What Happens After (2026): How One Alumna Gives Architectural Students' Models a Second Life

Since her student days, alumna Phoebe Tan Kit (BA Arch/M.Arch, Class of 2025) has been exploring how existing waste can be adapted and reused wherever possible. This exploration extended into her thesis, Kitbash10 (2025), which critiques how waste is managed in Singapore. Building on this work, she began giving a second life to students’ models after their graduation exhibition, offering the public an opportunity to experience model-making up close — to touch, handle and engage with the parts themselves. For those familiar with the industry, it also served as a reminder of the fun and whimsy that architecture can hold.

Because a thesis doesn’t end at graduation; it ends when you stop pursuing it.

Participating in the recent IN-BETWEEN event, held from 28 to 30 August at New Bahru’s ‘School Hall’, Phoebe presented What Happens After (2026), an interactive booth that continues her exploration from Kitbash10 (2025). Visitors of all ages were invited to take on the role of architect, building a city of “scraps” from parts salvaged from architectural models featured in this year’s M.Arch graduation exhibition.

VISITORS ENJOYING THE KITBASHING ACTIVITY AT HER INTERACTIVE BOOTH

The response from visitors was overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing interest and curiosity about the initiative. More than simply an interactive activity, the exhibition opens up a broader question: what if parts of buildings could themselves be salvaged and reused as building materials for whatever comes next?

The project sparked discussion and exploration around the repurposing of architecture at different scales — from the micro scale of kitbashing models to the macro scale of bricolaging with building parts. By reframing what we consider to be waste, Phoebe’s work invites us to reflect on how Singapore approaches waste, and to question the extent to which discarded materials can reclaim their value

“What Happens After (2026) exhibition continues my thesis research, initiated with Kitbash10 (2025). My methodology reflects who I am as a designer, someone who finds solutions by seeing potential in everything. The interactive booth served as a model-making space, but lowered the barrier for the public to engage with architecture and take part in conversations. After all, we build for people.

Reuse remains less explored in Singapore's construction industry, perhaps because we have yet to discover methods to apply it at scale. I hope this inspires others to keep their theses alive, as I continue exploring alternative methods of my own."

- Phoebe Tan Kit (BA Arch/M.Arch, Class of 2025)

Phoebe Tan Kit, an architectural designer and artist based in Singapore. To learn more about the project, follow her on Instagram @arkit.sg

Images by Oddkins Design Studio @oddkins__studio

Adapted from DOA Social Media