​Ventilation Grilles
I N S I N G A P O R E & A R O U N D
An Excerpt William S.W. Lim, Architecture, Art, Identity in Singapore : Is there life after tabula rasa?
Critics have with mounting frequency lamented that the (Singapore) visual environment has in fact no context, landscape, scale or history. This phenomenon is not just limited to the physical aspects of Singapore, virtually all facets of society are characterized by similar erasure, demolition, and forgetting. To Peter Schoppert, however, ‘Singapore is about routes, not roots, and intersection point of the trajectories of a thousand journeys, Singapore is the sum of a hundred diaspora: at night, it seems everyone is dreaming about somewhere else.’
To put things in Context, here's a timeline of events that had an in/direct bearing on how these mild steel grilles came to be.
Modularity
'The power of modular design stems from its ability to create a strong visual impact from afar and the interest it arouses upon a closer look. Individually, the form of a module is developed in such a way that they can be rotated to fit one another; and the multiplication of this module then allows the growth of a single unique piece to a cohesive body of work that can be used to represent a particular architectural idea.
- Casting Architecture Ventilation Blocks, Florian Schatz, STUDENT’S NOTES ON: STRENGTH IN NUMBERS, Penny Hg & A, Chandar, P. 89
A brief history of Architecture in Singapore
From Kampongs to Shop Houses of the Art Deco Movement – A Study by URA
(Text to be updated)
Cross-referencing
Although we may not be able to ascertain the origins of this pattern, it is clear that its simple geometric form is versatile and easily applicable. We can make a qualified guess that this pattern was used widely as it was able to be scaled and translated in various ways, and tessellated on various mediums.
Replacing the Old with New Materials and Designs
The use of mild steel for window grilles and gates were too replaced by the use of alumunium. Aluminium was more lightweight and cheaper to produce. Standardized window and door grilles could be mass produced and sold as commodities to home owners who wanted them installed in their houses.
Bringing the Past Back with New Materials
City Square Mall Clothing Shop Front
The Cathay Shoe Shop Grille gates
Tampines One Shoe Shop Wallpaper and grilles
IMM Cafe Styling
City Square Mall Foodcourt Tray Collection Point Surface Decoration
With the awareness of the original designs and material of the mild steel grilles, I could not help but realize that there seems to be a come-back of sorts for them. So many shops have been using them as part of the styling for their shops. The materials used consist of some sort of plastic/light weight aluminium, according to their purpose or use.
I guess it is a good thing that there are like-minded people out there who also appreciate these grilles and are repurposing them with new materials and production means. I'm however not too sure about what to think of this trend.