THE NORTH STRING @ SEMBAWANG: A SKYLAND THESIS

Abstract

This thesis hypothesised Skyland as an infrastructure of quality employment spaces within the residential context. It proposed to change the masterplanning strategies of residential towns in Singapore; the site situated in Sembawang. In URA masterplanning, the land is always divided into plots for development, partly because of vehicular roads. This one-plot and one-function creates boundaries and discontinuity within the neighbourhood. At the centrality of every residential town usually sits the largest commercial development -- a shopping mall -- which however is predominantly a place for public consumption of goods and services, not a place for employment. People therefore are so dependent on the MRT and other transports to get to work in the city. Eventually, there is a limit to how the malls and the transport networks can grow to sustain an increasing population. Thus, my thesis aims to break away from an independent land plot development, introducing Skyland’s concepts of integrated land-use, a flexible architecture that self-rejuvenates and construction by people. The proposal focuses on generating a range of employment spaces. In order of scale, the design explorations cover home as a place to start businesses, a precinct production shed and formal employment spaces that include high streets and offices.