where Habib Nor lies. The inspiration of our programme.
Our site, the parking lot frequent by taxi drivers.
Juxtaposition of the historically rich hakka temple and the modern CBD area behind.


‘Saving Palmer road” is a project which calls for a great deal of sensitivity. Sensitivity to the present site, the history of the site and history of the prominent figures associated with the site.
Question, ‘how does one save the site?’ After much research and probing it was discovered that our site at Palmer road was a place laden with rich history. It would definitely be a waste for the government to reclaim that small pocket of land for future development. (It’s all about the money now isn’t it?)
The studio debated and discussed for weeks in search of an appropriate and sensitive solution. Should the site be glorified, and to a certain extent lose some of its integrity? Or should it be preserved wholly? Some felt we should built an architecture sensitive to the site and historical context while others felt that maybe the site should be left untouched. Maybe less is more in that sense.
A video clip was done to gain insight of the site. This was never explored before in our previous studio groups. However it certainly added another dimension to our understanding of the site and the formulation of our program. In particular, our program, a counseling centre for the neglected by the neglected, was heavily derived from the site’s history.
Ultimately I still feel strongly about our program as it is, in my opinion, very tied down to the site and relevant to its history. A counseling centre glorifies the history of the site, and, by nature of our design, offers minimal disruption to the fauna and floral there.