The work celebrates the spatial richness of the shophouse typology by illustrating a cross-section that layers past, present, and speculative futures. Within its frames, viewers encounter vignettes of Joo Chiat’s history: plantations that once defined the landscape, bustling kopitiams, and domestic interiors that speak of everyday life. Alongside these familiar memories, imagined futures unfold, such as vertical farms embedded within heritage walls, hinting at the adaptability and resilience of this architectural form.

Beyond nostalgia, the mural is an homage to the anatomy of the shophouse. Its layered construction, porous thresholds, and capacity for reinvention are laid bare for all to see. At the same time, the work offers the public an introduction to how architects represent space. What is often seen as an abstract or inaccessible drawing becomes a legible and playful composition, inviting passers-by to step into the mindset of the designer.