Homes are for everyone
An exercise with Habitat for Humanity Singapore -
BuildBuilt exists to design and build special spaces, for special people =)
Everyone is unique. We need a customized space for our individual characters to help us grow. Spaces and the immediate environment can influence us into a brighter future.
Think: A chair, a spoon, a bicycle, and even a banana (nature and God are as creative!) - design should be made simple and accessible for everyone to utilise, everyone to enjoy. No matter your race, religion, or plight in life, you will appreciate good design when come by it.
Let's be hopeful. Let’s be aware that there exists people who are less fortunate. They too should be deserving of not only good design but simply, a home.
In 2021, we joined hands with Habitat For Humanity Singapore. At that time, we were for the most part, giving financially to their cause. This year, we took some time and sent 5 teams from BuildBuilt to volunteer. They laid down their designer and project management hardhats to tidy homes. These homes belong to homeowners who do not have the ability to keep their own spaces clean, healthy or safe.
Qi Xuan switching out his DR Team tools with gloves to tackle the clutter
Thankfully, some of our teammates had experience in community service! Kelly was excited as she had memories of community work whilst in school. But some of us were less excited, and more anxious instead!
As Marcus quipped, ‘most of us were a little nervous, not knowing what to expect!’
Rachel, who never had the chance to volunteer for such works jumped on the opportunity to help.
As the luck of the draw went, some teams had manageable spaces. Others, well, had to deal with bed bugs, roaches, and fat-fat lizards underfoot.
Rachel remembered how she had to mentally prepare for the exercise. She had to play out the worse physical scenarios in her mind. This method helped her through the clean-up, and she was able to focus on securing the day's objectives!
But the physical scene dissipated and the inhabitants took center stage.
Alfred, one of BuildBuilt’s designers, thought that giving back to the community was important. But he met with a rude shock when he found out how these hapless inhabitants were living. He mentioned that it felt like he was in a real-life documentary!
Something familiar for Marcus to work on
Marcus’ group went beyond packing and organising. In BB’s typical fashion, he provided an additional service of painting some of Mr. Soh’s walls!
Xiwen, a project manager at BuildBuilt, harbored curious thoughts about the personal lives of the homeowners. She wondered how they found themselves in these unfortunate states. Even though she tried her best, Xiwen also wondered about the impact going forward, and if there’s more to do? At the realisation of the mountain of need, and the lack of hands to help, we do wonder how else to create the awareness.
Xiwen with the friendly homeowner
Some of us were moved by the home owner’s gestures of offering us drinks to hydrate after a tough day of work. As Rachel recounted, the three hours of scrapping and cleaning left the team tired, but immensely satisfied and proud.
Lucas Tan (rightmost) and his team wrapping it up
Lucas, a designer with BuildBuilt summarised his experience as such:
“The sight before me did not cross my threshold for disgust and cleaning the unit was actually a manageable process until I had to remove 2 buckets of soaked clothing covered in a top layer of faecal matter. Having disturbed the peace in the ecosystem that has exists for months untouched released a pungent and putrid smell which will probably leave a lasting impression.
As much as I have slightly improved the state of living of my benefactor, I have also learnt from this experience through realising how blessed it is to have community around you to support you through various life stages. For such a unit to be located 5 minutes from where I live made me realise that it's even more important to look out for the people around you, even if it means going out of the way for a stranger.”
Kelly
‘The experience with Habitat for Humanity really made me realise how privileged I am to be living and working in clean environments, and a strong mental health support system. There are people who struggle with issues like these that directly affect their quality of life. I hope that we will be able to do more for them in the future.’
Rachel
“I was reminded through this exercise that design is critical, especially for those in need. The type of furniture and even materials selected for homes need to be properly thought out for personal safety and hygiene.”
From left: Xi Wen, Jessica, Rachel, Lucas Heng and Hafizan
Alfred
‘The whole experience was eye-opening. As designers, our goal is to create meaningful and beautiful spaces, improving the spatial quality of the users. It has inspired me on how we can do so, not just for our regular clients, but also those in need, just by playing our part in helping them.’
That’s all we have for this round of volunteering with Habitat for Humanity Singapore! If you’re an organisation focused on giving back to the community, drop us an email at hello@buildbuilt.co and see what we can create together!