THE SINGAPORE LIN CLAN ASSOCIATION BUILDING

Abstract

Thesis Synopsis: This thesis is a tripartite inquiry into the Singapore Lin Clan Association, a traditional Chinese association for Lin (surname) descendants founded in 1882. The principal function of the association is ancestral worship. The first section deals with the relevance and objectives of association in contemporary Singapore to develop the extension brief and programme for the project. The second section deals with the morphological developments of Chinese architecture in Singapore to formulate opinions about the existing clan house (an ancestral temple) built in 1928. The third section deals with the urban design and architectural issues pertaining to the expansion of the clan association. Architectural Issue: Though the association members are related clansmen with a common surname (ancestry), they are at present, heterogeneous in nature due to differences in religious orientation and educational background. These differences resulted in different practices of ancestral worship. Ancestral worship is not even practiced among many Lin clansmen. In the present information oriented society, the possibility of transmitting religious images and icons through the various media may lead to the separation of religion into space and information (symbol or code). This process of decoding may allow sacred spaces to be free from traditional form, hence, religion may not necessary be accompanied by physical space. With the differences in religious orientation and the modern process of religious transmission, it may be possible to transform religious spaces into museum-like places. The design of the extension to the clan association is to regard the religious space as sacred for the ancestral worshippers and as fiction to the non-believers. Hence, the design of the religious space is to emphasize on its symbolism rather than its space.