Jurong Lake District Masterplan

Jurong Lake District is conceived as a model for nature-led, high-density urbanism, in which ecological systems are treated not as secondary landscape elements but as the primary infrastructure that generates urban form, environmental performance, and long-term value. My contribution to the team begins with looking back at the site's ecological history and listening to nature.

The masterplan begins with a largely static water system, whose limited circulation has degraded water quality and ecological performance. Rather than accepting this as a fixed condition, the proposal introduces three interrelated, design-led strategies.

The first measure is to reinstate the third island, previously reclaimed for a golf course. Restoring the island reactivates water flow and improves flushing across the river system. The island is retained as a strategic land bank and regenerated as primary forest, allowing biodiversity and ecological value to mature over time while preserving future development potential.

The second strategy reorients the entire urban grid to reduce east-west heat gain and improve passive environmental performance. By embedding climatic intelligence into the district's structure, future buildings are better placed to achieve BCA Green Mark Platinum-level performance.

The third strategy shows that environmental performance and development efficiency can reinforce each other. By reorganising the grid, circulation and development parcels, the masterplan improves productive land-use efficiency by approximately 20%.

Together, these measures establish an eco-economic model of development in which hydrological repair, biodiversity, microclimate, and economic value mutually reinforce one another. Rather than maximising built value first and adding nature later, the masterplan begins by repairing ecological systems, allowing urban, social and economic value to emerge from them.

The proposition is simple but fundamental: take care of nature, and nature, in turn, takes care of the city.