Design My Place

Group 15

School: Serangoon Junior College

The Problem:

Being an old estate, a large proportion of residents are in their senior years. Our preliminary observations have highlighted a lingering problem that the inhabitants are facing – A dire lack of elderly-friendly facilities has resulted in a large amount of people sitting around aimlessly and idling around void decks. As such, we feel that it is imperative that this issue should take highest priority in being addressed through in our plans to revamp this area.

After interviewing several residents living in the area, we have observed a strong sense of belonging to this area after living there for many years. However, there is a general consensus that they feel lonely and neglected by society. Therefore, we plan to re-organise the utilisation of the urban landscape in that area by converting unused and underused spaces into fun, new and practical landscapes and facilities, orientating and catering them towards addressing the needs the old-folks.

Strategies:

We plan to encourage the elderly to get out of their homes and lead an active lifestyle by creating engaging and interactive opportunities whilst preserving the identity of the site as much as possible. We plan to interconnect the various areas of the estate with nature-covered walkways which adds to the vibrancy and greenery of the estate, calming and cool environment for residents strolling around as well as increasing the accessibility to the elderly and especially the wheel-chaired. Gardens and bird-posts will be set aside which helps them achieve an active lifestyle as well as giving them a greater sense of belonging and more interaction opportunities. Pavilions and parks will be constructed at key intersections and nodes which provide spaces and infrastructure for activities and events organised for the general public such as getais, movie screening and other activities which brings people and communities together. Water features will be infused along with the greenery to create an even more tranquil environment for the elderly to relax, rejuvenate and enjoy.

We have also identified this area as a strategic locality for a medical centre which specifically caters to the elderly. Physiotherapy, aquatherapy and other reflexology features will be integrated throughout the nature walks and park connecters which compliment this area as a medical hub for the seniors.

The shop houses in that area can be revamped, expanded and given a face-lift to make it a cleaner, more convenient and enjoyable surrounding for the residents along with adding a green touch to roofs to reduce urban heating.

Further Developments:

The old office malls around the area are highly valued due to their good locality. As such, we also see much economic potential in converting existing textile warehouses and ‘karaoke’ lounges into SOHO units along with anchor clients such as supermarkets for the working population and budding entrepreneurs to add liveliness. Jamming studios and LAN shops for the youth can be built in order to promote more cultural integration as well as economic activity in that area, given its high accessibility after the completion of Nicoll Highway station.

A Muay Thai ring could also be set up near the Community Club which opens a controlled environment for the Thai Workers in the area to gather without posing a security threat to the residents as brought up by many people as they loiter around.