Project 03 | The Morphon

Future workspaces for the Milennials, designed for the future of collaboration.

Diploma in Architecture, Year 3

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MORPHON [noun]

(Biology) A morphological individual or collective, characterized by definiteness of form or function. Morphology is the form and structure of an organism or one of its parts:

Shophouses of the past used to exude individualism - having an owner to be specialized in a certain subject or field to operate within the constraints of the shophouse; traditional medicines shops,  This has been a staple characteristic of the traditional shophouse for generations, and can still be observed to this day.

By embracing the small, intimate scale of the shophouses within Chinatown and its unique individualistic nature, The Morphon incorporates smaller cuboid volumes within the building to each run its own specific program or function. The congregation of all the volumes, stacked under the massive office block, will help the building function as it should, as a serviced office.

The stacked, cuboid volumes resonate with the fine, intimate scale of the Chinatown shophouses. The upper portion of the building reacts harshly to the larger scale of the modern buildings, withholding a pure, pronounced rectilinear volume that looms over the cuboids below it. This brings forth the harsh contrast of the urban scale that is the result of modernization.

This expression highlights the unrelenting evolution of the site’s context. The shophouse culture is inching towards extinction, and this is by means of the modernization of Singapore’s workforce, and an unrelenting infiltration of tourism from overseas. The modern and traditional way of life is reaching a cultural equilibrium- regardless of the form of the building it resides in.

The design seeks to incorporate and encourage users to congregate at different reference points within the compound, hence fostering a stronger possibility of interaction between users, visitors, and the management of the building, regardless of their fields of work.

The concept of having the Central Library Space and Collaborative Public Workspace to be the Heart of collaborative work drives the meaning of what knowledge and wisdom means to any working adult, and informal meeting areas are plentiful to encourage collaboration between users. Providing unique spaces of different atmospheres within the office block will allow for a more conducive and a less stress-filled office space for the Millennials who require and demand a workspace built and ready for the Future.

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