Versatile Space: Past, Present And Future
Introduction
Singapore is known as a food and tourist hub with approximately to 5. 6 million people as of 2017 on a 719. 9 km² land area. Apart from expanding sideways, by geographical methods of land reclamation, the city of Singapore is known for its beautiful cityscape of high rise residences, office towers. With a growing population and its growing needs, Singapore has been trying to make the best use of its limited resources, especially land.
Singapore is a small country that has made its mark on the world map through smart economic decisions and political relations over the years. It was known to be ruled by the British and Japanese which both have had drastic impacts on the people as well as serve importance in its history and heritage. Thus there are measures and laws to enforce conservation and preservations of the older architectural buildings. With the increase on the cost of living in Singapore could possibly affect the standard of living in Singapore and in turn affect the health of the people. In order to make full use of the potential of the space, a concept of versatile spaces has been created. By focusing on how versatile spaces have become a trend to multi-functional spaces and used as a design strategy commonly in Singapore, this research paper would provide new insight to the use of spaces for the future designers and people. This dissertation is organized into 3 chapters to understand the history of architecture and its need for change according to the changes in our way of living. This report deals with the understanding of modern architecture, the rise and fall of modernist architecture due to people not being able to relate to the type of buildings which eventually lead to the demolition of some modernist buildings. It explores birth of versatile spaces and adaptive architecture as a solution to destroying some iconic buildings as well as the use of its concept in Singapore’s building context today. This report hopes to address the need for such spaces and along with some case studies in Singapore’s context on how these spaces will evolve over time and affect the lifestyle of people in the near future.
What is a versatile and multi-functional space?
What is Versatility? It is the ability to adapt or be adapted to many different functions or activities, with regards to a space it should be able to accommodate change and adjustment and able to include different functions without rebuilding the structure. Thus the comparison is being made between unitary and versatile spaces. Unitary spaces are only suitable for a pre-defined single function whereas versatile spaces are able to accommodate diverse functions.
Contributing factors that make a space versatile
What makes a space versatile? The first thing that signifies if the space can be versatile, is the size of the particular space. To contain a certain function, a space requires a certain size. To be able to contain multiple functions, a space requires a certain size as well. This can be determined by listing the possible functions of the space and their size requirements. Shape of a space, determines the boundary and containment of the various activities that would be carried out in the space. A versatile space could accommodate various functions by adopting a mezzo shape.
Location and accessibility of a space, could possibly make it a versatile space. If the space is easily accessible people would be more aware of the particular space and would be more drawn to use the space. The way people interact with a space is also an important contributing factor as versatile spaces allow its users to interact and feel in any way the user would want to, this is due to its lack of a pre-defined function that would come along with a look and feel, layout, furniture, materials.
Benefits of a versatile space
Adaptability is the potential of a system to harmonize with the environment, a versatile space responds to the changing environment. Since versatile spaces can accommodate new functions with or without changing itself, it saves cost on the renovations to recreate or rebuild the space for the new functions. Simultaneously, it continues earning revenue from the various functions it can accommodate to. Such spaces are also very resource saving, since they do not need more space to carry out the other functions resources on the extra space are saved. Unitary spaces, which as spaces separated by function make communication inconvenient between spaces. Whereas versatile spaces, the ability to do everything in one given spaces allows communication and interaction on various levels. For example in an open office concept, employees from different sectors work in the same space. This makes communication more convenient and the space more attractive as it is livelier with social aspect of living included into their daily lives and work routine. Rationalism which demotes contingency, was a rule followed by western architects in the past architectural styles. It regards humans as machines and ignores the nature of human beings. Since versatile spaces can be used in various different ways, the spaces makes it possible and encourages undersigned communication. In turn, making the overall space more interesting, humanized and vivid.
Rise and fall of modernist architecture
Modernist architecture was created In the 21st century where Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe were iconic figures of that movement. It was implemented as a solution where previous architecture and design failed to meet the basic social needs such as friendships, romantic attachments, family, social groups, community groups and religious organizations, to create urban utopias. The failure of the movement was that it could not properly comprehend and cater to the needs of family and community. Therefore, a lot of the modern architecture buildings were torn down. The phrase “form follows function” is used when speaking of modernist architecture principles, it emphasizes that form should be simplified and architecture should have no ornamentation. Family life and social interaction was top priority for a planned design environment. The idea of planned zones, function zoning made residential and commercial areas distinct and separate. Thus there was disconnection and lack of opportunities for communication for the people. One successful project, Byker Housing in Newcastle by architect Ralph Eskrine. The conditions were poor and there was a major issue of overcrowding, poor sanitation and poverty. The Byker was remembered for its character and for retaining the strength of neighbourly friendships as well as a design that was able to retain this sense of community. Therefore, creating a connection between community and architecture. To build on the best building plots means to have rigorous building controls in the cities, the protection of the rural areas makes it difficult to build there. Therefore the only option is to demolish something old and make way for something new. What can we demolish? Historic buildings, city districts and skylines are protected, in turn buildings that are disliked get destroyed as they do not hold much importance which almost always happen to be modernist architecture. For example, in the United States of America, Manhattan lost the 1962 façade of Two Columbus Circle designed by Edward Durrell Stone. Boston is considering the demolition of the 1968 City Hall. In Las Vegas, the original Sands Casino was removed and thus there is little memory of the golden era as major developments take over and make way for more revenue earning buildings. In Asia, Japan’s iconic postwar era tower Kisho Kurakawa’s Nakagin Capsule Tower of 1972 was brought down. It is understood that, booming cities have little or no time for architectural nostalgia. The need for buildings that bring in revenue and help economic developments has overwritten the need for history in terms of architecture.
Singapore’s context – developments of an economic nation
Population growth
Singapore started with approximately 3, 047 people in 1990, this was after their independence from Malaysia in 1965. For the longest time, Singapore’s population was made up of immigrants. After gaining independence, many Chinese men and women decided to settle in Singapore instead of migrating back and gave birth to natives. After the World War Two, there was a drastic increase in the number of natives as well. Singapore started to thrive and grow, with the population growth increasing tremendously year after year. The people are very important to Singapore, as they are valuable resources as to rely on. The future population growth of Singapore is expected to hit 6. 9 million by the year 2030, with no changes in immigrant policies. The increase in population size would more than likely affect the way of living of the people here in Singapore
Land scarcity
Singapore’s land area has always been an issue and topic of discussion. Singapore was approximately 688 square km in 2006, and has continued to expand over the years. With its growing population, it requires more land and as a developing nation it would be able to use the new land for more revenue earning sites. Singapore has gained more land through land reclamation and land reuse. With more land in hand, Singapore has been able to use it in its strength to become a tourism and food hub. However, that being said Singapore is still a tiny dot on the map, and with the population size there has to be measures to enforce proper land usage. It has been announced that Singapore will increase to 766 square kilometers through sea reclamation, to increase the total available area for commercial, residential, etc. usage.
Population density
Population density (people per sq. km) in Singapore was at 7, 909 square km in 2016. As studied earlier, Singapore’s population and land has both been growing but the percentage of the population growth is more that of land growth. Therefore, the population density in Singapore has been more visible. Singapore is considered to have one of the highest population density.
What is adaptive reuse architecture
Adaptive reuse is when you give an existing building a new purpose, or maintain the same purpose but while preserving and enhancing some elements of the building. People strive to minimize the impact on the environment by practicing adaptive reuse. The Australian Government’s Department of Environment and Heritage published a report that mentioned “the reuse of building materials involves approximately 95% of embodied energy that would otherwise be wasted” Embodied energy is the energy consumed by all the processes of production such as mining and processing of natural resources to manufacturing, transport and delivery. A lot of the buildings from the past are beautiful and hold an importance in our heritage that tell a story. Adaptive reuse allows the designers and architects the freedom to use rich elements of the old and weave in with the new technologies of present day and make it an aesthetic element. If done correctly, it could be better than 100% old or 100% new on a whole. The places we live, work and play in are all evidences of the past, present and possibly future uses of the places. By determining what are the needs of the community, buildings can be adapted to suit those needs as compared to tearing it down entirely. Further in the report, we will study the cases in Singapore that used adaptive reuse architecture to preserve yet create a use of the modern people and meet their needs.
Case studies of the past – Singapore’s context
Singapore is known to have a very rich history and heritage that is interesting to many Singaporeans. The heritage is used in the tourism sector for the tourists so as to help them understand the journey of Singapore’s growth to what is it today. Thus is it more than important, that adaptive reuse architecture is implemented here, it is done through conservations and preservation laws in Singapore. This ensures that the importance of heritage is not lost in the constant need to develop cities that are modern. Preservation laws, safeguard buildings such as shop houses that demonstrate the start of Singapore housing. For example, the former General Post Office Building was converted into the present day Fullerton Bay Hotel. The comparison can be clearly made and concluded that preservation laws were indeed implemented to maintain the façade of the iconic building. It was official as a conservation building by the Singapore Government in 1997. After which Sino Land (Hong Kong) Company Ltd, acquired the Fullerton Building from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). It spent close to another S$300 million converting Fullerton Building into a hotel and building the two-storey commercial complex One Fullerton opposite Fullerton Road. Renovation works on the Fullerton Building were completed in 2000. The Fullerton Hotel Singapore was officially opened by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong in 2001.
Another classic example would be Lau Pa Sat, which was formerly a fish market in the very early days. In 1972, it was converted into a hawker center as a fish market was no longer suitable in the given area dynamics. In 1989, the market was officially renamed Lau Pa Sat, the name most Singaporeans used to refer to the market and became a modern food court catering to office workers and tourists. Lau Pa Sat has kept its structural value throughout the years with only changes made to the interior to better suit the environment and program to better suit the needs of the target audience in the area.
Case studies of the past – Singapore’s context
Versatile spaces in the past would be considered places like the open carpark where children from older generations used to play soccer and five stones or use as a place for gathering. Therefore, addressing an important social need of communication and interaction. For example, the word function room, already has the word function in it. It comes with a pre-defined function and way is it meant to be used. Another example would be a classroom, it can be considered versatile in the sense by removing the furniture the room can then be used for any function. This function usage and zoning, is similar to that of modernist architecture. With the change in people’s needs, versatile spaces need to have an upgrade as well so as to be more useful in usage. In the Singaporean context, with the limited land available it is highly important the need of such versatile spaces in order to prevent it from becoming a robot city.
Case studies of the present – Singapore’s context
From observations in Singapore’s context, versatile spaces would be like beaches, HDB void decks, parks, corridors. These places are places of gathering, in Singaporean words a place where people can “lepak” and hang out, a public space that does not belong to anyone and that cannot be claiming rights on. For example, a void deck. It can be used for a Chinese funeral, it can also be used for a Malay wedding, a Christmas celebration and on a daily basis a place for neighbours to interact with each other. It does not have a pre-defined function, it is an open space. A space where the people are the sole decision makers on as to how they would use the space and interact with the space. These spaces are important in this day and age so as to have some human interaction and for children to play without being glued to their electronic devices all day. For the current day void deck, let us look at the circulation (refer to diagram below). The circulation is mainly from the various entry points and around the columns that are there for the structural support of the entire building. However these create less opportunities to use the void deck in different ways. This being said, there is some discussion of the future of void decks. The places where socializing used to take place, would just become a space with railings to prevent kids from playing soccer, no weddings would be conducted. [image: Related image]We are seeing more and more versatile spaces by the day, a good example would be the modern day open office concept. If we were to consider the offices back in the days, the layout would be a typical cabin structure for the higher ranks and organized desks for the employees. This rigid office structure has been drastically changed for the versatility to be known as an open office. The office scene now looks more of open desks known as hot desking, cafes, collaboration spaces and open areas for informal discussions. This versatility of the space allows more communication, provides a more comfortable environment to work in as well as allows for more efficient use of the space. For housing, let us take Hongkong as an extreme case study. This is essentially the result of Hongkong’s lack of space which causes houses to be extremely small. A 344 square ft apartment was converted to able to accommodate 24 different type of spaces. The studio was designed by Gary Chang, a well-known architect and he calls this the “Domestic Transformer”. The layout options include a bathroom with a Duravit bathtub, a living room with a hammock, and a kitchen with a sink, burners, dishwasher, and refrigerator. Chang told the Times that the large glass shower can also become a steam room, and that he installed a special toilet with a heated seat and remote-control bidet. There's also a walk-in closet, dining area for five people, laundry room, and remote-controlled movie screen that doubles as curtains. In fact, most of his home is fully automated. Majority of the space is made up of sliding walls that double as storage, there is about 180-square-feet of unused space that helps to make the apartment feel bigger.
The space such as the void deck has remained the same in terms of look and size throughout the years, but what would be the future of them? What would be the future of these versatile spaces? Would they still be considered a necessary part of the urban dynamic structure to meet the future needs of the people or would it cease to exist and lose its battle to commercialization and urbanization?
Demographic study- needs of the people
From a study carried out of the age group of the future of Singapore, it shows a growing ageing population. This means there would be an increase in a need for spaces to be able to cater to their special needs. With an ageing population and a lot of young kids, there is a big age gap. According to a survey conducted (Refer to appendix- Needs of the people survey) the seniors require spaces that have enough room for mobility, especially for the wheelchair bound, children want spaces to be able to play and for the future more furniture that would encourage socializing amongst neighbours. Some also mentioned, the suggestion of air conditioned spaces due to the change in heat and humidity in Singapore and a public gym. The parents of young children still want a child care or pre-school area for their children, the secondary school kids want to the small shops to purchase snacks without having the need to stand in the long queues in Shop N Save or Giant. For offices, people would like to have the open office concept upgraded where there is a possibility for one space to be used as two. A pantry that could possibility become a café.
Possible outcomes of spaces – future void decks, offices
For any space to be able to cater to so many programs at once, it needs to be highly adaptable. It would need to change fast to keep with the people. Let us look at it case by case.
It would be a great part of Singapore’s heritage gone missing if void decks were to be completely vanished. Thus in order to cater to the people’s needs but stay true to the origination of void decks, the space would have to look relatively like what it looks like right now. However, the movable walls could be adapted into the void decks walls in order to dissect the space up further, this way there could be more than one program on going concurrently. The void decks could be made bigger and expanded to outside the building base. This would allow for a bigger shaded area as a void deck and more usable space without the columns coming in the way.
