THE THRESHOLDS OF THE BIOHAZARD ANXIETY : IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BIOPOLIS LIFE-XCHANGE MASTERPLAN@ ONE NORTH

Abstract

The thesis proposal aims to investigate the role of architecture in responding to the existence of the risks and dangers in our daily lives, concealed within the construct of One North’s Biotechnology Masterplan.

Upon completion in 2030, Biopolis is envisioned to be an intensified, mix-used matrix of ‘live, learn work and play’, emphasizing its seamless connectivity and transparency in projecting the image of an integrative ‘science city’. Additionally, the necessity to sustain the economical and political value of the bioresearch facility has led to the camouflage of spaces containing latent hazardous risks and the adoption of strategies in advertising a safe living environment, while concealing the proximity of its residents to latent hazardous risks in the future.

Therefore, within such a political constraint, the architectural approach of inserting thresholds aims to strike a balance in revealing and informing the existence of risk and danger. In line with government’s vision in creating most advanced biomedical research city in Asia, the bio-containment, preparatory and managing facilities are showcased as part of the strategy of the Masterplan, at the same time instrumentalized to become indicators of positive anxiety that quietly unsettle and remind citizens the existence of the important risks.