Design My Place

Group 13

School: Hwa Chong Institution

Proposal: Garden Kaleidoscope

Present Condition:

As our group made our way through Jalan Besar, Site 13, which has a high population of aged residents, we noticed the melancholy and deadness of the venue. Streets were pretty much empty and desolate; hawker centers were lined with disused stalls, with shutters hostilely down. Upon doing forefront information gathering, we noticed that the elderly residents appeared to have a nonchalant disposition with regards to their homes and lives, idling around with barely any activity to occupy their mind. A further interview of the residents there confirmed our observations, and we realized that many older residents there are apathetic to the happenings around them and we felt that they have forsaken hope for the future and are waiting for their passing.

In addition, we realized that there is minimal interaction between the younger generation and older generation in that area.

Finally, we discovered that the building designs were rather drab and old, with moss and creepers growing on the building walls and flats along the region.

STRENGTHS:	WEAKNESSES:
Panoramic view of the landscape	Lack of activities for youths and elderly
Empty void decks that can be further developed	Large divide between the older and younger generation
Disused stalls that can be put to more efficient use	Infrastructure lacking luster and vitality

Table 1: Summary of strengths and weaknesses of site

Thoughts:

Manpower has always been crucial for Singapore’s development, and Singapore would not have progressed so rapidly if not for the citizens of the yester-generation. For the contributions made by the older generations, we feel that they deserve to enjoy the later part of their lives.

Hence, our group aims to:

1. Liven up the district to brighten their lives and make it more appealing to the residents.

2. Construct a residence that would actively involve the older generation as scientific studies have shown that a lack of stimulation to the mind in old age may increase the chances of dementia.

3. Instill a sense of belonging in the elderly to their community and provide them with something to look forward to.

LIVEN UP THE DISTRICT	ACTIVELY INVOLVE THE RESIDENTS (Especially the older residents)	INSTILL A SENSE OF BELONGING
Change in the building color. Use of cheerful colors (pale yellow, pale pink, light green)	Provide facilities for more activities to be carried out: · Taichi grounds · Game pavilion · 1950s lounge · Art gallery with contributions from old and young residents · Library and Study room · Street stalls	Foster the sense of ownership: · Pet corner for them to take care of community pets · Green house and Seed Plots
More scenic infrastructure · Pinwheels · Colored pebble paths · Rooftop garden · Interlinked buildings · Bicycle paths · Pond · Playgrounds · Wooden pavilions · Escalator outside Crawford Spiral	Encourage interaction between youths and elders, which strengthens community spirit · Fitness corner (facilities for both older and younger population) · Venice-inspired love boats (youths to enjoy their relationship and old residents to rekindle/re-experience their love for each other) · Maze · Handicraft centre (old and young generation can learn about crafting, older generation with experience in crafting can teach the youths)

Table 2: Implementations to achieve our aims