TRANSIENT SHELTERS
Site: 88 Amoy Street, Singapore 069907
Client: Khoo Leng Leng (Mrs)
Year (Design) : AY/2018 July - AY/2018 Aug
Boundary Area: 20 m²
Geo Location: 1°16'51.8664''N 103°50'49.0596''E
REFUGE
FOR
THE
DISPLACED
SKILLS
Architectural Design
Architectural Sketching
Architecture Model Making
Massing Process
Design Narrative
Linework
TOOLS
Pen & Paper
Masking Tape
Paper by 53 (iOS)
Concepts (iOS)
TIMELINE
Year 1 (First Semester)
2018 Jul- 2018 Aug
WHO ARE THE DISPLACED
This transient shelter was designed with the homeless elderly in mind -- those who have fallen through the cracks, often the ones who have built Singapore. Furthermore at such ages, most are faced with language barriers with the younger generation and physical challenges/health problems.
According to my research, the number of elderly suicides in Singapore have been on a steady rise. At an 123% increase since 6 years ago, with the main reasons being social displacement, losing contact with family members, fear of burdening loved ones, loneliness and physical challenges.
INEQUALITY
PRAGMATISM
POOR
"TREAT IT AS A FORM OF EXERCISE"
POVERTY
HOMELESS
DISPLACEMENT
DISADVANTAGED
HIDDEN
SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS
MERITOCRATIC MACHINE
THE MERITOCRATIC MACHINE
In the recent months, our national papers churned out articles with issues of inequality. Professor Teo You Yenn, in a series of essays, clarified that while Singapore’s faith in the meritocracy is widely regarded as highly successful, propelling from a third world nation to a first. Unfortunately, it had left many Singaporeans behind and forgotten. Teo had stressed that it is impossible to separate poverty from inequality. Once we try to understand poverty, and we start to recognise some people’s disadvantages, we must also confront other people’s unfair advantages.
Meritocracy - government or the holding of power by people selected according to merit/a society governed by people selected according to merit.
Even though our national narratives recount that equal opportunities are bestowed for all Singaporeans, we have overlooked some of these apparent differences in people's abilities to meet their needs with dignity and without undue struggle. Successful stories are often exceptional cases. Sadly, a logical outcome of meritocracy is that that, we have naturally come to accept unequal consequences as its by-product. Even with these national debates about issues of inequality, dreams of being able to overcome such issues remains distant.
In Singapore, there is no poverty line. The poverty line is the smallest amount of money a person or a family needs to live on; to buy what is needed. People who are below this line are classified as poor. This line is used to decide who can get extra help with things like food, shelter, or medical care. In 2001, Kishore Mahbubani, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy proudly proclaimed that poverty, which is intricately linked to immense starvation and homelessness, is completely eradicated. Since then, issues of homelessness and poverty are conveniently brushed aside and hidden from our social consciousness. But, who are these less fortunate citizens?
Many of them are just ordinary folks of our communities. With our cost of living rising every year, it had pushed many of our citizens without any options but to live on the streets. Many are pushed aside and ostracised by society, for some a sudden financial crisis befalls them, most end up homeless thanks to the lack of job opportunities.
The elderly are often the ones who had fallen through the cracks. Often lauded as the ones who had built Singapore. Not the elite white collared policymakers whom already hefty rewarded, but the ones who are likely to have worked as blue collared labourers during Singapore’s formative years. These blue-collared workers might not have enjoyed the higher wages after Singapore became more prosperous after the 1980s. Furthermore, at the age of 70-80 years old and due to physical or even language barriers, they struggle to find a job and cannot benefit from some of the current measures and policies the government has introduced to help low wage workers.The indifferent attitude of the 'meritocratic machine' is clearly at work.
SITE ANALYSIS AND OCCUPANT PROFILE
DESIGNING THE OCCUPANT PROFILE
After studying many recent news articles about the homeless population in Singapore, we are given the autonomy to design an occupant profile which could be anything from a young and homeless guy who has a working job but sleeps at MacDonald's to an elderly lady who picks up cardboards and aluminum cans. Ms Khoo Leng Leng makes artisanal sewing, embroidery crafts as well as crocheting products, with skills she learnt from her mother and experience she gained from her work in her younger days.
Based on my research, there has also been a rise over the past few years of suicide rates within the elderly age group - with the main reason being social disconnection and the fear of burdening loved ones. In 2017, the number of elderly people committing suicide in Singapore reached a record high, with 129 people over 60 taking their own lives. This research has helped me begin designing the spaces with empathy in mind.
DESIGN PARAMETERS
CONSTRAINTS
3m x 3m grid of usable space
4m x 5m grid for movable allowance
Max 3 m in height
ELDERLY CARDBOARD COLLECTOR
Temporary occupancy
Anthropometry
Human comfort
Spatial Qualities
Budgetary Concerns
Volumetric Expression
Reconnect with society on the street level
ARCHITECTURAL EXPLORATION
Architectonics
Lines, Planes, Volumes
Rhythm
Frames
Mass
Texture
Materiality
Colours
Light
Shadows
Composition
Politics
Economy
Culture
Society
Environment
PROGRAM
Working
Ablution
Rest
DESIGNED TO ENABLE RATHER THAN INHIBIT
The massing models are designed to take advantage of the traffic by placing the work and display space at the front. The circulation space acts as an anchor which connects both zones. When designing for small spaces, I decided to place huge emphasis on the comfort and studies of human anthropometry. After all, the space is meant for human use. I drew out multiple iterations of the space and different permutations of how they can be laid out in order to find the most optimal setting. However, I could never really relate to the user in the personal way that I wished to, because I sleep on a soft bed and do not live within a 3m x 3m grid.
EMPATHY, EXPERIENCE OF SCALE
In order to properly develop design sensitivities and feel how its like for the user, I went down to Amoy Street on a quiet Saturday morning and started taping out the 4m x 5m grid. This is illegal, but I did it anyway. I sat down in the space, pretended to shower in the space, laid down and see what its like to sleep within a 2m x 1m grid -- all this to ensure I am not out of touch with who I am designing for.
While taping down the grid, I also observed how light filters through the tree leaves onto the tarmac ground beneath it. I wondered what the occupants would see throughout the day within their little transient shelter. Light filtered through leaves that rustle above them.
DESIGN EXPLORATION THROUGH MODELS
After having made multiple sketches and massing models, the conceptual models were made to help fine-tune and explore the design on a more detailed level. The bathroom is designed with as many openings possible without compromising privacy. Through overlapping planes and raising them off the ground, the wet areas can be well ventilated and kept dry through passive means. The front of the massing allows the occupant to interact with pedestrians as she works on her hobbies. The circulation space in the middle serves a clear distinction between the public and private.
One major difficulty was designing for privacy, in a site that is largely public. I considered the use of translucent materials, such as polycarbonate sheets and expanded metal. In order to achieve natural ventilation while maintaining certain privacy, a window system was created in the rest area for comfort while balancing privacy. I looked to using expanded metal mesh, as the material resembles the interlocking threads of a crochet or fabric. Giving a deeper meaning and creating a sense of familiarity for my persona - where the space she resides in shares the same qualities as her craft.
PROJECT GALLERY
