DOSSIER THERECIA SEOW
CONTENTS hdb : identity of two homes
02
shop window : toast box
38
clinic : econ healthcare
62
hotel : village hotel changi
88
manifesto : clouds
112
IDENTITY OF HDB This project studies two different homes. It looks at the family that lives in it and the lifestyle that has come along with time. Even though there are similarities between the two homes, the projects show how different they also are.
01 | identity of hdb
03 | identity of hdb
Tampines in Singapore | 04
S I N G A P O R E , TA M P I N E S In the early 1980s seven New towns were started and Tampines was one of them. 1980s towns were composed by slab blocks with 10-13 floors, usually 12 floors, usually with 10 or 12 units per floor, plus the 25-storey point blocks. Ground floor units were reintroduced, Most 4-storey blocks do not have void decks, but ground floor units.
05 | identity of hdb
our homes in tampines | 06
OUR HOMES Mardiah’s home : A Malay family living in a 5-room flat. Her family consists of her father, mother, younger sister, younger brother, two Indian tenants, their cat and herself. Therecia’s home : A Chinese family living in a 3-room flat. Her family consists of her father, mother, younger sister and herself.
07 | high rise hdb
T W E LV E S T O R E Y S
TA M P I N E S S T R E E T 2 3
low rise hdb | 08
TA M P I N E S S T R E E T 2 1
FOUR STOREYS
09 | high rise hdb
When I’m home in the afternoon, I will never fail to hear the karang guni’s horn and shouting : “karang guni, sou poh zhua, pai leh-lio, dian si ki...” Which is “Rag and bone collecting newspapers, spoilt radios, televisions” in Hokkien.
low rise hdb | 10
When I was younger I was really amazed by how the rag and bone man can just distinguish which was the house that called him out from the kitchen window. But now I know they actually find it out by the rubbish chute.
11 | malay home
Muslim belief to safeguard the house with ornament.
Seatings at the common corridor for wearing of shoes before heading out
malay home | 12
M A L A Y F A M I LY
13 | malay home
plan | 14
TOILET
TOILET
KITCHEN
PARENTS’ BEDROOM
TENANT’S ROOM
STORE
BROTHER’S BEDROOM
MARDIAH’S BEDROOM LIVING ROOM
5 - R O O M F L AT
15 | malay home
living room | 16
LIVING ROOM Mum loves to decorate. Bored of the wallpaper? Let’s change it. She is also the reason why the home looks and feels like our home. That warm and comforting feeling given off by the furnitures, wallpaper and the lighting makes our guest feel at home as well. Other than the piano in the corner of living room, that Dad insist of having, he just listens to Mum’s idea of decor every now and then.
17 | malay home
kitchen | 18
KITCHEN Mum is always in the kitchen, whipping up some dishes that she had wondered what to cook earlier that day. Nothing beats coming home after a day out to Mum’s home cooked meals
19 | malay home
corridor | 20
H A L LW AY I N T O T H E R O O M
21 | malay home
bedroom | 22
MARDIAH’S ROOM Having to share the room with my younger sister and with only one study table in the room, we would always be fighting over it. Sharing a room means we need to find a space to keep our personal items, like my precious notes from close friends on the notice board while my sister has her weird collection in the corner.
23 | chinese home
Buddhist belief to safeguard the house with deity talisman.
A spillover of personal touches of potted plants into the cold common corridor.
chinese home | 24
C H I N E S E F A M I LY
25 | chinese home
plan | 26
TOILET
TOILET
KITCHEN
PARENTS’ BEDROOM
STORE
LIVING ROOM THERECIA’S BEDROOM
3 - R O O M F L AT
27 | chinese home
living room | 28
LIVING ROOM Simply decorated with furnitures. The coffee tables both left with traces of my sister’s items, the guitar and textbooks. The living room has a corner where my sister studies as she finds that it is the quietest space for her to get work done. It always feels really clean when I get home at the end of the day, as Mum has been sweeping the floor, tidying up the tables, dusting the TV that now no one uses and stacking our shoes in the corner because she thinks that it is neater that way.
29 | chinese home
kitchen | 30
KITCHEN The kitchen cabinets that had been half left by the previous owners. Dining table covered with plastic sheet as that was mum’s idea of keeping the table nice and clean. The kitchen is her space and we have no say.
31 | chinese home
corridor | 32
H A L LW AY I N T O T H E R O O M
33 | chinese home
bedroom | 34
T H E R E C I A’ S R O O M With bedsheets that are chosen by my mum even though that is not the design I would go for, but in her eyes, my sister and I are still just little kids that still runs around. Although I share the room with my sister, she is always studying out in the living room. The room practically feels like my own, taking up most part of the room.
35 | bibliography
HDB history and floor plan evolution 1930s – 2010s. (2015, December). Retrieved October 02, 2017, from http://www.teoalida.com/ Chee, L. “The Public Private Interior: Constructing the Modern Domestic Interior in Singapore’s Public Housing.” In The Handbook of Interior Architecture and Design, Graeme Brooker and Lois Weinthal, eds. (London: Bloomsbury, 2013)
reflection | 36
REFLECTION The HDB blocks themselves can look similar from the outside. But once you get up the floors and explore the corridor, you can find the families spilling their personal touches from their homes out into the corridor bringing diversity. No home is the same. A home without the families adding their personal touches is just a house. Our daily lifestyle changes our home into a space that is comfortable, a space that we rest after a long day outside. Every home is different but it is a place we call home. It is not just a space we use but a place we have infused our lives into. Bringing identity into space with our different races, religions, and lifestyles. Creating a place we call home.
TOAST BOX SHOP WINDOW This project aims to understand the chosen brand, creating a window display to better show off the brand. The main concept is the way of how Toast Box presents itself with customers viewing the process of making their products. Tying it with an element of the past which is the metal door grill.
37 | shop window
39 | about toast box
Toast Box is a reflection of the coffee shops from the 60s and 70s, where the common practice for breakfast was a fragrant cup of Nanyang Coffee accompanied by freshly toasted bread. This warm, nostalgic concept was reinvented to bring back fond memories for those who missed the good old times, and for the younger ones to experience the feel and flavours of a bygone era. Established in October 2005 as a food stall unit of Food Republic Wisma Atria in Singapore, Toast Box has fast expanded with over 70 outlets strategically located all over Singapore, made easy and convenient for
our customers (both young and old) to enjoy Nanyang Coffee and freshly toasted bread. Toast Box has been well received in other territories, expanding its foothold in Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China. Toast Box is committed to infuse passion, fun and vibrancy to create a new lifestyle experience for our customers. Our customers are greeted by the aroma of freshly brewed Nanyang Coffee, the smell of freshly toasted bread and visual sights of coffee or tea pulling. Varying interior styles, display decor and stylised music are pieced together to create a relaxing ambience.
Images from Toast box
shop at suntec city | 40
41 | process
Image from Google
Image from Toast box
toast and logo | 42
TOAST AND LOGO The font in the logo is designed to look like the rounded corners of a toast and also it is sliced along the alphabet and character of the words is like the toast they serve. The idea was to create a display that was of a 60s and 70s like beaded door curtain , with the pieces shaped like crust-less bread that are rounded and sliced in half.
43 | process
Image from Toast box
vector drawing | 44
VECTOR DRAWINGS With an objective to bring the brand closer to the younger generation, the new concept introduces a ‘black and white’ colour-theme and a series of illustrated icons of the classics off the menu.
45 | process
Image from Toast box
takeaway coffee | 46
TA K E A W AY C O F F E E Helping the non-profit charity organization, ABLE (Abilities Beyond Limitations and Expectations), the funds will be raised through the sales of Sprouting Kits -- a portable-sized cup that comes with soil compost processed from Toast Box’s recycled coffee grounds, and seeds for growing the sprouts. Taking inspiration for recycling, I have explored with the plastic bags used for takeaway coffee or tea in traditional coffee shops, and paper cups used in Toast Box.
47 | process
Image from Toast box
process of making | 48
PROCESS OF MAKING With an idea of letting customers experience the process of how their food is made , creating a visual connection. With the image of the staff pulling tea or coffee, spreading butter from their 45cm tall butter tower onto the toast, the display is to show the experience that our brand wants to put out to customers.
49 | process
Images from Google
doors of the past | 50
D O O R S O F T H E PA S T The final design was inspired by the idea of metal door grills of old coffee shops, combining the traditional and the modern ones. The display tessellates a certain design, also it uses sticks to connect the different elements to show the pattern of metal door grills.
51 | final design
FINAL DESIGN (A3) The final design for the A3 display is taking the idea of the experience of viewing the process of the food being made at a macro scale. It displays the elements of a kaya toast; the toasted bread, the two different types of kaya spread, a food spread made from a base of coconut milk, eggs and sugar, the brown kaya which is the original, while the green one that is pandan flavoured, and a slice of butter in the middle of it all.
a3 display | 52
53 | process
THE ELEMENTS OF THE CUPS The use of paper cups is influenced by what toast box is currently using for takeaway drinks. The cups sliced in half creates a pattern of transparency and opacity. this then creates a sense of porosity and at the same time keeping the design of the “window�, like a metal door grill.
elements of cups | 54
Crumpled paper to show the texture of toasted bread
Yellow foam to show the thick butter in the toast
Corrugated cardboard to show the kaya and also the action of spreading
Coffee infused glue painted and stained on the now scented cups
55 | final design
FINAL DESIGN (A0) The final design for the A0 display is also taking the idea of the experience of viewing the process of the food being made in a micro scale. The display is to be placed at a window of the shop and from the outside it displays what Toast Box shows off which is the elements of a kaya toast; and also showcases the well known Nayang coffee.
a0 display from the view of the passer-by | 56
57 | final design
FINAL DESIGN (A0) While from the inside of the shop it displays a more modem take on the elements. It is for the users in the store to look out to, which is the outside, where people are more fast forward moving and unlike how users are in the store, who are relaxed.
a0 display from the view of the customer in store | 58
59 | bibliography
Toast box.com.sg. (2017). Toast Box - About Us. [online] Available at: http://www.toast box.com.sg/about.html [Accessed 24 Oct. 2017]. AsiaOne. (2017). Rooting For A Cause with Toast Box and ABLE’s Sixth-year Milestone. [online] Available at: http://www.asiaone. com/corporate-news-media-outreach/rooting-cause-toast-box-andable%E2%80%99s-sixth-year-milestone [Accessed 24 Oct. 2017]. Lightcollab.com. (2017). Singapore Lighting Design | Lighting Design Company. [online] Available at: http://lightcollab.com/#!/ [Accessed 24 Oct. 2017].
bibliography | 60
E C O N H E A LT H C A R E The project aims to let patients and their family interact in an activity based manner. As how tight the space is now, the concept is to bring the eye to look beyond the space. The design is to guide one to look further ahead. One should not feel trap in this space. New activities are introduced to encourage the use of old skills and to learn new ones. So that the patients don’t feel cut off from the outside world.
61 | clinic
63 l level 3
LEVEL 3 , COMMON AREAS The diagrams are about studying how patients and visors will interact with each space.
diagrams | 64
1 Visitor Lounge
2 TV Room
3 Corridor Seating
4 Open Pantry
5 Multi-purpose Area
6 Interactive Wall
65 | level 3
1 3
2
floor plan | 66
6 4 5
67 | level 3
visitor lounge | 68
VISITOR LOUNGE When the families of the elderly visit, this will be a space for them to have a chit chat, and get some snacks from the vending machine. It could also act as a space for the elderly to rest and read newspaper during their free time.
69 | level 3
corridor seating | 70
C O R R I D O R S E AT I N G The long corridor can get boring and also tiring especially for post stroke patients, so seatings are proposed so that the elderly can rest along the way while they head to the activity area. The seats are designed so that two elderly can sit facing each other to chit chat.
71 | level 3
tv room | 72
TV ROOM The television room is improved where the television is placed on the other wall, in this way, the elderly can watch their shows without interruption when others need to enter or exit the room. The addition of a shelf acts a table for newspaper reading and space under it can be storage for a murphy table.
73 | level 3
open pantry | 74
O P E N PA N T RY The open pantry can be a place to provide healthier snacks when visitors come but on the daily basis it will be for the nurses of the clinic.
75 | level 3
Least active
Most active
F E AT U R E W A L L Feature wall that is an indicator of the activeness of the zones, acting as a guide to help guide the elderly to places like their wards
multi-purpose area | 76
M U LT I - P U R P O S E A R E A This space can be used as an area for movies nights and for karaoke sessions that can be introduced into their current timetable for the week and it could then be something elderly can look forward to.
77 | level 4
LEVEL 4 , ROOFTOP GARDEN The diagrams are about studying how patients can interact with the space and also introducing new activities that can get the elderly involved.
diagrams | 78
7 Herb Wall Garden
8 Sensorial Planter
9 Foot Reflexology
10 Planter Seating
11 9 Non Fixed Furniture
12 Horticulture
79 | level 4
8
7
9
floor plan | 80
11
10
12
81 | level 4
aromatherapy | 82
A R O M AT H E R A P Y the edible green herb garden wall have plants that aids the elderly. With plants like rosemary that improves memory and ginger that can be brewed with tea it can treat diabetes.
83 | level 4
resting area | 84
RESTING AREA This area can change from a resting area with tables and chairs for the elderly to a exercise corner in the morning when the furnitures are moved aside.
85 | level 4
sensorial therapy | 86
SENSORIAL THERAPY The timber decking with different foot reflexology texture, typical pebble and a grass can aid elderly in exercising. The green wall garden also gives the elderly with green thumbs an activity to work on and to exercise old skills.
VILLAGE HOTEL CHANGI This project aims to design a hotel room that can let tourist feel like they are locals. Understanding the past of the surrounding site and the identity that Singapore brings it will aid in the design of the room. The theme of the room is living in nature, as the surrounding site is very quiet and chill. Inspired by the layers of trees in the forest and the foliage, the room has a darker colour palette to bring “shade� into the room.
87 | hotel
89 | hotel
Image from nowsingapore.co.id
local experience | 90
LOCAL EXPERIENCE Locals in this case refers to the people living in people in Pulau and even as locals living in Singapore in the past.
91 | hotel
Image from Gardens By The Bay
singapore’s identity | 92
SINGAPORE’S IDENTITY Being a city in a garden, I aim to bring that identity into the hotel room.
93 | hotel
Image from CO-LAB “Tulum treehouse”
concept | 94
CONCEPT Blurring the line between the indoor and the outdoor. Bringing in the warmth of nature.
95 | hotel room
2 1
3
1. Bay window 2. Bed 3. TV console 4. Bathroom 5. Wardrobe
floor plan | 96
4
5
97 | hotel room
section of the room | 98
99 | hotel room
exhibiting nature | 100
E X H I B I T I N G N AT U R E The room now emphasizes the visual connection of nature framed by the four walls. The seating by the bay window faces the serene environment which allows for users to be relaxed and immerse in nature.
101 | hotel room
Love Letter Pillow For a Singapore identity
mimicking nature | 102
M I M I C K I N G N AT U R E Behind the bed is a feature wall which acts as soundproofing as well. Mimicking the texture of the tree bark and also the layers of trees in the forest, bringing the users closer to nature.
103 | hotel room
Merlion Chou Chou For a Singapore identity
nature watch | 104
N AT U R E W AT C H The room now provides a bay window seating that now faces the serene environment. Users can lay by the window and enjoy the view, or slide the side table between two for a conversation.
105 | hotel room
layered tiers | 106
L AY E R E D T I E R S Continuing the idea of mimicking nature, the walls and cabinets creates layers that accentuate the TV wall which is parallel to the bed. Directing to the center of the room.
107 | hotel room
reflecting nature | 108
R E F L E C T I N G N AT U R E The shower window is now bigger than before, making the room look spacious. The design of the feature wall is then brought over, and this time mimicking the foliage using clear and frosted glass.
109 | hotel room
shower in nature | 110
S H O W E R I N N AT U R E An extended rain shower replaces the bathtub and a glass door is installed to separate the wet and dry area. Though part of the glass is frosted, binds are installed for extra privacy.
DREAM-IN With the theme of clouds, the concept of the exhibition was the idea of going into the state of dream. Users stepping into the exhibition will be as though they are experiencing lucid dreaming. As they walk through and explore the dream and in the end they will be “waking up� from the dream into reality leaving the exhibition.
111 | manifesto
113 | manifesto
guidance | 114
GUIDANCE The installations provides the main light source for the exhibition. The users are to use the light to guide them into the next installation
115 | manifesto
density | 116
DENSITY The exhibition uses the amount of light and curtain to create the density of porosity to the space. When the users first enter into the “dream” it is very bright, guiding them to move within the space and they are to rest it gets darker. The space will then be brighter when they are about to “wake up” from this “dream”.
117 | manifesto
exhibition floor plan | 118
06 08
05
07
09
04
03 10 02 11 01
12
119 | manifesto
diagrams | 120
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
121 | manifesto
Cloudscape Mason Studio
installation 01 | 122
I N S TA L L AT I O N 0 1 This installation acts as the partition for the first part of the exhibition, representing one just starting to dream and wander around.
123 | manifesto
CLOUD Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett
installation 02 | 124
I N S TA L L AT I O N 0 2 This installation represents the start of an activity happening when one dreams after wandering around they discovers something that they can interact with.
125 | manifesto
Cloudscapes Tetsuo Kando
installation 03 | 126
I N S TA L L AT I O N 0 3 This installation is when one starts to see and feel the presence of the untouchable cloud. It is in a translucent room, as the area has to be kept at a low temperature.
127 | manifesto
NimbuS Atlas Berndnaut Smilde
installation 04 | 128
I N S TA L L AT I O N 0 4 This installation is a video of the making of the “cloud� in slow motion projected onto a glass panel, making it transparent. Present yet somehow the cloud is now touchable.
129 | manifesto
Nimbus Berndnaut Smilde
installation 05 | 130
I N S TA L L AT I O N 0 5 The installation is photo archive of the artist’s previous works. Presented in a way of a gallery, the images are displayed on light boxes, giving the look of a window and like in a dream, it is like traveling to places with a turn of one’s head.
131 | manifesto
Come Up To My Room Mason Studio
installation 06 | 132
I N S TA L L AT I O N 0 6 This installation allows users to relax and meditate, they can chose to take a sit in the center of the room or lay down on the carpet floor. It was originally in a room with walls now is replaced with curtains to soften the room.
133 | manifesto
Cumulus Jordi Iranzo, Stefanie Rittler, and Nadine Kesting
installation 07 | 134
I N S TA L L AT I O N 0 7 The installation is a cloud represented in a pod, also an area to relax, but this area will have sounds of wind blowing in the background.
135 | manifesto
Swing Space Jillian Mayer
installation 08 | 136
I N S TA L L AT I O N 0 8 This installation is a projection of clouds onto the screen with swings for users, giving an illusion of then swing in the clouds.
137 | manifesto
Superabundant Atmosphere Jacob Hashimoto
installation 09 | 138
I N S TA L L AT I O N 0 9 When users reach this installation they are in the state of “waking up”, the “clouds” are starting to move away from them
139 | manifesto
Cloud An Te Liu
installation 10 | 140
I N S TA L L AT I O N 1 0 As the “clouds� are starting to take shape, and moving away, this installation is hung up at a height.
141 | manifesto
Single Cloud Collection, 2012 Leandro Erlich
installation 11 | 142
I N S TA L L AT I O N 1 1 As the users are about to leave this “dream”, the memory will be kept in the back of their mind like how the cloud is “kept” in this installation.
143 | manifesto
installation 12 | 144
I N S TA L L AT I O N 1 2 The corridor of the exhibition leads to its entrance and exit. Fabric hangs down from the ceiling mimicking clouds in the atmosphere. Fabric is the most dense at the entrance drawing users into the space and gets less dense as they exit out of the exhibition.
145 | bibliography
Anteliu.com. (2008). AN TE LIU WORKS II [NEW] - An Te Liu. [online] Available at: http://anteliu.com/AN-TE-LIU-WORKS-II-NEW Antonygormley.com. (2007). Antony Gormley. [online] Available at: http:// www.antonygormley.com/projects/item-view/id/241#p2 Berndnaut.nl. (2016). Nimbus Atlas – Berndnaut. [online] Available at: http://www.berndnaut.nl/works/molds/ Berndnaut.nl. (n.d.). Nimbus – Berndnaut. [online] Available at: http:// www.berndnaut.nl/works/nimbus/ Caitlind r.c. Brown & Wayne Garrett. (n.d.). CLOUD. [online] Available at: https://incandescentcloud.com/aboutcloud/ Jacobhashimoto.com. (2005). JACOB HASHIMOTO - Selected Exhibitions - Rice University Art Gallery 2005. [online] Available at: http:// jacobhashimoto.com/selected-exhibitions/rice-university-art-gallery-2005/ jillianmayer. (2013). jillianmayer. [online] Available at: https://www.jillianmayer.net/swing-space Jordi Iranzo. (n.d.). Cumulus - Jordi Iranzo. [online] Available at: http://jordi-iranzo.com/portfolio/items/cumulus/ Leandroerlich.art. (2012). Leandro Erlich. [online] Available at: http://www. leandroerlich.art/#Works Mason-studio.com. (2014). Mason Studio - Cloudscape. [online] Available at: http://mason-studio.com/projects/cloudscape Mason-studio.com. (2014). Mason Studio - Come Up to My Room. [online] Available at: http://mason-studio.com/projects/come-up-to-myroom-2014 Tetsuokondo.jp. (n.d.). Cloudscapes - TETSUO KONDO ARCHITECTS. [online] Available at: http://www.tetsuokondo.jp/project/bnl.html