RECLAIMING SEMAKAU - THE ASH COMPACTING AND FARMING COOPERATIVE

Abstract

This thesis is a critique of the State’s manipulation and portrayal of the physical landscape of the Semakau Landfill. As much as the offshore landfill is acknowledged as a necessary and safe waste disposal measure for Singapore, its method has disguised what in fact is a wasteland, as a benign landscape. The project thus proposes an alternative process to ash storage such that the Semakau island landscape may both play an active role in educating the public as well as to catalyse the reclaiming of the damaged lands back to nature. The design exploration revolves around answering two questions: 1. Instead of burying the incoming ash, how else can the ash be stored such that its physical trace can be presented to the public as a reflection of our wasteful habits? 2. With this revamp of ash storage, what are the alternative economies and communities that will possibly take form on this island? The strategy is to imagine the island as a graph or barometer where we may read real-time updates of the ash deposit volumes plotted against time. With the incoming ash compacted into tall slender columns – each representing one year, land area originally reserved for burial can in turn be used for farming. With the country's renewed interest in food self-sufficiency, the reclaimed land can accommodate a new generation of agrarian communities and other related nature-based activities. The project is intended as a medium to reveal and present the properties and immensity of incinerator ash to Singaporeans. By creating intense experiences through a series of strangely juxtaposed landscapes and unusual spaces, the project aims to invoke a sense of ambivalence in the visitors/users of the island. It is hoped that amidst the mixed feelings about this project, Singaporeans can finally see the truth behind how incineration of waste is detrimental to our natural environments and eventually, make drastic measures to reduce waste in their daily lives. If the scheme is successful, Singapore might actually achieve the goal of “Zero Waste, Zero Landfill” within the stipulated 20 years. Ash compaction will be rendered obsolete and Semakau can truly be allowed to heal. If the scheme fails, the compacting of ash will become more prevalent, eventually destroying the farmlands and natural environments, consuming the whole island. But even in its failure, the island can yet serve as a stronger lesson for posterity.