THE WOODEN CITY
A circular economy township with mass timber buildings, sustainably-managed commercial forests, regenerative farms, and renewable energy. A vision of a net zero embodied carbon eco-rurban prototype for Singapore new towns.
Project Type
Master Planning, Urban Design
Client
Year
URA
2020
Awards
Honorary Mention, "Runway For Your Imagination" Ideas Competition (URA. Singapore, 2020)
The Wooden City is a response to a call made by Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) for ideas on the future of Paya Lebar Airbase and the industrial estates surrounding it. The airbase will be relocated in the 2030s, opening it up for redevelopment.
The Wooden City concept master plan addresses several pressing issues that Singapore is facing that were brought into focus by the Covid-19 pandemic. It is envisaged that the solutions introduced in the Wooden City proposal that tackle the climate crisis, food security, and supply chain disruptions could serve as a framework prototype for existing and future townships in Singapore, Southeast Asia, and beyond.
The Climate Crisis
The building & construction industry is responsible for almost 40% of all global carbon emissions.¹ This includes not only operational emissions, but also embodied emissions, which refer to the building materials, its manufacturing processes & transport, and the construction of the buildings.
The Wooden City envisions a net zero operational and embodied carbon township of dense mixed-use neighbourhoods with buildings constructed using mass timber, a construction material made from a renewable resource, that not only has a carbon footprint significantly lower than concrete and steel, but actually sequesters or stores carbon from the environment.
To further lower the carbon footprint of these new neighbourhoods, the mass timber will be sourced from sustainably-managed commercial forests located within the Wooden City, which, together with community forests, parks, & gardens, will also sequester carbon emissions.
Another low carbon development strategy employed at the Wooden City is the adaptive re-use of existing buildings & landscapes with historic and heritage values. Instead of wasteful demolition & removal, the site's rich aviation and industrial heritage will be celebrated through the retention & repurposing of strategic built elements. The entire former airport runway & airfield are proposed to be gazetted as public open space and converted into a unique & multi-zoned national-level destination park. The former airport buildings are proposed to be adaptively re-used into an aviation-themed resort hotel with M.I.C.E. facilities. Former hangars are proposed to be converted into an aviation museum. In the Defu industrial area, existing factories and workshops are repurposed into a hip low-rise arts & culture creative cluster of start-ups, F&B, co-working spaces, galleries, etc.
In terms of operational carbon emissions, the Wooden City will rely on renewable energy sources. Aside from photovoltaic systems integrated on the new buildings, renewable energy will also be sourced from the former airport runway, which will become not just a multi-purpose public open space, but also a 3.8-km long and 75-m wide solar farm. Solar pavers will be embedded along the entire length and width of the former runway to capture solar energy from the sunny Singapore climate. A section of the runway park will also be an Energy Farm, with wind turbines and solar panels.
To tackle near-term climate change-related issues such as urban heat island, air pollution, biodiversity loss, flooding, and water scarcity, the Wooden City will utilise biophilic and "sponge city" design principles at multiple scales: building, precinct, and township.
Brownfield redevelopment will be prioritised so that greenfield areas can be used for permeable ecological and social services such as forests, farms, parks, wetlands, and detention ponds.
These nature-based urban solutions would also contribute to the physical and mental well-being of the Wooden City's residents and visitors.
Abundant public open spaces and a fine-grained street grid network in the township will encourage physical activity, whilst verdant naturalised areas will offer people an opportunity for a respite and recharge.
The Wooden City is proposed to be car-lite, transit-oriented, and pedestrian friendly. It will be comprised of distinct, high-density, mixed-use neighbourhoods that are built on brownfield former industrial sites and where everyday needs will be accessible within a 15-minute walk. These self-sufficient neighbourhoods are proposed to be connected by an at-grade electric tram network that interchanges with Defu MRT station.
Food Security
Singapore’s food supply is another vulnerability due to the climate crisis, future pandemics, and other global disruptions.
To diversify Singapore’s food security, the Wooden City will feature regenerative farms, which are arguably currently the most sustainable approach to agriculture in that it focuses on farming principles that enriches soils, increases biodiversity, improves watersheds, and sequesters carbon whilst providing increased yields and resilience.
A section of the former aiport runway will also feature allotment gardens for and by the community, and buildings will feature rooftop gardens for urban farming as much as possible.
Supply Chain Disruptions
In a globalised world increasingly filled with uncertainty and Black Swan events such as the Covid-19 pandemic, a tiny city state like Singapore will always be vulnerable to supply chain disruptions. It is imperative for Singapore to be as self-sufficient and self-reliant as much as possible. This applies not just for food supply, but also for materials needed to build homes, buildings, and other products.
From a history of quarrying and stockpiling sand to be used for construction, The Wooden City becomes a circular economy with sustainably-managed commercial forests that provide timber, a renewable raw material. These will be processed into mass timber, prefab components, and other products by smart high-tech manufacturing factories and labs located in the Industry 4.0 business park and industrial park within the Wooden City. The products will be used to build sustainable new homes, buildings, furnishings, and other things, which can then be dismantled and recycled at the end of its life cycle to maintain a zero-waste city.
The Multi-Layered City
In summary, the Wooden City is not just a wooden city. It is a rich and multi-faceted concept master plan that offers urban design solutions for complex issues such as climate change, food security, supply chain resilience, health and wellness, heritage and identity, mobility, tourism, water and waste management, among others.
It interweaves evidence-based responses to these multiple issues into a virtuous and cohesive whole, which could serve as a template for other future urban projects in the region and beyond.
Update: The Wooden City proposal has been awarded an Honorary Mention at the “Runway for Your Imagination” ideas competition for the redevelopment of Paya Lebar Airbase. The open international competition was organised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore (URA), in partnership with the Singapore Institute of Architects and Singapore Institute of Planners.
¹ Source: Global Status Report 2017 published by UN Environment and International Energy Agency
