REHOUSING THE PERIPHERY : RE-DEVELOPMENT OF COMMERCIAL WORKERS' DORMITORY - JURONG APARTMENTS

Abstract

The increasing need for foreign workers has become inevitable with the rapid development and industrialisation that Singapore is undergoing. There is no doubt that they have contributed significantly towards the economic growth of the country. With the constant influx of foreign workers, they presently amount to almost one-third of the total labour force in Singapore. To cater to the demands of the rising influx of foreign workers in Singapore, commercial dormitory is introduced as one of the remedies to relieve the shortage of workers’ housing. However, these developments which are all placed at the periphery of Singapore may not have been designed adequately for their residents. The monotonous living spaces, lack of facilities and absence of community living are some of the major issues pertaining to this inadequacy. This thesis aims to examine and redesign one of the commercial workers dormitories i.e. the Jurong Apartments, which is located in Jurong West, one of the town estates that has a significant concentration of foreign workers residing within it. The project can serve as a prototype that can be applied to the rest of the workers dormitories in Singapore, with the aim of improving the current living conditions of the foreign workers. The site creates a challenge to this residential project as it is surrounded mainly by industrial developments. The project proposes to revitalize the existing development and promote community living and self-sufficiency by the insertions of spaces and connections, yet retaining the structure of the existing buildings. With the aim of meeting the needs of the foreign workers and improving their living conditions, the project deals with the integration of communal,commercial and administrative activities.