One thing that I always believe in is that architecture should be site specific. In other words, the building should only be designed for that particular site alone and cannot be replicated in anywhere else in the world.

Singapore is known as the Garden City, but sadly the only evidence that we see of this 'namesake' is a superficial effort of planting aong the roads, and parks interspersed among buildings. This is only partly successful. There is a 'fourth demension', which is to actually bring the 'garden' into the buildings, that hasn't been achieved. There is still a clear distinction between form and landscape in many of the buildings here. I dont blame anyone. It takes a city of great character and some amount of risk to fully implement the concept of 'garden city' into our lives. However to fully call ourselves a tropical country we need to design fully tropical architecture.

I attempt to execute this in my design for the school. The concept of 'blurring', 'in between', or 'transition' between landscape and form is introduced. The heavily planted character of the site reinforces the idea that the school and landscape should be one, or the interior should flow onto the exterior. There is no clear boundary where the school starts or ends or where the boundaries of the school are. There is a conflict here as this goes against the age old planning principle that a school should be defined by boundaries to protect and confine the students. The great challenge is to make it look as if the school had no boundaries and yet offer enough enclosure and protection for the occupants. :)

To do that I made the walls of the school look like a series of landscape walls that flow along the contours of the site and dissapear into the earth. The walls are not just mere ornaments. Some of it form walls to the classrooms, some encloses courtyard spaces, and some help to define orientation and movement. Some of the existing trees removed during construction stages are replanted in their original position in the new school, so one will find trees in the strangest of places, such as between classrooms. Rooftop are planted with grass to cover more surface green . As mentioned earlier creepers are allowed to grow over walls and trellies for camouflage and shade. Ecogardens,ponds and fountains are intersperesed inside and outside the school to complete the sense of blurring.

On a micro level, even the classrooms are designed to bring the outdoors in. A large openable panel door flips upwards to reveal a courtyard, thus expanding the classroom area and into the outdoors.

The trick for me is to blend the building in but yet create a slight gesture of incision. It is almost like a scar that hasnt healed properly,but this scar becomes part of the person over time and acceptance. Another analogy is that it is like a new organsm that wriggles its way into the site and lives on it. This eventually creates something that is somewhat there, but yet not there. (refer to image)