GSA Showcase 2021

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PART I – LIVE

THE WAY WE LIVE/HOW DO WE LIVE?

In this booklet we start with part 1 of the Project : “Live with Plants”. This project deals with the work side of “LIVE, WORK AND PLAY” and the idea of being safe indoors in the HDB block while being around nature and plants. I will be dealing with the idea of living with plants and biophilic design in the comfort of being indoors and near your home.

To live means to “spend your life in a particular way”. To live at home means to be able to do everyday activities in your own way – eating, sleeping, resting etc. It also means to be with family and loved ones. Basically, to be able to do anything you want in your way in the comfort of your own personal space. So how can this be placed in the scheme of living with plants? How do we live with plants?

 

DESIGN INTENTION

The intention is to integrate the idea of “outside” into indoor HDB spaces. The design intervention is mainly for residents in HDBs. The intention also removes the idea of inside and outside as separate spaces. The idea is to remove the invisible line that divides these spaces by using biophilic design/nature (which represents the outside) to ‘invade’ into the surrounding interior spaces of the HDB. The question is now how I can have the “outside” around while I am safe at home/ on the inside/ in isolation.

Bridge Area

To address the issue of lack of plants in indoor unit spaces, a new addition is added to the HDB blocks, (referring to the image) – a bridge that starts from the inside of the HDB till the outside. This bridge allows residents to be outside all whilst still being in their own homes. The bridge only has railings, allowing to be fully open and visible to the outside.
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Bridge Area 02

With reference to the drawing on the left, the bridge’s railings are of full glass and steel material and well covered and taken over by plants. The plants line up against the railings to act as the actual railing by covering up the true glass/metal material. (refer to plant study booklet page for more information on plants used) The openness and lack of walls encourages sunlight and rain fall into these bridge spaces allowing the plants in these spaces to grow and nourish well.
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Corridor

With the major lack of nature elements in the upper floors, the design intention now was to bring in nature into the indoor spaces of HDBs. Spaces including corridors, lift lobby spaces and even the small air condition system’s balcony spaces of the units. In this drawing, railings are covered fully with plants making it seem as if the railings are made of plants. The ceiling is also fully covered in vines and ivy plants. The empty walls that are not windows along the corridor will be replaced with urban farming set – ups to allow interested residents to grow their own plants or edibles.
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Corridor 02

In this drawing, The railings and ceilings have plants as “barriers” and “planes” in the spaces - taking in the form of walls, railings, ceilings to cover up the actual concrete ones. This allows the residents in the space feel as if they are surrounded by nature even when though they are still in their HDB blocks.
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Label of Plant Types used

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Label of Plant Types used 02

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Label of Plant Types used 03

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