Versatile Space: Past, Present And Future

Introduction
Singapore is known as a food and tourist hub with approximately to 5. 6 million people as of 2017 on a
719. 9 km² land area. Apart from expanding sideways, by geographical methods of land reclamation,
the city of Singapore is known for its beautiful cityscape of high rise residences, office towers. With a
growing population and its growing needs, Singapore has been trying to make the best use of its
limited resources, especially land.

Singapore is a small country that has made its mark on the world map through smart economic
decisions and political relations over the years. It was known to be ruled by the British and Japanese
which both have had drastic impacts on the people as well as serve importance in its history and
heritage. Thus there are measures and laws to enforce conservation and preservations of the older
architectural buildings. With the increase on the cost of living in Singapore could possibly affect the
standard of living in Singapore and in turn affect the health of the people. In order to make full use of
the potential of the space, a concept of versatile spaces has been created. By focusing on how
versatile spaces have become a trend to multi-functional spaces and used as a design strategy
commonly in Singapore, this research paper would provide new insight to the use of spaces for the
future designers and people. This dissertation is organized into 3 chapters to understand the history of
architecture and its need for change according to the changes in our way of living. This report deals
with the understanding of modern architecture, the rise and fall of modernist architecture due to people
not being able to relate to the type of buildings which eventually lead to the demolition of some
modernist buildings. It explores birth of versatile spaces and adaptive architecture as a solution to
destroying some iconic buildings as well as the use of its concept in Singapore’s building context
today. This report hopes to address the need for such spaces and along with some case studies in
Singapore’s context on how these spaces will evolve over time and affect the lifestyle of people in the
near future.

What is a versatile and multi-functional space?

What is Versatility? It is the ability to adapt or be adapted to many different functions or activities, with
regards to a space it should be able to accommodate change and adjustment and able to include
different functions without rebuilding the structure. Thus the comparison is being made between
unitary and versatile spaces. Unitary spaces are only suitable for a pre-defined single function
whereas versatile spaces are able to accommodate diverse functions.
Contributing factors that make a space versatile
What makes a space versatile? The first thing that signifies if the space can be versatile, is the size of
the particular space. To contain a certain function, a space requires a certain size. To be able to
contain multiple functions, a space requires a certain size as well. This can be determined by listing
the possible functions of the space and their size requirements. Shape of a space, determines the
boundary and containment of the various activities that would be carried out in the space. A versatile
space could accommodate various functions by adopting a mezzo shape.

Location and accessibility of a space, could possibly make it a versatile space. If the space is easily
accessible people would be more aware of the particular space and would be more drawn to use the
space. The way people interact with a space is also an important contributing factor as versatile
spaces allow its users to interact and feel in any way the user would want to, this is due to its lack of a
pre-defined function that would come along with a look and feel, layout, furniture, materials.

Benefits of a versatile space

Adaptability is the potential of a system to harmonize with the environment, a versatile space responds
to the changing environment. Since versatile spaces can accommodate new functions with or without
changing itself, it saves cost on the renovations to recreate or rebuild the space for the new functions.
Simultaneously, it continues earning revenue from the various functions it can accommodate to. Such
spaces are also very resource saving, since they do not need more space to carry out the other
functions resources on the extra space are saved. Unitary spaces, which as spaces separated by
function make communication inconvenient between spaces. Whereas versatile spaces, the ability to
do everything in one given spaces allows communication and interaction on various levels. For
example in an open office concept, employees from different sectors work in the same space. This
makes communication more convenient and the space more attractive as it is livelier with social
aspect of living included into their daily lives and work routine. Rationalism which demotes
contingency, was a rule followed by western architects in the past architectural styles. It regards
humans as machines and ignores the nature of human beings. Since versatile spaces can be used in
various different ways, the spaces makes it possible and encourages undersigned communication. In
turn, making the overall space more interesting, humanized and vivid.

Rise and fall of modernist architecture

Modernist architecture was created In the 21st century where Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe were iconic figures of that movement. It was implemented as a solution
where previous architecture and design failed to meet the basic social needs such as friendships,
romantic attachments, family, social groups, community groups and religious organizations, to create
urban utopias. The failure of the movement was that it could not properly comprehend and cater to the
needs of family and community. Therefore, a lot of the modern architecture buildings were torn down.
The phrase “form follows function” is used when speaking of modernist architecture principles, it
emphasizes that form should be simplified and architecture should have no ornamentation. Family life
and social interaction was top priority for a planned design environment. The idea of planned zones,
function zoning made residential and commercial areas distinct and separate. Thus there was
disconnection and lack of opportunities for communication for the people. One successful project,
Byker Housing in Newcastle by architect Ralph Eskrine. The conditions were poor and there was a
major issue of overcrowding, poor sanitation and poverty. The Byker was remembered for its
character and for retaining the strength of neighbourly friendships as well as a design that was able to
retain this sense of community. Therefore, creating a connection between community and
architecture. To build on the best building plots means to have rigorous building controls in the cities,
the protection of the rural areas makes it difficult to build there. Therefore the only option is to
demolish something old and make way for something new. What can we demolish? Historic buildings,
city districts and skylines are protected, in turn buildings that are disliked get destroyed as they do not
hold much importance which almost always happen to be modernist architecture. For example, in the
United States of America, Manhattan lost the 1962 façade of Two Columbus Circle designed by
Edward Durrell Stone. Boston is considering the demolition of the 1968 City Hall. In Las Vegas, the
original Sands Casino was removed and thus there is little memory of the golden era as major
developments take over and make way for more revenue earning buildings. In Asia, Japan’s iconic
postwar era tower Kisho Kurakawa’s Nakagin Capsule Tower of 1972 was brought down. It is
understood that, booming cities have little or no time for architectural nostalgia. The need for buildings
that bring in revenue and help economic developments has overwritten the need for history in terms of
architecture.

Singapore’s context – developments of an economic nation

Population growth

Singapore started with approximately 3, 047 people in 1990, this was after their independence from
Malaysia in 1965. For the longest time, Singapore’s population was made up of immigrants. After
gaining independence, many Chinese men and women decided to settle in Singapore instead of
migrating back and gave birth to natives. After the World War Two, there was a drastic increase in the
number of natives as well. Singapore started to thrive and grow, with the population growth increasing
tremendously year after year. The people are very important to Singapore, as they are valuable
resources as to rely on. The future population growth of Singapore is expected to hit 6. 9 million by the
year 2030, with no changes in immigrant policies. The increase in population size would more than
likely affect the way of living of the people here in Singapore

Land scarcity

Singapore’s land area has always been an issue and topic of discussion. Singapore was
approximately 688 square km in 2006, and has continued to expand over the years. With its growing
population, it requires more land and as a developing nation it would be able to use the new land for
more revenue earning sites. Singapore has gained more land through land reclamation and land
reuse. With more land in hand, Singapore has been able to use it in its strength to become a tourism
and food hub. However, that being said Singapore is still a tiny dot on the map, and with the
population size there has to be measures to enforce proper land usage. It has been announced that
Singapore will increase to 766 square kilometers through sea reclamation, to increase the total
available area for commercial, residential, etc. usage.

Population density
Population density (people per sq. km) in Singapore was at 7, 909 square km in 2016. As studied
earlier, Singapore’s population and land has both been growing but the percentage of the population
growth is more that of land growth. Therefore, the population density in Singapore has been more
visible. Singapore is considered to have one of the highest population density.

What is adaptive reuse architecture

Adaptive reuse is when you give an existing building a new purpose, or maintain the same purpose
but while preserving and enhancing some elements of the building. People strive to minimize the
impact on the environment by practicing adaptive reuse. The Australian Government’s Department of
Environment and Heritage published a report that mentioned “the reuse of building materials involves
approximately 95% of embodied energy that would otherwise be wasted” Embodied energy is the
energy consumed by all the processes of production such as mining and processing of natural
resources to manufacturing, transport and delivery. A lot of the buildings from the past are beautiful
and hold an importance in our heritage that tell a story. Adaptive reuse allows the designers and
architects the freedom to use rich elements of the old and weave in with the new technologies of
present day and make it an aesthetic element. If done correctly, it could be better than 100% old or
100% new on a whole. The places we live, work and play in are all evidences of the past, present and
possibly future uses of the places. By determining what are the needs of the community, buildings can
be adapted to suit those needs as compared to tearing it down entirely. Further in the report, we will
study the cases in Singapore that used adaptive reuse architecture to preserve yet create a use of the
modern people and meet their needs.

Case studies of the past – Singapore’s context

Singapore is known to have a very rich history and heritage that is interesting to many Singaporeans.
The heritage is used in the tourism sector for the tourists so as to help them understand the journey of
Singapore’s growth to what is it today. Thus is it more than important, that adaptive reuse architecture
is implemented here, it is done through conservations and preservation laws in Singapore. This
ensures that the importance of heritage is not lost in the constant need to develop cities that are
modern. Preservation laws, safeguard buildings such as shop houses that demonstrate the start of
Singapore housing. For example, the former General Post Office Building was converted into the
present day Fullerton Bay Hotel. The comparison can be clearly made and concluded that
preservation laws were indeed implemented to maintain the façade of the iconic building. It was official
as a conservation building by the Singapore Government in 1997. After which Sino Land (Hong Kong)
Company Ltd, acquired the Fullerton Building from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). It
spent close to another S$300 million converting Fullerton Building into a hotel and building the two-
storey commercial complex One Fullerton opposite Fullerton Road. Renovation works on the Fullerton
Building were completed in 2000. The Fullerton Hotel Singapore was officially opened by then Prime
Minister Goh Chok Tong in 2001.

Another classic example would be Lau Pa Sat, which was formerly a fish market in the very early
days. In 1972, it was converted into a hawker center as a fish market was no longer suitable in the
given area dynamics. In 1989, the market was officially renamed Lau Pa Sat, the name most
Singaporeans used to refer to the market and became a modern food court catering to office workers
and tourists. Lau Pa Sat has kept its structural value throughout the years with only changes made to
the interior to better suit the environment and program to better suit the needs of the target audience
in the area.

Case studies of the past – Singapore’s context

Versatile spaces in the past would be considered places like the open carpark where children from
older generations used to play soccer and five stones or use as a place for gathering. Therefore,
addressing an important social need of communication and interaction. For example, the word function
room, already has the word function in it. It comes with a pre-defined function and way is it meant to
be used. Another example would be a classroom, it can be considered versatile in the sense by
removing the furniture the room can then be used for any function. This function usage and zoning, is
similar to that of modernist architecture. With the change in people’s needs, versatile spaces need to
have an upgrade as well so as to be more useful in usage. In the Singaporean context, with the limited
land available it is highly important the need of such versatile spaces in order to prevent it from
becoming a robot city.

Case studies of the present – Singapore’s context

From observations in Singapore’s context, versatile spaces would be like beaches, HDB void decks,
parks, corridors. These places are places of gathering, in Singaporean words a place where people
can “lepak” and hang out, a public space that does not belong to anyone and that cannot be claiming
rights on. For example, a void deck. It can be used for a Chinese funeral, it can also be used for a
Malay wedding, a Christmas celebration and on a daily basis a place for neighbours to interact with
each other. It does not have a pre-defined function, it is an open space. A space where the people are
the sole decision makers on as to how they would use the space and interact with the space. These
spaces are important in this day and age so as to have some human interaction and for children to
play without being glued to their electronic devices all day. For the current day void deck, let us look at
the circulation (refer to diagram below). The circulation is mainly from the various entry points and
around the columns that are there for the structural support of the entire building. However these
create less opportunities to use the void deck in different ways. This being said, there is some
discussion of the future of void decks. The places where socializing used to take place, would just
become a space with railings to prevent kids from playing soccer, no weddings would be conducted.
[image: Related image]We are seeing more and more versatile spaces by the day, a good example
would be the modern day open office concept. If we were to consider the offices back in the days, the
layout would be a typical cabin structure for the higher ranks and organized desks for the employees.
This rigid office structure has been drastically changed for the versatility to be known as an open
office. The office scene now looks more of open desks known as hot desking, cafes, collaboration
spaces and open areas for informal discussions. This versatility of the space allows more
communication, provides a more comfortable environment to work in as well as allows for more
efficient use of the space. For housing, let us take Hongkong as an extreme case study. This is
essentially the result of Hongkong’s lack of space which causes houses to be extremely small. A 344
square ft apartment was converted to able to accommodate 24 different type of spaces. The studio
was designed by Gary Chang, a well-known architect and he calls this the “Domestic Transformer”.
The layout options include a bathroom with a Duravit bathtub, a living room with a hammock, and a
kitchen with a sink, burners, dishwasher, and refrigerator. Chang told the Times that the large glass
shower can also become a steam room, and that he installed a special toilet with a heated seat and
remote-control bidet. There's also a walk-in closet, dining area for five people, laundry room, and
remote-controlled movie screen that doubles as curtains. In fact, most of his home is fully automated.
Majority of the space is made up of sliding walls that double as storage, there is about 180-square-feet
of unused space that helps to make the apartment feel bigger.

The space such as the void deck has remained the same in terms of look and size throughout the
years, but what would be the future of them? What would be the future of these versatile spaces?
Would they still be considered a necessary part of the urban dynamic structure to meet the future
needs of the people or would it cease to exist and lose its battle to commercialization and
urbanization?

Demographic study- needs of the people

From a study carried out of the age group of the future of Singapore, it shows a growing ageing
population. This means there would be an increase in a need for spaces to be able to cater to their
special needs. With an ageing population and a lot of young kids, there is a big age gap. According to
a survey conducted (Refer to appendix- Needs of the people survey) the seniors require spaces that
have enough room for mobility, especially for the wheelchair bound, children want spaces to be able to
play and for the future more furniture that would encourage socializing amongst neighbours. Some
also mentioned, the suggestion of air conditioned spaces due to the change in heat and humidity in
Singapore and a public gym. The parents of young children still want a child care or pre-school area
for their children, the secondary school kids want to the small shops to purchase snacks without
having the need to stand in the long queues in Shop N Save or Giant. For offices, people would like to
have the open office concept upgraded where there is a possibility for one space to be used as two. A
pantry that could possibility become a café.

Possible outcomes of spaces – future void decks, offices

For any space to be able to cater to so many programs at once, it needs to be highly adaptable. It
would need to change fast to keep with the people. Let us look at it case by case.

It would be a great part of Singapore’s heritage gone missing if void decks were to be completely
vanished. Thus in order to cater to the people’s needs but stay true to the origination of void decks,
the space would have to look relatively like what it looks like right now. However, the movable walls
could be adapted into the void decks walls in order to dissect the space up further, this way there
could be more than one program on going concurrently. The void decks could be made bigger and
expanded to outside the building base. This would allow for a bigger shaded area as a void deck and
more usable space without the columns coming in the way.