FACILITY FOR PRE-EXPEDITION TRAINING, THE : PULAU UBIN, SINGAPORE

Abstract

This thesis is a response to problems with the prevailing learning pedagogy. Activities are typically based on passive, rote processes confined within the classroom, and the emphasis is on academic achievements. There is a need to move away from a society pre- occupied with paper credentials, to one where learning is enriched by acts of consequential service to others and is stimulated by natural surroundings and processes. The design vehicle is a facility co- managed by the Singapore International Foundation, a facilitator for expeditions, and the Singapore Quality Centre, a management training company. Its programme is to provide training for groups embarking on expeditions to rural communities around the region by equipping them with the necessary skills. The emphasis is on hands- on learning based on the experiential approach and involves learning through nature as well as community involvement. The facility is located on a quarry lake on Pulau Ubin Island, Singapore's last rustic stronghold of nature. The design intentions are to create a sustainable architecture that is uniquely Ubin by responding to physical and cultural site characteristics, and to create a rugged environment within a natural setting which facilitates learning from real experiences arising from nature and community. The architectural concept is inspired by the imagery of the fragmented rock face, which is translated into a series of granite rubble spine walls that reflect the fractal geometry of nature and unfold across the clearing site. It is an exploration of these walls as organising device for architecture, to give order to the landscape and define movement, and to provide spatial definition and structural continuity. It is also an investigation into climatic responses and the tectonic articulation of materials.