04 Community Centres in Singapore

Community centres (CCs) have been played a significant role in Singapore’s development since the 1960s and has been key to strengthening the “kampung spirit”. They were initially constructed by the British to foster community development and dampen anti-colonial sentiments during the post-war era in Singapore (Remember Singapore, 2013). CCs encouraged social cohesion and national identity through nation-building activities, such as neighbourly interactions and sporting events. They have been crucial in empowering lowerand middle-income groups by providing easy access to sports and recreational facilities and serve as communication channels between the Government and her people.

This section evaluates spatial programming in two CCs in Singapore, Our Tampines Hub (OTH) and Oasis Terraces, that have successfully encouraged communal activity while providing administrative services to the neighbourhood. The spatial and programmatic design of these CCs are studied to inform design considerations for the community recycling centre in the thesis.