Reveries of a Moving Edge

Scheme 3 is rooted in practical, multidisciplinary onsite workshops in Singapore. Collaboration between local stakeholders such as Singapore’s National Water Agency (PUB) and other expert firms from around the world with a base in Singapore, including hydrologists and engineers, enriched the design process. Their local knowledge and expertise helped ground the speculative design in the realities of the site, ensuring that the proposed visions are informed by both local insights and technical methodologies. Building on this collaborative approach, the historical development of Singapore’s coastline through land reclamation, along with future projects such as the Long Island project, epitomized the dynamic and contested nature of the marine environment. To respond to the dynamics of shifting boundaries, this thesis investigates a holistic approach that co-designs with natural processes, fostering a collaborative process between humans and non-humans. Inspired by Latour’s concept of the Middle Kingdom, which transcends borders between nature and culture, the study incorporates computational design methodologies such as Grasshopper and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Simulations of water movement and the process of form-finding that would best support nature-based solutions were conducted, focusing on dynamic adaptability and considering not just current needs but also future scenarios where time and change are continuous. By adopting a transdisciplinary approach that synthesizes systems thinking and actor-network theory, the study captures the complexity of the coastline as a web of interactions between natural and cultural forces, emphasizing process over permanence. The proposed coastlines challenge traditional notions of fixed boundaries between nature and culture, offering a holistic, adaptable approach and opening novel ways of architectural thinking in design strategies for ever-shifting coastline territories in the face of climate change.