JAPANESE LEARNING CENTRE

Abstract

This thesis deals with a foreign culture in a non indigenous context. Interaction between members of different cultural backgrounds is an increasingly common aspect of modern life. When such interaction occurs, there is an exchange of information and values between the individuals. It is proposed that one way of representing and transmitting a non-indigenous culture is through a physical environment. The project aims to investigate an example of a foreign culture (Japanese) in Singapore. The vehicle chosen us a Japanese Learning Centre, which is a public building with educational, entertainment and commercial facilities serving both the Japanese and locals in Singapore. It is proposed to be located along Queen Street which is near Bugis Junction. The proposed building, besides providing the basic facilities, deals with the notion of gardens and streets in the Japanese context. As the users move through the building, they are exposed to different layers of open spaces such as gardens and courtyards. There is a series of different gardens with different ambience and scale. In addition, the building deals with an intermediary zone between the inside and the outside known as “en” to the Japanese. The “en” occurs both at the macro and micro scale along the street.