ARCHITECTURE AND PARTICIPATION

Abstract

This thesis seeks to explore the relationship between architecture and participation, in the context of public housing communities in Singapore. The Housing and Development Board (HDB) estate of MacPherson forms the backdrop of this study, which begins with the premise that a more participatory form of government is increasingly needed in Singapore today. By engaging various stakeholders of MacPherson in the participatory design process – through guerrilla tactics and structured workshops – and using these interactions to guide the design agenda as well as the architecture itself, this exercise has uncovered that there is popular demand for a shopping mall in the vicinity. Based on this demand, several key issues have been raised, concerning the aspects of social inclusiveness, the preservation of green, open spaces, and the need for the mall to serve as a community meeting point, amongst others. The solution that we have collectively arrived at is to have a mall that is integrated with a park, while being connected to existing social centres such as the hawker centre and community club. Methodologically, this thesis is also an attempt at critiquing and improving upon existing participatory processes adopted in the design and planning of public housing in Singapore.