THE PROJECT INVOLVES Bretrofitting and revamping an old 10-storey school building into a 250-bed nurse hostel building that comes complete with its own communal amenities like social pantry, dining hall, recreational lounges and multi-purpose rooms. An existing open carpark has also been converted into a landscape deck comprising of an open lawn, community garden, fitness park, and outdoor dining, to complement the communal living experience for the nurses. At the urban scale, the building facade has the opportunity to introduce a new wall mural that enliven the streetscape along Selegie Road and contrast itself against the surrounding higher-rise commercial buildings which are typically cladded in glass and aluminium.

Using bold colours and lush landscaping, OWAA Architects has given this old school compound a complete make-over in terms of the architectural, landscape and interior designs. The façade concept take reference from the multitude of colours found in the different nurse uniforms in Singapore, each having their own colours of sleeves, collars and buttons. The result is a kaleidoscope of colours that not only gives the building a unique identity against the urban skyline of glass cladded buildings but also stands as an expression of unity in colours that symbolize the unity amongst the nurses of different races, nationalities, religions and cultures, working in Singapore. This strategy of bold colours continues from the outdoors into the interiors of the building to create a conducive “home” where the nurses find their personal abode and retreat to rest and socialize after work.