Rubanisation

Tay Kheng Soon (TKS) is a practicing architect and adjunct professor at the National University of Singapore's School of Architecture. He was formerly president of the Singapore Institute of Architects and founding member and Chairman of SPUR, the Singapore Planning and Urban Research Group.

To this day, TKS continues to churn out creative, out-of-the-box ideas that he personally sees through to reality via his architectural practice, Akitek Tenggara, which he founded more than three decades ago (in 1976).

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Ruban Workshop, 23-24 Oct, NUS

Day One

The workshop kicks off with an overview of rubanisation.

Serial inventor Andrew Vas makes a guest appearance to talk about the algae bioreactor he developed as an alternative, autonomous source of energy.

Helen from Gawad Kalinga (GK) briefs everyone on how GK goes about eradicating slums and empowering the people.

The day's discussion culminates in a series of questions regarding rubanisation.

Day Two

The workshop continues with a reflection of the previous day's discussion. Some see an urgent need to better integrate rubanisation with the existing state of the city, while others express their concerns over sustaining the equilibrium that rubanisation will eventually achieve.

The group then splits into three subgroups, each dealing with a different scenario in which rubanisation is to occur. This group hypothesizes the rubanisation of a residential estate in Singapore.

The other two groups are given scenarios based on existing GK projects in the Philippines.

On the extreme right is Paulo, a representative from GK. This group is charged with redesigning the individual housing units that are built by GK.

The third group deals with the rubanisation of Sagay City in the Philippines, where several GK villages have already been established.

After much discussion, the groups get down to work, brainstorming ways of implementing rubanisation in Singapore (above) and the Philippines.

The workshop rounds off with presentations by all three groups.

Urban farming on HDB rooftops, spaces in between blocks and balconies is proposed, along with the decentralization of retail shops and making the estate more walkable and friendly to the disabled.

This new model for the GK houses would be a more efficient use of space, by removing the back alley, allowing for a more generous garden at the front, increasing the floor-to-ceiling height and utilizing stack effect for ventilation.