Teaching

This course provides students with a thorough understanding of the urban planning modes and their historical and socioeconomical contexts. It covers zoning, planning courses and plan-making processes. Zoning as the most fundamental tool managing city development and urban life will be elaborated. Topics of the nature and characteristics of urban planning models such as the Utopian City, the Garden City, the City Beautiful, Neighbourhood Unit, and New Town movement, will be covered. The processes of plan-making will be discussed in the context of Singapore and other Asian countries. 

This course will involve a critical and thorough discussion of specific topics in Urban Studies, including Urban Design and Planning. Examples of topics that may be studied are: Tropical Urban Design, Sustainable Urban Design, Ecourbanism, Urban Design methodologies and practice.

The module supports design thesis by critically exploring significant issues to architecture involving social, political, cultural, environmental, economic and technological consideration. Key activities include: (a) Research embodying the acquisition of knowledge through precedent studies and literature. (b) Critique and evaluation of acquired knowledge. (c) Problem Statement mapping the fundamental aspects of the issues. (d) Hypothesis delineated in terms of a small set of no more than three key issues that can be addressed through architectural intervention. (e) Programme Formulation. (f) Site Selection. (g) Preliminary Design Studies.

The Master of Architecture design thesis will span two semesters and three modules (AR5805, AR5806 and AR5807), establishing the final design criteria for achieving the degree of Master of Architecture. Students will be able to select from a variety of thesis advisors, and either align their theses with their advisors’ research interests and expertise, or pursue their own self-directed thesis themes.

The three modules dealing with the design research thesis have been put together to allow students to develop a high level of competence in creative practice design research; this competence would then lead to architectural outcomes in a wide range of topics. The first two modules, AR5805 and AR5807, will involve creative practice research with direct design outcomes. AR5806 will then synthesise these design research efforts into a full-length design research compendium that complements evidence with textural descriptions, theoretical writing and other written strategies, alongside graphic, photographic and visual material.

Its fundamental purpose will be to enable students to develop a rigorous method and deep-dive focus in a specific area of design research. Students will be required to mount a body of evidence to demonstrate that their research has translational potential in the field of architecture through creative practice. Students will also be expected to exercise high-level competence in creative practice research, design thinking, representation and communication.

This module building on the learning outcomes of Urban Design Studio 1 comprises three independent design studios, each aiming to tackle a contemporary urban challenge that is aligned with the studio leader’s expertise. Students are expected to work in groups, conducting systematic theoretical research, analysing urban design precedents, articulating urban design strategies, and developing fine-grained urban design schemes. Each studio usually includes a field trip to a city either within or beyond the region that is in line with the studio theme, allowing students to expand their horizons and gain experiences of working with local authorities and institutions (the field trip has been suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic).

This module is to provide students with an opportunity to conduct in-depth research on a topic of his/her own selection and under close supervision of an expert of the field. Depending on the research topic, students may also have the opportunity to work closely with practitioners and government officers to better ground and deepen their research. Students are also strongly encouraged to publish their research outcomes in the form of journal articles and conference papers at the end.