The heartland, a term used to describe residential neighbourhoods in Singapore, is an important centre for civic activity and communal gathering. In them are common spaces and building facilities that serve the various needs of a community. As these needs change over time, so do the built structures that provide these services.
Common Ground is a recent project in the heartland of Bedok that occupies a thirty-year-old three-storey building. Formerly a public library, the building now brings various social enterprises together under one roof. To reflect its new socio-civic programme, the architects transformed what was initially an internal stairwell into a dramatic atrium that engages the entrance sequence and connects the building to other facilities in the town centre.
Narrating the design intent is a sectional model of the re-imagined building and description about the building’s main tenants who are integral to its socio-civic programme. These social enterprises are all united by their commitment towards doing good through community engagement. The space facilitates and enables their activities and collaborations between different groups.
Completed by Red Bean Architects for Common Ground, the project was supported by Unipac Consulting Engineers and D’Associates.
Red Bean Architects is a creative studio of architects and designers based in Singapore. We are old-school craftsmen visualising a cutting-edge city of tomorrow. We design forms and spaces that are sustainable, functional, and empower the people who use them.
