Holistic wellbeing is not yet fully integrated into our cities. Urban dwellers are strained in dimensions of psychological, social, and spiritual wellbeing. This project aims to claim urban space for wellbeing by providing self-contained retreat spaces inserted into Singapore’s Central Business District (CBD) in order to contest the prevailing urban narratives and cultures of career and economic pursuit.

Taking inspiration from monasteries, a system of symbiotic-parasitic spaces inserted into the urban landscape which act as local nodes of congregation to facilitate programmes of retreat. At the urban level, old ineffective office spaces are revitalised into life-giving space. At the user level, an ‘alternate’ domain is carved out that retreatants can enter to be refreshed in community or solitude, then return healthier back to the city.