The Timelessness of Our Campuses

Written by Parvinder Gill

In Singapore, it is easy for a new visitor to get overwhelmed by our towering skyscrapers and write our city off as yet another "concrete jungle". A more discerning visitor, who takes the time to explore the city would discover what the locals have already known, that is, that there is a unique blend of old and new integrated in the architectural footprint of the nation. Admittedly, it took us a while to realize that modernity need not always be in conflict or in opposition to age-old, enduring styles but can be complementary. Heritage zones started propping up in some of the oldest parts of the city, colonial-style bungalows/buildings were refurbished with minor cosmetic changes made to their white-washed exteriors; some of them were even transformed to food and beverage outlets and hotels. And NUS proved not to be far behind in the change as well.         After the Bukit Timah campus was officially returned back to us in mid-2005, we set out to overhaul the architectural style of the just-vacated campus, exhibiting a strong colonial-influenced sense of architectural style in the campus.         The timeless appeal of such an architectural style is hard to miss or question and it has become almost instinctive for NUS students, who shuttle to and fro the Kent Ridge and Bukit Timah campuses, to pit the former against the latter in terms of aesthetic appeal, and champion the latter.         But how can we reasonably come up with a seemingly objective decision criterion to determine whether a building/campus is timeless in its architectural style when we face serious problems explicating timelessness in the first place? HOOKED attempts to solve this puzzle.         Generally, when faced with the challenge of revamping the design of a building already in existence, the architect(s) has to deal with one broad issue, which is, the extent to which the building should be context-sensitive, relative to its surrounding environment.         Every other issue that crops up in architecture such as, how to assimilate the new design with the existing, traditional designs of the building's surroundings, just involves looking deeper into the basic framework of the context-sensitivity of the new design.         The main glaring point of differentiation between the NUS Bukit Timah campus and the Kent Ridge campus is the juxtaposition of old versus new in the architectural design.         While the Bukit Timah campus boasts its colonial-style, low-lying buildings with covered courtyards and a lot of open, airy spaces to boot, the Kent Ridge campus is not one to be outdone, what with its extremely modern University Hall, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music and the futuristic-looking Mochtar Riady Business School building that is under construction right now. It is easier to pick a favorite if one ignores the context-sensitivity of the buildings.         The Bukit Timah campus has an understated genteel charm that is no less powerful in reaffirming its position as a place of higher education and at the same time, its integration with its neighbor, namely, the Botanic Gardens.         The colonial style-inspired architecture of the building that stresses a lot on open, communal spaces for people to interact and think, is reminiscent of our colonial past. One can easily imagine the older legal and political bigwigs in Singapore participating in an intense discourse about the nation during the 60s, in such a location.          The challenge for the architect(s) on the  reconstruction of the Bukit Timah campus would surely have been on how to enhance the context-sensitivity of the building to its natural surroundings.         And what better way to do it than through the minimalist-style, white-washed open spaces that is commonplace in that form of architectural style?         In the same vein, one could perceive the modernity of the Kent Ridge campus to be as a result of its context-sensitivity to its surroundings as well.         Given the close proximity of the campus to research institutes including that of DSTA, A-Star, the Science Park, the National University Hospital and the bustling Pasir Panjang port, all symbols of high-cutting research and technology that in turn allude to modernity, the Kent Ridge Campus is hard-pressed not to assimilate this air of modernity in the exterior of its buildings as well.         Hence, if one were to use context-sensitivity as a decision criterion in judging the timelessness of the differing architectural style of both campuses, one can rather fluidly make a general conclusion that both campuses are timeless in their appeal.         This line of reasoning is intuitively appealing because generally, we have a broad notion of timelessness as the quality that allows something to stand the test of time and remain in vogue by the audience because of its ability to straddle the seemingly opposing aims of differentiating itself, yet maintaining its currency to changing times.         So, if we were to apply the definition of timelessness to buildings, then a timeless building would be one which manages to differentiate itself while at the same time, integrate itself extremely well with its changing surroundings.         This process of seamless integration is expedited if the architectural style of the building is context-sensitive, i.e. that proactive measures are taken to ensure that, while the building retain its individuality, it is able to blend in with its constantly updated surroundings. The process of doing so is far from easy but the outcome can be the creation of a timeless appeal.         However, HOOKED is cognizant of the cognitive dissonance that we are unintentionally creating from our definition of timelessness.         Timelessness conjures up an impression of relative permanency in the features of the object in question, while our definition of timelessness necessitates transiency in the features to remain current in changing times. Perhaps, if one were to consider timelessness as permanency in appeal rather than in design, then one can reasonably reduce the dissonance.         Ultimately, you might disagree with our conclusion that both campuses are unified in their timeless appeal, although they differ in the factors underlying their timelessness. That is perfectly fine with us, as long as we have succeeded in making you deliberate more carefully on the issue of timelessness, especially within your surrounding environment, which you have often taken-for-granted. HOOKED Images courtesy of Google Images  Comments Write Comment Name: Guest Title: Comment:

 

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