by Chen Jiahao

Roaming the Block is conceived around a 60-year-old HDB slab block, Block 50 in Bukit Ho Swee—an area marked by the historic fire of 1961—and currently features a unique configuration of exclusively single-bedroom apartments. Some of these units serve as rental flats, reflecting a diverse occupancy that encompasses both owner-occupied and rented living spaces. ‘The Roaming Block’ denotes a series of temporary infrastructural additions that establish a new public housing typology, fostering flexible room and block reconfigurations. The aim is to facilitate the creation of temporary event spaces for celebrating work, community, and the estate’s rapidly diminishing practices. To this end, the project positions itself within the temporal context of the Hungry Ghost Festival. It reimagines the activation of the old block by a new generation of occupants, the majority of whom work from home. The project envisions how an estate rich in sociocultural and historical significance can enliven the contemporary landscape of home-based work-life.