CONTESTING SINGAPORE’S URBAN FUTURE: IMPLEMENTATION OF HYBRID DESIGN FOR SINGAPORE’S URBAN SPACE

Abstract

Nowadays, it seems that the term ‘hybrid’ has commonly being described as expressionism of multi-variety of combining different programmes and encourage the interaction of private activities with the public space. This word has become a trend for new developments of multi-functional buildings. Due to their constant presence in architectural means even more people are trying to understand the role of those buildings. It seems that there is a misunderstanding or a misuse of the word hybrid, especially in architecture. Our living society still has not seen a hybrid building in the pure meaning of the word, which derives from genetics. What we have seen so far are mixed-use buildings, with disparate qualities within different contexts. What is hybridization in architecture? Can we achieve nowadays a certain level of hybridization that would fit properly into this term? To proclaim a building as hybrid or not, there are architectural qualities that the building must have. This dissertation is an attempt to analyze those buildings, by understanding the fundamental concept of hybridization and hybrid qualities that define a true hybridity model in architectural context.