Dwelling –

Dwelling is more than just a shelter for living and activities. Rather, it is the relation of humans and their senses to space, a space that facilitates the engagement of human senses and emotions. I consider the state of dwelling almost non-existent in Singapore. There is a lack of connection between human feelings and spaces. Houses in Singapore feel like they are designed for only functional activities such as sleeping and eating.

Steven Holl mentioned in an interview that he once read an article about a video artist — they describe going into his workspace, which is piled with pizza boxes and coke cans and has black garbage bags taped over his windows to keep light from going in so he can work on his machines for 20 hours at a time. Light and fresh air are biological needs but lacked in the video artist workspace because the space was intended for a specific activity. When space is designed around activity, we lost touch with human needs, and suddenly we turn against the natural environment. Design should mirror or symbolize human experience and existence through unique design and atmosphere. When a space is a design for activities before human experience, there is bound to be a tragic exclusion of space and human content quality.