as a catalyst for a series of mutually beneficial, thoughtfully coordinated programmatic relationships. We believe that this approach will lead us to a series of new building types which will help us to envision the future of our living environment.

SPORTS ON SMALL PLOT: HYBRIDISING FOR MORE WITH LESS

Tutor: Cheah Kok Ming

Half fish, half lion—our mascot the Merlion, epitomises the concept of a hybrid, an entity produced by a combination of two or more distinct elements, usually with an outcome that is more than the sum of its elements. Hybrid or mixed-use buildings are invented for land use optimisation as well as capitalising on the synergy of different functions to create symbiotic benefits. Sports facilities like swimming pools, stadiums and play fields are expansive land occupiers. In recent decades, the strategy of collocating different facilities has resulted in the creation of unique community architecture, where large sports facilities residing with libraries, community clubs, polyclinics and food courts. Tampines Hub, Heartbeat @ Bedok and Bukit Canberra are examples of such community hybrid concepts that optimised land use and concentrated public accessibility.

This studio is about seeking more possibilities of architectural hybridisation. The objective is to achieve innovative sports infrastructure designs that can maximise utility while using less land, considering the context of Singapore.

BANDUNG-LASWI CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

Tutor:

Florian Heinzelmann

Bandung, the capital of the province of West Java (Indonesia), also called “Paris of Java”, plays a significant role in Indonesia’s education and creative industry. In addition, Bandung was envisioned as the new capital of Indonesia during the Dutch colonial rule. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Bandung saw significant developments not only in architecture and education (e.g., ITB) but also in infrastructure. One of these developments is the railway connection and related facilities within the city of Bandung. One of these remnant facilities is the ~16ha Laswi train depot heritage site. Over the past few years, several master plans and initiatives were drafted on what to do with the site and heritage. Current plans foresee turning the area into a cultural and retail function while respecting the heritage of the site and existing buildings. The research design task aims to understand and rethink cultural activities, respectful utilisation of heritage structures, the integration of old and new elements, examination of the existing masterplan, understanding Bandung’s socio-economic context, and proposing a phased microclimatic performative green building solution. Throughout this process, the goal is to avoid gentrification and maintain accessibility for Bandung’s general population.

HOT AIR IV: CARBON & CAPITAL

Tutor: Erik G. L’Heureux

This studio will expand on three previous semesters of design research and aims to explore the outcomes of planet-positive design at the architectural scale in Ho Chi Minh, an equatorial city. The research will focus on the intersection of Hot Air, Carbon, and Capital.

As the equatorial city transitions from a granular, porous, and informal city to a more formal, conditioned, and carbondependent metropolis, the idea of a carbon-neutral or planetpositive city is challenged by large-scale capital, global emulation, and imported technological systems. Previous semesters have shown that designing zero-carbon buildings in a dense metropolis is a significant challenge. In this semester, carbon accounting will be used to create net-zero carbon propositions as a baseline and necessary task.

The design studio research will explore how architects envision a future of planet-positive action and decarbonisation while recognising rural-urban migration, increased densities, and aspirations for similar conveniences as those in the Global North. The studio will also focus on counting carbon, labour, and capital that goes into the building processes, making counting a fundamental component of design research. There will also be additional research activities that will include travel to HCMC.

Rethinking Vertiports

Tutor: Joseph Lim

In the way that high speed trains revolutionised city centres, Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) using eVTOL drones will change regional air transport infrastructure to impact on the architecture of the city. Beyond the use of existing airfields for immediate operations, early vertiport designs manifest as standalone transport, logistic and commercial structures accommodating large roof pads. While AAM is understood as the use of eVTOL aircraft for places not served by surface transportation or airports, the moving of people and cargo between city nodes and outlying areas can be studied as an extreme change in city life at a smaller scale of the urban grain. What is this new threshold where machine interfaces with building? Where vertiports are understood in large scale, this options studio investigates how small eVTOL pads can manifest in the urban grain. How can AAM reduce demand on large land plots and building footprint? How can they be integrated with existing infrastructure to mitigate deforestation for future urban developments?

Design geometry is explored as networks in form, space, and structure using Grasshopper, or equivalent tools. Conceptual and Design Development processes in studio are augmented by industry experts from Arup Singapore, Skyports and Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.

Tale Of Destinies

Tutor: Tan Teck Kiam

This studio delves into the economic and social spatial forces that shape urban spaces and draws upon the critical works of Jean Baudrillard and Henri Lefebvre to provide a theoretical framework.

Jean Baudrillard’s “The System of Objects” (1968) offers valuable insights into the intricate spatial relationships within homes, highlighting the complex interplay of functionality, hierarchy, privacy, and family interactions. Similarly, urban environments are determined by planning strategies, design guidelines, and population densities, influenced by the intertwined concepts of live-work-play. Henri Lefebvre’s spatial triad, presented in “The Production of Space” (1974), provides a comprehensive understanding of urban spaces. It encompasses perceived space, the individual’s spatial experience; conceived space, the planned and designed space by professionals; and lived space, the space where daily life unfolds with its own practices and meanings.

UNIDENTICAL TWINS:

House Project For Japan

AND SINGAPORE

KYUSHU UNIVERSITY / SHINKENCHIKU COLLABORATION

Tutor: Tsuto Sakamoto

The studio takes up a house as subject. Responding to the four seasons and surviving harsh climatic conditions, the houses in Japan have evolved with variety of techniques and technologies.

Focusing on the houses in Japan and its relationship with a natural environment, the studio will start with scientific simulations, and investigation of cultural and poetic aspects of them. Students will study heat exchange, air movement, humidity and light; while analysing consequential phenomena such as particular spatial experiences, life patterns, relationships amongst residents and their engagements with objects, plants and animals.

Subsequently, the studio imagines the houses being relocated to a particular site in Singapore. The students will pursue a “counterpart of the twins” of the original house by responding to the alternative climatic conditions by modifying them creatively.

Critical examination of the often-overlooked forces that shape urban spaces, shedding light on the contributions of foreign workers in Singapore and their impact on the urban fabric are also explored in this studio. Drawing parallels with Fritz Lang’s film “Metropolis,” it reveals striking similarities between these two worlds. Moreover, the studio explores the potential power of artificial intelligence and its transformative effects on cities. It seeks a balance between technological progress and the preservation of humanity within an inclusive and sustainable urban landscape. It highlights the importance of human agency in realising a shared destiny.

Sustaining Connections

Tutor: Steven Thor

‘Have you eaten?’…….. The simple greeting is often cursory and fleeting.

Dig deeper and you will find it as an expression of a people, their culture, considerations, and cares that are rooted in the importance of sustenance and food security. Or a promise to a dinner date.

Transient acts often have echoes of the past and the evolution of an emerging pattern.

We need a pause and take in the importance of social mores and ephemeral habits and in turn, a reset from the numbing life pursuits and cursory relationships to root ourselves to a meaningful existence.

Social movements, environmental concerns, technology, locational context and many more drivers have the currency to shape our behaviours and built environment.

This studio questions the relationships between inane unconsciousness, set behaviours and built spaces. You are to explore future environments that foster meaningful relationships and celebrate the greatness and captivating aspects of life, while still resonating with real world conditions and needs.

You will propose a palette of usage from selected plot with contextual driven designs respecting urban and human scale. The studio encourages architectural explorations that connect with users and celebrate life’s theatre.

M ARCH I & II SEMESTER 1

DESIGN STUDIO LEADERS :

AR5801 OPTIONS DESIGN RESEARCH STUDIO 1 LEADERS : AR5805 ADVANCED ARCHITECTURE STUDIO LEADERS :

Hitoshi Abe

Ong Siew May Visiting Professor NUS Professor, Department of Architecture and Urban Design, University of California Los Angeles; Terasaki Chair for Contemporary Japanese study; Director, xLAB, UCLA; Director, Paul I . and Hisako Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies, UCLA; Principal, Atelier Hitoshi Abe

Cheah Kok Ming

Vice Dean (Academic), Associate Professor; B Arch, BA Arch Studies (National University of Singapore); Registered Architect, Singapore

Simone Chung

Assistant Professor; Ph.D. (Cantab.) ARB/RIBA Part 3 (UK). M.Phil. (Cantab., dist.), M.Sc. (dist.), AA Diploma, B.Sc. (Hons.)

Fung John Chye

Associate Professor in Practice; B Arch (National University of Singapore); Registered Architect, Singapore

Richard Ho Professor in Practice; B Arch (National University of Singapore); MSIA, Registered Architect, Singapore

Florian Heinzelmann

Associate Professor in Practice; PhD (Eindhoven University of Technology), M Arch (Berlage Institute), Dipl-Ing (Munich University of Applied Sciences); Registered Architect, the Netherlands

Gauraung Khemka

Visiting Professor; Master of Urban Design (UC Berkeley), M Arch (National University of Singapore), B Arch (Sushant School of Art & Architecture, India); MSIA, AIA, IIA., Registered Architect, Singapore, India and US

Khoo Peng Beng Adjunct Associate Professor; B Arch (National University of Singapore); RIBA, MSIA, Registered Architect, Singapore

Lawrence Ler

AA Diploma (Architectural Association), BA Arch (National University of Singapore); BOA, MSIA, Registered Architect, Singapore

Erik G. L’Heureux

Dean’s Chair Associate Professor; PhD (RMIT University), M Arch (Princeton University), BA Arch (Washington University in St. Louis); FAIA, Registered Architect, New York and Rhode Island, USA, MSIA, Registered Architect, Singapore; LEED AP BD+C, NCARB

Joseph Lim

Associate Professor; PhD (Heriot-Watt University), MSc (University of Strathclyde), B Arch (National University of Singapore); MSIA, Registered Architect, Singapore

Mike Lim

MBA (University of Leicester, UK), BA Arch (National University of Singapore); SIDAC Interior Designer Practitioner – Class 1 (ID1)

Kevin Mark Low

Bachelor of Architecture, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, U.S.A. - June 12th, 1988. Master of Science in Architecture Studies, M.I.T., Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A. - June 3rd, 1991. Minor in Art History, M.I.T., Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A. - June 3rd, 1991.

Khairudin Saharom

Adjunct Assistant Professor; M Arch (National University of Singapore); MSIA

Pier Alessio Rizzardi M Arch, B Arch (Polytechnic University of Milan)

Tsuto Sakamoto

Associate Professor, M Arch Programme Director; MSc (Columbia University), M Eng (Waseda University), B Eng (Tokyo University of Science)

Soh Leen How

University of Kansas, Bachelor of Architecture with Distinction, Thayer Gold Medal RMIT University, Master of Business Administration (International Management)

Ruzica Bozovic Stamenovic

Associate Professor, Deputy Head (Administration and Finance); ScD, MSc (University of Belgrade, Serbia), Spec Arch, Dip Eng Arch (University of Belgrade, Serbia); Registered Architect, Serbia

Rudi Stouffs (Co-teaching with Jean You)

Dean’s Chair Associate Professor; PhD, MSc (Arch Comp Design) (Carnegie Mellon University), MSc (ArchEng), Ir-Arch (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)

Tan Beng Kiang

Associate Professor; DDes (Harvard University), M Arch (University of California, Los Angeles), B Arch (National University of Singapore); MSIA, Registered Architect, Singapore

Tan Teck Kiam

Adjunct Associate Professor; B Arch (Hons) (National University of Singapore); MSIA, Registered Architect, Singapore

Alan Tay

Adjunct Asst Professor; M Arch (NUS), MSIA, Registered Architects, Singapore

Teh Joo Heng

Adjunct Associate Professor; SMArchS (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), B Arch (National University of Singapore); MSIA, Registered Architect, Singapore

Steven Thor

BA (Arch S), BArch (Dist); Registered Architect, Singapore

DESIGN STUDIO LEADERS :

AR5802 OPTIONS DESIGN RESEARCH STUDIO 2 LEADERS :

François Blanciak

Associate Professor; PhD, M Arch (University of Tokyo), DPLG (École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Grenoble); Registered Architect, France

Lilian Chee

Associate Professor; PhD, MSc Arch History (University College London), B Arch, BA Arch Studies (National University of Singapore)

Gauraung Khemka

Visiting Professor; Master of Urban Design (UC Berkeley), M Arch (National University of Singapore), B Arch (Sushant School of Art & Architecture, India); MSIA, AIA, IIA., Registered Architect, Singapore, India and US

H. Koon Wee

Visiting Associate Professor; M Arch (Yale University), B Arch (University of Western Australia), BA Arch (National University of Singapore); FRSA, Registered Architect, Singapore and the Netherlands

Ho Puay Peng

Professor, Head of Department; PhD (University of London), M Arch, Dip Arch (University of Edinburgh); RIBA

Thomas Kong

Associate Professor, NUS; Deputy Head, Department of Architecture; Assistant Dean (Development), College of Design and Engineering; M Arch (Cranbrook Academy of Art), B Arch (National University of Singapore); Assoc. AIA, Registered Architect, Singapore

Neo Sei Hwa

Adjunct Associate Professor; B Arch (National University of Singapore), BA Arch Studies (National University of Singapore); MSIA, Registered Architect, Singapore

Shinya Okuda

Associate Professor; M Eng, B Eng (Kyoto Institute of Technology); Registered Architect, Japan and the Netherlands

Lawrence Ler

AA Diploma (Architectural Association), BA Arch (National University of Singapore); BOA, MSIA, Registered Architect, Singapore

Rene Tan

Adjunct Associate Professor; M Arch (Princeton University), B Arch (Music and Architecture) (Yale University); Registered Architect, Singapore

Tan Teck Kiam

Adjunct Associate Professor; B Arch (Hons) (National University of Singapore); MSIA, Registered Architect, Singapore

Wong Chong Thai, Bobby Adjunct Associate Professor; Honorary Fellow (National University of Singapore), Dip Arch (Aberdeen), MDesS (Harvard); MSIA, Registered Architect Singapore

Thesis Offerings

FORM

Tutor: François Blanciak

What should a significant architectural project look like? How can it exist within the current ecological context of architecture and a strained economy of attention? In light of current debates on what is—fundamentally—a building, this thesis topic will focus broadly on the issue of form in architecture, a notion so contentious that it is often presented as necessarily “following” particular variables. What these variables are, and why they surface at specific moments in history, will be investigated. A particular emphasis will also be put on the study of precedents in order to envision architectural outputs that transcend solutionism.

‘WITHOUT’ ARCHITECTURE

Tutor: Randy Chan

If architecture is seen as a container of space, then, Spatial Allegory is an idea that calls out the stories that fill it.

As a critique of present-day architecture, where the heavy focus of buildings is on sterile formality, the thesis interest shall seek to highlight a loss of narrative meaning in architectural spaces. It encourages a more compelling methodology to interpret and construct space as a means for individuals to understand the “self” and the “everyday” to give rise to fresh and unexpectedly enriching meaning to the spaces we inhabit ubiquitously.

Refuge For Homo Deus

Tutor: Chaw Chih Wen

We are interested in the paradigmatic shifts in architecture as we transit from Homo Sapiens to Homo Deus. Yuval Noah Harari’s trilogy of works will serve as a springboard for further investigation into related sociopolitical-cultural phenomenon and most importantly, their spatial implications.

Last year’s thesis offering focused on creating alternative Temples for Homo Deus in the face of the rising technoreligion; Dataism. This year, we invite students to reimagine the idea of Refuge for Homo Deus as a possible architectural respite for the dividual where the existential question of their humanism is constantly challenged in this network society.

The thesis should refrain from a simplistic application of black box technology in architecture, but rather, focus on the discovery of novel, unimagined spatial practices through the lens of a homo deus.

Situated Strangeness

Tutor: Cheah Kok Ming

In any creative endeavours, the deep insights of context and the responses to it produces significant and meaningful outcomes. The inventive originality of these outcomes could only be informed by the specificity of the issue and its situated conditions. Sometimes these solutions are so unique and unprecedented that they are simply strange or provocative; nevertheless relevant and fit for its time, place and purpose.

Health Robinson’s caricature during the two world wars brought entertainment to the British who were plagued by the misery of bloody conflicts. His comic relief was uplifting and hilarious in those dark times. They were always about odd, absurd inventions or overly-engineered contraptions conceived to poke fun at the enemies. His cartoons were refreshingly captivating and tinted with

“anti-fragility”. He was able to harvest adverse moments to create jokes that boost public morale. Robinson’s inventions were appealing because they had strong contextual underpinnings. It captured the British brand of humour and satire, celebrated the might of industrialisation and mechanisation of early 20th Century as well as the British pride of the Arts & Crafts Movement in its praise for craftsmanship. The latter inspired the intricacies of his ludicrous device illustrated in each witty narrative.

A successful architectural thesis is predicated on critical and in-depth understanding of the issues and the context they reside in. There is the context of the past, present and the future and further futures. Each context of its time has an intertwining set of conditions involving geography, environment, climate, society, politics, culture, technology, and economy. The thesis is an informed projective cast into the future or a speculative exploration responding to evolving temporal contexts. The study of contexts will always reveal signs that define the strangeness.

EMERGING CIVIC URBANISMS: DESIGNING FOR SOCIAL IMPACT

Tutor: Cho Im Sik

With rising awareness of the impacts of environmental degradation and growing social and economic polarisation, various forms of civic urbanisms are emerging around the world as an alternative to the growth-oriented and market-driven urban development of the past. This implies an awakened desire for a new paradigm in society based on more sustainable ways of life, which contributed to the increased interest in communal life and shared identities in localities, with greater emphasis on well-being, quality of life, social inclusion, environmental consciousness, and active participation of citizens in decision-making. In a fastchanging social context, this studio draws attention to the possibilities and challenges that we face; while moving towards a more inclusive and sustainable future. By critically reflecting upon the conventional ways we perceive, plan and build our cities, the studio will rigorously question established norms, conceptions and systems, to inspire new visions of urbanism designed for long term social impact.

The studio will explore integrative and hybrid urban models that cultivate genuine socially and ecologically sustainable lifestyles. Innovative approaches will be investigated to facilitate timely, flexible and contextsensitive urban interventions; this is to encourage a shift from centralized, top-down approaches to more decentralized, bottom-up processes, and from singular and static design solutions to dynamic and pluralistic design processes, which can be instrumental for reconceptualizing urban space design for the hybrid and high-density environments of today and tomorrow. This may result in the creation of ‘structures for inclusion’, which permit opportunities for collaboration between different social/economic groups to enhance economic vitality and social equality. This may also mean the creation of new and diverse hybrid social spaces that encourage individual and collective creativity and allow for continual transformation and adaptation. Ultimately, the studio aims to open up new possibilities of re-centring urban development toward a more inclusive cosmopolis of diversity and accommodation of difference based on greater involvement of communities in the making of our future city.

Architecture As Media Ii

Tutor: Simone Chung

Technology in this millennium has evolved from the domination of information to become a conduit for communication, creative expression and knowledge transmission. For one, the abundance of real-time data capture and intermedial interventions in the public realm surfaces the dynamic reciprocity between the built environment and digital milieu—one which potentiates fresh adventures with new mixed reality experiences (Chung 2023). The technological gaze in this digital age has made us forget that media means more than devices and interfaces: they encapsulate the geophysical histories and materiality of an artefact that predates its date of production. Media, as defined by Hertz and Parikka (2015:146), is “approached through the concrete artefacts, design solutions, and various technological layers that range from hardware to software processes, each of which in its own way participates in the circulation of time and memory.” From a deep-time perspective, the materiality of media exposes an extensive matrix implicating the geopolitics of labour, expansionist capitalism, and irreversible environmental damage not only from planetary excavations and energy production but also the long-tail effects of toxic waste.

The work of architects is varied; while they may be solution-centred, exploratory, innovation-oriented or highly speculative, the resultant outputs are often driven, and advanced, through application. As before, this year’s theses interrogations will consider the multiplicity of roles architecture plays—as conveyor of meanings, a platform for others to build on, as a conduit for connection, activate collectives.

Estuary And Ecofantasy

Tutor: Will Michael Davis

This thesis studio is an invitation to explore architecture in terms of living materials and living traditions. From woven palms, pressed bamboo, shingles stitched with rattan to natural dyed fabrics; students will research tactile traditions in the context of Southeast Asia— paying attention to the range of scales that architecture encompasses, where the same weave might involve mats, baskets, walls, and roofs. The studio questions what we can learn from the tactile practices of nonwritten knowledge, and how can architecture respond in the contemporary moment—taking into account craft and intergenerational knowledge in order to understand locality in new ways?

F.U.N. 5.0 | REIMAGINING HEALTHSCAPES

Tutor: Fung John Chye

Aspiring for good health and wellbeing is the zeitgeist of urban living in the 21st Century due to the convergence of medical advancement, economic progress, transformative technologies, climate change, population ageing, pandemics, and the rapid propagation of human knowledge through the Internet. A high-density environment poses immense challenges to human health. This Master’s studio will examine community-based approaches towards human-centric “healthscapes” by reimagining our future urban neighbourhoods as a crucible of human health. Future Urban Neighbourhoods (F.U.N.) 5.0 is fifth in the series that re-imagines highdensity future neighbourhoods at both urban and architectural scales. Students first conceptualise a masterplan and then delve deeper into architectural innovation.

THE MODERN CONSTITUTION: ARCHITECTURE & SOCIETY

Tutor: H. Koon Wee

This studio would be exploring architecture within the framework of modern society and its politics. In such an exploration, there would be linkages between the rhythms of modern life and work, the inequalities they generate and their impact on the broader environment. It is not by accident that advanced societies are on a journey towards modernization, industrialization, and the building of sophisticated infrastructure and cities, in order to better harness human and natural capital.

Globalization would also be a natural outcome of such a modern project. Students could take this studio as a continuation of their formative discoveries of architectural and urban concepts of efficiency, functional zoning, systems thinking and different ways to create and rationalize the modern condition.

First guarantee : even though we construct Nature, Nature is asif we did not constructit.

Second guarantee : even though we do not construct Society. Society is as if we did construct it.

Third guarantee : Nature and Society must remain absolutely distinct…

In describing the modern condition, Latour (1993: 32) observes three guarantees. This studio draws upon the philosophical foundations of such thinking. Latour’s seminal works include how professionalized barriers of competency are created when postcolonial governments undertake modernization projects (Latour & Shabou, 1974), how scientific facts are constructed under complex sociological settings in an advanced laboratory (Latour & Woolgar, 1986), and many others.

“SOCIO-CLIMATIC PLACES”

Tutor: Florian Heinzelmann

Students are invited to research and design systems and solutions that focus on addressing global warming’s effects through the built environment and construction practice, with the aim to halt or reverse its effects. The socio-climatic context of the tropical region within Southeast Asia should be used as a base for their work. With a deep understanding of a specific location and societal context, students can propose solutions to rethink, improve, repair, or optimise various aspects. They can explore different means from climatic adaptability, passive climatic design strategies, adaptive re-use of materials and construction systems, embodied energy, energy production, etc. The basis of this concept stems from the idea that when a space is comfortable enough, meaningful social interactions and activities can happen— thus turning them into places for occasions, as concluded by Aldo van Eyck.

CULTURE, IDENTITY AND FORM

Tutor: Ho Puay Peng

Architecture embodies social aspirations and is the formal expression of social values. Thesis research and design is a process of exploration. This thesis studio will focus on the discovery of the meaning behind conceptions of society, community, and cultural manifestation. Observation, robust research and critical discourse are essential to this process. Individual and societal identity, and the process of identity construction should be investigated through formal scrutiny and architectural production. The process of searching is as important as the final form creation. This thesis offering is also complemented by the interest in architectural heritage conservation, adaptive reuse, and intervention in historic buildings and neighbourhoods.

THESIS STATEMENT

Tutor: Richard Ho

The ever-growing urban centres leading to specific human conditions necessary to survive in overcrowded populated spaces, as well as the ongoing contestation for space in the urban centres has always been my research interest. Architects and government agencies have, by and large, failed to protect the interests of the have-nots, the under-privileged and those without a voice—preferring to further the myopic commercial and economic gains of the developers and landowners instead. The evidence lies in deforestation, conversion of arable land to golf courses and gated condominiums, demolition and destruction of our built heritage and the over-fishing of the oceans are everywhere for those who care to look.

In Singapore, issues such as the inequitable distribution of land to private vs. public housing, golf courses pandering to the leisure of a select few, priority of roads for cars over streets for people, conservation of our architectural heritage driven by commercial interests— are all pressing issues which the present generation of architects must seek to redress.

We often hear about buildability and sustainability being championed, but what about cultural sustainability? How do we address that in a multi-cultural society like ours? This is an issue not only in Singapore but also in the other Southeast Asian countries where the pressure of development in urban centres are most felt. Students are welcome to choose sites beyond the confines of our island.

Futures For Our Modern Past

Tutor: Ho Weng Hin

Faced with mounting redevelopment pressures, postindependence modernist structures and landscapes in Singapore are at a watershed moment. Today, imageable heroic modern megastructures such as the People’s Park Complex built barely four decades ago are threatened with obliteration, through their impending en-bloc sales. On the other hand, following estate intensification programmes, what used to be a substantial and varied building stock of modernist housing heritage—such as the pioneering Queenstown Estate—has been severely depleted. The studio proposes that this paradigm is becoming increasingly environmentally and socially unsustainable, leading to disruptions in social, cultural and urban accretion indispensable to create a vibrant, liveable city. Rather than seeing conservation as opposition to progress and intensification, it explores rehabilitation and adaptive reuse as an alternative mode of urban regeneration—one that layers on rather than a demolish-and-rebuild approach. Under the guidance by a practicing conservation specialist, the studio will adopt a rigorous research-based approach to inform conservation design strategies for a site of the student’s choice, during the thesis preparation stage. Students will gain new skills and tools for ‘deep reading’ into heritage landscapes, structures and artefacts that will inform a robust conservation/ intervention framework to guide the thesis design stage.

Holon Studio

Tutor: Khoo Peng Beng

Tabula Rasa Rasa Rasa

In the quantum paradigm, the human person is a macro quantum system that is non-locally entangled with other organism throughout the biosphere. We are no longer seen as separated and apart from the universe. We are simultaneously whole and a part of, or a holon, of the universe. This thesis studio is concerned with examining the concept of the holon and holoarchy in architecture. It starts with the student as the basic unit of the holon, building up the complexity of the system through integrative processes. Students will explore how simple system nests within larger systems, creating a holoarchy. Unlike the traditional hierarchy, a holoarchy does not have a defined top and a defined bottom but is open ended and bi-directional. Architecture therefore is seen as a complex system comprising autonomous wholes that exists within a larger system. Students will be free to explore this conceptual framework and its implications in any context pertaining to a future Singapore.

Adrian Lai

Tabula Rasa Rasa Rasa

Tutor: Adrian Lai

THE ART-DESIGN NEXUS

Tutor: Thomas Kong

Tabula Rasa is the obliteration of what went before, so as to make anew.

“The curse of the tabula rasa is that, once applied, it proves not only previous occupancies expendable, but also each future occupancy provisional too, ultimately temporary. That makes the claim to finality – the illusion on which even the most mediocre architecture is based – impossible. It makes Architecture impossible.”

Rem Koolhaas, Singapore Songlines or Thirty Years of Tabula Rasa, S,M, L, XL

Tabula Rasa is the obliteration of what went before, so as to make anew.

A reframing for architecture would be to renew, rather than to constantly make anew. In explorations of newness, this studio will work on architectural proposals in search of originality over novelty to elicit the freshness of rediscovering origins and a glimpse beyond the shadows cast on Plato’s cave walls.

A reframing for architecture would be to renew, rather than to constantly make anew. In explorations of newness, this studio will work on architectural proposals in search of originality over novelty to elicit the freshness of rediscovering origins and a glimpse beyond the shadows cast on Plato’s cave walls.

This studio invites students to explore architectural techniques to renew the city through integration and adaptation, rather than obliteration. Palimpsest and Traditions—or at least the artefacts of these cultural legacies— will serve as a way in for us to research, reimagine and remake. Intensities, densities, proximities and freedoms will be applied to measure out architecture that affords connections, cultural practices and community for the formulation of identity.

This studio invites students to explore architectural techniques to renew the city through integration and adaptation, rather than obliteration. Palimpsest and Traditions – or at least the artefacts of these cultural legacies – will serve as a way in for us to research, reimagine and remake. Intensities, densities, proximities and freedoms will be applied to measure out architecture that affords connections, cultural practices and community for the formulation of identity.

The art-design nexus animates and pervades my practice and teaching. I am particularly interested in art as a process of seeing, thinking, and making; to challenge our values, perceptions, and ideas of what is acceptable and offer insight into the marvellous, uncanny, and poetic. As a social and critical practice, art stirs good trouble. It provokes us to think deeply about what we value as a society, reveals hidden agendas, forges new connections, and gives voice to the disenfranchised. In this regard, art is no different from an architecture thesis, which must possess these aspirations. A good thesis stakes and communicates a position with clarity, force, and conviction. It has the audacity to imagine another way is possible.

In the etymology of the word ‘tabula’, that is, to raise up or frame, the word ‘rasa’ takes centrestage. Rasa in Bahasa Melayu is the act of feeling, the sense of touch or the sensation produced by a thing touched. Rasa (

In the etymology of the word ‘tabula’, that is, to raise up or frame, the word ‘rasa’ takes centre-stage. Rasa in Behasa Melayu is the act of feeling, the sense of touch or the sensation produced by a thing touched. Rasa ( रसा ) in Sanskrit profoundly refers to both the essential state and experience of any work of art, be they visual, literary or performing art.

) in Sanskrit profoundly refers to both the essential state and experience of any work of art, be they visual, literary or performing art.

Tabula Rasa Rasa Rasa is the methodical insemination of these essences from Singapore’s multi-cultures into our origin story to speculate and rewrite Koolhaas’s Singapore Songlines. We will reimagine original Singaporean architecture premised on a new understanding of Tabula Rasa.

M Arch AY 22/23 Programme Structure Master Deck

Tabula Rasa Rasa Rasa is the methodical insemination of these essences from Singapore’s multi-cultures into our origin story to speculate and rewrite Koolhaas’s Singapore Songlines. We will reimagine original Singaporean architecture premised on a new understanding of Tabula Rasa.

1

Form Follows System

Tutor: Nirmal Kishnani

Asia is witnessing a staggering loss of human, social and natural capitals, due in part to the way we build. The problem isn’t that we aren’t green enough; but that green may be the right answer to the wrong question.

Should we stay the course of green and do less harm?

In the time that Asia embraced the green building movement, our collective impact on natural ecosystems was nevertheless catastrophic.

Should we, therefore, faced with a crisis of ecology and climate, aspire to do good; to heal, repair, and regenerate?

This studio returns to the heart of the sustainability question: how to forge human-nature partnerships, and restore our place in the natural world.

What does this mean at the drawing board?

The answer is rooted in whole systems thinking. Each building is many elements, interacting to form a system. This is embedded within a wider system that is the neighbourhood, which is in turn nested in a systemof-systems that is the city. By understanding scale and complexity, we begin to see design as the making of systemic structure and behaviour. Good design, or design in search of good, is many systems fitted together within an efficient and beautiful form, acting in positive reciprocity within a wider system-of-systems.

This approach leads to an altogether new perspective on form, one with profound implications on people and

A “WELL AND GREEN” HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

Tutor: Lam Khee Poh

This thesis studio aims to explore and understand the complex ecological relationship between the human species and the built/natural environment towards designing, constructing, and maintaining a “well & green” habitat that supports sustainable and healthy living. The green movement in the built environment has taken root globally over the past three decades. Many innovative technologies have emerged to enable low carbon sustainable developments. However, health and wellness considerations are relatively nascent. There are exciting opportunities to discover new insights as well as to imagine and test new holistic design concepts.

The Greek philosopher Aristotle said this 2000 years ago: “Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence. Happy people tend to be healthier people due to lifestyle choices. A healthy city must therefore create inspiring and enabling physical and social environments to support such choices. So, the focus must be on the people that cities are built toaccommodate and serve.”

Iconomic Form

Tutor: Victor Lee

Through time, buildings have cemented generations and brought together communities through religions, economic manifestations and socio-cultural endeavours. From the traditional buildings of worship to the contemporary world of museums, cultural halls, shopping malls, skyscrapers and the like—such architectural manifestations often involve the use of form, scale, physical dominance and visual signifiers as an outward show of faith, vision and status. Archetypal forms of the dome, pyramid, spire and the modern equivalents of grandeur and extravagance, are commonly depicted as icons to signify meaning and purpose to this end, but are there less pompous ways to communicate presence and significance?

Iconomic form—the making of form from the words icon and economy, questions the pervasiveness of the building of icons and buildings as icon by proposing an alternative way of designing significance through an economy of form to engender an iconic experience. This form-driven thesis offering will seek a new relevance and value in the making of iconomic form through understanding building economy as a counterpoint to the iconic and the spectacular. We will posit how the non-icon can be used as an instrument of an ‘everyday’ architecture to reconnect people and to bond over a common humanistic vision. The search for such a potential architecture that supports the convergence of daily life while respecting the larger culture and context of a place is especially critical in a world that now lies at the intersection of economic instability, climate change and social responsibility.

HOT AIR: CLIMATE, CARBON & CAPITAL

Tutor: Erik L’Heureux

With the current issues of global warming, rapid population growth, and decarbonisation, the relationship between equatorial cities and their surroundings has become increasingly crucial. This thesis will focus on exploring the architectural implications for densely populated equatorial cities in “hot and wet” climates. The research will investigate alternative representational techniques for drawing and photography to enhance design capabilities, considering factors such as humidity, temperature, breeze, sound, heat, and rain that shape a hot and wet environment. Moreover, the research will also consider the impact of carbon, capital, and labour accounting in the design process—with particular attention to adaptive reuse in growing equatorial cities. The course will build on the Options Design Studio and extend creative practice research to Southeast Asia (excluding Singapore). Each student will develop a design thesis that contributes to the discourse on equatorial urbanisation, producing new architectural knowledge calibrated to the region’s hot and wet climate.

Vertiport Cities

Tutor: Joseph Lim

In the way that high speed trains revolutionised city centres, Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) using eVTOL drones will change regional air transport infrastructure to impact on the architecture of the city. Beyond the use of existing airfields for immediate operations, early vertiport designs manifest as standalone transport, logistic and commercial structures accommodating large roof pads.

While AAM is understood as the use of eVTOL aircraft for places not served by surface transportation or airports, the moving of people and cargo between city nodes and outlying areas can be studied as an extreme change in city life at a smaller scale of the urban grain. What is this new threshold where machine interfaces with building?

Thesis students investigate at a wider scale, the implications of AAM on reinterpreting transit-oriented developments. Can they also be integrated with existing infrastructure to mitigate deforestation or flood by occupying airspace instead of land plots for future urban development?

Design geometry is explored as networks in form, space and structure using Grasshopper or equivalent tools. Conceptual and Design development processes in studio are augmented by industry experts from Arup Singapore, Skyports and Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.

Periurban Practice

Tutor: Victoria Jane Marshall

Students are invited to explore a periurban architecture practice for urban-rural futures in Monsoon Asia in this studio. Periurban can be defined in three distinct temporal ways. These definitions range from the city edges, to extended urban regions, and even extend beyond the city accounts. Some explanations reject the term periurban altogether, arguing that compact urbanisation does not necessarily occur in proximity to cities in modern times.

In all instances, the rural element is missing. In response we will bring a focus on the lived ecologies and infrastructural legacies of the settled rural, as well as non-human agency. Then relatedly, we will account for the fact that processes of urban-rural hybridisation exhibit distinct dynamics in different settings. Lastly, we will retain periurban as a useful concept, for its validity must be judged in terms of the context of its use and the function it is expected to perform.

COASTAL CONSUMPTIONS – LIVES & LIVELIHOODS

Tutor: Neo Sei Hwa

The studio doesn’t aim to solve global climate issues but seek solutions—both interim & long-term—to address coastal living conditions impacted by environment extremities. Can we strike a new balance, do we displace or coexist with nature, must we prioritise economy over environment, how relevant are climate agendas in discussions of lives and livelihoods? The contextual basis for this exploration is a coastal area in neighbouring West Java, Indonesia. The communities there have lost both homes and livelihoods in a futile struggle against environmental pollution and coastal abrasion. Subject to opportunities, the studio may plan a site visit to experience the situation first-hand.

NATURE UNFOLD- ADVANCED ARCHITECTONICS DESIGNS FOR SYMBIOTIC FUTURE IN THE TROPICS

Tutor: Shinya Okuda

Contemporary social issues are often complex and intertwined to include financial and environmental issues, which require holistic design approaches across materials, built forms, programs and performance. The objective of advanced architectonics designs is to sublime them into innovative multi-dimensional architectural solutions by leveraging essential gamechanging phenomena, such as carbon sequestration. These elements will be constructed into sophisticated functional advanced architectural compositions and unique sustainable aesthetics. Embracing the power of architecture, the Nature Unfold thesis studio envisions to reveal various symbiotic future relationships including nature and urbanism in Southeast Asia and beyond.

DIRT, FORM, PERFORMANCE

Tutor: Ong Ker-Shing

From early modernity, architecture—through its envelope, plumbing, air-conditioning, weather-tightness and relationship to the ground—has increasingly separated people from the dirty, natural processes, organic waste and germs. Human interferences in natural systems have created fractured links, fragmented systems and energies—a multi-scalar context for new alignments and interactions. In this studio, we will explore reversals of the conventional values of modern architecture, specifically on its resilient cleanliness, aiming for strategic and designed “failures”. We will explore how new typologies, languages and material systems may restore or invent new modes of architectural production that combine the architect’s intentions with the input of non-human collaborators—the shifts from biome to micro-biome, between building and body and public.

INDUSTRIAL (R)EVOLUTION

Tutor:Roy Pang

Bart Lootsma posits that ‘gravity fields’ can be identified in the built environment. These invisible fields, influenced by various factors such as planning and building regulations, technical constraints, natural conditions, geopolitics, economic, social, cultural, etc., ‘holds the key to understanding how society manifests itself in contemporary architecture’, and ‘reveal themselves when sublimated beneath certain maximised circumstances or within certain maximised constraints.’

With the inevitable transition from the third to the fourth Industrial Revolution, and with the advent of the Information Age—big data, the internet of things, AI, etc., the effects of these fields will be increasingly felt both in the natural and artificial landscapes.

The studio seeks to uncover such fields, understand their spatial implications and critically examine their relationships to the natural and built environment. Based on their research and discoveries, students will then be encouraged to pursue a speculative longer-term focus for their projects—of future-tech, and their future vision/ version of the city.

Assemblage

Tutor: Tsuto Sakamoto

This thesis studio focuses on an assemblage of things and living beings including animals, plants and human beings. Experiencing disasters, pollution and pandemics, and being immersed in the environment where intelligent technology and pervasive networks enforce a certain way of lifestyle, behaviour and response, we have come to realise that a variety of non-human entities have as many expressions as humans do. Scrutinising these, the studio speculates that alternative environments and architecture consequentially emerge from various assemblages of non-humans and humans that are co-functioning, symbiotic, troubling and/or disturbing.

Tutor: Ruzica Bozovic Stamenovic

By incorporating the cultural and humanistic dimensions into Singapore’s technological and economical transformation, we witnessed the naissance of distinct linear public domains such as the green link or rail corridor. These spaces spread independently and distinctly, parallel to the existing urban matrix. Building upon a premise that more and diverse linear urban “tubes” could be anticipated, this studio will investigate philosophical frames for their appearance, the impactful programs and unorthodox designs to serve the needs of contemporary urbanites and their desire to thrive and achieve the life they desire. This topic is by nature transdisciplinary, building upon the results of previous studies of IT and sensorial aspects of architecture for wellness. The thesis will be generated through structured research process and design research exercises presented and discussed in weekly studio sessions.

GENERATIVE DESIGN: THE SEA-CITY INTERFACE

Tutor:

Rudi Stouffs

This thesis studio explores (computational) generative design methodologies and processes of architectural concepts and building designs at the urban scale; within the context of the current threat of increasing shocks and stresses induced by climate change and excessive CO2 emissions at Singapore’s sea-city fringes. This may lead to the design of a low-carbon neighbourhood, focusing on building form and its contribution to the surrounding urban fabric, or the exploration of biophilic approaches for water-sensitive design. Other design considerations and objectives are welcome as well. Notably, the elaboration of the exploratory process should be considered more important than any single outcome, instead aiming at achieving multiple, alternative outcomes. Exploration is a data-driven process and serves to achieve betterinformed designs. By considering performance as a guiding design principle in this process, the objective is to define the design object not based on what it is or how it appears, but by what it does or how it performs. The focus is on its capability to affect, transform and serve a given function. Identifying both the parameters and boundaries of this exploration allows to define the design space under consideration, thereby guiding the exploration toward the desired performance.

Tutor: Tan Beng Kiang

In this studio, we will delve into the profound connection between architecture and the needs of the wider community. In an era riddled with income disparity, social immobility, homelessness, disability discrimination and climate change injustices; our focus lies in fostering social justice, inclusion, and sustainable outcomes. This studio invites socially minded students to embark on a journey that explores architecture and urban solutions rooted in the approach of community engagement and participatory design.

Through adopting an empathetic approach, students should seek to understand the everyday realities of people’s lives and develop a deep appreciation for their diverse perspectives. In-depth community and stakeholder consultation should be an integral part of this process. To enhance their understanding and skills, students are strongly urged to enrol in the elective course, “Participatory Community Design,” which offers an insight to methods and techniques.

By embracing the notion that architecture reflects external forces and aspirations, this studio hopes to cultivate a new generation of architects who prioritise social, economic, and environmental sustainability, ultimately shaping a more just and equitable world.

Productive Urbanity-The Incomplete Project

Tutor:

The COVID-19 pandemic left an indelible mark on our world, exposing the disconnection between humanity and the natural world. Throughout history, humans have exploited the land for its resources, often disregarding the long-term repercussions. Moreover, conflicts relating to land and resources between nations and communities have escalated to unprecedented levels. Against this backdrop, this thesis studio aims to explore a new spatial relationship between humanity and nature, as well as within human society. It seeks to establish an economicspatial urbanity that addresses the underlying causes of these issues.

The concept of productive urbanity is introduced to recalibrate the fragile spatial contract between humanity and nature in a continuous and balanced manner. The studio acknowledges the ongoing and adaptive nature of this endeavour, recognizing the need to respond to change over time and in phases. The exploration encompasses various dimensions of space, including land, airspace, underground, and seas.

Taking inspiration from Henri Lefebvre’s influential work, “The Production of Space,” this studio speculates on the potential collaboration between communities and the natural environment within a productive urban context. The works of Jean Baudrillard, particularly “Simulacra and Simulation” and “The System of Things,” provide a theoretical foundation for comprehending the intricate dynamics between humanity, nature, and the built environment.

The thesis studio emphasizes the urgency of transforming our approach to spatial relationships. It envisions probable congenial spatial environment where humanity respects nature and coexist harmoniously, utilizing technology as a tool to achieve this goal. This endeavour is always a work-inprogress and necessitates constant adaptation, patience, and profound reflection

META-MORPHOSIS IN AN ENIGMATIC CITY

Tutor:Teh Joo Heng

It is fundamental to architecture that it metamorphoses, especially in this day and age, due to the rapid change in people’s needs. Without metamorphosis, cities would become stagnated, alienated and inactive.

This studio is to speculate the possibilities of BRAS BASAH BUGIS AREA being re-transformed and metamorphed into an area of new possibilities through interesting and strategic program insertion and functions.

This transformation allows for the reclamation of land from roads, carparks, and other public infrastructures. Through the recalibration of usage for existing buildings and leftover land, a new possibility and enigmatic form then emerge within the city.

THE OTHERS: CONDITION OF THE ISLAND PEOPLE

Tutor: Tiah Nan Chyuan

Across different cultures and time, the island condition has been described historically and mythically as an outpost that is defended, surrounded, contained, isolated, quarantined or hidden. The inherent vulnerability and siege mentality of islands imbue their inhabitants with both a deep awareness of their identity and their relationship with the surrounding externalities.

This thesis will explore the “island condition” through both physical and abstract notions, looking at operative conditions from isolation to protectionism, access and rights, equality and equity. Non-linear enquiries would be conducted across multiple probes, to unravel deep mindsets that define the unique behaviour of “islands” and their people, “the others”. The hope is that these insights will suggest alternative strategies to engage geopolitical issues related to collective identity, shared responsibility and ownership over contested territories, space and time.

REFRAMING CONSERVATION: INTEGRATING CLIMATE ACTION, SOCIAL JUSTICE, AND ECONOMIC IMPERATIVES

Tutor: Johannes Widodo

Conservation is inextricably linked to urgent concerns such as climate change, necessitating decisive climate action while encompassing social justice and economic imperatives. The research shall critically examine modern heritage’s preservation and enduring significance within this complex context and historical layers. It is imperative to uncover the site’s intrinsic qualities, embracing historical, architectural, cultural, and social memories while ensuring their relevance amidst present and future conditions. The new intervention should invigorate the existing site/building/neighbourhood economically, align with social justice objectives, and thoughtfully respond to its immediate physical, social, and environmental contexts. Architecturally, the design intervention or insertion must seamlessly integrate with the existing built and natural environment, harmonising typology, materials, aesthetics, functionality, and ecological considerations. The design for conservation resolution must rigorously address the “fivein-one” principles: Environmental Sustainability, Cultural Authenticity, Social Continuity, Economic Viability, and Architectural Integrity.

The project is about pathways, networks and connections: Existing and emerging ones.

It is in making connections that significations occur. These are moments where thoughts/actions are virtualised/actualised.

Like a throw of a dice, diverging and converging forces collide producing singularities.

Such that the old are refreshed, and or morphed into new emergence.

For Nietzsche, this is truth.

Truth is not in identity; matching, measuring and authenticating against perfect models.

For he is not an idealist.

He is beyond Good and Evil: It’s about emergence. Pre-existing cultural value plays no part in this process Nietzsche shies away from codes, language or identity. For him, it is about the production of sense prior to language, codes and identities.

The Corporeal Periphery

Tutor: Wu Yen Yen

Architecture is rarely predicated on discourse and ideology. Rather, it reacts to metaphysical, natural and societal constructs. This studio offers space for counter-anthropocentric investigation into unfamiliar corporealities where they exist and thrive unseen.

Starting from outside of architecture, we will give empirical form and language to these matters.

Materialist ontologist Manuel De Landa suggests that geology, biology, economy and linguistics, steered the growth of cities. Historian Mario Carpo says contemporary form can be generated by computation and science. Architect Philippe Rahm designs with invisible, meteorological aspects of space. A new kind of intelligence in architecture, and how we think about it, is upon us.

Kenneth Frampton quoted Alice Konstantinidis (1913–1993): “Good architecture starts always with efficient construction. Without construction there is no architecture. Construction embodies material and its use according to its properties, that is to say, stone imposes a different method of construction from iron or concrete (Tectonic Culture, 2001).”

Based on this, tectonic features entail an understanding of the relationship between materials and context (e.g., building construction, textile, earthwork, metallurgy with local roots), but they also acknowledge the significance of structural engineering in modern architecture.

The thesis studio will examine spaces related to structural thought while learning basic structural analysis software as needed and investigating the meaning of tectonic features as they apply to structural or constructive approaches to the design perspective, including aesthetics. Furthermore, if the concept of tectonic features (or technological inspiration that is not limited to designing structural things) is applied, students can use them for different types of buildings and urban projects.

CLIMATE SENSITIVE DESIGN: LIVABLE AND SUSTAINABLE CITIES

Tutor: Yuan Chao

With rapid urbanisation and climate change, the key challenge faced by architects is clear: the difficult balancing act to achieve between unstoppable human desire for development and the finite environmental carrying capacity of cities. This design studio engages students to explore ways to conduct climate-sensitive design to create buildings that are more human centralised and environmentally responsible. The studio emphasises the impact of environmental analysis on design. The knowledge delivered in this studio allows students to not only develop climate sensitive design concepts and ideas, but also to practice the corresponding design strategies and skills.