Hyper-dense Hybrid: Towards an Urban Intense Building Typology

Hyper-dense Hybrid:

Towards an urban intense building (anti)-typology Thesis Preparation Document 28 April 2016 | Clifford Mario Kosasih (1000294)

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1 INTRODUCTION

Hyper-density: world perspective Singapore's future Pros and cons of hyper-density

2 CONCEPTS

Urban Intensity Mixed-use development Hybrid Social condenser Summary

3 CASE STUDIES

Qualities of hybrid buildings Summary

4 OBSERVATIONS

Urban intensity in dense sub-zones Building types near MRT stations Building case studies in Singapore

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5 THESIS PROPOSAL

Research questions Outcome of building design Strategies to expand the system

6 SITE 7 BRIEF 8 BIBLIOGRAPHY

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1

INTRODUCTION

Hyper-density: world perspective United Nations predicted that by 2050, our current 7.3 billion people will have reached 9.7 billion people (Nuwer, 2015). As population slowly increases, the land area can be effectively said to be decreasing as sea level rises due to climate change. This results in an unprecedented pressure on the land use throughout the world.

However, human tends to value proximity and closeness to facilities, convenience and opportunity. This is why almost 70% of world’s population is projected to live in cities in 2050 (World Urbanization Prospects, 2014), even though population density may be high in some of these cities and low everywhere else in the world.

This uneven distribution of population has created a phenomenon where activities, economy, and opportunity are concentrated in smaller areas called cities.

An increase of population that migrated to cities results in its agglomeration and expansion, potentially adding pressure to the surrounding rural area and nature.

Therefore, there is an urgent need for cities and urban areas to find ways of keeping the population contained within its boundary, yet having a liveable environment for the city dwellers to live in. This also provides

an opportunity for architects and urban planners to rethink how we plan the city to meet future demands.

Situations of hyper-density, where it is defined as fitting in a large number of population in a relatively small area of land, have been found mainly in cities where land area is limited. In Hong Kong, for example, where 76% of the total land area is mountainous and not suitable for built environment, the population density can go up to 130,000 people per square km in the densest part of the country (Yip, 2011).

Singapore’s future Singapore government projects that its population in 2030 will go up to 6.9 million (Population White Paper, 2013) people, almost 30% increase from where Singapore currently stands at 5.3 million people in 2015. This plan is coupled with 7% increase in the land area through reclamation from the current 714 sqkm to 766 sqkm by 2030.

Based on the rough calculation of density, there would be an increase in Singapore’s overall population density from 7,423 people per square km to 9,008 people per sqkm, creating an upward pressure to the land use allocation towards residential and

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1 Kowloon Walled City as an example of a compact city 2 Mong Kok has the highest population density in the world, with over 130,000 people per sqkm 3 Jakarta traffic jam is due to the inadequate mobility infrastructure

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other amenities in Singapore. Therefore, it seems that Singapore may reach its peak density by 2030 where land area and infrastructure does not increase as fast as the population.

Despite the public outcry over this seemingly unprecedented density number, if we observe more closely from another perspective, Singapore’s density may not be so staggering after all.

When we look at Hong Kong, its overall population density stands at 6,510 people per sqkm as of 2015, which is below Singapore’s current density. However, as mentioned earlier, Hong Kong’s build-able area is only 24% of the total land area, which makes its population shoot up at the staggering 27,128 people per sqkm.

Taking Singapore for comparison, with up to 40% of the land area currently set aside for nature reserve, its population density escalates to just 11,410 people per sqkm in 2015, and 15,013 in 2030, which is by current standard still much lower than Hong Kong’s population density.

Pros and cons of hyper-density Reclaiming land from the sea has been one of the ways to reduce the soaring

land demand in Singapore. However, this is detrimental to the biodiversity of Singapore’s surrounding sea, where its mere 54 sqkm houses close to 200 species of corals, as compared to Great Barrier Reef’s 350,000 sqkm of reefs that has about 500 species of corals (Jalil, 2003).

In other words, there is an urgent need to consider the impact of our land reclamation to the natural biodiversity of Singapore.

Furthermore, natural habitat on the land is also being compromised by the development of Singapore. Mangrove habitat and nature reserves areas have diminished throughout the years while Singapore’s built environment continue to thrive.

Therefore, by creating a hyper-dense built environment at various parts of Singapore, land reclamation and encroachment to natural biodiversity to make way for human developments can be abandoned.

Additionally, by going hyper-dense, there is an opportunity to provide highly convenient and vibrant environment where diverse amenities and programmes can be integrated into one single development.

Although it is well-known that there are plenty negative effects of density (i.e. lack

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4 4 Map of Singapore's history in reclamation of land and future plans

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of privacy, congestion), proponents of dense environments claim that higher levels of interaction between heterogeneous agents, such as people, programmes and establishments tend to flourish in this situation, making the area more vibrant and thriving. Encounters, whether it is planned or incidental, are more likely to occur in a hyper-dense situation, implying that users of the space can get more things done within a proximity and shorter period. This translates to convenience, efficiency and productivity, which is valued considerably higher in a largely fast-paced society.

Arguably, architecture can mitigate the adverse effects of hyper-density while capitalising on the positive impacts to create a more liveable and sustainable city.

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5 5 Map of Singapore's original coastline in 1950 with its natural mangrove habitats and coral reefs

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2

CONCEPTS

Urban intensity The notion of urban intensity summarises the idea that is captured within qualitative aspects of urban density. Many scholars claim that it is insufficient for density alone to determine what a city need, instead a city is built upon these immeasurable aspects of urban density, by allowing mixed and multi-functional spaces to occur as the driver of the sustainability of the urban fabric (Larice, 2006; Li, 2013).

Peter Rowe (2014), in his book Urban Intensities, mentioned that urban intensity is a balance between density, diversity, and connectivity. These three different components make up the notion of intensity in an urban scale. In this context, Rowe refers to ‘density’ as dwelling density which can be easily translated into population density.

By itself, density does not guarantee the right intensity and dynamism that is desired in a neighbourhood. Too high density may result in over-crowding, dilapidation and urban decay, too low density may hinder the potential of the neighbourhood to thrive and encourage social interaction.

Another definition of urban intensity is developed by Andres Sevtsuk in collaboration with City Form Lab, where intensity refers to the concentration of

commercial and service activities on the ground floors along city streets. They name this ground floor quality intensity since it illustrates the interface of the urban environment that people experience most directly and encounter on a daily basis.

Hence, Sevtsuk explained that the definition of urban intensity reflects the volume of spatial interactions that the ground floor of a district has to offer – street networks that accommodate higher concentrations of activities are considered more intense (Sevtsuk, Ekmekci, Nixon & Amindarbari, 2013).

Additionally, in her research titled Intensity without Density, Elena Porqueddu (2015) introduces another definition of urban intensity which encompasses the potential for continuous random and unpredictable interactions among independent individuals and activities. Porqueddu approached urban intensity in a larger context where it is not constrained by space and time alone, but it involves the potential and framework for this interaction to happen.

Mixed-use development When the concept of urban intensity is brought up, the notion of mixed-use development comes into the picture.

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6 6 High urban intensity in Hong Kong street

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Mixed-use hints a significant shift from the conventional planning and zoning paradigm during the modernist era where land use are segregated based on their uses and functions. As urban settings were getting more fragmented due to the successful implementation of such regimented zoning, mixed-use projects started to be developed across the world in both urban and rural areas. However, there is rarely any in depth explanation and comprehensive research as of what mixeduse development is.

Urban Land Institute (ULI), in their book Mixed-Use Development Handbook, characterises mixed-use as: • Three or more significant revenueproducing uses that in well-planned projects are mutually supporting; • Significant social and functional integration of project components, including uninterrupted pedestrian connections; and • Development in conformance with a coherent plan (Herndon, 2011).

Another commonly referenced definition of mixed-use development was developed by multiple agencies of the USA back in 2006: • Mixed-use development is a real estate project with planned integration of some combination of multiple

functions. It is pedestrian-oriented and contains elements of a live-workplay environment. It maximises space usage, has amenities and architectural expression and tends to mitigate traffic and sprawl (Niemira, 2007).

Although the definition is a good step to start understanding the nature and characteristics of a mixed-use development, there are still several possible configurations of how mixeduse is arranged, consequences of how programmes benefit or lose out from the proximity from other programmes and the impact that mixed-use development has to the city at large.

Within the discourse of mixed-use theory, there are two conceptual models of mixed use which are considerably more wellreferenced: the first was developed by Alan Rowley (1996) and the second was created

by Eric Hoppenbrouwer and Erik Louw (2005), adding on to Rowley’s idea.

Rowley’s model focuses on the urban texture of a settlement as a product of three things: grain, density, and permeability (Rowley, 1996). The grain of a settlement refers to how various aspects of a settlement are integrated together in space, while density refers to how much

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Diagram 1 Rowley's model of mixed use development 1996) Figure(Rowley, 1: Rowley’s

Mixed-Use Model Source: Rowley, 1996 18

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space or how many units contained within a particular area, sometimes referred to as a measure of land use intensity. Permeability suggests the number of possible ways a pedestrian can choose from as he/she navigates through a given area.

Moreover, he classifies four different possible locations where mixed use development can occur: • City or town centres where the commercial and civic core of cities exist; • Inner-city areas where derelict, vacant or built-up land is often found needing regeneration; • Suburban or edge-of-town locations; and • Greenfield sites where it is located beyond the urban fringe.

Furthermore, Rowley considers three other aspects in his conceptual model: • The form of mixed-use development is influenced by external factors such as public policy and regulations, property markets, and cultural ideas and values.

• Different degrees of vitality is generated from activities and land uses within mixed use projects • The time dimension is crucial because different programmed spaces produce activity on varying time schedules and

this leads to situations of pop-up uses.

• The result of the complex interactions of these variables is what he terms a “mixed-use situation.”

As a model that expand on Rowley’s idea, Hoppenbrouwer and Louw’s model is also organised by function, dimension, scale, and urban texture, but it is developed from a spatial perspective (Hoppenbrouwer and Louw, 2005). The function here refers to the different land uses that are being mixed. Although the model uses housing (residential) and working (office) for the sake of simplicity, the model can be extended to other permutations of uses.

Moreover, dimension consists of four aspects: • The shared premise dimension, • The horizontal dimension, • The vertical dimension and • The time dimension.

Additionally, similar to Rowley’s model, scale is included in the model, but the method of subdivision is different.

Hoppenbrouwer and Louw’s scale is broken down into building, block, district and city levels, instead. Also, urban texture is also one of the components of the model, but different from Rowley’s model, their model consists of grain, density and the interweaving functions.

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Diagram 2 Hoppenbrouwer and Louw's model of mixed use development (Hoppenbrouwer & Louw, 2005)

Figure 2: Hoppenbrouwer and Louw’s Mixed-Use Model Source: Hoppenbrouwer, 2005 20

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As what Rowley has included in his model, Hoppenbrouwer and Louw also recognise the components of mixed use development are insufficient if they only measure them in terms of urban design only. They believe that other non-design elements, such as the urban experience, the nature of uses, definition of public and private as well as conflict and security play a part in defining a mixed-use development. Nonetheless, it is not entirely necessary to include them in the model as they believe that this software can still exist in parallel, without being part of the model, where they may complicate the model further.

Hybrid Although mixed-use development may be an important aspect in the pursuit of achieving urban intensity, it may be insufficient to rely solely on that. Its commercial nature and economically driven raison d’etre have made mixeduse development to be no more than an introverted ensemble of separate functions that is devoid of public engagement with the urban fabric.

Fundamental differences have been pointed out by various scholars that study hybrid

buildings. Fenton (1985) argued that there was a clear difference between a hybrid building and a mixed-use development, in that the former, various programs relate to one another and begin to share intensities.

Early studies and empirical evidence of hybrid buildings have suggested that it can be classified into three different groups based on form: Fabric, Graft, and Monolith. Both Fabric and Monolith hybrids subsume the diverse programmatic elements within a continuous building envelope. Their differences lie in the scale and its effect on the city: Fabric hybrids tend to immerse itself out of reverence for their place in the urban fabric while Monolith hybirds’ monumental scale poses a selfgenerating symbolism that embodies the spirit of the city. The Graft hybrid exposes its functions, either through the volumes or elevations (Fenton, 1985).

Although Fenton acknowledges that this classification has its limitations in the occasional overlapping, he believes that this helps to understand the hybrid buildings.

Furthermore, in This is Hybrid, Mozas elaborated that hybrid buildings are cosmopolitan building that welcomes complexity, diversity and various programmes (Per, Mozas & Arpa, 2011). He also goes further by providing definitive

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Fabric hybrids

Graft hybrids

Diagram 3 Fenton's classification of hybrid buildings (Fenton, 1985)

Monolith hybrids

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descriptions of different elements that make up the hybrid buildings. He believes the ideal hybrid benefits from the symbiosis of public and private spheres that the permeability of the hybrid is its greatest strength. Hybrid buildings are often associated with a certain form of grandeur, splendour and gigantism as mixing implies size and superposition requires height (Per et al., 2011).

Social condenser Social condenser is a concept that was conceived from the Soviet Union’s constructivist movement. It was first coined

by OSA (Organisation of Contemporary Architects), an architectural association in the Soviet Union, in light of the socialist movement at that time. The main idea of social condenser is that architecture is not only an inanimate object, but also an instrumental tool to transform the nation’s way of life, changing the ordinary man to a new social creature (N., 2010).

To achieve this, the building layout is configured in such a way that circulation becomes the most important space to fit in the spaces alongside it, so as to increase chances of interaction and meeting, accelerating collectivism across the population (Gomez, 2014).

Social condenser itself is manifested in two more prominent typologies: the club and collective housing. The collective housing typology is relevant to be discussed within this thesis framework as it concerns multiple functions, which include residential.

The collective housing focuses all of its amenities and resources for transformation on the members of a closed community, as elaborated by Anatole Kopp (1967): Just as capacitors, electrical condensers, transform the nature of the electric, current, social condensers should cause an individual preoccupied by his/her own interests to become a complete human being. (p. 148) Per (2011) in her essay Hybrid vs Social Condenser explained the following: Each function is thought out not to create intensity and vitality in the city, nor to attract a flux of external users nor even to foster mixing and indetermination but rather to achieve a self-sufficient and ‘complete’ building that can isolate itself from the conventional city. (p. 46) Thus, it is evident that although in social condensers, several additional amenities

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Social condensers

University campuses

Community centre

Shopping complex

diversity of uses, including residential

Diagram 4 Examples of mixed-use typology

Live/work configurations

Hybrid

Cultural centre

Hybrid

Business centre

different stakeholders

Hospital Transport hub

integrated into the urban fabric

public uses

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may be present, it does not make that housing building a hybrid. Per (2011) added that “hybridisation lies not only in the programme but also in initiative, investment and management”.

Summary This investigation focuses on hybrid buildings and its capability to create an urban intensity within a building or development. The massive scale of many hybrid buildings blurs the boundary of architecture and urban planning as it creates more density and aggregates multiple programmes.

The understanding of urban intensity is important in driving this thesis forward as it provides the foundation for the investigation on mixed-use development. Furthermore, the knowledge of both hybrid and social condenser as two distinct entities in a constellation of mixed-use typologies helps to distil some observations on Singapore’s prevalent building typologies.

In all, the following diagram showing a spectrum flanked by hybrid and social condenser’s distinct characteristics will serve as an analysis tool for the observations that will be discussed in Chapter 4. This diagram suggests that these different aspects

contribute determining whether a building can be considered to be displaying more of the hybrid qualities or social condenser qualities, especially when some of Singapore’s mixed-use developments that concern residential components are analysed further.

Hybrid

Cultural centre

University campuses

Community centre

Shopping complex

Hybrid

Social condenser

diversity of uses, including residential

residential buildings with a service programme associated to the dwellings

Hospital

21 Transport hub

different stakeholders

integrated into the urban fabric

public uses

one stakeholder

isolated location in the urban fabric

exclusive use of the service programme by residents

Diagram 5 Qualities and characteristics that differentiate hybrid and social condenser (Per et al., 2011)

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CASE STUDIES

Qualities of hybrid buildings In order to understand hybrid buildings, their qualities and different strategies that can be implemented later on in the design, three case studies have been selected based on their merits: Sliced Porosity Block

by Steven Holl, Block/Tower by Stan Allen and Rafi Segal, and Bryghusprojektet by OMA. In analysing the case studies, there is a need to dissect its architectural/urban elements separately, so as to understand each contributing components and then merge them together again later on to have a holistic view. Adapted from Gringhuis and Wiesner (2014), here are nine different components that are essential in creating hybrid building: 1. Project scale The first element that is evident in a hybrid building is the project scale. In her article regarding hybrid buildings, Susanne Kormossa describes a hybrid building as an “extremely condensed urban block”. She believes that this is an essential characteristic of the hybrid building as it “increases the city’s density and contributes to the public realm of the city - horizontally as well as vertically” (Kormossa, 2011).

2. Urban density Hybrid buildings feed off the density that is present in the surrounding urban fabric, where these buildings become more energised by the active agents that form new social interaction. Mozas (2011) argues that the hybrid goes beyond the domain of architecture and enters the realm of urban planning.

Hybrid is then said to be blurring the boundaries of architecture and urban planning where scale is essentially the key driver of its existence.

3. Urban relevance Apart from exploiting the density and congestion of the area, it needs to be interacting with the functions present in the surrounding urban fabric.

Multiple programmes that are provided by the hybrid building must benefit the different agents that frequent the area so that it becomes relevant to the overall context.

4. Urban connectivity The hybrid building represents a socially open building that embraces new and unexpected interactions between strangers. To facilitate that, its connectivity to the city on which the building sits in is crucial. Comprehensive

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Project scale

Urban density

Urban relevance

Urban connectivity

Programme diversity

Programme scale

Integrated public realm

Programme relationship

Flexibility

Diagram 6 Quality of hybrid buildings (Gringhuis & Wiesner, 2014)

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network of infrastructure and public transport system generate a significant amount of catchment for hybrid buildings to thrive. Therefore, proximity to these connectivity hotspots is necessary to create a successful hybrid building.

5. Integrated public realm Susanne Kormossa (2011) mentions that a hybrid building “extends the city’s public domain horizontally and vertically into the building’s interior and links the public domain inside and outside”. In general, an extensive public space is essential in creating a vibrant urban realm, yet the building’s private sphere needs to intertwine well with the sociability of the public realm.

6. Programme diversity The fourth characteristic of the hybrid building is the programme diversity.

This is Hybrid (2011) mentions that the hybrid building “turns against the combination of the usual programmes and bases its whole raison d’etre on the unexpected mixing of functions”.

Therefore, it is essential to dissect the different functions that occur in the hybrid buildings and understand how they contribute to the overall synergy of the development.

7. Programme scale Not only that programme diversity is essential in ensuring a healthy hybrid building, but also a wide range of programme scale should also be present in a true hybrid building (Gringhuis & Wiesner, 2014). It is crucial to note that this quality is not referring to the size of the programme unit per se, but more of the way this particular programme is implemented. A shopping mall is a large function that consists of myriads of different shopping units. However, the entire scale of shopping function is not broken up by other programmes within its entirety.

8. Programme relationship Multiple programmes do not just co-exist side by side, but they must be integrated, creating a synergy to activate the building. These integration strategies can be broken down into horizontal or vertical integration and it can also be achieved through visual or physical connections (Gringhuis & Wiesner, 2014).

9. Flexibility The last quality that is inherent to a hybrid building pertains to flexibility or the ability for the current building to

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change according to the situations. As discussed in the research by Gringhuis & Wiesner 2014), a hybrid building should not exude a sense of finality or endpoint, yet it should serve as a strategy in which programmes can evolve according to the needs. As such, this requires a structural and social framework that can be adapted easily.

All these components interact and create an ensemble that influences the extent of which a particular development is hybrid or not. This list is not meant to be exhaustive.

However, it is hoped that these qualities can help us to understand better the existing or proposed hybrid buildings.

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12 10 Steven Holl’s Sliced Porosity Block in Chengdu, provides a permeable public square in the middle of the development 11 Bryghusprojektet in Copenhagen by OMA activates the waterfront by providing urban thoroughfare 12 Block/Tower by Stan Allen and Rafi Segel brings the public up the building through a spiraling public garden

Project scale

Sliced Porosity Block Steven Holl

Bryghusp

OM

Plot Area : 32,663 m2 Gross Floor Area : 310,000 m2 FAR : 5.97 Covered Area : 57.6%

Plot Area : 12,575 m2 Gross Floor Area : 27,000 m2 FAR : 1.4 Covered Area : 57.1%

Sliced Porosity Block is massive as compared to the site context, especially towards the east, where four to five storeys buildings are found. By breaking away from the normal podium tower typology and making it more porous, the enormity of the project is subsumed by the permeability of the public plaza.

The Bryghusprojektet can be cat with the surrounding building. The and its prime location contribute t building encroaches to the water unused waterfront to make it a pu

projektet

MA

tegorised as large in comparison e combination of multiple functions to the scale of the project. As the rfront, it opens up the previously ublic space.

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Block/Tower

Stan Allen and Rafi Segel Plot Area : 5,055 m2 Gross Floor Area : 125,730 m2 FAR : 25 Covered Area : 53% Block/Tower’s scale can be considered large as compared to the surrounding buildings, due to the combination of multiple uses. Its high FAR forces the building to go high up and provide an interesting solution to integrate the public realm, by bringing the public up to the spiralling green/commercial corridor.

Urban density

Urban relevance

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Sliced Porosity Block

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100m

50m

Steven Holl

Bryghusp

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Place : Chengdu, China Influence Area : Chengdu Population : 11,000,670 people Density : 888 people/km2

Place : Copenhagen Influence Area : Hovedstado Population : 1,211,542 peo Density : 5,600 peopl

Sliced Porosity Block is located right in the dense city centre of Chengdu, China. It provides the city dwellers with a large public plaza that humanise the project, despite its enormous scale. Holl’s concept of “micro-urbanism” is translated into the double-fronted shops opening to the main street as well as the shopping centre below (Frearson, 2013).

Located between the historic w Slotsholmen district of Copenha and programmatically merges th the city centre and above the bu draws the city dwellers right into t opportunities for unexpected inter

projektet

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100m

50m

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Block/Tower

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100m

50m

Stan Allen and Rafi Segel

n, Denmark omradet ople ple/km2

Place : New York City, USA Influence Area : New York City Population : 8,336,697 people Density : 10,360 people/km2

waterfront and the culturally rich agen, Bryghusprojektet formally he two together. Being right in usy Christians Brygge, this project the heart of the building, creating ractions (Rosenfield, 2013).

Manhattan’s dense city grid has provided a framework and the desired urban intensity to the Block/Tower design proposal. This project strives to feed off from the busy city life by introducing new urban typology that responds to the changing social, technological and ecological urban conditions. The result is an interlocking, hybrid and porous prototype that allow city-dwellers to enjoy the urban intensity within the building (Allen & Segal, 2014).

Urban connectivity

0

100m

Chengke N Road Vester Voldgade

1st Ring Road Christians Brygge

Sichuan Gymnasium Station Renmin South Road

Sliced Porosity Block

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50m

Steven Holl

The project is considered to be well-connected to the rest of the city due to several reasons. Firstly, it is situated south of the intersection between 1st Ring Road and Renmin South Road which are important road networks serving Chengdu. Secondly, Sichuan Gymnasium station is right on the north-west of the site. This train line cuts through Chengdu from north to south. Lastly, there are bus stops that are parts of the city’s public transport network.

Bryghusp

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Although there is no nearby train sits directly on top of the Christia road serving the city and connecti of Copenhagen. Also, the H. C. A south-west provides enhanced co

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100m

100m

E 57th Street

s Ka

holm

eriks

Fred nal

E 56th Street

E 54th Street

50m

MA

stations or bus stops, the project ans Brygge road, which is a major ing to the overall ring road system Andersens Boulevard towards its onnectivity to the rest of the city.

Block/Tower

2nd Avenue

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3rd Avenue

Lexington Avenue

projektet

E 55th Street

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50m

Stan Allen and Rafi Segel Despite the lack of major road nearby, the Manhattan street grid serves as an efficient road network for the city. This benefits the design proposal Block/Tower as it sits in one of the plots cut by E 55th Street and 3rd Avenue. Furthermore, plenty of bus stops are found within the vicinity to connect to the rest of the island.

Programme diversity

Programme scale

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15

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5

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Car park

carpark

living

live/work unit

office

shopping

hotel

culture

Living

civic

education

sport

Live/work

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other

Offices

Sliced Porosity Block Steven Holl

The programmatic distribution of this project is quite varied with mainly shopping and offices dominating the overall tally. Communal and semi-public programmes are also scattered throughout the five towers in between the other main programmes: office, hotel and residential. However, the programmatic scale is still quite large in general, since the five towers are mainly occupied by one function only, with the exception of the sky bridges connecting the pavilions at the 8th floor. The large base of shopping podium reminds us of the typical mixed-use development, taking away some of the true hybrid quality of the building.

carpark

living

Shopping

live/work unit

office

shopping

h

H

Bryghusp

OM

Although there is quite a large a which is occupied by Danish Arch complemented with other uses. spaces throughout the whole proje an auditorium, and office spaces. fairly broken up into smaller bloc the building. The key quality of th are not placed as one large func separated and scattered over seve

hotel

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50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 culture

civic

Hotel

education

sport

other

Culture

projektet

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amount of offices in this building hitecture Centre (DAC), it is wellDAC is broken up into smaller ect, consisting of an exhibition hall, . The other programmes are also cks and interspersed throughout his project is that the programmes ctional block but they have been eral storeys in the project.

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Civic

carpark

living

live/work unit

office

shopping

hotel

culture

civic

Education

education

Sport

sport

other

Other

Block/Tower

Stan Allen and Rafi Segel The interspersing of smaller programmatic blocks are also observed in this design proposal. With offices, living units, shopping and hotels being spread over several stories, the journey up through the spiralling public garden offers the city dwellers different experience at every turn. Another important aspect of this project is the flexibility that it offers through the configurable office/living units. The architects envision that the units are flexible enough to respond to the demand of the market forces so that the programmatic distribution should not be seen to be final.

Integrated public realm

Sliced Porosity Block Steven Holl

The porous public plaza invites city dwellers to gather, activating the urban fabric throughout the day. Landscaping, water features as well as shop fronts are also integrated with the public plaza so as to create a more human scale plaza, despite the massive scale of the project.

Three voids are carved out the towers for the site of the Pavilion of Provincial History, the High Tech Pavilion, and the Du Fu Pavilion. These pavilions are then connected by sky bridges that house semi-public programmes such as events space, lecture room, and internet lounge.

Bryghusp

OM

The underground connection from waterfront provides an uninterru activating the city life. Semi-pub of open public decks are also ava building. Furthermore, more priv integrated through the sharing of

projektet

MA

m the surrounding context to the upted access to the waterfront, blic gathering spaces in the form ailable on the upper floors of the vate programmes are physically the semi-public spaces.

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Block/Tower

Stan Allen and Rafi Segel As a dense hybrid design prototype, Allen and Segel rotated the common ‘horizontal’ public space of the streetscape often found in the city grid of Manhattan into a spiralling garden/atrium that is sculpted out from the mass of the tower. This spiralling garden creates a network of public programmes throughout the building, providing alternative internal circulation for the residents and workers of the living and working units.

Programme relationship

Car park

Living

Live/work

Offices

Sliced Porosity Block Steven Holl

Programmatic relationship is established through the visual connection to the open courtyard plaza that is surrounded by the office, hotel and residential towers. Apart from that, cultural spaces such as the pavilion are intended to provide this connection at the upper floor through the sky bridges. However, within the structural facade, the programmatic relationship is manifested in a very generic way, where floor slabs divide the programmes vertically.

Diagram is adapted from Per, A. F., Mozas, J., & Arpa, J. (2011). This is Hybrid: An analysis of mixed-use buildings. Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain: a+t architecture.

Shopping

H

Bryghusp

OM

There is some attempt at int programmes present at the Bry DAC, residential units and offices the open public terraces. Additio established to the DAC main exhib atrium in the centre. Apart from tho that draws people to the waterfron the mix of programmes.

Hotel

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Culture

projektet

MA

tegrations among the different yghusprojektet. For example, the are physically integrated through onally, visual connections are also bition space through the generous ose strategies, the urban connector nt can act as an effective binder of

Civic

Education

Sport

Other

Block/Tower

Stan Allen and Rafi Segel The spiralling up of semi-outdoor public landscape provides enhanced connectivity through the building. With more public programmes, such as commercial spaces, hotel and offices, connected directly to this public space, this vertical circulation engages the city dwellers with the intensity and vibrancy, equivalent to the street life on the ground floor.

Diagram is taken from Per, A. F., Mozas, J., & Arpa, J. (2011). This is Hybrid: An analysis of mixeduse buildings. Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain: a+t architecture.

Flexibility

Sliced Porosity Block Steven Holl

A comprehensive structural system that includes column and trusses are elegantly expressed on the facade of this building. This structural envelope provides the necessary structural integrity of the whole development, creating a column-free space for the majority of the floors effectively that in turn giving the opportunity for some flexibility.

Nonetheless, flexibility to changes in programmes was not the intended outcome of the design and it was not explicitly presented in most of the design reviews.

Bryghusp

OM

The structural integrity of the Bryg high level of flexibility for future c column and truss systems, it allows to be column-free, making it easier of surging demand for a certain p uneven horizontal plates are obse limited horizontal flexibility at som

Diagram is adapted from Gringhuis, R., & Wiesn of a True Hybrid Building (Doctoral dissertation Retrieved April 23, 2016, from repository.tudelf

projektet

MA

39

Block/Tower

Stan Allen and Rafi Segel

ghusprojektet by OMA provides a changes. With the combination of s the majority of the interior space for further partitioning in the event programme later on. Nonetheless, erved at some levels, resulting in a me parts of the building.

Flexibility is achieved by keeping intact the structure of the building and reconfiguring the requirements for necessary living/working space. Taking advantage of the higher floor-to-floor dimensions of the typical office space, converting from office to residential allows three floors of living units to be placed within two floors of office units, resulting in a highly flexible array of convertible units.

ner, T. (2014). An Exploration into the Qualities n, Technical University Delft, 2014). Delft. ft.nl.

Diagram is taken from PLOT / SAA / Block Tower. (2013, July 17). Retrieved April 26, 2016, from http://www.revistaplot.com/en/saa-block-tower/

40

Summary The three case studies have demonstrated how the different qualities of hybrid have been and can be achieved. These projects are by no means the exhaustive list of the entire catalogue of hybrid building examples, but it provides a rich overview of the current and future trend of hybrid buildings around the world. This also gives necessary knowledge on how to create true hybrid buildings based on the strategies that have been employed by these architects.

On the opposite page is a comparison study of the three projects based on the nine qualities of hybrid buildings. They are rated based on the quality and pitted against one another, in which they will then be given a rating from one to three indicating the worst to the best performance relatively about the respective criteria.

Each case studies have their respective qualities in which they are stronger than the others, sparking an interesting discussion on whether giving ranking to the different qualities from the most important to the least important is necessary or not.

As it is observed, the Block/Tower project

by Stan Allen and Rafi Segel achieved

the highest overall score followed by Bryghusprojektet by OMA and Sliced Porosity Block by Steven Holl. However, it is just a design proposal to re-imagine a typology of a mixed-use development that responds to the changes in demand in the function allocation.

Therefore, based on these three case studies, it is important to extract the different strategies to achieve a successful hybrid building to proceed to the next part of this thesis investigation.

41

Sliced Porosity Block Steven Holl

Project scale

Urban density

Urban relevance

Urban connectivity

Programme diversity

Programme scale

Integrated public realm

Programme relationship

Flexibility

Overall

Bryghusprojektet OMA

Block/Tower

Stan Allen and Rafi Segel

42

4

OBSERVATIONS There are three observations that were made before framing the thesis topic and questions: urban intensity in the densest sub-zones of Singapore, building types near MRT stations and building case studies in Singapore.

These three observations are closely related. They are diverse in scales; looking at urban fabric, planning patterns and specific building cases. They inform the next step of this thesis preparation differently: • the current urban planning strategies of dense sub-zones in Singapore and how it results in the urban intensity, • the current trend of building use right above or beside important nodes of urban connectivity (i.e.

MRT stations), • the different cases of mixeduse typologies present in the residential mix examples in Singapore.

43

Yew Tee

Clementi Mall

Tiong Bahru Station

Jurong West Central

SUB-ZONES

Kampung Admiralty

Pinnacle@Duxton

PLANNING ZONES

MRT NETWORK

ISLAND SCALE

Diagram 7 Observations framework of urban intensity within sub-zones and current/planned mixed-use buildings in Singapore.

44

Urban intensity in dense sub-zones

Bahru Station of Bukit Merah and Yew Tee of Choa Chu Kang.

In the context of Singapore, urban intensity can be experienced in varying degrees, produced by interactions of different components of urban intensity: density, diversity, and connectivity.

As seen from the observations through the three densest sub-zones in Singapore, density does not necessarily lead to vitality and higher chance of interactions in the public spaces provided within the sub-zones. As what Jane Jacobs (1961) has explored in her books that a dense concentration of people in a neighbourhood does not necessarily translate to a flourishing city. She argued that low density settlements are worrying because of their lack of complexity rather than their lack of density.

Density dimension Looking at the population density - total population per sqkm of area - of various planning zones in Singapore, we can see that there is a wide variation between the least dense and the densest planning zones, implying the kind of urban fabric that makes up the zones.

Denser zones suggest a higher percentage of residential plots and/or higher number of high-rise housing blocks while less dense zones hint a higher percentage of other uses and/or higher number of landed housing estates. With 29,457 people per sqkm, Choa Chu Kang becomes the densest planning zone in Singapore. It is evident in a large number of high-rises residential blocks including both public and private housing.

By dissecting the planning zones further into sub-zones, it is clear that the density shoots up in several parts of Singapore.

The three densest sub-zones are Jurong West Central as part of Jurong West, Tiong

As a matter of fact, Jacobs (1961) claimed that urban intensity is neither the result of just the presence of sheer amount - of people, built environment, uses, streets, or other elements - nor it considered irrelevant from the urban fabric. Instead, it is generated from the basic, incidental interaction between subjects within space and time.

This underscores the ambiguous nature of physical elements - as their ability to be a part of different systems according to everyday rituals and time-specific circumstances.

Intensity, for Jacobs, is an innate property of the interaction between agents and their

45

physical environment, rather than merely the result of a ratio per se.

That being said, let us now consider the diversity of the three densest sub-zones in Singapore and postulate how this contributes to the urban intensity of the neighbourhoods.

Diversity dimension The first step of approaching diversity is by looking at the different land uses within the three densest sub-zones in Singapore.

It reveals the lack of diversity of uses within the urban fabric, with concentration of residential and commercial spaces being separated from each other. Communal spaces are still interspersed within the overall built environment. However, some of the communal spaces lack character and vigour to begin with.

Commercial spaces are highly concentrated at the MRT stations making it accessible for residents from that sub-zones or other parts of Singapore to visit them. The government has also ensured that there are sufficient educational institutions within the sub-zones itself, focusing more on the kindergarten, primary and secondary schools. This is to encourage children to go to the nearby schools when they are young, making it convenient for parents to

look after them.

Nonetheless, apart from the concentrated diversity towards different attractor points, almost 80% of the sub-zones are homogeneous, banal and lack of vitality that is highly championed by proponents of density. This goes to show that diversity plays a significant role in the creation of urban intense model.

Connectivity dimension In this context, connectivity comprises of at least two situations: firstly, internal connectivity which includes the ease of access between different uses for them to work synergistically and secondly, external connectivity which involves ease of access to other parts of a broader urban context.

In the scale of sub-zones, internal connectivity can be represented by the different modes of transport that are available to navigate through the subzones: walking, cycling, public transport and cars. Nonetheless, this thesis will focus on the connectivity via walking within subzones, as it provides a fundamental mode of transportation between different uses and spaces.

In general, the three densest sub-zones exhibit low quality of walkability within it.

46

Sembawang Woodlands

Yishu

Choa Chu Kang

Bukit Batok

Ang Mo

Bukit Panjang

Bish

Jurong West Bukit Timah Jurong East

Novena Clementi Tanglin

River Valley

Queenstown Bukit Merah

Outra

47

un Punggol Sengkang

o Kio Pasir Ris Hougang

han

am

Serangoon

Tampines Toa Payoh Bedok Kallang

Geylang

Marine Parade

Density (people per sqkm) 27,500-30,000 25,000-27,500 22,500-25,000 20,000-22,500 17,500-20,000 15,000-17,500 12,500-15,000 10,000-12,500 7,500-10,000 5,000-7,500 2,500-5,000 0-2,500

48

Yew Tee

Jurong West Central

Tiong Bahru Station

49

Top 3 densest sub-zone Jurong West Central

49,420 people/sqkm

Tiong Bahru Station

47,629 people/sqkm

Yew Tee

45,531 people/sqkm

Commercial spaces

Pavilion Open public spaces

Jurong West Central

Void deck spaces

50

51

Commercial spaces

Pavilion Open public spaces

Tiong Bahru Station

Void deck spaces

52

53

Commercial spaces

Pavilion Open public spaces

Yew Tee

Void deck spaces

54

55

56

Void deck spaces

In general, the void deck spaces are under-used mos and residents corners, create a sense of place and id residents with a necessary amenities such as tables residents.

Higher void-deck ceilings give a different experien ventilation and light, as compared to the typical one

Although furniture are installed in various parts of th it is frequently used or not. Different configurations p

Open public spaces

This category includes every spaces that are open to facilities are provided in this type of area, sporting fitness corners or pavilions.

As for the children's playground and fitness corners, it blocks provide necessary shading to these spaces, as

This goes for the sporting facilities as well, since the with their neighbours in a competitive settings.

Open sky amphitheatres are rarely being used, unles These events may include political rally or performan

In general, these open public spaces are mostly und interaction spaces that is climatically controlled.

Pavilions

Pavilions are usually located in within a cluster of HD (which was observed in three of the pavilions in Yew T to attend an event and hold the event close to their example in one of the weddings, it transforms to bec

Commercial spaces

Commercial spaces are where the most concentratio near the MRT stations to provide more accessibility spaces influence the kind of activity patterns observ

Smaller coffee shops are also found scattered within and gather over food, rather than void decks. eape gather over meals in these coffee shops.

57

Summary

st of the time. Not only that the designated spaces, such as senior citizens dentity by delineating a fraction of the void deck space, it also provides the s and chairs, vending machines and TV to facilitate interactions between

nce to the monotonous and banal public space, providing it with ample e storey high void deck.

he void decks, it is evident that how and where it is placed affects whether provide different functions.

o the sky, including spaces between blocks and courtyard spaces. Different facilities such as basketball and badminton courts, children's playground,

t is commonly used during the end of the day, nearing dusk. The surrounding s well as it is when children or elderly are most free from their daily routines.

ese are targeted for the teenagers and young adults to interact and gather

ss there is a large events happening that requires the stage configurations. nce settings.

derused throughout the day, where the trend now is more towards indoor

DB blocks. It is used for large gathering or meeting events such as weddings Tee and Tiong Bahru). The central location is strategic for the neighbourhood residence. The void deck spaces are usually used to support the event, for come the kitchen area for the food preparation.

on of people are located in this dense sub-zones. They are usually located to these spaces. The variety of stalls and amenities within the commercial ved.

n clusters of HDB blocks. It provides the residents with a place to interact er food option is one of the main attractive incentive for the residents to

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Jurong West Central Scale 1:12,500 open space/parks residential educational commercial civic/community/institution hotel commercial and residential MRT stations

Tiong Ba

ahru Station

59

Yew Tee

60

Jurong West Central open space/parks residential educational commercial civic/community/institution hotel commercial and residential MRT stations

Tiong Ba

ahru Station

61

Yew Tee

62

This is due to: • Monotonous streetscape and sidewalk experience when navigating in between HDB blocks to the nearest amenities • Undefined and underused spaces is a common sight within the HDB estates. • Low climate considerations among the network of streets within the subzones.

Building types near MRT stations As hybrid buildings enjoy the urban connectivity, it is only appropriate to place them strategically in relation to the city.

In the case of Singapore, one of the most connected public transport networks is the MRT stations. Therefore, it is interesting to look at what type of buildings are present in all these stations, and how are they related to the surrounding context. To have a more focused approach, the observations are done at MRT stations where it is serving mainly a residential estate, whether it is public or private.

As indicated by the map and the sample of building types near the MRT stations, there is an observed trend of large scale mixed use development being developed at these most accessible and well-connected sites near an MRT stations. However, these mixed-use developments come in different

forms. Most of them are in the form of shopping mall podium with executive condominiums or private condominiums on top, as found in Bedok, Yew Tee and Punggol.

Another type that is quite prevalent is the shopping mall and office typology observed in Novena, Buona Vista and Paya Lebar. The other types would mainly be either just a shopping mall or an integrated hub such as those in Toa Payoh.

Three of these MRT stations serving the heartlands are directly connected to a sports hub, which often includes a stadium and a swimming pool. Such as those in Bukit Gombak, Yio Chu Kang and Kranji.

A trend then can be extracted from this observation that there are many of these shopping malls or mixed-use development which do not belong to the hybrid category.

Even though there may be one or two other programmes attached to the commercial spaces, it is insufficient to create a vibrant and urban intense city fabric.

Therefore, there should be other approaches as to how these prime sites can be treated to capitalise on their urban connectivity and density that it enjoys.

63

64

EW1 Pasir Ris - White Sands

NS20 Novena - Velocity

NS20 Novena - United Square

NS19 Toa Payoh - Toa Payoh Hub

NS16 Ang Mo Kio -

EW22 Buona Vista - Star Vista

EW23 Clementi - Clementi Mall

EW24 Jurong East - jem

EW24 Jurong East

EW2 Tampines - Tampines Mall

EW2 Tampines - Tampines One

EW3 Simei - Eastpoint Mall

EW5 Bedok - Bedok Mall

EW6 Kembangan - Kembangan Plaza

EW8 Paya Lebar - Paya Lebar Square

EW17 Tiong Bahru - Tiong Bahru Plaza

EW21 Buona Vista - Metropolis

65

AMK Hub

NS15 Yio Chu Kang - Sports hub

NS13 Yishun - Northpoint

NS11 Sembawang - Sun Plaza

NS10 Admiralty - Kampung Admiralty

NS9 Woodlands - Causeway Point

NS7 Kranji - Singapore Turf Club

NS5 Yew Tee - Yew Tee Point

NS4 Choa Chu Kang - Lot One

NS3 Bukit Gombak - Sports hub

NS2 Bukit Batok - Westmall

NE17 Punggol - Waterway Point

- westgate

EW29 Joo Koon - Fairprice Hub

NE12 Serangoon - nex

NE13 Kovan - Heartland Mall

NE16 Sengkang - Compass Point

66

Building case studies in Singapore Three building case studies that are all residential towers with other programmes attached to it in varying scale and diversity have been chosen for the third part of the observation. This will then inform the thesis on what are the current available housing typologies that are present in Singapore, and how this thesis will improve on them.

The buildings that will be analysed are Pinnacle@Duxton, Clementi Mall Mixed Development and Kampung Admiralty.

Interface with residential: • There is undefined public gathering space that acts as a buffer to the residential units, with many of other activity nodes attached to space.

• Sky bridges/sky terraces are another way in which this kind of undefined communal spaces can exist, but connection to other activity/nodes is limited • This interface happens horizontally, which means that these spaces are stacked on top of each other to achieve the intended spaces.

• Noise level is mitigated through unplanned programme spaces, with fewer numbers of that connect to it.

Importance of visual connection and diversity: • Security and safety are maintained by having a visual connection to the communal spaces where residents tend to gather.

Connection from the surroundings to the development: • Most connection happens on the ground, and the distinction between the access to residential and commercial spaces only happens at Clementi Mall, showing the consideration for privacy.

Total area of each programs contribute to the mixed use of the development • Clementi Mall and Kampung Admiralty are more balanced in terms of the programme diversity and scale as compared to Pinnacle@Duxton.

Programs feed in directly to an undefined space creating opportunity for unplanned activities to occur • However the number and nature of programmes that feed into the undefined communal space affect the frequency and vibrancy of space.

67

13

14

15

13 Pinnacle@Duxton is one of the densest public housing in Singapore 14 Clementi Mall provides amenities for the residents that live in it and those live nearby 15 Kampung Admiralty houses a polyclinic, a hawkers centre, an elderly care centre and a child care centre

68

69

Carpark

Corridor

Council office

Services

Commercial

Communal space

Garden

Hawkers centre

Lift

HDB Flats

Polyclinic

Staircase

Library

Community centre

70

Height Stories Site area Dwelling units Density

: : : : :

163 m 51 0.025 km2 1,848 units 73,920 DU/km2

71

2300

0000

0100

2200

0200

0300

2100

0400

2000

1900

0500

0600

1800

1700

0700

0800

1600

1500

0900 1400

1000 1300

1200

1100

Pinnacle@Duxton

residential podium community spaces sky bridge level 26 sky bridge level 50 basketball court childcare centre food court retail convenience store

72

73

Carpark

Corridor

Council office

Services

Commercial

Communal space

Garden

Hawkers centre

Lift

HDB Flats

Polyclinic

Staircase

Library

Community centre

74

Height Stories Site area Dwelling units Density

: : : : :

139 m 40 0.0166 km2 388 units 23,373 units/km2

75

2300

0000

0100

2200

0200

0300

2100 2000

0400

1900

0500

1800

0600

1700

0700

0800

1600

1500

0900 1400

1000 1300

1200

1100

Clementi Mall Mixed Development

residential podium community garden shopping mall bus interchange council office library

76

77

Carpark

Corridor

Council office

Services

Commercial

Communal space

Garden

Hawkers centre

Lift

HDB Flats

Polyclinic

Staircase

Library

Community centre

78

Height Stories Site area Dwelling units Density

: : : : :

55 m 11 0.00704 km2 104 units 14,773 units/km2

79

2300

0000

0100

2200

0200

0300

2100 2000

0400

1900

0500

0600

1800

1700

0700

0800

1600

1500

0900 1400

1000 1300

1200

1100

Kampung Admiralty residential community garden polyclinic eldercare childcare hawkers centre retail

0

80

0

bus interchange

residential

0 basement carpark

podium communal garden

0

outdoor retail ground floor and basement

town council office

playground library pavilion

shopping mall (corridor and atrium)

2

residents’ carpark shops

0

Clementi Mall Mixed Development

fitness corner

playground

child care

residential

elder care

communal garden

polyclinic community plaza

shops

supermarket

0 hawkers’ centre

0

carpark

Kampung Admiralty

sky bridge level 50

81 sky bridge level 26 playground fitness corner

residential

0

food court 0

podium communal garden

retail

0

basketball court fitness corner heritage garden playground child care community centre

0

education centre

private space semi private space (payment for entry and use) semi public space (payment for use, not entry) public space

carpark

private space private space semi private space (payment for entry and use) semi private space (payment for entry and use) private space semi public space (payment for use, not entry) semi public space (payment for use, not entry) semi private space public space public space semi public space public space

Pinnacle@Duxton

Legend

private space private space semi private space (payment for entry semi private spaceand use) semi public space (payment for use, not entry) semi public space public space

public space

undefined programs private space

no barrier | visual connection private space vertical barrier | visual connection

semi private space| visual connection horizontal barrier semi public space horizontal barrier | no visual connection public space

high flow undefined programs no barrier | visual connection medium flow vertical barrier | visual connection low flow horizontal barrier | visual connection specific program/uses - activity node horizontal barrier | no visual connection

undefined programs

no barrier | visual connection

high flow

no barrier | visual connection vertical barrier | visual connection horizontal barrier | visual connection horizontal barrier | no visual connection

high flow medium flow low flow

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5

THESIS PROPOSAL

In achieving a liveable and sustainable hyper-dense architecture, there is a need to incorporate diverse functions into the design, creating mixed-use developments.

However, as much as they are regularly sprouting out from Singapore’s dense urban fabric, there is very little room for integrated public space, flexible programme arrangements, and synergistic relationships between functions which make up a potential hybrid building.

Therefore, despite their very strategic site (i.e. in close proximity with MRT stations), these current mixed-use developments tend to be introverted and fail to become the engine that catalyses intense urban life of the surrounding context.

A hybrid building, an evolution from a mere mixed-use development, may just be the answer to these downfalls of its predecessors; and creating a hyper-dense hybrid poses challenges in how to integrate seamlessly the public and private realm, provide sufficient ‘breathing space’ for the residents of the development, and answer the need for building flexibility.

Research questions • How can the notion of hybrid buildings be integrated into a coherent design of a hyper-dense building typology?

• To what extent can a hyper-dense architecture integrate synergistic and symbiotic relationships of multiple functions?

Outcome of building design • A hyper-dense urban block that exploits the conditions of congestion to generate new forms of social interactions and bases its existence on the unexpected mixing of a wide range in the scale of the functions.

• It is also essential that these functions are integrated through strong vertical connections and open public gathering space in order to activate the urban life and extends the city’s public domain horizontally and vertically into the building.

• There should not be a sense of finality regarding the hybrid building that it must instead react to unpredictable future needs and situations.

83

Strategies to expand the system • By creating a connection between integrated public gathering space.

Multiplying the hyper-dense hybrid typology to the rest of Singapore, acting as a catalyst of urban intensity near the connectivity spots (MRT stations/bus interchange). • Mixing of programmes can be changed according to the area/district in which this prototype is designed.

The following page shows a collage of how this thesis re-imagine a hyper-dense hybrid using current buildings found in Singapore.

With public gathering space being integrated through the eventual hybrid building and the multiple programmes interacting with each other, it is hoped that this thesis will be able to both solve the current issues found in Singapore’s urban fabric and find better ways how we can integrate hyper-density and hybrid typology in a relevant and well-connected urban sites.

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85

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6

SITE

Site: Keppel Golf Club Greater Southern Waterfront • The URA has rolled out its latest master plan that designates the southern part of Singapore to be connected from Marina Bay, Tanjong Pagar, Labrador and Pasir Panjang. This makes Keppel Golf Club one of the many important nodes that comprise this greater southern waterfront. Therefore, it is suitable for Keppel Golf Club to become the test bed for such experiment.

End of Keppel Golf Club lease • Keppel Golf Club will end its lease within the next 5-10 years, which makes it readily available for housing development.

Well connected to the rest of the Singapore • Circle Line MRT stations are located on the north side of the Keppel Golf Club.

Together with more than 15 bus routes, these stations connect Keppel with the whole Singapore easily.

Opportunity for densification • Situated within Bukit Merah planning zone, Keppel Golf Club has the opportunity to become a much denser estate as compared with the current densest sub-zones. It is because the

current density of Bukit Merah is still on the low side.

Mixture of programs and character creating a complex urban fabric • The current uses surrounding the site is quite varied. There is a mature HDB estate towards the north of Telok Blangah MRT station. Towards the north-west, the commercial hub emerges, with a shopping centre and office towers. Plenty of religious buildings are also present near the Telok Blangah Estate. Furthermore, there is luxurious private residential development towards the south-east of the site.

Site: Telok Blangah MRT station Telok Blangah MRT station is chosen due to its connectivity to the rest of Singapore through the Circle Line MRT network.

Although there are two MRT stations located within the Keppel site, the Telok Blangah MRT station is more suitable for the thesis project as opposed to the Labrador Park MRT station, because the former is serving the current Telok Blangah Estate residences in which the thesis proposal can benefit from the density of the existing residents. The current site area is 45,000 sqm

87

https://www.ura.gov.sg/uol/master-plan/View-Master-Plan/master-plan-2014/master-plan/Regionalhighlights/central-area/central-area/Greater-southern-waterfront.aspx

88

Hort Park

Keppel Golf Club Berlayer Creek 46m

46m

Labarador Nature Reserve

28

Bukit Che

Scale 1:8000

89 Telok Blangah Hill Park

105m

Mount Faber

8m

ermin

Keppel Island

90

Hort Park

Keppel Golf Club Berlayer Creek 46m

46m

Labarador Nature Reserve

28

Bukit Che

Scale 1:8000

91 Telok Blangah Hill Park

105m

Mount Faber

8m

ermin

Keppel Island

92

7

BRIEF

Programme brief In order to arrive at a suitable programmatic breakdown, it is important to understand the need of the site, the current programmatic distribution around the site as well as throughout Singapore, so that the uses that will be incorporated into the design of hyper-dense hybrid block can be integrated seamlessly into the existing urban fabric.

Programmatic breakdown: • Living: 192,000 sqm • Park/public plaza: 65,000 sqm • Co-working spaces: 33,000 sqm • Retail spaces: 33,000 sqm • Stadium: 27,000 sqm • Swimming complex: 19,000 sqm • Hawkers centre: 16,000 sqm • Polyclinic: 12,000 sqm • Satellite private university: 12,000 sqm • Eldercare/childcare: 8,000 sqm • Kindergarten: 5,000 sqm • Gym: 5,000 sqm The following few pages show the mapping of the different programmes being distributed throughout Singapore and the kind of pattern it has created within the urban fabric.

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Retail spaces 33,000

Satelite private university

Lifestyle library

12,000

8,000

Co-working spaces

Park/ public plaza

Living

33,000

65,000

192,000

Hawkers centre

Community centre

16,000

21,000

Elder care

Polyclinic 12,000

Swimming complex

8,000

19,000

Stadium Kindergarten 5,000

Childcare

27,000

8,000

Gym 5,000

Total = 455,000 sqm

94

Family

Community centre

Eldercare

95

Kindergarten

Childcare 0

150

450

750m

96

Food centre

97

Hawkers centre

Privately owned food court 0

150

450

750m

98

Healthcare

General hospital

Community hospital

Specialist hospital

99

Polyclinic

CHAS clinics 0

150

450

750m

100

Higher education

Autonomous university

Private university

Polytechnic

101

ITE

Junior Colleges 0

150

450

750m

102

Libraries

National library

Regional library

y

103

Public library

Lifestyle library

0

150

450

750m

104

105

Green

Parks 0

150

450

750m

106

Sports

Stadium

107

Swimming complex

Gym 0

150

450

750m

108

109

Work

Co-working spaces 0

150

450

750m

110

8

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Blog Gomez, A. S. (2014, January 6). Anatole Kopp: TOWN AND REVOLUTION - SOVIET ARCHITECTURE AND CITY PLANNING 1917-35 (1970) [Web log post]. Retrieved April 27, 2016, from http:// architectureandurbanism.blogspot.sg/2014/01/anatole-kopp-town-and-revolution-soviet.html N. (2010, September 17). Thoughts part I [Web log post]. Retrieved April 27, 2016, from http:// parallaxisaeterna.blogspot.sg/2010/09/thoughts-part-i.html

Book Bingham-Hall, P. (2015). WOHA: Selected projects (Vol. 2). Balmain, NSW: Pesaro Publishing.

Chan, Ying-Keung. (1998) Density, Crowding, and Factors Intervening in Their Relationship: Evidence from a Hyper-dense Metropolis. Social Indicators Research, Springer.

Chua, B. (1997). Political legitimacy and housing: Stakeholding in Singapore. London: Routledge.

Fleetwood, C., & Meija, V. (2012). Housing people: Affordable housing solutions for the 21st century.

Singapore: Surbana International Consultants.

Jacobs,

J. (1961). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York, Random House.

Kopp, A. (1967). Ville et revolution: Architecture et urbanisme sovietiques des annees vingt. Antropos.

Per, A. F., Mozas, J., & Arpa, J. (2011). This is Hybrid: An analysis of mixed-use buildings. Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain: a+t architecture.

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