KAMPUNG ADMIRALTY, SINGAPORE Kampung Admiralty is a prototype of an integrated urban village within a mature public housing estate. It is Singapore’s first integrated public development that brings together a mix of public facilities and services under one roof, and sets a national direction for meeting the needs of Singapore’s ageing population. WOHA’s starting point was to address the multiple programmes of the brief. The traditional approach is for every agency to carve out their own plot of land, resulting in several standalone buildings. WOHA’s radical strategy is to create a one-stop integrated village that not only maximises land use, but also creates a new community heart that brings diverse groups of people together to restore the kampung (village) spirit. The close proximity to healthcare, social, commercial and other amenities also supports inter- generational bonding and active ageing-in-place.
WOHA conceptualised Kampung Admiralty as a Vertical Kampung that comprises three visually connected distinct strata that are socially and ecologically synergised into a fully integrated high-density high-amenity matrix. This comprises a Community Stratum featuring a Community Living Room (event plaza) and Dining Room (food centre); a Wellness Stratum consisting of a Medical Centre; and a Regenerative Stratum integrating a Community Park with public housing for the elderly as well as care facilities for seniors and children. These strata foster diversity of cross-programming, while freeing up the ground level for activity generators. The large footprint of the Medical Centre also serves as a tropical urban umbrella that shades and shelters the fully public, porous and pedestrianised plaza below.
To promote wellness and healing, WOHA wove nature into the architecture, incorporating biophilic features throughout the development. A lushly landscaped courtyard with an internal air well serves as a central device to cool the plaza and to bring daylight, natural ventilation and views to greenery across all floors, which help seniors feel connected to nature and to other people. The rooftop Community Park is an elevated village green with shared social spaces between eldercare and childcare facilities that bring young and old together. It also features community farms, tended by the senior residents who are encouraged to adopt an active lifestyle.
Kampung Admiralty’s verdant landscapes and natural systems not only perform ecosystem services for the development, but are also designed for biodiversity. An ecological survey was conducted in 2018, comparing the biodiversity recorded in Kampung Admiralty to two other nearby parks. The results showed that Kampung Admiralty succeeded, with the highest total species diversity (50 species). Woodlands Admiral Garden, which is comparable in size to Kampung Admiralty, had only 33 species, while Woodlands Crescent Park, which is nearly double the size of Kampung Admiralty, had 44 species.
Completed in 2018, Kampung Admiralty has proven to be a highly successful prototype of social and ecological integration, as well as a model of wellness that is prescribed by nature. The Singapore government has since commissioned more of such integrated developments in other public housing estates, extending its positive impact.
9 Exploded axonometric 10 A lush landscape, where nature is woven into the architecture 11 The fully public, porous and pedestrianised plaza 12 Bringing daylight and views to greenery across all floors
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Diagram courtesy of WOHA 70 FUTURARC
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