USP Students Clinched Award for Creative Ideas in Re-imagining Changi Point
Two USP students, one USP alumnus and one NUS alumnae formed a team to get creative and compete in the Charmingly Changi Ideas Competition. Organised by the Singapore Land Authority and Urban Redevelopment Authority, the competition which was held from April to June 2021 saw a total of 134 teams proposing ideas to build on the unique identity of Changi Point and enhance the district as a heritage and recreational destination. When the results was recently released in November 2021, we are pleased to learn that our students won Third Prize under Tertiary Category with their ‘Idyllic Changi’ idea.
They are:
Teoh Xin Yi (Political Science + USP, Class of 2022)
Chan Qiu Qing (History + USP, Class of 2023)
Jeremy Jee (Computer Science + USP, Class of 2019)
Lee Kah Hui (Architecture, Class of 2018)
So, what was the team’s winning idea? Idyllic Changi – it reimagines the sleepy precinct of the Changi Point area around the central concept of experiences, be it a leisurely hike through nature, hands-on art jamming sessions, or volunteering with the underprivileged. It will be designed around heritage, community, and nature, carrying on its valuable historical legacy. The jury commended the focus on preserving the rustic nature and current pace of life in Changi Point in their master plan, as well as aspirations to link the area to larger causes like domestic agriculture initiatives and social services. Read more about the project HERE.
On their motivation to come together and join the competition, Jeremy tells us that: “Our team members share a common interest in the concept of “spaces”. How do people interact with spaces? How can we better cultivate communities around urban spaces? As two of us [Xin Yi and Jeremy] both live in Pasir Ris, Changi is an area that we often visit and have fond memories of, throughout our respective childhoods…We thought it might be interesting to see how we could turn Changi into more than “that place in the east with good Nasi Lemak”. Hence, we invite our friend Qiu Qing who is passionate about social issues, and Kah Hui, an NUS Architecture alumnae who specialises in heritage management.”
Heartiest congrats to the team! The project is, essentially, the spirit of teamwork and camaraderie that we hope can inspire our USP community to come together from different disciplines and backgrounds, to seize opportunities when presented, and to create positive impact for the community.
Updated: We just learnt that one USP student Leong Yue Qi (Architecture + USP, Class of 2022) was part of the winning team for Repurposing of Old Changi Hospital, with her team's Verdant Village @ Changi project. Congrats, Yue Qi!
Read more below as the team shares more about their takeaways and inspiration behind their project.
"We felt that it needed to feel different from glass and concrete jungles of most of Singapore, and also appeal to a wide spectrum of the population. Since our task was to plan a masterplan for the area, we decided to divide it into different parts in consideration of different needs.
The ideal neighbourhood that we envisioned resembled many of the popular suburban areas of Japan, that was often popular with the youth and featured a rustic environment that still buzzed with energy. Much of the Lifestyle district was inspired by this concept, having a thrift village in repurposed colonial houses, a glasshouse village for the modern insta-generation, a weekend farmers’ and craft market to create an ever-evolving experience.
The Cultural Heritage district wanted to fill the gap we saw in Singapore’s historical narrative, telling stories unseen in our museums currently, such as our pre-colonial history, and perspective based narratives such as hawkers, kampungs and more. Much of this idea was also inspired by our experiences in the USP modules, such as Politics of Heritage, The Making of a Nation, a USP visit to the Bicentennial Exhibition, the USP International Programme (IP) Forgotten Communities, as well as our team member’s experience in heritage management.
The Seafront district was meant to be a callback to Changi history as a port, leveraging on the plethora of open-sea fish farms located nearby, we wanted to tap on Singapore’s 30-by-30 domestic agriculture initiative to bring a different experience to Singaporeans. Food is part of the Singaporean DNA, and so we wanted a place to tell the stories of our domestic agriculture and products. Part of it was also inspired by the USP IP, Intersection of Tradition and Technology, where we observed how Japan has also focused on agritourism, turning it into a major attraction for the suburban areas.
We pondered about what would be a worthwhile use of Old Changi Hospital that would be respectful of its past history and heritage, and we thought that the idea of helping people was core to its identity. Thus, reimagining it as a social services hub to care for marginalised groups and communities was one of the essential ways to preserve its purpose for the new generation in Singapore.
Even when conceptualizing the transportation plan for the area, we went beyond the typical car-lite district, proposing a heritage tram that would pay tribute to Singapore’s earliest rail system in the late 1800s. We hoped it brought out a combination of our local heritage but with a modern sensibility of uniqueness. Trams can also be an efficient and enjoyable form of transportation!
As a whole, the concept masterplan is also a product of our USP DNA, or being interdisciplinary, conceiving of urban spaces with different lenses, different purposes, and culminating together to produce a unique area unlike any other."
