NUS Studios - Sun Very Hot

By Rebecca Chong

Tutor - Dean Chew

The research group begun with the observation that there exists two realities in Balestier: a Balestier Road teeming with harried pedestrians transiting about and through the area; and situated parallel to this was a quiet canal, that offered a much needed reprieve from the restless energy of Balestier Road. Balestier Road and Whampoa River (as we discovered it was named) are not only directionally parallel however, but as well as in terms of connectivity. These two parallel universes were tenuously linked by minor channels that were unwelcoming to the wanderer, less public due to the abundance of private, gated communities that dominated their streetscapes. It is unlikely that we would have walked these channels as they were either “not fun”, “too hot”, or we just had “no reason what”. To bring people to Whampoa River as well as create an interest in the pockets of urbanism hidden along these minor channels, we sought to focus on amenities of comfort in the area, de-densifying Balestier Road.

THE EXISTING LIM KEAT

I chose to focus on elements of shade within the Kim Keat neighbourhood. The exisitng Kim Keat neighbourhood is hostile to the curious wanderer- its roads are unsheltered, its alleyways lack any tangible programmatic qualities or elements of comfort (a ledge to sit on or lean on, anything that would suggest that one is welcome to use the space). Only the occassional Kim Keat denizen knows to traverse the alleyways as an alternative to the already congested major channels that are Balestier and Kim Keat Road. However, looking past the perceived hostility and barrenness of the alleys, their deep street canyons shelter the space, creating a thermally comfortable walking experience.

KIM KEAT X INTERVENTION

The abundance of private property means that to naturally justify the insertion of shelters or elements of comfort in the area, these designs must present a positive spillover effect for neighbouring homeowners. The intervention begins with small scale insertions into the space that draw private activity out of the confines of one’s house into the alleyways, prompting residents to take better care of these spaces, most likely by sheltering them, so as to fully activate the streets for their own use. In Typology D, a more proactive approach to shelter the alley is adopted, in order for the space to be further activated later on.

KIM KEAT X 5 YEARS

The de facto upgrading of the alleyways into secondary paths about Kim Keat means that it becomes easier to propose a new hierarchy of spaces - what was previously the “back side” of a building becomes an alternative front face, or at least a side worth looking at. This perpetuates the cycle of the alleyways becoming more traversed, resulting in the programmes of buildings orientating more towards said alleyways, further increasing the attractiveness of the alleys, so on and so forth.

KIM KEAT X 10 YEARS

10 years later, and the street hierarchy has been revised. For instance, what was once a back alley in Typology A becomes a proper entranceway. This does not mean, however, that the main roads of Kim Keat and Balestier become neglected, but rather, part of their traffic is redirected to the previously under-traversed alleyways. In the long run this means a naturally de-densified network, making social distancing almost second nature, and less like a policy that needs to be implemented with copious amounts of tape and surveillance. Or maybe it just means we keep a healthier distance from each other in the first place.