Dezeen School Shows: a project that repurposes unused ports into sustainable mangrove swamps and a water therapy centre for the elderly are included in Dezeen's latest school show by students at Nanyang Polytechnic.

Also featured is a community library that strives to be a sustainable hub for education and tourism and a proposal that explores a new way of community living.

Nanyang Polytechnic

Institution: Nanyang Polytechnic
School: Design and media
Course: Diploma in Architecture
Tutors: Michael Tan, Michael Chan, John Guk, David Tanadi, Liu Jie Hong, Jashirudeen AR, Ron Tang and Amirah Aziz

School statement:

"Create sustainable, meaningful and forward-thinking architecture through robust exploration, methodologies and advanced technologies.

"This interdisciplinary course, offered jointly with the School of Engineering, gives you holistic training in sustainable architectural design and technology.

"You will apply computational design, immersive visualisation and artificial intelligence within historical and social architectural contexts.

"This is where we incubate humanism, sound technical minds and empathetic environmental consciousness to create purposeful architecture."

The Revival of the Awakening Spirits – Vengeance of the Tigers by Ng Choon Yee

"This project envisions the reinterpretation of an urban ecosystem where nature thrives and takes over existing urban structures over an extended period of time.

"Set in the area of Balestier in Singapore, which used to be plantations and forest with tigers, the villagers reinvent new ways of life to live harmoniously with nature, forming an integrated cycle between humans and the natural world."

Student: Ng Choon Yee
Course: Diploma in Architecture
Tutors: John Guk and Ron Tang
Email: choonyee1216[at]gmail.com

Festive Wheels of Vadai-Hood by Peh En Yu

"This project envisions a new way of life for a community brought together by the aroma of a simple Indian snack named Vadai-Hood.

"This aromatic festive food brings joy and celebration in an otherwise monotonous and segregated site. It promotes community bonding through the creation of iconic events in Mountbatten, Singapore, fostering new joyful memories for both tourists and locals.

"The presence of Vadai-Hood comes alive during the different Hindu festivals, where its aroma wheels through the different areas of Mountbatten to create savoury pit-stops in the neighbourhood for the community to gather and celebrate. Thus, injecting life and delight into the neighbourhood.

"As the festival ends, the aroma of Vadai-Hood ends with it, concealing itself with its surrounding nature and preparing for the next occasion to come."

Student: Peh En Yu
Course: Diploma in Architecture
Tutors: John Guk and Liu Jie Hong
Email: luckypeh321[at]gmail.com

Philic of Human + Nature by Lee Bei Qi

"Projecting into 2050, this project hypothesises the possibility of the decline in maritime trade and the significance of Singapore's port business due to geopolitical and climate changes. This consequently will lead to the need to repurpose shipyards and ships to accommodate the changes.

"Shipyards and ports typically occupy the shorelines that were possibly once lush mangrove swamps. This proposal seeks to repurpose these shipyards and ports in phases and turn them into mixed-use programmes set in the context of a rehabilitated mangrove vegetation.

"Defunct ships are salvaged and repurposed into residential, commercial and community spaces like fish farms, integrated with the docking area.

"The adjacent rehabilitated mangrove park weaves and integrates with the rest of the spaces, thus creating a vibrant and sustainable co-habitation of humans with nature.

"It also seeks to address the long-term issues of decarbonisation with mangroves being great carbon sinks and keeping embodied carbon low with the repurposing of ships."

Student: Lee Bei Qi
Course: Diploma in Architecture
Tutors: John Guk and Liu Jie Hong
Email: beileeqi[at]gmail.com

Peak Sneng Community Library by Yu An

"Sited a one-hour drive away from Siem Reap, Cambodia, Peak Sneng Community Library strives to be a sustainable hub for education and tourism in the near future. This community library serves as the gathering space to harvest wisdom from everyday life.

"This is achieved through carving out spaces, known as well gatherings, to allow the community to exchange knowledge and information.

"The main literary library is stacked between other functional programmes such as classrooms and private reading spaces.

"The entire space embraces the elements of nature with high porosity in the walls and facades to allow filtered light and cross ventilation, which is best suited for a tropical climate."

Student: Yu An
Course: Diploma in Architecture
Tutors: Michael Tan and Ron Tang
Email: yuanlim27[at]gmail.com

Sanctuary: Restart of Civilisation through Fragmented Communities by Izz Ilham B Nofyardo Rumambi 

"This is a fictional architecture proposal that investigates a new way of sustainable community living by reducing human needs back to the basics: food, water and energy. This project sets the scene in a reimagined future of Singapore after another major war has occurred.

"The aftermath of the calamity caused drastic changes to the environment up to an atomic level and as a result, it contaminated all life forms and resources that could not adapt to these new conditions. However, a phenomenon took place at Jalan Besar, which miraculously allowed people to inhabit the area.

"This architecture proposes a new way of life that allows the people to live in this new environment. As Singapore began its civilisation revolving around Jalan Besar, the country was divided into communities providing three main resources: food, water, and energy.

"This architecture explores self-sufficiency and interconnectedness where each resource-community is interdependent and reliant on functioning optimally."

Student: Izz Ilham B Nofyardo Rumambi 
Course: Diploma in Architecture
Tutors: Michael Tan and Amirah Aziz
Email: izzilham03[at]gmail.com

Neo's Legacy: The Self-Sustaining Oasis for Wandering Strays by Maryam Shafiyyah Bte I A G

"This is a fictional architecture proposal that investigates the coexistence between humans and advanced technology. Set in the 23rd century, the third world war led to the second global industrialisation.

"Climate change is at an all-time high and air pollution, as well as mandated long labour hours, are threatening the lives of the citizens of New Singapore.

"This project proposes a new way of life where AI and technology coexist with humans through the story of Neo, an abandoned war dog struggling to find his place in a world where robots like him are ostracised.

"Using Jalan Besar as the site due to its close proximity to the factory, the purpose of this architecture is to provide aid such as food and rest to everyone, both robots and humans.

"Inspiration from the beautiful shophouses that were once prevalent in the area, as well as Neo's love for art, created a vibrantly colourful form that is fueled by the energy produced from breaking down the mountains of scraps that litter New Singapore, thus creating a self-sustaining safe haven for all."

Student: Maryam Shafiyyah Bte I A G
Course: Diploma in Architecture
Tutors: Michael Tan and Amirah Aziz
Email: maryamguntor[at]gmail.com

Vertical Oscillating Residence by Zephan Yap

"The project revolves around the study of the coexistence of humans and nature. The project aims to reduce the physical footprint of the human environment, thus allowing nature to sprawl.

"Relocating the inhabitants of Jalan Batu to a high-density super high-rise with minimal ground coverage, it allows for the architecture of the site to be greatly compacted.

"The proposed super high-rise allows for different curated views as the floor plates revolve at different heights for varied curated experiences and programmes.

"Developing such a mega high-rise development with amenities allows for a fluid circulation between the different groups of users.

"This project espouses a future of vertical living with equal access to an interconnected network of communal spaces and views that weaves through the residential development."

Student: Zephan Yap
Course: Diploma in Architecture
Tutors: Michael Chan and John Guk
Email: zephan.yap[at]outlook.com

Supplemented Delight Through Boundless Accommodation by Gervin Tang Weiyang 

"This architecture proposal explores the creation of activities throughout the site using empty communal spaces to complement present activities while introducing newer programmes to revitalise communal spaces.

"This project introduces new programmes in addition to the preexisting events set by the residents, taking into account underlying factors such as the polarising age range that would influence the suggested activities.

"The human curiosity is stimulated, luring the users through physical, visual and auditory experiences.

"The new spaces are considered as part of or an extension to corridors for the accommodation, allowing residents to populate with their distinct lifestyles.

"This is done to facilitate the needs of the residents, improving on convenience in their daily routine while presenting overlooked or unreachable existing events that they might not have come across within the Geylang Riverfront site."

Student: Gervin Tang Weiyang 
Course: Diploma in Architecture
Tutors: Michael Chan and Ron Tang
Email: gervin1121[at]gmail.com

Fluid Remedy at Mountbatten by Natasha Aneesa Marican Binte Mansor

"This architectural proposal investigates the benefits of using water as therapy for the aged.

"The project aims to create a new node for social interactions to occur in the adjacent communities and proposes a new way of therapy by integrating water elements and relaxing art experiences.

"As seniors grow older, they need to exercise and relax more. They can come to a fluid remedy to relax and grow stronger.

"Users can choose to walk into any dome for a specific therapy, including Raining Light, Cycling Water, Healing Waters, Unwinding Ripples and Gathering Flow.

"The central focus of the therapy is going through the healing waters that purify your body like a detox. Dome structures with openings orchestrate light and water for different types of therapy."

Student: Natasha Aneesa Marican Binte Mansor
Course: Diploma in Architecture
Tutors: John Guk and Liu Jie Hong
Email: natashaaneesamarican[at]gmail.com

Communal Mobile Extensions by Shiu Julius Billian

"This project aims to reimagine one of the streets along King George's Road, Jalan Besar, into an extendable structure to enhance the Canvas showcasing experience for customers and passersby.

"The proposal stems from mapping the activities of the Canvas worker, customers and residents who use the street to create the programme, as well as an exploration of a deployable structure to form the architecture.

"The proposal also includes the adaptive reuse of the existing canvas shop as a means to connect the experience of showcasing from the existing building to the new structures."

Student: Shiu Julius Billian
Course: Diploma in Architecture
Tutors: Michael Chan and Ron Tang
Email: juliusshiu[at]gmail.com

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and Nanyang Polytechnic. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.