Design My Place

Group 8

School: Anderson Junior College

Members: Celvin Tan, Hazel Ang, Hong Minh Phuong, Low Zi Yin, Samuel Ng Ser Kiat

Proposal: work.mind.spiritual

Introduction

Concept: work.mind.spiritual

Aim: To provide an alternative lifestyle and healthcare for people by creating a place of serenity for them where they can interact with Mother Nature.

Rationale:

1. People living in Singapore face high levels of stress from work. Thus, we proposed to create a new and relaxing environment, which aims to promote a healthy and balanced lifestyle. In this way, we can encourage more domestic tourism in Singapore.

2. As people in Singapore enjoy a high material standard of living, they are now more concerned with satisfying their non-material needs such as living in tranquility, away from city life.

3. As there is an increasing awareness to protect our environment, people are interested in experiencing and discovering the wonders of Mother Nature.

4. People in Singapore have an increasing demand for choices in their lives, as a result of rising affluence.

In addition, Hougang is an ideal location as the airport is situated a short distance away. Thus, it will be very convenient and attractive to tourists. In this way, we can promote a healthy lifestyle to an even greater population and at the same time earn greater profits.

Site Visit Analysis

From our site analysis, we learnt that there is a significant need to provide a place for rejuvenation to satisfy the wants of both the younger generation and the older generation. As a large population of young people is expected to enter the town in the future, it is important for them to have a balanced work and relaxed lifestyle. The older generation has expressed that they like the current scenery hence we should minimize changes to it.

Brief Overview

We suggest establishing a place where people are able to experience an alternative lifestyle that aims to improve their mind and body as well as a place where economic can still continue to prosper.

What are we doing?

We are going to achieve our aim through four main categories: research and development, manufacturing industry, medical resorts and recreation.

How and why are we doing it?

Firstly, we aim to provide alternatives to people in terms of healthcare, diet and lifestyle. Research and development will be done on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and organic products.

For TCM, we will plant herbs in the greenhouse and used them to research on TCM. TCM can be an alternative for western medicine as it is able to cure and prevent diseases and illness. For instance, Wolfberry has antioxidant properties, including potential benefits against cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases and vision-related diseases caused by aging. Hence, by establishing an R&D for TCM, Singapore will be able to be the pioneer for the new alternative medicine – TCM.

Also, for organic products, we aim to establish R&D for it whereby we will develop new cosmetic products and food, derived from the organic materials. This is because Singaporeans are getting more and more health conscious hence there will be an increasing demand for organic products.

As currently, there is no centralized hub in the region whereby R&D for TCM and organic products has been carried out. Hence, Singapore can be the pioneer to start off the organic and TCM industry. This will therefore attract foreign investors as well as foreign talents such as people in China who studied about TCM to come to Singapore. With these, we will be able to provide more job opportunities and revenue. Also, as Singapore is moving towards a knowledge-based economy, it is vital for us to establish new areas for research and development for the future generation in order to maintain our competitive edge in the world in long run.

Secondly, we propose to establish a manufacturing industry for TCM as well as organic products to go hand in hand with the research and development centers. As manufacturing industry is also a key driving force for Singapore, it is vital for us to be able to produce what we have researched and developed on. With the manufacturing industry located beside the research and development area, there will be ease of accessibility between the two sectors to ensure efficiency. Some areas of the manufacturing industry can also be opened to public to educate them on how these TCM and organic products are made and the benefits of these products in order to increase awareness and demand in this new industry. Moreover, the manufacturing industry will be able to provide job opportunities for the locals. Also, we can export our products manufactured to other countries. By doing so, we will be able to generate more revenue and this revenue can be channeled back to research and development as well as other sectors such as health sectors.

Thirdly, in order to achieve our aim of creating a relaxed peaceful environment for the visitors, we suggest integrating medical treatments and resorts. We believe that recuperating in such a scenic and serene environment will facilitate medical treatments. In addition, we can also grow a garden, which will include plants known to soothe and calm the minds and spirits of the people, such as Jasmine, Lavender, and Gardenia, in front of every villa. People will be able to experience the various forms of therapy (aromatherapy, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy) throughout their stay. Furthermore, we suggest constructing an artificial river using treated water waste, which encompasses the entire resort to create calm and cool atmosphere. The hill in the center of the resort can be used for bird watching in the day or stargazing at night. This allows people to have a wider range of leisure activities they can engage in to suit their different demands of a relaxed lifestyle. We can construct walkways or ramps to assist the physically disabled as a mode of transport up the hill.

To further encourage and promote a healthy lifestyle, retail shops selling our own manufactured organic products and TCM herbs can be established. This can in turn generate higher revenue, which can further strengthen our economic status, and the extra revenue can be channeled back to the research and development industry.

Fourthly, besides achieving a higher standard of living for the higher income groups and tourists, we hope to also engage the nearby residents to enjoy our sports facilities in our recreational zone. Sports facilities include the gym, tennis courts, swimming pools to allow them to develop a healthier lifestyle and also to provide opportunities for healthy interaction between them.

In conclusion, it is not just about running away from reality but is about proposing a new alternative where people can choose to live their lives differently. In this way, we can create a better environment where people can cope with their stress level well and cope with their current lifestyles.