(National University of Singapore)
A Palimpsest of Processes: Conserving and Adaptively Reusing Bras Basah Complex
The thesis makes the case to conserve and rehabilitate Bras Basah Complex in Singapore. It articulates the outstanding significance of the development because of its design in response to the myriad of pressing conditions in its milieu; unique urban governance; distinctive economic functions; and social meanings generated for the public in relation to befitting spatial conditions afforded by its architectural design. The threats and opportunities regarding the values that Bras Basah Complex embodies are subsequently highlighted to outline specific intervention parameters that are unique to the Complex.
It then establishes six strategic directions to strengthen the importance of development in the multiple ecosystems that contribute to its significance. Positioning Bras Basah Complex as a Palimpsest of Processes, the rehabilitation strategy aims to inspire greater interdependence between BBC and these external networks; to align BBC with state initiatives to contrive an inclusive city; to galvanise its unique modality of urban governance and to manage the representation and perception of the development. And in so doing it diverges from entrenched paradigms which frequently prioritise the goal of architectural intactness in rehabilitation efforts. Instead, architectural interventions are experimented as non-disruptive means to materialise operative strategies and procedures to rehabilitate buildings of significant social merit.
