Land of Resonance

This project, situated along Yishun Dam’s estuarine shoreline from Lower Seletar Reservoir to the open sea, addresses the delicate balance between human access and the movement of diverse non-human species, including shorebirds, fish, and mudflat organisms. As Yishun prepares for urban expansion with new estates and road developments, tension grows between the demands of human infrastructure and the ecological needs of resident and migratory species. Shorebirds, for example, rely on this region as a primary habitat during migration, arriving from late August to February. The site’s natural assets—mudflats, mangrove forests, on-water pathways, and riparian vegetation—offer significant potential for a design that balances the special need for non-human habitats with human activity and have a mutual respect. However, recent observations of site showing levels of conflicts of space, noise pollution and busy traffic reveal signs of strain; increased human activity, waste, and physical encroachment threaten this fragile equilibrium.

These pressures underscore an urgent need for landscape strategies that can accommodate human expansion and non-human life’s seasonal rhythms.
The primary aim of this project is to transform competition into coexistence through a landscape design that acknowledges and respects the seasonal flows of estuary water and bird migrations, while also accommodating human needs on site. This design aspires to foster an environment where human and non-human timelines are integrated into a sustainable, shared, and effective( which grows, evolve and self-maintain to evoke personal understanding) landscape by implementing thoughtful zoning and creating spaces that adapt to natural cycles. The landscape acts as a device that opens up conversations between humans and non-humans in their understanding of space and existence. Knowledge of our living environment is believed to be learnt through positive interactions within the landscapes and groups.

Project Timeline

Fifth Nature’s philosophy is to acknowledge the constantly shifting landscapes of human and non-human existance, conflict, and personal enlightenment regarding each groups position and identity in the larger world. The phases of developing fifth nature include awareness and acknowledgement, perspective definition and evolution, affective interaction, and knowledge acquisition.