Coming home – ‘to-gather: The Architecture of Relationships’

Singaporeans and residents can now visit the Singapore Pavilion at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia without having to leave our shores. Originally staged in Venice in 2021, the exhibition titled ‘to gather: The Architecture of Relationships’ was officially opened today at The URA Centre by Ms Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and National Development.

Jointly presented by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and DesignSingapore Council (Dsg), and curated by the National University of Singapore (NUS), to gather showcases 16 projects that explore and celebrate the different ways in which we share space. They examine how familiar spaces of different scales, such as hawker centres, community hubs, void decks and sky gardens, meaningfully contribute to social life in Singapore. 

Displayed on round tables that are inspired by the spatial typology of hawker centres, the projects collectively showcase how our public spaces—both designed and spontaneous—can serve as catalysts in improving the quality of our built environment and in forging new spatial contracts. From Rail Corridor and integrated community hubs like Kampong Admiralty, to lighting in the environment and the smells around us – the 16 projects examine our relationships with our city, one another and with nature. More details on the projects can be found in the Annex ↗ (opens in new tab)[PDF, 544kb].

“Public spaces are a ubiquitous part of any community and play an important role in our everyday lives. When travel restrictions were imposed during the pandemic, we saw popular public areas such as our parks and open spaces contribute positively to residents’ well-being and relationships,” said Yap Lay Bee, Singapore Pavilion Co-Commissioner and URA Group Director (Architecture & Urban Design). “With our activity patterns and interactions having undergone a significant shift during the pandemic, I hope that this exhibition will spark more conversations on the importance and potential of designing our future public spaces to enhance our living environment and forge closer ties within the community.” 

“The theme of to gather resonates even more strongly today as we reconnect and rediscover our public spaces. Having the Singapore Pavilion back on home soil will be a great opportunity to discover how design plays a pivotal role in forging meaningful relationships and elevating our everyday lived experiences, creating a more loveable city for all of us,” said Mark Wee, Singapore Pavilion Co-Commissioner and Executive Director of the DesignSingapore Council.

“We have collected 16 modes of gathering for the Singapore Pavilion representing different ways we express our community spirit. It is timely to bring the exhibition back to home ground to contemplate the next iteration of space for gathering.” said Prof. Ho Puay-peng, Singapore Pavilion Lead Curator and Head of Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore. 

The original exhibition in Venice saw over 71,000 visitors to the Singapore Pavilion over a period of six months in 2021, viewing the works of our local architects and design talents. These made up 23 per cent of the total number of visitors at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia.

The exhibition’s homecoming edition will be open to the public from 2 April 2022 to 8 July 2022, Mondays to Saturdays, 9am to 5pm, at The URA Centre Atrium¹. Admission is free. 

A series of programmes has been lined up in conjunction with the homecoming exhibition. Kicking off the series is a roundtable discussion at The URA Centre Atrium on 1 April 2022 on the topic of ‘Coming Home, Looking Ahead’, with participants behind the to gather projects discussing everyday gatherings within schools, offices and public spaces in an endemic stage of the pandemic. Details of the other programmes will be shared on the Singapore Pavilion’s website and social media pages.

For more information, visit www.to-gather.sg ↗ (opens in new tab).

¹ As part of prevailing Safe Management Measures, all visitors to The URA Centre must be fully vaccinated and show proof of vaccination before entry.