Sustainable Design Option Studio: Public Soundscapes & Shaping CBD Futures

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Resilient Designs: Post-COVID City Centre

This lecture is presented by Associate Professor Chong Keng Hua, Assistant Professor Hong Jooyoung and Assistant Professor Kenneth Tracy.

Part I: Public Soundscapes

In part one, we will talk about the sustainable design of urban public spaces in the post-COVID world with a particular focus on soundscape, which has been explored in Sustainable Design Option Studio 2020. The option studio was intended to provide knowledge on how to translate the soundscape approach into sustainable urban sound design in the post COVID world. The concept of soundscape, the acoustic analogy to landscape, is a new paradigm to rethink the traditional noise control approaches by emphasizing a holistic perspective of the perceived acoustic environments in context. The soundscape approach focuses on human-centered and context-based designs that consider people’s perceptions, needs, socio-cultural background, and expectations in relation to an acoustic environment. The current COVID-19 pandemic has posed great interruptions to our urban public spaces and public life, as our social structures and routines were forced to adapt overnight – friends no longer hug or shake hand when they meet, strangers have to keep a distance away from each other, large public gatherings are strictly prohibited. Such “social distancing” or “safe distancing” practices would likely to stay even in the aftermath of the crisis. In this context, the option studio sought to answer the following questions: Could balanced proximity be the key to formulate a more sustainable solution for future urban public spaces? Could we engage a new sense of space, such as soundscape, to help to achieve such balanced proximity, hence creating a new form of urban conviviality? The project site of the studio was at Marina Central Business Improvement District consisting of Marina Square, Millenia Singapore, South Beach, Suntec City, and The Esplanade. The objective was to transform each of these public spaces currently without programs into soulful and lively places that are enjoyable by both working population and visitors alike, through innovative soundscape and urban design. In this talk, the proposed urban programs and design interventions involving sounds will be presented (e.g., new forms of outdoor performances, recreations, or communications in the urban public spaces).

Part II: Shaping Post-COVID Futures: Free Space + Digital Craft + Performance

In yet another studio amidst the pandemic, Shaping Post-COVID Futures: Free Space + Digital Craft + Performance challenged students to create beautiful, positive future scenarios for Singapore’s CBD. Instead of dwelling on the difficult current situation, students combined placemaking with emerging design techniques to reimagine the public space building character of financial centers. Matching other large projects along Beach Road, students designed mixed-use buildings combining office, retail, public space and other alternative programs to create hubs of activity. Each project’s shape, patterns and colours were informed by energy flows, circulation and program. In addition to these practical concerns, students leveraged simulation and aggregation algorithms to sculpt expressive, material rich urban environments with site-specific spatial character and aesthetic presence.