Methods to collect and represent Data.

A mini class activity was arranged whereby we had to sit together as to group to discuss ways on how we can represent and collect data. This activity is to enhance our thought process when we are doing our brainstorming for our topic. Our group were handed 'Case Study' , we are required to list down methods on how to represent it.

What our group came up with in class.

We also studied the points that other groups has listed down. Some of them are quite interesting that we did not list down. 

Brainstorming and 101 ideas of solution.

An exercise to churn out solutions and answers to the report questions was conducted. 101 ideas was the required quota to reach within 45 minutes. Through various techniques like brainstorming and forced connections along with lateral thinking, the goal was reached. Since our lectures said we do no have to consider the amount of money that has to be put into this solutions, some insane and but legitimate ideas for the future were being brought up, such as living on other planets or creating an actually space residential-like infrastructure in space just like in the movie "Elysium".

Mindmap of 101 ideas.

Four ideas particularly stood out most from the mind map, which are:
1. Transformer House.
2. Underground Cities
3. Virtual Reality
4. Building on water bodies

With transformer house we wish to create a small house within or some sort of amenities packed into a small contraption that requires a push of a button to expand into something bigger.
Underground cities is inspired by how high we can build and how deep into the Earth's crust can we venture into. Maybe constructing cites underneath like an ants colony.
Virtual reality is inspired by Science Fiction novels and movies where our subconscious mind is transported into a world cut out for all our dreams and desires.
Building on water bodies is quite a straightforward idea but we reckoned it will be successful and possibility of having it in the future is high as technology and science develops at a rapid pace.

Survey

We conducted a survey so as to increase our knowledge and understanding of living spaces in Singapore. The problem will be analysed from a view of public understanding. Questions will be designed in a way that participants and reporters grasp the most out of the given problem.

               

Through the means of sharing the survey will spread to a wide audience of varying ages all combating the problems of shrinking living spaces. A comparison between current homes of Singaporeans to that of foreigners' can be drawn as the survey includes nationality specific questions.

Majority of the participants belong to youth and young adult category who experience responsibilities for the first time and managing money etc.They are the individuals that have small budgets and cut corners to find housing. Majority of them are either studying or starting out their careers and hence money is a major issue.

As can be seen the reasons for shrinking living spaces according to young adults and middle aged individuals varies from person to person. Depletion of building resources and faulty government policies aside most participants picked the same combination of answers.

Finally participants were asked about what they think advantages of living in a smaller house are. Evenly spread out, some said lesser maintenance, cheaper and affordable, cozy and comfortable. All in all participants realize the advantages.

Overall, the survey shed some light on what individuals think about the shrinkage of living spaces. Answers gave insight into the publics'  understanding of the said problem and suggestions were made to the cause. 

Case Study 2: HDB Apartments

Our Objective: According to the Housing and Development Board of Singapore, 82% of Singaporeans live in HDB flats, which is approximately 4.3 Million individuals. These HDB flats are generally situated near public facilities such as hawker centers, recreational centers and grocery stores it also costs lesser than privately built homes. With Singapore experiencing land constraints, the sizes of HDB flats has gone downwards over the years. A case study will be conducted to understand how drastically the size of HDBs has changed overs the past three decades.

Execution: A 30 year-old HDB will be compared to a newer HDB apartment and the differences will be closely studied.

Firstly, there are significant differences between the two living rooms particularly in terms of their sizes. This clearly shows that the sizes of old HDB flats when compared to a new one has gone down. This theory can be further backed up by with a statistical study on the flats. 

Conclusion: Over time, urbanization and development of the country to be more commericalize took up a huge amount of land in Singapore. By studying the change in HDB size over past decades, it is clear that factors such as overpopulation , land shortage have their impacts on living spaces that the people of  Singapore are experiencing. 

Case Study 1: Student Hostels.

Our Objective: According to Ministry of Education, Singapore, 18% of the total undergraduate students currently in Singapore are from abroad. This means nearly 180,000 undergraduate students from abroad are studying in Singapore currently. Taking this into account, accommodation for students is a huge factor. When students start university life they begin to be independent and experience a totally new lifestyle. A thorough study on the conditions of Singaporean hostels will be conducted so as to understand what differences the student faces when living in a house as compared to a single room in a hostel. In other words what students feel from living in a bigger space to a smaller space.

Execution: The case study will be conducted at two student hostels namely "Nanyang Hostel" at Prinsep st. and "Palm and Oak hostel" at Short St. A comparison between the different types of rooms available (i.e single-room, double-sharing, 4-sharing etc.) with respect to their size, facilities and storage space. 

Analysis: A thorough investigation on the facilities of Nanyang Hostel were conducted along with a brief interview of the students currently staying. The individuals living belonged to a wide range of backgrounds. There were students from China, Korea, India, Indonesia and Vietnam. Conditions were scanned and documented. Space per head was calculated after investigation. The hostel covers 2 floors.

Conclusion: Hostels are social places for students. They require space to work and basic amenities for recreational purposes. Ideally lockers and additional storage places would help students and young adults to live more generously.

How High Can We Build?

Facing with land shortage, the most straightforward method to solve this is to build super skyscrapers to expand living spaces.From the Pyramids of Gizato the Burj Khalifa , mankind has come a long way in building tall structures and developed technologies that enable us to build higher up the sky. But how high can we build exactly? According to the information video above, scientists and astronomist came up with a theory that building a structure from a Earth, right up to the very far out of space may be possible. This is because when anything that goes beyond Geostationary level, the gravity is actually pulling away from the Earth. Thus the tension of the Earth's gravity pull and the one that is above Geostationary level may hold the structure in place.

List of tallest buildings in the World.

Interview

For one of our case study, I interviewed my friend, who is born Hong Kong but studying here in Singapore about his house there and the conditions that he is living in compared to his house in Singapore.

Q: How big is your house in Hong Kong?
A: 2 bedrooms , 1 master and a smaller bedroom , a living room and a kitchen. 1 commonly shared toilet and no balcony.

Q: How many people are you living with in HK?
A: 6 people.

Q: How do you feel living in such a small space?
A: Very unhappy, there are insufficient space to move about as up to 6 people share a small area, difficult to put things, especially large items like luggage. Have to share a common toilet which is troublesome if you are in need to use it. Noisy environment, everybody is speaking at the same time in a confined space. Going to the toilet at night can be hazardous as it is difficult to find the switch to the lights, knocking yourself against random items such as buckets is common.

Q: Do you like your house here in Singapore more or in HK?
A: Singapore, as it is significantly bigger, more pleasant to the eye and it is a newer flat compared to the one in HK.

Q: How big is your house in SG?
A: A liviing room, 3 bedrooms, 1 kitchen, 2 toilets and a storeroom. It is also 1.5 times bigger than that to the one in HK.

Q: Does living in a small space has any form of benefits??
A: It can train your patience as most of the things as well as amenities are commonly shared. You will have have to wait for others to finish using it before it is your turn (eg, Toilets , TV)

From this interview , we can roughly find out how is the living conditions like , and also the benefits of living in a small space. My friend is kind enough to take pictures of his house in Hong Kong and send it to us. Here is his small apartment in Hong Kong.

Bedroom

Kitchen

Living Room