Thesis Preparation

DRAFT V1

17 February 2016

INTRODUCTION
Background
Larger context
Local context
Problem and Importance

LITERATURE REVIEW
Current discourse
Important contributions by architects

AIM
Main research questions

METHODOLOGY
Specific architectural means
Program and site proposed
Projected outcomes and contributions

INTRODUCTION

Background
Larger context
Local context
Problem and importance

Background
By 2050, almost 70% of worlds population is projected to be urban1. Out of these 6.6 billion of people,
about half of them are going to be living in Asia.

1
3

2
4

Kowloon Walled City as an example of a compact city 1

Tokyo, one of the mega cities in Asia, with population over 13 million 2
Favelas in Brasilia is a testament to an informal and unplanned high-density residential district 3
Jakarta traffic jam is due to the inadequate mobility infrastructure 4
Masdar City in Abu Dhabi is a sustainable and self-sufficient master planned city 5

Presently, only 2.8% of earths total land area is covered by urban sites2. This poses an unprecedented
changes to the current earth's land use and area, especially as more people are migrating to cities. Increase of
population may result in cities' 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, yet have a liveable environment for the city dwellers to live in. This also provides
architects and urban planners to rethink how we plan the city to meet future demands.
Situations of hyper-density, where it is loosely defined as fitting in population in a relatively small plot 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 km3 in the densest part of the country. This concentration of people
must be supported with necessary facilities and infrastructure for them to have a comfortable and liveable
environment.
Vishaan Chakrabarti of Partnership of Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) said in his lecture A Country of
Cities that density leads to sustainability, where the mixed-use and transit-oriented development are largely
benefited from hyper-dense environment4. Therefore, the thesis will examine the potential of mixed-use
developments in creating a more sustainable and liveable hyper-dense environment.

1
World urbanization prospects. (2014). Statistical Papers - United Nations (Ser. A), Population and Vital Statistics Report. Retrieved
February 15, 2016, from http://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/highlights/wup2014-highlights.pdf
2
Martine, G. (2011). Preparing for sustainable urban growth in developing areas. Population Distribution, Urbanization, Internal Migration and Development: An International Perspective. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/PopDistribUrbanization/PopulationDistributionUrbanization.pdf

3
http://www.reuters.com/news/picture/the-worlds-most-crowded-place?articleId=USRTR2SRF6

4
Chakrabarti, V. (2016, February 16). A Country of Cities. Lecture presented in Harvard University: Graduate School of Design, Cambridge.

Larger context
The idea of 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 mixed-use development is.
1
3

2
4

Kowloon Station Development is one example of integrated mixed use hyper-density architecture that is transit oriented 1
Barcode project in Bjorvika Area, Oslo illustrates a mixed use condition of offices, residential and hotels 2
Raffles City in Singapore is a mixed use development that combines shopping mall, hotel and office tower 3
Barangaroo in Sydney Australia is a waterfront mixed use development in which one third of its area is dedicated to public urban park 4
Roppongi Hills in Japan is a mixed use development that consists of office and residential towers, with layers of retail underneath 5

Urban Land Institute (ULI), in their book Mixed-Use Development Handbook, characterizes mixed-use as:
Three or more significant revenue-producing uses (such as retail/entertainment,
office, residential, hotel, and/or civic/cultural/recreation) that in well planned
projects are mutually supporting;
Significant physical and functional integration of project components (and thus a
relatively close-knit and intensive use of land), including uninterrupted pedestrian
connections; and
Development in conformance with a coherent plan (that frequently stipulates the
type and scale of
uses, permitted densities, and related items)1.
Another definition of mixed-use development was developed by multiple agencies of the USA back in
2006 :
A mixed-use development is a real estate project with planned integration of
some combination of retail, office, residential, hotel, recreation or other functions.
It is pedestrian-oriented and contains elements of a live-work-play environment. It
maximizes space usage, has amenities and architectural expression and tends to
mitigate traffic and sprawl2.
Although 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 mixed-use is arranged, consequences of
how programs benefit or lose out from the proximity from other programs and the impact that mixed-use
development has to the city at large.

1
Herndon, J. D. (2011). Mixed-Use Development in Theory and Practice: Learning from Atlantas Mixed Experiences. Retrieved February 16, 2016.

2
Niemira, M. P. (2007). The Concept and Drivers of Mixed-use Development: Insights from a Cross-Organizational Membership Survey. Research Review. 4(1): 53-56.

Local context
Looking back to Singapore, in general, mixed-use developments are commonly seen in the Central Business
District (CBD) or town centres, where population density is relatively high as compared to the rest of the
island. The mix of programs ranges from office, shopping malls and hotels such as Raffles City to apartment
shopping malls and bus interchange in Bedok Mall. Many of these developments are coming from the private
sectors and largely benefits high to middle-class population.
1

2
4

3
5

SkyVille@Dawson is one of the latest additions of HDB blocks with sky gardens dividing the block up into multiple sky villages 1
Oasis Terrace at Punggol will be integrated community hub that includes polyclinic and community centre 2
Clementi Mall is a mixed use development that combines bus interchange, shopping mall and HDB flats 3
Kampung Admiralty is an integrated mixed use development that caters to elderly residents 4
Waterway Terraces at Punggol offers a new typology of HDB with sky gardens at different levels, terracing down the blocks 5

There is a missed opportunity to develop a mixed-use development where the mixed of programs includes
public housing and facilities that can support the residents living in that housing compound. Housing
Development Board (HDB) of Singapore has been effective in providing affordable houses to the people,
however, only in the last 10-20 years that they have been looking into aspects such as liveability and
sustainability. In more recent years, they have been trying to experiment with different typologies of public
housing, starting with Pinnacle@Duxton in 2009, when it becomes the tallest public housing to date.
After that momentous mark in the public housing scene in Singapore, HDB has been actively engaging in
the active discourse of making high-rise living a more desirable and affordable one. With the developments
of both SkyVille@Dawson and SkyTerrace@Dawson in Queensway, notably one of the oldest housing
estates in Singapore, HDB has once again shown its commitment to provide the population with a highquality high-density living.
Its first mixed-use development that combines public housing, shopping mall and a bus interchange is
Clementi Mall in 2011. Located in the centre of Clementi district, the development soars at 40 storeys high
with 388 3 to 5 room units1. In 2017, there will be another mixed-use development introduced by HDB:
Kampung Admiralty. The development is envisioned to become a kampung (village) in the sky, where
integration of elderly housing with a health-care centre and public facilities is delivered2. Therefore, this
thesis will further explore the possibility of designing a new typology of mixed-use, hyper-dense public
housing in Singapore that is sustainable and liveable.

1
Fleetwood, C., & Meija, V. (2012). Housing people: Affordable housing solutions for the 21st century. Singapore: Surbana International Consultants.

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

10

11

Problem and importance

Innovations in public housing design in Singapore has been pretty stagnated before 2009, where new
typological changes are barely seen in the designs of the housing estates. However, as Singapore redefines
itself into a more sustainable and smart city, it has since looked more closely into ensuring that their public
housing does not only provide roof over their resident's head, but also provide a more liveable and integrated
society.
1

2
4

Sectional cut of Oasis Terrace at Punggol where different programs and amenities are integrated together in one single mixed use development 1
Bus interchange at Clementi, showing how the structural needs of such facilities may differ from the needs of residential blocks 2
Kampung Admiralty offers multiple programs and amenities not only for the residents of the development but also for the neighborhood 3
Valenton Housing in France by Gelin-Lafon provide open spaces that promote interactions between residents 4

I believe that the separate yet inter-related discourse between hyper-density, mixed-use development and
public housing in Singapore is a very interesting research topic to embark on. As case studies and built
projects are still very limited, it provides opportunity to explore the subject more in depth, without having
a preconception of answers for the problem at hand. Nonetheless, it definitely poses an unprecedented
breadth and depth of studies as it can go in multiple ways. Therefore, it is important for an academic thesis to
be able to explore a typology that has not been thoroughly exhausted yet, as it provides ample opportunity
to extend this research, within an educational realm, to a more ideal and romantic vision of a mixed-use
hyper-dense public housing in Singapore.
Designing mixed-use development is an "enormous logistical jigsaw puzzle," as described by the architects
of Clementi Mall1. Not only the different structural requirements, but also the issue with noise and privacy as
a residential tower block is involved in the design planning. Ultimately, this thesis is trying not only to design
a hyper-dense public housing, but also to find the balance between convenience and privacy, vibrancy and
noise as well as well-mixed development and fragmented uses.

1
Fleetwood, C., & Meija, V. (2012). Housing people: Affordable housing solutions for the 21st century. Singapore: Surbana International
Consultants.

12

13

LITERATURE REVIEW

Current discourse
Important contributions by architects

14

15

MIXED USE

HYPER-DENSITY

Current discourse
Discourse for mixed use, hyper-density and public housing has been happening separately for the past
decades. However, there has been limited attempt to discuss them in parallel in a meaningful and useful
ways. One challenge of this thesis is to discover what kind of spaces is necessary for a mixed-use, hyperdense public housing. These spaces must then be incorporated in a sensitive manner to eventually support
the life of the residents in the public housing.

PUBLIC
HOUSING

Mixed use

Within the discourse of mixed-use theory, there are two conceptual model of mixed use which are
considerably more well-referenced: 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 permeability1. The grain
of a settlement refers to how various aspects of a settlement are integrated together in space, while density
refers to how much 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.
HYPER
DENSITY

MIXED USE

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.

PUBLIC
HOUSING

Diagram 1
Diagram of how the current discourse is shaped and how it is insufficient to answer the issue of land scarcity and social needs

Furthermore, Rowley considers three other aspects in his conceptual model:

The form of mixed use development are 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
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.
1
Rowley, A. (1996). Mixed-use Development: ambiguous concept, simplistic analysis and wishful thinking. Planning Practice & Research.
11(1): 85-98.

16

17

As a model that expand on Rowley's idea, Hoppenbrouwer and Louws model is also organized by function,
dimension, scale, and urban texture, but it is developed from a spatial perspective1. 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.
As what Rowley has included in his model, Hoppenbrouwer and Louw also recognises 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 these software can still exist in
parallel, without being part of the model, where they may complicate the model further.
In all, each mixed use development is a unique product that cannot be compared with each other. The
variation is influenced by nature and combination of uses, the dimension in which the programs are mixed,
the scale in which the mix of uses occurs, and the urban texture that results from the development and
throughout the other parts of the site.
Herndon, in his research Mixed-Use Development in Theory and Practice: Learning from Atlantas Mixed
Experiences, discussed the benefits of mixed use developments2. Referring to Coupland's book Reclaiming
the City: Mixed Use Development, he quotes John Gummer, the former U.K. Secretary of State for the
Environment, on why the U.K. government was getting on board in making ways of more mixed use
developments to be realised:
Diagram 2

Rowley's
model of mixed use development (Rowley, A. 1996)
Figure 1: Rowleys Mixed-Use
Model
Figure
1: Rowleys
Mixed-Use Model
Source:
Rowley, 1996
Source: Rowley, 1996

D
18

18

1
Hoppenbrouwer, E. and Louw, E. (2005). Mixed-use development: Theory and practice in Amsterdam's Eastern Docklands. European
Planning Studies. 13(7): 967-983.
2
Herndon, J. D. (2011). Mixed-Use Development in Theory and Practice: Learning from Atlantas Mixed Experiences. Retrieved February
16, 2016.

18

19

The emerging consensus is that development is more sustainable if it produces a

mixture of uses. Segregation of land uses, encouraged in the past, is not relevant
now. The trend back to mixed usage brings a number of potential benefits. It ensures
vitality through activity and diversity. It makes areas safer. It also reduces the need
to travel, making people less reliant on cars, bringing welcome environmental
benefits. Diversity of uses adds to the vitality and interest of town centres. Different
but complementary uses, during the day and in the evening can reinforce each
other, making town centres more attractive to residents, businesses, shoppers and
visitors.
Additionally, Jane Jacobs identifies four elements that would be necessary to create a great urban
environments, and this list has been frequently referenced in the mixed use literature1:
The district, and indeed as many of its internal parts as possible, must serve more
than one primary function; preferably more than two. These must ensure the
presence of people who go outdoors on different schedules and are in the place
for different purposes, but who are able to use many facilities in common.
Most blocks must be short; that is, streets and opportunities to turn corners must
be frequent.
The district must mingle buildings that vary in age and condition, including a good
proportion of old ones so that they vary in the economic yield that they produce.
This mingling must be fairly close grained.
There must be a sufficiently dense concentration of people, for whatever purposes
they may be there. This includes dense concentration in the case of people who are
there because of residence.

Hyper-density

Diagram 3
Hoppenbrouwer and Louw's model of mixed use development (Hoppenbrouwer, E. and Louw, E. 2005)

Figure 2: Hoppenbrouwer and Louws Mixed-Use Model

Source: Hoppenbrouwer, 2005

D
20

Hyper-density implies extreme density of a certain element, whether it is people, dwelling units or activities.
It can be measured qualitative or quantitatively. However, there are different ways of dealing with hyperdensity and how we can arrive at a more liveable and less intimidating hyper-dense architecture. In his study
Density, Crowding, and Factors Intervening in their Relationship: Evidence from a Hyper-dense Metropolis,
Chan discovers that occupants of spatially constrained dwellings do not necessarily feel crowded due to
lack of space2. Instead, the paper found that the unsatisfactory quality of physical environment, not quantity
1
Jacobs, J. (1961). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York, Random House.
2
Chan, Ying-Keung. (1998) Density, Crowding, and Factors Intervening in Their Relationship: Evidence from a Hyper-dense Metropolis.
Social Indicators Research, Springer.

20

21

of space, is a major cause of the feeling of crowdedness. While privacy is very much related to balance
between space and crowding, its effect is found to be indirect and very moderate. These findings imply
that architectural designs can be used as a tool to alleviate feelings of crowdedness in situations of spatial
constraint, when they are used appropriately.

Public housing
1

2
4

3
5

Direct from staircase access where stairwell is shared between two flats directly and corridors only exist at certain heights 1
Central corridor where it is flanked both sides by flats 2
Lift lobbies of HDB blocks where they often become a meeting place between neighbours 3
Ground floor flats allow the occupants to have more exposure to neighbours 4
Corridors that open to the outside are most commonly found in the newer types of HDB blocks 5

Singapore's public housing does not only become a place of dwelling for its residents, but also as a tool of
nation building process. It provides its population with safe, vibrant and affordable option for high-density
residential living, as compared to the old kampungs and landed property. Housing Development Board
(HDB) has been trying to provide necessary amenities for the residents, with town centres nearby, in the
hope that community-building is forged.
One of the drivers for community in an HDB flat is the void decks and corridors. As the most important
public space at the ground level, the void deck is a space that is frequently used for rituals such as Chinese
funerals and Malay wedding receptions, where it is impossible to hold within the flats. For most of the time,
void deck is a point of departure from the lift lobby or a space for informal gathering where residents can
meet their neighbours for a more lengthy conversation1.
In the research published by HDB, Social Apects of Public Housing in Singapore: Kinship Ties and Neighbourly
Relations, it is observed that neighbours are 50% more likely to meet one another along the main corridors
of their blocks2. Additionally, lift lobbies are also the second most likely places where neighbours will meet,
with 23% of the encounters happening there. These "corridors of activities" result in repeated encounters,
exchange of greetings and social interactions among residents, which can lead to increase sense of
community and familiarity to the neighbourhood.
Furthermore, the research that HDB undertakes also found that the type of corridor influences the
neighbourly relations that happen within the neighbourhood. Over the years, HDB flat access designs have
taken various forms, from internal central corridors to common corridors that have outdoor view on one side,
to common lift lobby surrounded by four to five HDB flats, making access more exclusive with additional
privacy. It is observed the type of access to the flats' that is more open leads to a more average neighbour
known. This shows that the design of circulation in an HDB blocks can be crucial to the community building.
1
Chua, B. (1997). Political legitimacy and housing: Stakeholding in Singapore. London: Routledge.

2
Social aspects of public housing in Singapore: Kinship ties and neighbourly relations. (2000). Singapore: Research Section,
Research & Planning Dept., Housing & Development Board.

22

23

Important contributions by architects

SkyVille@Dawson
The discourse on hyper-dense public housing was started with the competition of Duxton Plain Public
Housing back in 2009. Since the completion of the Pinnacle@Duxton, the public housing scene in Singapore
has evolved to be pushing the boundary of density. SkyVille@Dawson is WOHA's latest addition to the
public housing scene in Singapore, and the design was inspired by their competition entry for Duxton Plain
Public Housing. The central idea of this high-density housing is to have the entire housing block be broken
up into multiple sky villages of 80 units that share sky gardens as communal spaces. The sky gardens are
located at every 11th level, so as to closely resemble typical scale of old HDB blocks as seen from the ground
level. This results in the creation of new ground levels in the sky.
I feel that SkyVille@Dawson has introduced a new typology of public housing in Singapore. It brings a new
discourse of hyper-dense tropical public housing, with the emphasis on creating communities in the sky.

Kampung Admiralty
Mixed use developments have been present in Singapore for decades, however they are mostly in the realm
of private sector. Kampung Admiralty has also brought the discourse of mixed use development and public
housing together. Located next to Admiralty MRT station, the complex integrates elderly housing with a
health-care centre and public facilities such as hawker centre and supermarket. The integrated development
comes with its own natural landscape, placed as a lush tropical forest on the roof. WOHA has brought the
idea of aerial communities into a whole new level when they introduced one of the most extensive sky
gardens they have designed on the level 6 in this project.

Diagram 4
Section cut of SkyVille@Dawson showing sky gardens at multiple levels (Bingham-Hall, P. 2015)

Kampung Admiralty marks the breaking point of new typology of HDB block, where it seamlessly integrates,
in one plot of land, both residential and retail, with public amenities such as hawker centre and health-care
centre. The process of discussions between the different public sector clientele: HDB, NEA and MOH as well
as the resolution of the structural requirements of this building are also worth studying in order to deliver a
successful mixed use public housing development in Singapore.

24

25

Diagram 5
Axonometric view of Kampung Admiralty showing how different programs are layered at different levels (Bingham-Hall, P. 2015)

Diagram 6
Ground floor plan of Kampung Admiralty showing the big shaded open plaza as the focal point of the project (Bingham-Hall, P. 2015)

PROJET

26

Program Distribution
Vertical separation of automotive
and pedestrian traffic. In addition,
a complete separation of mobile

Kowloon Station
Hong Kong
China

(retail, transportation) and static

(residential, hotel, and office)
activities through the use of podium.

27

Tower

Kowloon Station
Although this project is not a public housing, nor it is in Singapore, Kowloon Station is definitely an interesting
contributions to the mixed use and hyper-dense discourse. Located in Kowloon district, Hong Kong, this
integrated development comprises of train station, retail, office tower, hotel and apartment towers, arranged
in a podium tower typology. Despite its relatively common architectural typology, Kowloon Station provides
an interesting case study for the thesis as it integrates multiple activities and programs in one area. The nature
of the project which is mostly private brings up another layer of complexity of security of the residential
blocks.

Podium

Level 3

Clementi Mall
Level 2

Clementi Mall development is another interesting contribution to the mixed use public housing discourse.
However, what makes it even more distinct is that it combines a shopping mall with public housing, which
introduces the public-private partnership into the picture. The development itself comprises of shopping
mall, bus interchange , car parks and 40-storey HDB blocks on top of the podium. Located near the Clementi
MRT, this development is meant to provide its residents or customers convenience in terms of travelling to
and from the development. As Singapore moves towards a car-lite vision, it tries to encourage the use of
public transport over private vehicles. Hence, Clementi Mall can be an appropriate model of mixed use
public housing development that potentially inspires other typologies of public housing.

Level 1

Level B1
Residential
Hotel
Business
Open/Green Space
Commercial
Transportation

Level B2

Diagram 7
Axonometric view of Kowloon Station showing different programs that are layered together (Future Cities Laboratory. 2015)

Financing Transit-Oriented Development with Land Values.

28

29

Diagram 8
Section cut of Clementi Mall illustrating the integration of different programs within the development (Fleetwood, C. and Meija, V. 2012)

Diagram 9
Plan of the typical 4 and 5 room in Clementi Mall HDB (Fleetwood, C. and Meija, V. 2012)

30

31

AIM

Main research questions

32

33

Main research questions

After going through the context of the background research and the discourse in mixed use, hyper-density
and public housing, here are the main research questions I would like to tackle in this thesis:
How can architecture encourage better synergies and symbiosis of multiple
activities and programs in a hyper-dense public housing in Singapore?
How does the word mixed imply a certain level of integration or degree of
compatibility among uses?
To what extent does the manner in which the different uses are combined matter,
i.e. vertically in a single building or horizontally in multiple buildings on a site?
To what extent does high-density mixed use developments promote sustainability
in terms of environment, social and economic?
The aim of the thesis is that by the end of it I will be able to discover, through precise and active research
on mixed use, hyper-density and public housing discourse, new typology of public housing in Singapore,
where it integrates multiple activities and programs to support a hyper-dense situation.

34

35

METHODOLOGY

Specific architectural means

Programs and site proposed
Projected outcomes and contributions

36

37

Specific architectural means

Analysis that will be done within the chosen site (Ong, L. Y., Kosasih, C., and Chia, L. 2015) 1
Wind analysis of the site (Chao, Y. 2015) 2
Program analysis based on the chosen programs 3
Model experimentation 4

OLOGY: DRAINAGE SYSTEM

CFD SIMULATION
MODELLING RESULTS

model studies
Vectors colored by wind velocity ratio.

Definition of wind velocity ratio:

Measurement height: 2 m; input wind direction: N

In order to investigate further on the topic of mixed us hyper-dense public housing in Singapore, the
following methodology can be utilised:
Analysis of the chosen site:
Site analysis has to be done to integrate the architecture into the context.
This includes understanding the ecological aspect of the site, current and
future social demographics and mobility infrastructure that exist on site.
Environmental modelling
Environmental modelling can be carried out to better understand the
consequences on the level of comfort of the design decisions that are going
to be made. Wind, solar and shading analysis are just some tools that can
be used
Program analysis
Once the programs are determined, it is necessary to understand the
different implications of those programs and opportunities that can be
created between different programs.
Model experimentation
Experimenting with models creates awareness of the spatial implications
that occur from certain design decisions, by doing so, it is necessary to
choreograph the different necessary spaces so as to provide a more
comfortable and liveable environment for the occupants of the hyperdense architecture

38

39

BROWNFIELD SITE

EGETATION TYPES
Pasir Panjang
Power Station
20

10

Labrador Park
MRT

Programs and site proposed

10

30

1A
20

20
30

10

28
20

1B
Keppel Club

Labrador
Nature Reserve

rla

ye

rC

I hope that this thesis will be able to produce a well-informed and innovative typology of mixed use hyperdense public housing, not only for Singapore, but for the other countries in general, with similar issues that
they need to tackle which is providing an affordable option for hyper-dense public housing that is liveable,
comfortable and sustainable in a land scarce situation.

re
e

40

City Beach
Resort
30

Labrador
Seafood
20

10

Diagram 10
750
ZONE
1 PLAN
Plan of the proposed site within the Keppel development site (Cher, L., Ng, Y. J., and Chong,
A. 2012)

150
75

(1:7500)
APPROXIMATE AREA: 158,300 M2

300

Site proposed will be of the north-west corner of the Keppel site, covering part of zone 1, 2 and 3 in general.
This site is chosen due to its proximity to Labrador Park MRT station, increasing the ease of mobility towards
the residents and visitors of the development. Additionally, it is also at the junction of Pasir Panjang Road,
Telok Blangah Road and Alexandra Road, making it an important node. It is potentially covering the site
where high amount of toxic waste and mangrove ecosystem is located, resulting in a complex situation to
investigate.

Projected outcomes and contributions

Be

1C

Programs proposed is residential units of public housing in nature, where all public amenities and facilities
are also accessible to people in the neighbourhood (not only the residents of the development). Other
public amenities and facilities can include library, hawker centre, retail shops and communal/public spaces
that permeates through the design.

40

41

References
Bingham-Hall, P. (2015). WOHA: Selected projects (Vol. 2). Balmain, NSW: Pesaro Publishing.
Chakrabarti, V. (2016, February 16). A Country of Cities. Lecture presented in Harvard University: Graduate School of Design,
Cambridge.
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.

Herndon, J. D. (2011). Mixed-Use Development in Theory and Practice: Learning from Atlantas Mixed Experiences. Retrieved February
16, 2016.
Hoppenbrouwer, E. and Louw, E. (2005). Mixed-use development: Theory and practice in Amsterdam's Eastern Docklands. European
Planning Studies. 13(7): 967-983.
Jacobs, J. (1961). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York, Random House.
Rowley, A. (1996). Mixed-use Development: ambiguous concept, simplistic analysis and wishful thinking. Planning Practice & Research.
11(1): 85-98.
Martine, G. (2011). Preparing for sustainable urban growth in developing areas. Population Distribution, Urbanization, Internal Migration and Development: An International Perspective. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/PopDistribUrbanization/PopulationDistributionUrbanization.pdf
Niemira, M. P. (2007). The Concept and Drivers of Mixed-use Development: Insights from a Cross-Organizational Membership Survey. Research Review. 4(1): 53-56.
Social aspects of public housing in Singapore: Kinship ties and neighbourly relations. (2000). Singapore: Research Section, Research & Planning Dept., Housing & Development Board.
World urbanization prospects. (2014). Statistical Papers - United Nations (Ser. A), Population and Vital Statistics Report. Retrieved
February 15, 2016, from http://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/highlights/wup2014-highlights.pdf