Image above: Adapted from original image by Kenny Pek, Stillusion Photography
Aside from bringing communities and stakeholders together, another key factor towards realising a spatially sensitive built project is paying attention to a site’s historical significance and incorporating that into its redevelopment.
Temasek Shophouse is nestled in Dhoby Ghaut, a prime retail area in central Singapore. At present, it is a co-working facility and a testbed for sustainable initiatives. The shophouse building was originally built for wealthy Chinese merchants, but was left vacant for almost a decade prior to its reincarnation. The architects struck a balance between respecting the architectural fabric of the shophouse and refreshing its interior for its present purposes – as an inclusive public space for communal social activities, with co-working facilities that encourage sustainable initiatives in its programme of use.
The project is represented by a set-up reminiscent of a dining table. A detailed model is served as the main course, surrounded by a buffet of side dishes. These side dishes consist of artefacts and images that represent the spirit of Temasek Shophouse. Visitors will also be able to interact with the Temasek Shophouse’s built components via an interactive screen. As visitors activate these screens, the building and its social activities are brought to life.
This project was completed by Surbana Jurong with the support of KTP, Asylum, Greenology, Innosparks, Radian Acoustics, SWITCH, Sennen Design and Sunray Woodcraft Construction.
Video credit: Surbana Jurong and AIP
Surbana Jurong is one of the largest Asia-based urban and infrastructure consultancies, with 70 years of track record in successful project delivery. Headquarted in Singapore, the group has a global talent pool of over 16,000 employees from more than 120 offices in over 40 countries. They include architects, designers, planners, engineers and other specialists driven by progressive thinking and creative ideas to shape a better future.
