Geylang Serai Malay Village
Text by Eugene Tan
The Geylang Serai Malay Village was developed to revive the 'old' character of a Malay kampung. It was hoped that one could provide a quantifiable 'sense of place' through literal transpositions from Malay culture and history.
The Geylang Serai Malay Village was designed to look informal. Buildings within the compound were made to look additive, sporting differrent roof forms and material application, while their locations were planned to feel unplanned.
The Geylang Serai Malay Village adhered to strict fire controls. Although the compound featured handcrafted Meranti and Jarrah timbers, it was the overhead wires, PVC and zinc sheets (lifelike tableaus straight from kampungs), put together to such high detail that the safety hazards associated with informal settlements also became a concern.
The Geylang Serai Malay Village had a sheltered dropoff for tourbuses and a ticketed museum with a 'Kampung Days' experience.
The Geylang Serai Malay Village was demolished in 2012, making way for a new building with civic and community functions such as elder-care facilities and multi-purpose halls. Presumably the zoning has not changed.