Semester: Y2S2 (National University of Singapore) Project type: Individual
Software used: Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Autocad, Rhinoceros, SketchUp, Enscape
EQUIFINALITY Redefining the Demolition Process
Demolition is typically seen as both a ‘loss of substance (in this case, a building)’ and ‘a possibility to create something new’ - a champion of ‘creative destruction’ that proffers a potential economic gain. However, the process incurs an enormous amount of material wastage in the form of demolition debris, most of which are sent to landfills to be processed. The amount of energy lost through demolition is naturally and unnecessarily high, given the speed at which buildings in Singapore – and most of the modern capitalist world are demolished.
This project approaches environmental awareness and sustainability using a methodology that circumvents and attempts to improve upon the traditional demolition narrative. In other words, the process of demolition is redefined for a single octagonal typology. Traditionally, the warehouse typology is demolished in structural sequence with machinery: the corrugated steel roof, followed by the steel purlins holding up the roof structure, then the masonry brick walls (consisting of masonry brick and reinforced concrete), and finally the supporting load-bearing concrete columns and subsequently, the concrete floor. The rate at which the structure is demolished via machinery typically takes up to a couple of days, given that the warehouse stands at approximately 6 meters tall.
For my project, the demolition process is lengthened and stretched out to approximately 3 months per phase in order to conserve material usage and concomitantly preserve material energy. The materials torn down during demolition are re-processed via machinery and used during the in-situ construction of the new structure. This construction will take place alongside the demolition process, while the demolition process will take place in a way that happens sequentially and segment-ally, clockwise around the original octagonal typology. The net energy loss is thus minimized.
THE demolition of structures requires energy, manpower, and generates a horrific amount of noise and air pollution. Material wastage is also produced in the form of demolition debris. Cordoned off by authorities, this inefficiency and wastage goes unnoticed by most civilians. The deliberate retardation of the demolition process, along with the concomitant regeneration of the structure exposes ordinary civilians to the realities of the process: material wastage, pollution, and hard labor - all while minimizing health risks through passive design strategies. The re-purposing of the materials from the old octagonal warehouse reduces the amount of energy loss through material wastage.
Annihilation ceases to be the end state; while the process, lengthened as it may be, morphs into something educational and ceremonial. This project redefines demolition, transforming it into something artful, drawn out, and almost celebratory.