BOUNDARY DETAILS

 

Boundaries are important in all aspects of life, indeed cell walls allow life to happen, to control what comes in and what goes out. But these borders are defining the edges of terracotta floor tiles with granite strips and steps.

Together these two materials define the varied floor plane that runs through "shophouse world" like a connective tissue.

There is a rugged quality about granite, a no-nonsense material with rough edges that gets the job done and endures for generations. And yet it supports a level of subtle detailing in experienced hands.

Can that experience by passed along and nurtured in a world without boundaries? Biology suggests that boundaries with a controlled level of porosity are crucial to evolution, perhaps to the emergence of life itself in the porous rocks of deep sea vents.

Boundaries of stone and living clay, quite the combination.

 

 

Second time to visit the Urban Redevelopment Authority where they have the most amazing models of Singapore. Caught an early ride again which is essential.

Great to look at this area on the model with much better understanding having done my own studies in Revit. The upper models are as it was originally built, the lower one as it is now

The way they go about planning the development of Singapore in full view of the public is really impressive. Democracy is one thing but transparency is another. Direct comparisons to Europe don't seem relevant.

Just my opinion based on a few short visits, but there's something quite special about this place.

 

Beautiful panelled doors where I am staying with my son and daughter-in-law. The building is less than 30 years old, but still chose an old-school approach to the internal doors. I doubt you could specify teak of this quality in a condo development today.

The bullnose projecting "architrave" is an unusual feature, with the long dimension perpendicular to the wall. This extra depth provides a solid stop for the skirting board which is also a little unusual and impressively solid.

Raised and fielded panels very neatly fitted with a moulded bead. Stunning really. Nice handles too. It's been an absolute privilege to stay here with one branch of my dispersed family. The mix of remote work, personal research and vacation has worked out really well.

Just a few days left now.

 

 

Language is a fluid human activity. Words are transformed by use. I am always bemused by the wish to freeze meanings to a single interpretation.

I'm going to suggest non-standard word pairs to express something about these images, some connection to other, distantly related forms.

Fluted Tuscan and Chinese Baroque. These are not commonly accepted labels, but they serve a purpose for me. As I take several hundred images during this trip, labels help me to organise what I have experienced.

Making connections, finding patterns, integrating new thoughts into the tangled thicket of my brain. Just trying to build useful memory banks to inform future "BIM pencil" meanderings.

 

Two classical buildings from the inter-war years which were converted to create the National Gallery of Singapore. From the outside their is just a very subtle connection,whereas inside the spaces have been transformed in more dramatic ways, but without disrespect for their original form.

Somehow this place seems to have a nack for doing things well, maybe it's a tradition stretching back a couple of centuries. Of course there is always another side to the coin, whichever period of Singapore's history you take, but on balance... impressive.

 

 

I have a soft spot for this blend of classical and modern when it's done well. There's a richness here that neither style could summon on its own. Hands reaching out across time, evoking continuity of culture.

We need more of that.