Reclaiming the Shophouse
An Alternative Social Housing Scheme for Non-Nuclear Family Types in Singapore
The Singaporean shophouse manifests the various facets of the country’s complex history - a peculiar typology derived from the corruption of Confucian domestic spatial dictums rooted within the Chinese courtyard houses through colonial capitalism, exemplifying the exploitative commodification of the first waves of single migrant laborers whom used to live within these dire tenements. The current state driven attempts to superficially restore these architectural artifacts to present a veneer of authenticity was done paradoxically through a relentless evacuation of all identity, domestic scenes systematically erased & forgotten, dissociating locals from these very areas in pursuit of capital interests.
The project attempts to reclaim the domestic functions of the shophouses away from heritage commodification through a series of acquisition and retrofitting, to serve as an addition to expand the existing social housing typologies back to the most marginalized of Singaporean society, specifically singles and unwed couples whom are systematically excluded from the provisions of the state, recovering social housing away from being a mere social engineering tool, constructed around the narrative of the nuclear family & private property.
Focused upon the revival of care and communality facilitated by the transient nature of this emancipatory scheme, the project aims to redress the societal tensions caused by the insular housing typologies, dominant since the founding of the nation.
