TECHNOPRENEUR CLUSTER : INFOYARD : DESIGN FOR CHANGE AND INNOVATION

Abstract

This thesis deals with the issues of growing technopreneurship in Singapore and the demands of a new work culture arising from enterprise and innovations. In the midst of industrial restructuring, the start-ups will become one of the main vehicles to spearhead high-growth industries and to foster an innovative and collaborative culture that will lay the foundations for our New Economy. The design challenge here is to create a dynamic and stimulating environment that can adapt to and accommodate accelerating change in these new industries. Existing models of technopreneur centres are however found to be lacking in such considerations as they usually only provide generic office space. The vehicle chosen is the proposed INFOYARD:technopreneur clusters at Kolam Ayer Industrial Estate as part of the overall REvisioning of the Kallang Basin Industrial Estates by JTC and its rejuvenation programme of early industrial enclave. Programmatically, the INFOYARD is designed as the anchor of the proposed I-White zone that includes other facilities like water and transport infrastructure, retail and public amenities to engender a vibrant environment that will actively promote frequent unplanned interactions. This would in turn generate increased information flow between different communities, provide more opportunities for alliances and create a higher potential for innovative enterprise. Plug-in modular system is employed to respond to the high turnover rate, non-routine and transient work nature of the technopreneur community. The thesis here proposed the re-use of second hand shipping containers as the basic building block to produce multiple configurations of incubator space for the diverse needs of its tenants. Cheap, mobile and structurally independent, the container incubators herald new possibilities of workplace adaptability, mobility and interaction for the knowledge-based generation.