Paya Lebar Air Base

We therefore envision PLAB to be a new model for modern planning that restores nature in its purest form back into the built environment. It will be a Coded Forest that is essentially a network of intelligent forests that feeds essential information for growth and survival to researchers and residents through the use of technology. These forests will be connected via water channels and tributaries carved out of the former airport’s taxiways and runway that serve as important conveyance means for people, services and goods-a subtle reminder of how the runway and taxiways used to connect the airport to the world.

The former Paya Lebar airport will therefore be transformed into a key feature to this Coded Forest and be repurposed to become the new Singapore University for Resilience and Recovery in Nature (SURRIN). And with the military airbase moved to its new home in Changi and plot ratio limitations of surrounding areas lifted, a new landmark comprising a podium and high-rise tower constructed in timber will arise from the building’s belly to house new residents, teaching staff or students who will in turn activate spaces within and around SURRIN. This would ensure that the new mixed-use building will be teeming with life, incorporating all elements of live, work and play and offering it a new lease of life.