the silence within
Bachelor (Hons) Interior Design, LASALLE College of the Arts | 2020 (Final Year Project)
ISSUES & DESIGN OBJECTIVE
Claustrophobia, detachment, overstimulation and desensitization – these aspects outline the negative impacts of the urban environment on mental health, also termed as urban “noise”. The revitalisation of the House of Tan Yeok Nee as a retreat hotel within the bustling city serves to embody spatial characteristics of spiritual silence as a mediating factor to this urban “noise".
SITE
The House of Tan Yeok Nee is a preserved national monument and is the last traditional Chinese courtyard house in Singapore. This architectural characteristic juxtaposes the design of the building from the surrounding urban environment. Moreover, its position at an intersection and its significantly more humanistic scale makes it a prominently stand out from the surrounding high-rise buildings making it an architectural relief.
CONCEPT
Internal & mental silence is obtained through an orchestrated route within site that restores sensory value using qualities of natural environment. Water, as an element of the natural environment, was identified as a main directional element through the orchestrated journey within space. This orchestrated route allows for various different encounters with the natural environment, ultimately aiming to heal and restore sensory values within a space. In turn, this can help engage in a contemplative and introspective mindset that enables us to filter through the urban noise and find the silence within.
