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- TROPICAL ARCHITECTURAL IDENTITY -

Introduction

Tay Kheng Soon (1940 -) is a native Singaporean architect [1] and activist in promoting tropical architectural identity [2] and innovative solutions to tackle modern tropical urban environment [3].  He raised many new and interesting design methodologies and ideas through out his career and yet, his visions are often overlooked by or absented from the general architectural discourse due to various reasons like lack of listeners / audiences [4], misalignment with government agenda and disjunction with taste.  Some of the most prominent and most underrated ones will be discussed here, namely, “Tropical Aesthetics: Exporting Identity to Peripheries”, “Tropical Urbanism: Gathering Identity from Pan-tropical Environment”, and “Decolonization: Reclaiming Identity through Self-manifestation”.  These proposals about identity establishment dissected the issue of search for national identity of Singapore at the verge of independence and in her struggle to thrive in the global market from unique perspectives – packaging a new “Singaporean Tropical Identity” by encouraging community interaction and initiation, understanding regional cultural and climatic context and becoming a role model to be look up to and learn from.  Deemed to be too radical and deviating from conventional understanding, the government at the time found his ideas not suitable for implementation [5] and frictions between the two began to grow, thus reducing his chance in realizing the ideas in large-scale municipal projects.  In retrospect, these visions announced in the mid 20th century still prove fruitful and inspiring to modern day Singapore, where increasing attention are being paid to positively addressing the tropical climate and enhancing communal activities [6], but design and planning methodology derived from northern hemisphere {7} which lack contextual awareness are still dominantly the major approach and the externally borrowed image of progress which lacks regional consideration is still quite common [8].

Social-Political Context

Tay’s ideas were stemmed from his life experience, observations and prolonged exposure to both local conditions and western doctrines of modernism.

 

Born one year before the Japanese Occupation [9], Tay grew up in the post-war / post-Japanese Occupation period when European superiority and invincibility was undermined, and when the idea of nationalism and Merdeka (freedom) movement [10] germinated.  Drenched in this “spade of change” swept across colonies in the East [11] during his teen years, his tendency to question authority, to identify underlying problems with colonial assumption and long for self-ownership was shaped very early in his life. 

 

Admitted to Singapore Polytechnic School in 1959, the very same year that Singapore became a self-governing state, and graduated around the time when Singapore became a fully independent sovereign nation [12], he was well aware of the need to establish a national identity through architecture, the most prominent visual symbol of Singapore’s achievement [13] as a new metropolis in the global stage.  Nourished under the modern “western” system in an Asian local context, unlike many of the elites trained overseas and came back to Singapore at that time [14], he was able to distance himself from being heavily influenced by both conventional “western / colonized” values and from bounding of traditional “Asian / local” perspective, enabling him to critically review the shortcomings of colonial assumptions and identify regional characteristics / problems (such as need for communal space, segregation of ethnic groups [15], a “docile” population that is passive and indifferent to policies and environments [16] etc) that ought to be addressed and resolved in the search of national identity after independence. 

 

Other than his unique personal and educational background that helped shape his interest in deducing a new tropical modern aesthetics and a modern architecture approach generated from the pan-tropical environment to assert identity rather than calling for a singular ethnic identity in multicultural and immigrant region like Singapore, his involvement in SPUR group also made a contribution to his in-depth understanding to constraints and opportunities in building design and urban planning, and demonstrated how important it was to him to get the Singaporeans actively involved and be part of the process of planning and living the city, to be “self-conscious” [17], to be “empowered” [18], and to run their own lives and land [19].  Co-founding the SPUR group, Singapore Planning and Urban Research Group, in 1964 [20], an independent think-tank organization and idea exchange platform involving many citizens and young professionals which focused on the planning of urban environment of Singapore in broad, studying housing problem, industrial sites rehabilitation, transportation, education, industrialization etc [21], and was active in proposing alternative, unorthodox solutions to the unique ‘Singaporean’ or ‘Tropical’ context.  The knowledge Tay gained through all the researches and studies on broad range of topics in SPUR formed the basis of his future speculations and proposals on tropical modernism and urban planning strategies.  The emphasis of participation and contribution of citizens [22], as well as the stress on the significance of provision of a platform for the exchange of ideas [23] during both design stage and the inhabitation stage promoted by SPUR also hinted Tay’s idea of genuine independence as “not just becoming a sovereign political entity embarking on economic modernization and development” [24], but also about social independence and empowerment [25].

Key sources

Key sources used in this essay to support arguments include 1) Tay, Kheng Soon. The Tropical Asian City for the 21st Century. Singapore: 1989, an article written by Tay himself illustrating his objection against the “traditional northern hemisphere planning concepts” imposed by the colonial government, and suggesting a new conceptual and sustainable framework, reconsidering the relationship between architecture and urban planning for a metropolitan Tropical City.  2) Bay, Philip & Tay, Kheng Soon. Interview with Philip Bay and Architecture Students from NUS on SPUR, transcribed by Dinesh Naidu, Singapore: Sintercom, 1998, an interview of Tay focused mainly on the foundation and development of the Singapore Planning and Urban Research Group, in which, Tay talked about his view on post-colonial development of Singapore, issue of identity and empowerment, decolonization, idea and rationale on tropical urban planning and design etc.  The confrontation with the authority was also discussed, showing the difficulty and frustration faced in the implementation of modern tropical design theory.  3) Koh, Seow Chuan, et al. Singapore Planning and Urban Research Group 1965-1967. Singapore: SPUR, 1967, a publication of SPUR with a collection of articles discussing a wide range of problems affecting the physical evolution of developing countries like Singapore.  The journals covered brief history and underlying problems to be resolved, reviewed the faults with blindly applying western planning ideas into the Asian tropical region, and finally speculated approaches allowing the creation of an appropriate national identity, one that was conducive to citizens of various ethnicity and cultural background.  The dialogue and participation of citizens encouraged in the articles echoed the “empowerment” advocated by Tay.  4) Powell, R & Akitek Tenggara. Line, Edge and Shade: The Search for a Design Language in Tropical Asia.  Singapore: Page One, 1997, a collection of work of Tay and his private practice Akitek Tenggara.  The “A Process of (Un)learning” chapter gave an overview on Tay’s personal background, career path and accomplishment, follow through from his education to his later exploration during his professional practice; while the chapter “The Architectural Aesthetics of Topicality” explained his argument of how and why a tropical aesthetic should be established in great detail and depth.  5) Chang, Jiat Hwee.  “Deviating Discourse: Tay Kheng Soon and Architecture of Postcolonial Development in Tropical Asia” in Abidin Kusno et. Al. eds., Special Issue on “Changing Asia” in Journal of Architectural Education 63(2) (2010), discussing Tay’s theory from an eco-socio-political dimension and within the context of post-colonial development of Singapore, the author highlighted the uniqueness of Tay’s ideas and explained how they deviated from conventional “modern tropical architecture” first advocated by western modernist architects using in-depth study of two of Tay’s projects, a smaller scale single house design and a larger scale urban tropical city planning.

Overview of Essay

In the following, I’ll first give a brief biographical summary of Tay Kheng Soon, followed by a more in-depth discussion of the 3 themes mentioned above: “Tropical Aesthetics: Exporting Identity to Peripheries”, “Tropical Urbanism: Gathering Identity from Pan-tropical Environment”, and “Decolonization: Reclaiming Identity through Self-manifestation” and support the arguments with two selected projects of Tay, the Diary Farm Condominium (1985) and Kampong Bugis Development Guide Plan (KBDGP) (1989).  The essay will be ended with a conclusion and evaluation of Tay’s role and contribution to architecture development, and how his ideas as a new modernist was lost in the spate of post-colonial progression would be discussed.

Biographical Information

Tay Kheng Soon (1940-) is a native Singaporean architect, activist in promoting unconventional design methodology, proficient writer and educator [26].  Graduated from Singapore Polytechnic School of Architecture in 1964 [27], he was the first cohort of architectural students from the school founded in 1958 [28].  Co-founded the Singapore Planning and Urban Research Group (SPUR) in 1964 [29], same year he graduated and became chairperson of the group in 1970 [30].   The group later dissolved due to constant conflict with the ruling government and Tay left Singapore and briefly set up a practice in Kuala Lumper in 1974 to practice his theories [31].  In 1976 he received an appointment and returned to Singapore and founded Akitek Tenggara [32], his personal practice in the same year.  The firm initially focused on low-income mass housing, and later expanded to cover commercial, recreational, tourism, urban planning and institutional projects [33].  In the 1980s he won several design competitions and a Singapore Institute of Architects Design Merit Award (Ming Arcade Project) and gained wider recognition [34].  In 1989 he set up Akitek Tenggara II to collaborate with younger partners from diverse backgrounds [35].   In 1991-93 he became President of the Singapore Institute of Architects and in 2010 he was awarded a Singapore Institute of Architects Gold Medal [36].

 

His professional interests include city planning and housing design, project feasibility study and research, architectural aesthetics in the tropics, and establishment of identity in Singapore not only through architecture, but participation and involvement.  He engages mostly with educational buildings, health-care facilities, and recreational and residential developments [37].  Some of his best know projects are Institute of Technical Education (ITE) Bishan, Singapore (1994), Kandang Kerbau Hospital, Singapore (1997), Serangoon Gardens Country Club, Singapore (1986), King Albert Park House (1994) and Intelligent Tropical City (Studio)(1989).

 

His published a lot of journal articles and speeches, including 'The Planning and Development of New Urban Centres’, SPUR seminar (1969), 'The Architecture of Rapid Development’, Australian Institute of Architects Conference (1982), 'Cultural Identity in Architecture as Perceived from a Singapore Viewpoint’, Aga Khga Khan Award for Architecture (1983), 'A World Class City deserves a World Class Architecture’, ARCASIA conference in Beijing (1987), ‘The Intelligent Tropical City’ (1988), and ‘Architecture of the Future: the Challenge to Asia and the West’ (1996).

 

Some of his Seminal Works and Publics are – Koh, Seow Chuan.; et al, Singapore Planning and Urban Research Group 1965-1967, Singapore : SPUR, 1967;  Tay, Kheng Soon. The Intelligent Tropical City, Singapore, 1988; Tay, Kheng Soon. The Tropical Asian City for the 21st Century, Singapore, 1989; Tay, Kheng Soon. Mega-Cities in the Tropics by the ISEAS, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore, 1989, and Powell, Robert & Akitek Tenggara. Line, Edge & Shade – Tay Kheng Soon & Akitek Tenggara, Singapore: Page one Pub,1997.

 

In the essay, I’ll summarize his key interest and discuss the following 3 major themes in detail: Tropical Aesthetics, Tropical Urbanism and Empowerment.

Tropical Aesthetics: Exporting Identity to Peripheries

The architectural style in Singapore since Sir Stamford Raffles arrived at the city in early 19th century [38] was always a reflection of the prevailing values of the British colonial office [39]. From Palladian style, Classical style to Gothic Revival style, it had always been “a mean to impress the locals” [40].  The only local and climatic responsive measure adopted was probably the continuous walkway of the shop-houses (the five foot way), which would provide sheltered pathway for pedestrians during inclement weather. [41]

 

After the World War 1 and World War 2, together with the home coming of a young generation of Singaporean architects educated in foreign countries [42], came the new idea of Bauhaus, Arts and Craft, Mass Production and Modernism. [43]

 

It was evident that almost all of the major style from the West were transplanted and imposed in Singapore during its colonial time. [44]

 

Even after its independence in 1965, the “Westernized favor” did not ease [45].  The inclined policies implemented by the new government to maintain a favorable investment environment for modern foreign powers and to enhance the city-state’s status as an entrepot pot [46] and a competitive global city in the world market pushed the abandon of local awareness to another level.  Couple with the urban redevelopment programme introduced in the 1970s [47], which encouraged the “collaboration” between international renowned firms and local practices in a hope to showcase progress and modernity of the island in the form of corporate edifices, brought an influx of foreign architects in the Singapore [48].  Many of the buildings designed were just design models from a temperate climate repeated in tropical Singapore, and were not climatically or cultural responsive to the region [49] and were detrimental to localism and identity [50].  These International Style buildings were inappropriate for the tropical climate and only provide a false and shallow image of modernity [51].  Constrained in the global market and economic system, where the flow and importing of foreign of ideas and cultures was inevitable, architecture simply became “a place-less commodity that flows across national boundaries”. [52]

 

Tay commented on this blind adaptation and imposition of western style and values, stating that “Foreign expertise has not broken any new ground…the designs are conceptually conventional and conservative.  They have not addressed any Singapore issues.” [53] and urged for a critical review of the “colonial or western assumption” on the directions and architectural models suitable for Singapore [54], which should be climatically, culturally and social sustainable, rather than blindly importing high-rise, enclosed, “international” “modern” style to the region.

 

Tay opposed the ineffective and unnecessary blind adaption of high-rise construction.  He believed that high-rise was a product of the modernization of the north temporal climate, and that the replacement of climatic responsiveness of traditional designs by insensitive and unashamedly adaptation of Northern-Modern style to a tropical climate was inappropriate [55].  

 

To Tay, the high-rise curtain wall was a manifestation of the new aesthetics and possibility of mass production in the modern time, and was a tool for total climate enclosure while at the same time for provision of views and ambiguous boundary between the outdoor.  This particular language was justified and acceptable in the North, or where seasonal weather could differ drastically and were extreme, and a total exclusion from climate was needed.  But for the tropics, with an equable climate, hot and humid throughout the year, such vertical barrier and enclosure was not helping at all. [56] 

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Tay further claimed that other that the “concept of enclosure”, the assumption of the emphasis and crowning of the concept of “volume, plane, and light” [57] in prevailing modern architecture glossary from the ‘west’, or the north temporal climate, as a universal and international standard and could be applied to anywhere in the same way was a faulty idea. 

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For light, contrasting with the Northern climate, in the Tropics there was no strong contrast and interplay of light and shadow with a bright blue sky, rather, it was often in “hazy and uniform” light conditions [58] couple with often unbearable heat – introduction of light was not the main concern here, but the provision of shade from the sun above should be the response.  And hence, roof, or overhang, instead of the planar wall, should be the main feature of tropical modernism language.

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With the roof and overhang as the protagonist, providing shade, shelter and shadow, the outline and the profile of the building features against the sky and the background [59] stepped up to the stage – edge in place of volume and mass, should be the architectural language for the modern tropical design.

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With the absence of need for complete enclosure of interior space, walls no longer should be viewed as plane, but as “mesh”, as partial enclosure.  They were not used to fence off the external climate but to allow interaction between natural wind and diffused sunlight with the internal space, bringing in ventilation and lighting to the interior.  They were no longer vertical planar extrusion from plan, but screens and layers with ‘voids’ to create transitional zones varying in level of transparencies – lines that flowed free in the space in preference for the solid planes [60].

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Tay’s education background gave him the thorough and in-depth understanding of how the western modernism idea generated its design principles and formed a coherent design language.  And through tracing this development path Tay was able to deduce a similar modernization process to the tropical region [61] – his preposition of the architectural tropical aesthetics “Line, Edge, and Shade”.

 

Prominent projects that demonstrated the “Line, Edge, and Shade” methodology were the Diary Farm Condominium (1985) and Modern Tropical House (1994).

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The Diary Farm Condominium (1985) had strongly articulated overhangs of the roof, yielding a deep covered and shadowed area for the balconies and outdoor spaces within the units (Shade).  The profile and edge of the overhanging roofs were distinctive and imbued with tropical beauty and identity (Edge).  Balconies, gridded balustrades and mesh screens, as well as generous ceiling height gave translucency and openness to the building, assisting ventilation and thermal performance (Line). [62] (Fig.1)

Tropical Urbanism: Gathering Identity from Pan-tropical Environment

Singapore is a country where there are various ethnic groups and communities living together [70].  Most of the immigrants moved to Singapore due to its unique status as an entrepot in Southeast Asia.  The earliest merchants that arrived following the establishment of East India Company in 1819 were a mixture of various races, British, other Europeans, Armenians etc [71].  After the opening of Suez Canal in 1869, large numbers of Indian, Arabian and Chinese migrants arrived at the island [72].  Together with the local Malay indigenous people, Singapore became a multi-ethnic and multicultural city.  However, when Singapore gained independence from the British government in 1965, it was difficult for it to officially call for a singular ethnic / cultural identity as a national image, unlike nearby Malaysia and Indonesia.  For its dominate ethnic being Chinese [73], it would be quite problematic to position and align the city-state with the Muslim-Middle east world.  Also, being engulfed in the archipelagos in the tropics, it was also distanced from the ancestral land of Asia / China, making it difficult to strive a connection.  In addition to this separation from a larger cultural group, the fact that at the time, almost 50% of the population was under 21 and was local born, meaning that both the cultural and sentimental attachment to the ancestral lands was actually weak [74].  Being a local born Chinese himself, Tay was definitely aware of this dilemma in finding a singular national identity from the cultural or ethnic dimension.  Thus, instead, he opted to embrace the diversified and integrated population, and advocated for a modern architecture approach that was generated from the pan-tropical environment that every citizens shared and agreed on as a mean to declare and assert national identity.  This added an extra psycho-political-aesthetic and innovative dimension to his new architectural approach to modern tropical design. [75]   

 

This tabla rasa approach, i.e. the clean slate concept, actually proved beneficial to a multicultural state like Singapore [76].  For firstly, there required no forging of an imagined connection to the “motherland”, or creation of a fake cultural gestures [77], nor a fabrication of a mythical past like Malaysia.  And secondly, this blank slate concept address every Singapore citizens without any preconceptions [78], which proved crucial in the new era of independence, where traditional racial segregation policy and barriers implemented by colonial government to prevent interaction and integration should be despised. [79]

 

Taking a broader look at the pan-tropical climate, Tay first took his “Tropical Aesthetics” (Line, Edge and Shade) passive design strategies to another scale.  Other that studying the climatic characteristics of the Tropics, he began to study and learn from the micro-climate conditions of tropical rain forest canopy and concluded that by providing intensive and dense landscaping, both horizontally on ground and vertically along building height, and installing high level shading device between buildings, not only the temperature of individual units but that of the larger scale city space could be cooled down by the transpiration and shading of vegetation, as illustrated in his Kampong Bugis Development Guide Plan (KBDGP) (1989). [80] (Fig.3)

Decolonization: Reclaiming Identity through Self-manifestation

One interesting belief of Tay on identity building was that he reckon only through “empowerment” could one establish a self-conciousness and be a master of his own, claiming a true identity. [94] The encouragement of the once oppressed, scared and passive colonized population, it was important to emancipate them from the “do what you are told” [95] and “docile” mindset. To survive in the severe competition in the world arena, Singapore ought to be imaginative and initiative, and be brave enough to take action and “take power to run its own life and fate” and envision its own future [96].  The empowerment of people was a tool to train the once fragile, afraid child who was used to prescriptions and was protected by the colonizing power into a daring young man that could be responsible to lead a change and innovate.

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And the first step to this public education was to allow any average Singaporean the freedom and power to occupy, privatize and personalized the land that was newly bestowed to their right.  Through introducing extensive balconies and a generous forecourt in the Diary Farm Condominium (1985), the occupants were allowed to personalize a transitional, semi-private space overlooking the natural landscape of Singapore, a way to claim and announce their right to occupy and enjoy their own home and land. [97]

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Secondly, the provision of social nodes and communal space housing estates and city planning schemes also helped the empowerment and identity establishment process, as designed in KBDGP project, the shaded communal space between buildings [98].  The segregation of race in the colonial period should no longer be favorable in the new independent Singapore [99].  Such social interaction space allowed the integration of ethnic group and the exchange of ideas, which was prohibited, or not encouraged, in the colonial period.  This is emancipation from a prescribed habit, empowering the citizens a right to participate, exchange and transact ideas, thoughts and initiatives, just like in research centers in Silicon Valley, where researchers would discuss and exchange ideas in casual meeting places, which would ultimately assist the development of an intellectual city [100].

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The frequent involvement and participation of the public would then allowed a diversified environment and atmosphere in Singapore.  This ultimate empowerment – the freedom and power to explore alternatives other than the one prescribed to them, to acknowledge their own geographical-specific culture, characteristics, and design vocabulary [101] – is the way to survive and strive in the post-colonial period [102]. 

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And it is only by then, the once colonized could truly be decolonization, manifesting itself as a unique, creative, daring, capable and confident sovereign with a clear self-identity.  However, this wish is yet to be achieved for the PAP ruling party is a paternalistic government and is still not so open and ready to empower its own people. 

Conclusion

Tay Kheng Soon’s arguments and proposal for “Tropical Aesthetics: Exporting Identity to Peripheries”, “Tropical Urbanism: Gathering Identity from Pan-tropical Environment”, and “Decolonization: Reclaiming Identity through Self-manifestation” might sound nothing so special or exciting from the perspective of the current generation.  But at the very time, mid-to-late 20th century, he raised these ideas, they were visions regarded to be too radical and deviating from conventional understanding, and not suitable for implementation.  His theories not encompassed only the challenging of conventional “Northern Aesthetics”, but also the rebelling of cultural, economic, and political hegemony, the concerns of environmental issues and sustainable development, the ideology and definition of national identity and the social contentment and stability. 

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Although none of these innovative and ground-breaking theories have yet been implemented or widely celebrated by the Singapore government, and are lost in the spate of post-colonial “progression” – ideas deemed taking too long to develop in the provide time frame, theories deemed too different from conventional practices, and proposals deemed too emancipating and dangerous for a newly decolonized nation, in retrospect, they are all so visionary that now in the 21st century, they are still valid and applicable to contemporary struggle and situation, and they did open up discussion on the issue of Tropical Regionalism and Rubanization. 

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“… for any planning action must be accompanied by a political decision.”, Tay Kheng Soon.

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Yes, and perhaps all design theories also need good listeners.  Without one, the feed-back loop that fueled the nourishment and development of both the architecture and end-users comfort is lost. [103]

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To conclude, Tay is a successful and talented architect, for he has performed true transformation and re-invention [104] of western modern aesthetic values into a new, tropical aesthetics dogma which suits the context, culture and aspiration of Singapore and the tropical region in broad.  He well understood the aspirations of his time, just that the political environment was not on his side.

 

For his design language, translation of modernist ideals of volume, mass, and planes into tropical dialect, and his emphasis on efficiency, and the lack of ornaments/decorations was definitely a modernist move.  Yet, his concerns over socio-cultural agendas around issues of identity and emphasis on human dimension showed that he was after all not a full-on modernist or functionalist.  There is an ambivalent nature about him, for his theories sit within the realm of Critical Regionalism, a style known as a postlude, a continuation of modernism with a twist, or a prelude, a distance cousin of post-modernism.

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Tay himself has a unique view on various styles, and rejected the classification of his work to be either modernist or postmodernist, as evidenced in his writings in Mimar 32 [105]:

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“…disquiet over sterility of corporate or bureaucratic modernism…

eclecticism is just as sterile…revivalism traps the mind and devitalizes creativity…

it is why only insecure and embattled states are interested in revivalism…

typology and tradition are only useful for their lessons…

designers which are referential become propaganda not poetry...

when the free or rhapsodic imagination is constrained,

it is easy to control the dreams and directions of men…”

​End note

  1. Chris Abel, ‘18 Asian Urban Futures’, Architecture And Identity: Responses to Cultural and Technological Change (2nd Edition), (New York & London: Architectural Press, Routledge, 2000), 219.

  2. Abel, Architecture And Identity, 220.

  3. Akitek Tenggara,  About Tay Kheng Soon and Akitek Tenggara, Rubanisation.org, Singapore viewed 11 September 2014, <http://www.rubanisation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=29>.

  4. Robert Powell, Innovative Architecture of Singapore, (Singapore: Landmark Books PTE LTD, 1989), 9.

  5. Robert Powell & Aketek Tenggara, Line, Edge and Shade: The Search for a Design Language in Tropical Asia, (Singapore: Page One, 1997), 14.

  6. 20 under 45, A Selection Of Works By Under-45 Singapore-registered Architects, The Next Generation (Singapore: T&T Progress Enterprise, 2010), 6-7.

  7. Chang Jiat Hwee, Deviating Discourse: Tay Kheng Soon and Architecture of Postcolonial Development in Tropical Asia in Abidin Kusno et. Al. eds., Special Issue on “Changing Asia” in Journal of Architectural Education 63(2)(2010):153

  8. Powell, Innovative Architecture of Singapore, 16.

  9. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 14.

  10. Robert Powell, Singapore Architecture (Singapore: Berkeley Books Pte Ltd), 61.

  11. Powell, Singapore Architecture, 61.

  12. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 14.

  13. Robert Powell, Singapore Architecture Of A Global City (Singapore: Archipelago Press, 2000), 10.

  14. Powell, Innovative Architecture of Singapore, 18.

  15. Powell, Singapore Architecture, 8-9.

  16. Koh Seow Chuan.; et al, Singapore Planning and Urban Research Group 1965-1967, (Singapore : SPUR, 1967), Editorial

  17. Koh, Singapore Planning and Urban Research Group 1965-1967

  18. Philip Bay & Tay Kheng Soon, Interview with Philip Bay and Architecture Students form NUS on SPUR, transcribed by Dinesh Naidu, viewed 11 Sep 2014, <http://www.oocities.org/newsintercom2001/sp/interviews/taykhengsoon.html>.

  19. Bay & Tay, Interview, <http://www.oocities.org/newsintercom2001/sp/interviews/taykhengsoon.html>.

  20. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 16.

  21. Bay & Tay, Interview, <http://www.oocities.org/newsintercom2001/sp/interviews/taykhengsoon.html>.

  22. Koh, Singapore Planning and Urban Research Group 1965-1967

  23. Tay Kheng Soon, The Tropical Asian City for the 21st Century (Singapore, 1989)

  24. Tzonis, Lefaivre & Stagno, Tropical Architecture: Critical Regionalism in the Age of Globalization (Great Britain: Wiley-Academy, 2001), 8.

  25. Bay & Tay, Interview, <http://www.oocities.org/newsintercom2001/sp/interviews/taykhengsoon.html>.

  26. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 14.

  27. Singapore Institute of Architects, Rumah: Contemporary Architecture of Singapore (Singapore: Singapore National Printers(Pte) Ltd, 1981), 15.

  28. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 14-15.

  29. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 14-15.

  30. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 14-15.

  31. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 14-15.

  32. Akitek Tenggara,  About Tay Kheng Soon and Akitek Tenggara, http://www.rubanisation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=29>.

  33. Akitek Tenggara,  About Tay Kheng Soon and Akitek Tenggara, <http://www.rubanisation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=29>.

  34. Akitek Tenggara,  About Tay Kheng Soon and Akitek Tenggara, <http://www.rubanisation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=29>.

  35. Akitek Tenggara,  About Tay Kheng Soon and Akitek Tenggara, <http://www.rubanisation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=29>.

  36. Akitek Tenggara,  About Tay Kheng Soon and Akitek Tenggara, <http://www.rubanisation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=29>.

  37. Akitek Tenggara,  About Tay Kheng Soon and Akitek Tenggara, <http://www.rubanisation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=29>.

  38. Powell, Singapore Architecture, 8.

  39. Powell, Singapore Architecture, 37.

  40. Powell, Singapore Architecture, 37.

  41. Powell, Singapore Architecture, 8.

  42. Powell, Innovative Architecture of Singapore, 17.

  43. Singapore Institute of Architects, Rumah, 13-15.

  44. Powell, Innovative Architecture of Singapore, 20.

  45. Anupama Udaykumar, “The response of Critical regionalism to contextual changes over time in South-east Asian Tropical residential architecture – A case study of Singapore” (Proceedings of 7th Windsor Conference: The changing context of comfort in an unpredictable world, 2010)

  46. Powell, Innovative Architecture of Singapore, 11.

  47. Singapore Institute of Architects, Rumah, 22-15.

  48. Powell, Innovative Architecture of Singapore, 13.

  49. Powell, Singapore Architecture Of A Global City, 12.

  50. Powell, Innovative Architecture of Singapore, 13.

  51. Powell, Singapore Architecture Of A Global City, 12.

  52. Powell, Singapore Architecture Of A Global City, 9.

  53. Powell, Innovative Architecture of Singapore, 16.

  54. Powell, Singapore Architecture, 106.

  55. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 45.

  56. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 42.

  57. Chang, Deviating Discourse, 155.

  58. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 42.

  59. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 41.

  60. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 41-42.

  61. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 45.

  62. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 54-57.

  63. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 110-119.

  64. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 155.

  65. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 43

  66. Tay Kheng Soon, The  Tropical Asian City for the 21st Century (Singapore, 1989) 

  67. Powell, Singapore Architecture Of A Global City, 13.

  68. Powell, Innovative Architecture of Singapore, 16.

  69. Powell, Innovative Architecture of Singapore, 19.

  70. Powell, Innovative Architecture of Singapore, 9.

  71. Powell, Singapore Architecture Of A Global City, 10.

  72. Powell, Singapore Architecture, 37.

  73. Singapore Department of Statistics, Key Demographic Indicators, 1970 -2014

  74. Koh, Singapore Planning and Urban Research Group 1965-1967

  75. Abel, Architecture And Identity, 220.

  76. Powell, Innovative Architecture of Singapore, 9.

  77. Powell, Innovative Architecture of Singapore, 9.

  78. Powell, Innovative Architecture of Singapore, 9.

  79. Koh, Singapore Planning and Urban Research Group 1965-1967

  80. Chang, Deviating Discourse, 156.

  81. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 98-101.

  82. Chang, Deviating Discourse, 157.

  83. Tay Kheng Soon, The Intelligent Tropical City (Singapore, 1988)

  84. Chang, Deviating Discourse, 156-157.

  85. Udaykumar, “The response of Critical regionalism”

  86. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 98. 

  87. Chang, Deviating Discourse, 156.

  88. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 100.

  89. Powell, Singapore Architecture Of A Global City, 18.

  90. Powell, Singapore Architecture, 82.

  91. Powell, Innovative Architecture of Singapore, 12.

  92. Powell, Innovative Architecture of Singapore, 12.

  93. Powell, Singapore Architecture Of A Global City, 18.

  94. Bay & Tay, Interview, <http://www.oocities.org/newsintercom2001/sp/interviews/taykhengsoon.html>.

  95. Bay & Tay, Interview, <http://www.oocities.org/newsintercom2001/sp/interviews/taykhengsoon.html>.

  96. Bay & Tay, Interview, <http://www.oocities.org/newsintercom2001/sp/interviews/taykhengsoon.html>.

  97. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 57.

  98. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 98.

  99. Koh, Singapore Planning and Urban Research Group 1965-1967

  100. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 103.

  101. Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 43.

  102. Bay & Tay, Interview, <http://www.oocities.org/newsintercom2001/sp/interviews/taykhengsoon.html>.

  103. Powell, Innovative Architecture of Singapore, 9.

  104. Powell, Innovative Architecture of Singapore, 9.

  105. Hasan-Uddin Khan, ed., Tay Kheng Soon In Mimar 32: Architecture in Development (London: Concept Media Ltd., 1989), 2.

The Modern Tropical House (1994) shared similar features, responding to the tropical climate.  The stressing the need of provision of shade from intense heat was shown by the use of wide and deep overhangs, with blinds to regulate sunlight penetration (Shade).  The incorporation of thing, projecting concrete slab edge / horizontal shading device / light-diffusing screen gave the house a unique outline (Edge).  Partly supported on pilotis, the openness in plan, almost a “void-deck”, together with use of screen and porous wall, helped facilitating ventilation in the house (Line). [63], [64] (Fig.2)

This idea of Tropical Aesthetics called for the critical review of colonial assumption and imposition of western values that were not suitable to local conditions. [65] He argued that this breakaway from and deconstruction of modern-western hegemonic aesthetics and culture was crucial to the establishment of a Singaporean National Identity.  And through developing Singapore as a Tropical City with such set of “Tropical Aesthetics” values, various concepts, technologies and products could be deduced and be packaged and exported to other tropical countries [66], setting Singapore in a leading role and an more advanced position in the tropical world, which would in turn help the establishment of national pride and identity of the city-state.    

 

Unfortunately this innovative set of doctrines did not prevail nor form a holistic school of ideas [67] in Singapore or in any other developing Tropical Region which should be in search and in need of such a contextual approach.  It was perhaps because in the rapid chase and fierce competition in the world arena for progression and modernity, directly borrowing image from the West [68] was deemed a quicker-fix and more effective measure in the eyes of the ruling authority.

 

In addition, one key point to note on this idea of “exportation of expertise”, which might happen in the near future, observing the fact that more and more Singapore firms are now involved in projects across the tropical region and the globe, is the question that whether what worked locally in Singapore would prove as appropriate in other societies and economies.  Would this “exportation” mindset render Singapore, once a colonized community, into a “colonizer” and imposer of inappropriate style and solutions to other? [69]

Taking a step further, rather than design and planning a traditional tropical architecture or city that would simply pessimistically shunned the heat of sun and water from rain out*21st, he advocated the an active and optimistic approach where the sun and rain would be adopted as positively elements in the design.  Using new technology available at hand, PV cells and rainwater collectors could be installed at various locations, turning the solar heat and humidity of tropics into productive elements as a generator of energy, rather than simply ameliorating them for thermal comfort, such principles were also adopted in the KBDGP proposal where rainwater collectors and PV cells were installed on some of the shading devices mentioned above. [81],[82],[83]

​

To Tay, the tropical identity shall not only be limited to individual building block design, for a mismatch between climatically responsive buildings and a rather climatically inert or insensitive open space and incomprehensive infrastructure planning would hinder the performance [84], both in terms of efficiency and level of comfort, of the city.  A holistic design approach that would encompass all aspects of an urban setup as a whole should be deduced, such that the buildings, the infrastructure, the land, the climate and urban and the rural would all work in tandem and complement each other [85] to create a physically comfortable, ecologically sustainable, resources-wise efficient and psychologically soothing environment.  It was only through this intrinsic balance of nature and artificial, stability, contentment and satisfaction in life that a pan-tropical environment could be fully embraced and be utilized as a solution to the issues of national identity, a national image that citizens would be proud of and enjoyed.

 

To achieve this ultimate coherency, Tay came up with the concept of “Re-urbanization”. Viewing the design of building blocks as well as the urban environment and the relationship between city and countryside as an integrated whole, this approach aimed at improve and redevelop existing cities in the tropics for greater sustainability in both urban and natural environment.  This idea was about the more efficient utilization of resources at hand – including cultivated and vacant land in the developed cities (e.g. industrial sites and military sites), natural elements (e.g. rainwater, sunlight, plantation), and technology & transportation (e.g. use of cars). [86]  These theories were illustrated and explained in his publication “Mega-Cities in the Tropics” in 1989 by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, and were subsequently put into practice, again, in the Kampong Bugis Development Guide Plan (KBDGP) (1989). [87]

​

Via adopting a compact, high-density and multi-tiered city arrangement where multiple usages were combined, as well as active redevelopment of wasted land in the city, land use pressure could be alleviated, and city expansion & human encroachment into the scarce remaining natural / agricultural landscapes could be eliminated and helped preserve the biodiversity in the surrounding rural area.  The centralized and dense arrangement encouraged round-the-clock usage of facilities and land, optimizing the potential of the plot. These approaches also helped minimize the frequency of travelling around in uncomfortable weather and reduce reliance on vehicular traffic, cutting down fuel use and greenhouse gas production.

 

Tay’s further proposal of the Blue and Green Tax as a statutory control [88] measure packaged his visions of “Re-urbanization” and “Tropical Urbanization” in a comprehensive manner, overarching the different disciplines of architectural language, urban planning theory, conservation topics, sustainability issue, financial scope and regulation drafting, packing the set of principles in a workable and pragmatic whole.

​

Sadly, the government never implemented this visionary and groundbreaking scheme [89] for it was too “different” from the government, or People’s Action Party’s, political vision and economic objectives [90].  The single-minded ruling authority needed to maintain a uniform design outcome such that everything would seemed “fair” to each citizen, an action which was against innovation and diversity of design [91].  And because of this imbalance between public authority architects and private sectors, one single body often dominated the city planning and design. [92]

 

Yet, with the speculation of the population hitting 5.5 million by 2040, Tay’s Tropical Urbanism idea of high density, high efficient and sustainable approach prove more significant and worth studying than ever. [93]

Fig. 1: Diary Farm Condominium 1985 (Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 54-57)

Fig. 2: Modern Tropical House 1994 (http://www.akitektenggara.com/web/)

Fig.3 KBDGP 1989 (Powell, Line, Edge and Shade, 98)

Bibliography

  • 20 under 45, A Selection Of Works By Under-45 Singapore-registered Architects, The Next Generation (Singapore: T&T Progress  Enterprise, 2010)

  • Akitek Tenggara,  About Tay Kheng Soon and Akitek Tenggara, Rubanisation.org, Singapore viewed 11 September 2014, <http://www.rubanisation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=29>.

  • Anupama Udaykumar, “The response of Critical regionalism to contextual changes over time in South-east Asian Tropical residential architecture – A case study of Singapore” (Proceedings of 7th Windsor Conference: The changing context of

  • comfort in an unpredictable world, 2010)

  • Chang Jiat Hwee, Deviating Discourse: Tay Kheng Soon and Architecture of Postcolonial Development in Tropical Asia in Abidin Kusno et. Al. eds., Special Issue on “Changing Asia” in Journal of Architectural Education 63(2)(2010)

  • Chris Abel, ‘18 Asian Urban Futures’, Architecture And Identity: Responses to Cultural and Technological Change (Second Edition), (New York & London: Architectural Press, Routledge, 2000

  • Hasan-Uddin Khan, ed., Tay Kheng Soon In Mimar 32: Architecture in Development (London: Concept Media Ltd., 1989)

  • Koh Seow Chuan.; et al, Singapore Planning and Urban Research Group 1965-1967, (Singapore : SPUR, 1967)

  • Philip Bay & Tay Kheng Soon, Interview with Philip Bay and Architecture Students form NUS on SPUR, transcribed by   Dinesh Naidu, Sintercom, Singapore, viewed 11 September 2014,   

  • Robert Powell & Aketek Tenggara, Line, Edge and Shade: The Search for a Design Language in Tropical Asia, (Singapore: Page One, 1997)

  • Robert Powell, Innovative Architecture of Singapore, (SG: Landmark Books PTE LTD, 1989)

  • Robert Powell, Singapore Architecture Of A Global City (SG: Archipelago Press, 2000)

  • Robert Powell, Singapore Architecture (Singapore: Berkeley Books Pte Ltd)

  • Singapore Institute of Architects, Rumah: Contemporary Architecture of Singapore (Singapore: Singapore National Printers (Pte) Ltd, 1981), 15.

  • Singapore Department of Statistics, Key Demographic Indicators, 1970 -2014

  • Tzonis, Lefaivre & Stagno, Tropical Architecture: Critical Regionalism in the Age of Globalization (Great Britain: Wiley- Academy, 2001)

  • Tay Kheng Soon, The  Tropical Asian City for the 21st Century (Singapore, 1989)

  • Tay Kheng Soon, The Intelligent Tropical City (Singapore, 1988)

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​​
Tay Kheng Soon
The Visionary: New Modernist lost in the Spate of Post-colonial “Progression”
Introduction
Social-Political Context
Key Sources
Overview of Essay
Biographical Info
Tropical Aesthetics
Tropical Urbanism
Decolonization
Conclusion
End Note
Bibliography
Table of Contents
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