Could this be the Singapore of the future? Maybe. The illustrations here present a vision for a sustainable Singapore by 2050, when all the island-state’s needs are met within its borders: food, energy, waste disposal, recreation, living and work spaces.
It is one of nine designs commissioned from around the world for the Icsid World Design Congress 2009 held in Singapore in late November. This particular project, by WOHA Studio in Singapore, was “modestly” called “Architects save the world and bring joy to millions – Singapore 2050”, WOHA’s Richard Hassell told The Fifth Estate.
The brief was to explore what the world’s cities could look like by 2050, from all angles: urban mobility, entertainment, urbanism, food production and so on.
WOHA’s challenge was to envisage a city whose surrounding sea level had risen by 14 metres, and to make it self-sufficient in food, water and energy. “An interesting challenge,” Hassell admitted.
“We came up with a national master plan, with new transport systems such as elevated multi-transport systems, trains, bicycles, electric vehicles, all under a huge PV shelter; a wind-transport hub for container yachts and airships, plus four new solutions – all built around a new ‘leisure and infrastructure reservoir dyke’ around the island and funded by private residences built along this new coastline.
“The population moves to higher quality, more sustainable housing along the coast, while the interior reserves are enlarged, and the old public housing becomes high-rise farms.”
For more details on the congress go to https://www.icsidcongress09.com/phase2/
