POSITIONING THE ROLE OF THE STATE IN THE KENT RIDGE CAMPUS MASTERPLAN : AN ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY OF OUR UNIVERSITY

Abstract

Following Independence in 1965, the University of Singapore (SU) was increasingly linked to the survival of the nation. Unlike universities in most developed countries, SU could not focus solely on academia; it had to contribute to the development of Singapore through the training of high-level manpower much needed for the new industrialization program. To the State, the University was too important to be left to its own course. When SU was slated to move to Kent Ridge, the Dutch planning firm OD205 was engaged to propose the new campus masterplan. With much vested interest in the University, it was plausible that the State exerted a strong influence or even directly intervened in the design process. On the other hand, even though OD205 was an independent foreign practice, it was nonetheless likely to adapt the masterplan to complement the State objectives. This dissertation hypothesizes that the design for the Kent Ridge campus was able to complement the political agendas of the State, despite the masterplan principles and architectural strategies being mainly adapted from Europe. In the attempt to construct an architectural history of the Kent Ridge campus by paying special attention to the roles played by the State and the planner-architect, it is hoped that this paper will create a more comprehensive understanding of the design and construction process of the campus.