Project 06 | Prophylaxis

Exploring new typologies to prepare for future pandemics.

Bachelor in Architecture, Year 3

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From February of 2020 to Present (November 2020), Singapore has been battling a worldwide pandemic, COVID-19, through mass testing, active isolation of the infected, and contact tracing efforts. COVID-19 has led to countless livelihoods left severely affected due to restricted business operations, lack of medical facilities and preparedness, fear of infection, to name a few.

The users of the Balestier Whampoa estate suffered similar hardships, and through empathy mapping and interviews, I have chosen to focus on 4 main stakeholders in this project.

Firstly, the fruit stall owner, Uncle Teo, the elderly Auntie Tan, the homemaker Mdm Priyani, and the clinician Ms Sharifah.

As the traditional wet market struggles to cope with the demands of the pandemic, it is also losing relevance to the younger generation, who prefers the hygiene and convenience of the supermarkets. The lack of a medical node to reduce the operational stress of small clinics like those in Whampoa demonstrates the need to provide proper medical facilities for medical professionals and healthcare workers to combat pandemics such as COVID-19.

Prophylaxia is built upon the notion of Prophylactic Design: which consists of Pathogenetic design focuses on Long term, Preventative measures; and Salutogenetic design which focuses on Short term, Remedial measures. The design aims to operate pathogenetically during Normalcy; and to react Salutogenetically during pandemics, all by providing a new safe social marketplace to the users of Whampoa and providing a medical space to combat a potential pandemic, which will inevitably come.

The design is planned to allow for the service to wrap around the perimeter, segregating service and served zones. The entire layout and the 2 delivery areas are also separated between produce and raw food zones, reducing the potential cross contamination and infectivity of the internal space. The project begins with the single mass-screening entrance, which is linked to the isolated lift core. In an event where the screening system detects an anomaly, the suspected infectee will be ushered into the isolated zone located on the 2nd storey. If the visitor is well, they will enter the new social marketplace, which features the main central atrium.

During a pandemic, deployable shutters will cordon off 3 points in the first storey, permitting only external circulation. The stalls located around the perimeter and in the Produce Alley feature individual Quick-Purchase Marts, which is an additional space for stall owners to leave packaged produce and allow for passersby to purchase if they wish to, without requiring the stall owner to be present. Some stalls will be converted into testing rooms, doctors offices, machine rooms, or medical storage rooms. Continuing from the entrance screening on the first storey, potential infectees ushered to the isolated room will begin testing, and potentially be brought to NCID or nearby hospitals via the isolated corridor to an ambulance if required.

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