UNDERSTANDING REPRESENTATIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY IN SINGAPORE �S FIELD OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING

Abstract

With evidence supporting our current over-consumptive trend (Jacques 2015), the term ‘sustainability’ is ubiquitous. In Singapore, the word ‘sustainability’ is ever-present in the mission statements and visions of numerous leading architectural bodies such as the Urban Redevelopment Authority (Urban Redevelopment Authority 2015), Building Control Authority (Building Control Authority 2014), Singapore Institute of Architects (Singapore Institute of Architects 2015), Housing & Development Board (Housing & Development Board 2015) and Centre for Liveable Cities Singapore (Centre for Liveable Cities Singapore 2015). Yet what does sustainability mean or imply in these varying contexts? This project explores the understanding of ‘sustainability’ in Singapore’s field of architecture and urban planning as it is manifested in the differing representations of architecture, namely: texts, buildings and images. Through the course of the project, it will become apparent that ‘sustainability’ as manifested architecturally in Singapore is not a definitive concept. It is mutable, multi-dimensional and susceptible to personal interpretations in various spheres of life. It has as many differing representations as it has proponents. Therefore, this project will provide a more nuanced and multivalent understanding of ‘sustainability’ in Singaporean architecture. It strives to afford critical insights into the nuanced localization of this Understanding Representations of Sustainability in Singapore’s Field of Architecture and Urban Planning ii global topic into the local architecture’s differing forms. Ultimately, the project aspires to broaden one’s perspective on what is architectural ‘sustainability’; and what its implications are on texts, buildings and images.