T H E A R T O F P A R A D O X
mediating tension between conservation and development
Singapore’s concept plan is increasingly focused on balancing two importantconsiderations: Singapore as a modern 21st century business city and the need to conserve Singapore’s built heritage. There is a dialectical relationship between the ‘search of identity’, which looks back to the past, and the ‘demand for progress’ that, that is the forward-looking modernity. Can the two coexist?
The issue calls for a strategy to mediate the conflict between conservation and development through spatial design. The concept The Art of Paradox aims to highlight the paradoxical relationships between conservation and development, raising awareness towards both contrasting elements while creating a dialogue between the two, proposing a unique solution towards urban regeneration.
Context
A 6.4 hectare piece of land in Singapore, a former military camp housing 15 conserved colonial barracks curently functioning as art galleries, office for Center of Contemporary Arts (CCA) and F&B outlets. The developers envisioned it to become an important contemporary arts center in Asia: “contemporary art in a historical setting.”
