Final Project (Process Journal)

National Centre for Social Innovation Planting the Social Sanity Final Year Project 2019

Tang Wen Yu

“Social Innovation is the process o effective solutions to challenging environmental issues in support o Centre for Social Innovation Stanford Graduate School of Business

of developing and implementing g and often systemic social and of social progress.”

The National Centre for Social Innovation is a place where everyday Singaporeans can be empowered to make a positive difference in our society. It is a common meeting point between the government, social entrepreneurs, non-profit organisations as well as the general public.

As our senior minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam puts it, “Social mobility is at the heart and soul of our ambition. Not just in Government, but it must be at the heart and soul of our ambition as a society.”

Its where people can be educated on various social issues in Singapore and around the world, spark conversations around these problems, generate ideas that target these issues at the root cause and execute them in measurable and impactful solutions, such as modifications in policies, new products or organisations.

At the root of social innovation, is the idea that social impact is not an idea which only hippy activists who want to “create positive change” are enamored by, but rather a fundamental right to dignity and equity, which every citizen should be actively engaged in, not just the working class, or the rich, or those in higher power.

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

Design Brief “Design our world we have positive environmental side Bjarke Ingels

so social

that and effects.”

The Life Experience Hub +Hybrid is the host to a diversified range of social events, workshops, programs, demonstrations and essentials to nurture a sharing and caring culture.

A social-driven centre that reflects a collegial ethos based on an understanding of the spatial and experiential connections by Planting Social Sanity – a centre for planting Social Engagement & Empowering Development (SEED) for the community to correspond with the architecture in the context of contemporary Singapore. The challenge is to re-imagine an all-embracing and empowering composition of human experiences with the site of Life Experience Hub +Hybrid.

Contents Introduction Design pedogy and brief Site Analysis (Stage 1) Design Program Concept Generation Consultations DS3 Finals Case Study Further Development Interim Final Submission

Concept Generation

Site

I think it goes without saying that our site is full with heritage - literally from the time Singapore was founded. Although most people would agree that the conserved buildings are stunning, one cannot ignore the dark orientalist undertones in which Singapore was planned around. With race and socioeconomic status playing a heavy hand in urban planning, even St. Andrew’s Cathedral, though designed by an Irish architect, was built by Indian prisoners at that time. We may even still possess residual internalised oppression, with western buildings being seen as “grand” and “deserve to be conserved”, while local buildings that are just as, if not more, revolutionary are cleared for redevelopment without a second thought. Thankfully, the new upcoming developments so far have definitely made strides in decolonisation by emphasising on our local values.

Perhaps what is crucial for our site is to attract a crowd - highly likely for youths - to pull the crowd across the current disconnection between tourist routes. This is so that more people can enjoy and appreciate the buildings and programmes that are already available near Fort Canning Park, but are hard to discover. Since our site was a start of a new chapter for Singapore, I personally feel that it would be appropriate for the hub to be a centre for social innovation and for even more things to come - inspired, catalysed and implemented by locals. The weight of the responsibility of the site context is heavy, but it is also a chance to experiment on new ideas that can truly make the building a unique place in people’s hearts.

Design Program

Education

Innovation

Stories for Good Amphitheatre Multi-Purpose Hall

Incubators Co-Working Spaces

ROM

Solemnisation Rooms Garden of Utopia (Pre-Solemnisation) Stories for Good (Post-Solemnisation) Counselling Rooms Amphitehatre Multi-Purpose Hall

Implementation

Market for Good Sustainable Hawker Centre Social Enterprise Cafe

Moodboard

Small Scale

People ove Hierarchy

Transparent Programmes

er Structure