September 30, 2008 | Broadcast | News

RIBA moves into Hong Kong, Singapore and the Gulf

by Dan Stewart, Building.co.uk - The RIBA is to launch three overseas chapters in response to a rise in expatriate membership.

The institute will set up chapters in the UAE, Hong Kong and Singapore. The Singapore chapter, which will open before the end of the year, will be led by architect Goh Chong Chia; the Gulf chapter will open next year and be led by Simon Crispe, regional commercial director for Atkins. The Hong Kong chapter will open later in 2009.

The new entities will be similar to the RIBA’s US chapter, its only other international body, which works in collaboration with the American Institute of Architects.

More from Building.co.uk

September 29, 2008 | Broadcast | News

2009 Metropolis Next Generation® Design Competition Challenges Designers to Fix Our Energy Addiction

Metropolis magazine challenges young designers to apply their innovative talents to our energy addiction and rethink the broken models that represented 20th-century life and work. The Metropolis Next Generation® Design Competition, which has been promoting activism, social involvement, and entrepreneurship in design since 2003, is supported this year by sponsors ASSA ABLOY, Herman Miller, Inc., and Sherwin-Williams.

This year Metropolis is taking its cues from the headlines. Rising energy costs is the focus of the worldwide competition, which is open to all designers in practice for 10 years or less, as well as to students. The magazine seeks entries at all scales of design-urban, landscape, building, interior, object, communication-and for every aspect of the man-made environment.

Visit www.metropolismag.com/nextgen for entry details, and watch for ongoing updates from Metropolis magazine on this important competition.

September 29, 2008 | Broadcast | Jobs

Singapore Tourism Board Calls for Partners to Support its Participation at the World Expo Shanghai 2010

Singapore-based or registered companies will soon have the opportunity to showcase their creativity and talent to the millions of visitors expected at the World Expo Shanghai 2010. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is looking for a multi-disciplinary team that possesses excellent track records to develop an exciting and innovative design for the Singapore Pavilion at the World Expo Shanghai 2010, a 150-year old global exposition which aims to promote the worldwide exchange of ideas and the development of world economy, culture, science and technology.

Themed “Better City, Better Life 城市，让生活更美好”, World Expo Shanghai 2010 will explore the full potential of urban life in the 21st century, amidst forecasts that 55 per cent of the world’s population will live in cities by the year 2010. World Expo Shanghai 2010 will be the first World Expo to be held in a
developing country and is set to be the largest World Expo in history. It will centre on innovation and interaction, offering an important platform for crossnation dialogues to address the challenge of building sustainable cities. The World Expo is the world’s third largest event in terms of economic and cultural
impact, after the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games.

The closing date for the submission of credentials is 8 October 2008. More information and templates for submission can be obtained via the Government Electronic Business website address www.gebiz.gov.sg.

For more information, contact
Mr Daniel Tan
Manager, International Communications
Singapore Tourism Board
DID: +65 68313480
Email: Daniel_Tan@stb.gov.sg

Ms Tan Yen Nee
Assistant Director, Corporate Communications
Singapore Tourism Board
DID: +65 68313867
Email: Tan_Yen_Nee@stb.gov.sg

Or you may also reach the STB Media Hotline at 9011 2071.

September 29, 2008 | Broadcast | Jobs

Archifest Fringe Event: Design My place workshop facilitators needed.

Design My Place Workshop is back! It is a fringe event held in conjunction with Archifest 2008. We are looking for a group of passionate and energetic facilitators/volunteers to lead a group of secondary school students involved in the workshop.

What is the workshop about? Design My Place is a workshop for students, organized by Really Architecture [re:act],to induct the youth into the mysteries of architecture and urban design. The students will be studying a neighborhood area in Singapore and come up with designs that will help improve the area. These suggestions could form a resource and become an ideas-bank from which the authorities might consider translating into actual projects, empowering the youths to take initiatives, and making positive changes for the community.

As a facilitator, you should be energetic coupled with a pleasant disposition or an infectious personality. You should enjoy working and relating with youths. Those with an architectural background are preferred. People with design related background could be considered as well.

Facilitators’ Info Session …… 6 Oct 2008, 7pm

Facilitators’ Training … 18 Oct 2008, 9am – 7pm

Workshop Dates … 24 – 26 Oct 2008, 3 full days

We still need more workshop facilitators!

If you’re keen to volunteer, pls drop me an email. You’re invited to attend the Info Session on 6 Oct to find out more about the workshop and your roles as a Workshop Facilitator.

For more, contact Jenny at 9878 7753

September 29, 2008 | Broadcast | Events

SUB-Lime: A study of Kampong Kapor 24th- Sept-5th Oct

The exhibition, titled “Project Sub(lime) (A Study of Kampong Kapor)” is an urban study and design exercise on Kampong Kapor that we have conducted in our first year, exploring the “In-between spaces” near Little India, and designing structures that contribute uniquely to their community.

Within the exhibition itself, there will be 10 individual projects showcased, with approximately 39 panels and construction drawings, as well as 10 formal models and numerous sketch models. This exhibition is part of the September programme in the Singapore Biennale 2008 which will take place from 9 Sep to 16 Nov.

Project Sub(lime) (A Study of Kampong Kapor) will be held on the 24th September to the 5th October, Mon to Sun. Location: Post-Museum, 107+109, Rowell Road, Singapore 208033 (in Little India).

September 27, 2008 | Broadcast | News

Towering Ambition: The world’s biggest building site opens in Dubai

What seemed to be the scorn and joke of the world has now become a serious reality: The rest of the world might be mothballing its grandiose construction projects but Dubai goes on booming. Barely a week goes by without the emirate claiming another architectural superlative, as evidenced by the stupendous Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest structure: 160 storeys and still rising. You could add to the list the world’s largest shopping mall, airport, hotel and bridge. Dubai could announce it was building an exact replica of London, only twice the size, and nobody would bat an eyelid.

Yesterday saw the opening of Atlantis, a 1,500-room resort on the outer fringe of the famous Palm Island, with water parks, brand new beaches and imported dolphins. In a couple of years it will doubtless be overshadowed by the new Donald Trump-backed hotel on the Palm. Or possibly Al Burj - a planned skyscraper even taller than the Burj Dubai. Not to mention the revolving skyscraper, the underwater hotel or Dubai Waterfront - a new land mass twice the size of Hong Kong.

Read more from The Guardian

September 23, 2008 | Broadcast | News

Verdant Surfaces

“As the benefits of green walls and roofs become common knowledge, interest grows as rapidly as the vegetation”
From Architectural Record’s Greensource Magazine, this article is a part of ArchRecord’s Continuing Education Series. In this latest issue, the chatter centres on Green Roofs, a timely choice of conversation in this period that we may very well soon label the a veritable ‘green’ age in architecture.

The article has aims (after a good read), to have readers:

1. Describe the benefits of green roofs and walls.
2. Explain how green roofs and walls are created.
3. Describe current projects using vegetated surfaces.

For more on green, see the article here

September 18, 2008 | Broadcast | News

The World’s First Underground Stadium

The Times - If all goes to plan, ‘The Wall’ stadium in Doha, Qatar’s capital city, will claim two firsts: The world’s first underground stadium and the world’s first open-air, air-conditioned stadium. There’s a long way to go however and the stadium is not due to be completed untl 2010 at the earliest, however if the finished product looks anything like the plans released by MZ & Partners Architects then paying spectators are in for a treat.

Get the rest of the article and more images fromThe Times

September 13, 2008 | Broadcast | Events

ARCHIFEST 08 Fringe event update: The BCA Gallery

BCA (Building Construction Authority) Gallery is a showcase of the development of Singapore’s built environment. The four key pillars of an excellent built environment, namely, safety, quality, sustainability and friendly, are highlighted collectively in this multi-sensory treat of interactive exhibits, model showcases and pull-out panels.

Visitors to the BCA Gallery will experience an interactive journey of Singapore’s building development through the years and gain insights into BCA’s integral role in shaping a safe, sustainable, high quality and friendly built environment now and for the future.

The BCA Gallery is a free tour targeted at students and working professionals, and has 4 zones for visit with each zone featuring interactive and sophisticated exhibits.

• Zone 1 - Dimensions of Growth
• Zone 2 - Building for Safety and Excellence
• Zone 3 - Towards Our Vision
• Extended zone – Outdoor gardens

For Archifest 08 in October,  BCA will be having an open house for the gallery month of October. In addition, BCA Gallery will also be open on Saturday for visitors. The tour of the BCA Gallery takes approximately an hour. All tours to the Gallery are guided and prior tour arrangement is necessary.

Please call 6248 9930 or email to bca_gallery@bca.gov.sg for arrangement on guided tours.

Operating details:
The tour hours of the BCA Gallery are :
Monday to Friday (3-31 October) | 9.30am, 10.30am, 11.30am, 2.00pm, 3.00pm & 4.00pm
Saturday (only in the month of October) | 4 Oct, 11 Oct and 25 Oct | 9.30am & 11.00am

For more details on the Gallery, please log on to http://www.bca.gov.sg/BCAGallery/bca_gallery.html

Click here for more information on Archifest 08 from FIVEFOOTWAY.com

September 11, 2008 | Broadcast | Events | News

ARCHIFEST 08: Architours Open for registration

ARCHIFEST 08: Architours is now open for registration.

The hugely popular ArchiTours returns again through 3 weekends in the month of October. In keeping with the overall theme of Man+Environment, the tours will be split up into 4 distinctly themed routes, each dealing with a different aspect of Singaporean Architecture presented in a fun and engaging way.

Some locations Architours will be visiting include Biopolis at One-North, Wessex Estate, Lasalle College of the Arts and Marina Barrage. When the sun goes down, tours will continue to several architects’ offices to get an insight into how our built environment is conceptualized, ending off with drinks at various bars.

Ticketing Information

Tickets can be purchased via SISTIC at www.sistic.com.sg or via SISTIC hotline at +65 6348 5555.

All tours start and end at the National Library. Find out more.

September 11, 2008 | Broadcast | Events

ARCHIFEST 08 Forum: Open for registration

FORUM: MAN + ENVIRONMENT

16 & 17 Oct 08 | Drama Centre @ National Library

The ARCHIFEST 08 forum is now open for registration!

The ArchiFest Forum 2008 will be discuss the theme MAN+ENVIRONMENT, inviting professionals, academics and students of the architecture field to re-examine the relationship of Architecture with the Environment.

This complex relationship encompasses context, genius loci, history, culture, economics, and technology to the growing concern about the role of Architecture in the degradation of our environment that could contribute to global warming, climate change, displacement and alienation. These are clear and present issues facing many countries all over the world. It is therefore befitting and timely to adopt the theme “MAN+ENVIRONMENT”, for this year’s ArchiFest 08, to drive home the point for balancing mankind’s needs and the environment.

Speakers include:

Andrew Maynard (Australia)
Gerard Reinmuth (Australia)
Fernando Menis (Spain)
Ken Yeang (Malaysia)
Pok Siew Fatt (Singapore)
Richard Hassell (Singapore)
Jo Noero(South Africa)
Madhura Prematilleke (Sri Lanka)

Two days of discussion, exchange and networking awaits you at ArchiFest Forum 2008.

TICKETING INFORMATION

Catch the Early Bird Discount between 1 Sept – 1 Oct and enjoy special discounts off every ticket bought!

Attendees will be accredited 8 CPD points.

PRICES

NON SIA MEMBER - Early Bird Discount (1Sept–1Oct) =$225 / Normal = $250

SIA/BOA/CIJC/ARCASIA MEMBER - Early Bird Discount (1Sept–1Oct) =$200 / Normal = $225

STUDENT - Early Bird Discount (1Sept–1Oct) =$75 / Normal = $100

ArchiFest Package Discount: Buy 5 passes, get the 6th FREE!

To see all posts about ARCHIFEST on FIVEFOOTWAY.com, click here.

September 11, 2008 | Broadcast | Events

ARCHIFEST 08:Exhibitions, Forum, Architours and Fringe Events.

EXHIBITIONS

6-26 Oct . various locations

A collection of exhibitions will be held at the Plaza of the National Library Building and Hort Park, featuring award-winning works from various architectural competitions as well as internationally acclaimed urban designs. Exhibitions will be launched on World Architecture Day, 6 October 2008. Find out more.

FORUM: MAN + ENVIRONMENT

16 & 17 Oct 08 . Drama Centre @ National Library
The two-day Archifest 08 Forum brings together a stellar lineup of speakers who will be addressing the challenges of Man and our environment. How the architects practice can make as much difference to the built environment as their talents, tastes or tendencies. Featuring a panel of carefully-selected speakers including Fernando Menis (Spain), Jo Noero (South Africa) and Andrew Maynard (Australia). Find out more.

ARCHITOURS

3–5, 10–12, 17–19 Oct (Fri–Sun) . Various locations . ticketed event
The hugely successful Architours returns again through 3 weekends in the month of October. In keeping with the overall theme of Man+Environment, the tours will be split up into 4 distinctly themed routes, each dealing with a different aspect of Singaporean Architecture presented in a fun and engaging way.

Some locations Architours will be visiting include Biopolis at One-North, Wessex Estate, Lasalle College of the Arts and Marina Barrage. When the sun goes down, tours will continue to several architects’ offices to get an insight into how our built environment is conceptualized, ending off with drinks at various bars. Find out more.

FRINGE EVENTS

Various locations

A myriad of fringe events for all ages: Over the month of October, grab good reads at the NLB, get the little ones involved in re-thinking lighting for the environment with Light Up Ninja Junior, attend the Design My Place Workshop for JC students, be wowed by 112 works by 28 award winning photographers at My Favorite Place Photography Exhibition, and many more! Find out more.

To see all posts about ARCHIFEST on FIVEFOOTWAY.com, click here.

September 10, 2008 | Articles | Features

FIVEFOOTWAY V2.0

After a year of posting articles, we felt that the FIVEFOOTWAY needed a refresher. We wanted to lay the foundations for future growth and also to respond to the lessons that we’ve learned from talking to our readers. And so, calling on our experience of operating over the past year (and also experiences of others), we worked towards creating Version 2.0 of the website.

We started thinking about the re-design at a conceptual level to understand the goals of the version. The first step was to flesh out the fundamental goals of the website and then striving to achieve it. We then made the decision to work with another designer to bring a fresh pair of eyes to oversee the refining process and that’s where Octopus Ink came in. Working closely, we explored and identified the key ideas that needed to be captured within V2.0.

The Redesign Concept

At its very core, Version 2.0 is about removing informational and visual clutter from the website. While some extra snippets of information are useful for a website user, some of it merely serves to distract. Considering that our main readers are highly educated professionals and professionals-to-be who are very pressed for time, we feel that the removal of visual clutter was fundamental to making FIVEFOOTWAY.com truly useful. By examining the value of these information and also its positioning in a webpage, we worked towards making every bit of information on the website truly usable.

We decided that while there was a need to freshen things up, certain key elements of the website should be retained and refined to strengthen its identity. This thinking was applied to our logo redesign and also in the selection of the colour palette. We also decided to tweak the website layout structure rather than introducing a completely new layout so as to develop a sense of continuity and familiarity.

Home Page: Information at a glance

The most obvious change to a visitor would be the home page of FIVEFOOTWAY.com.  We maintained the slideshow as the visual anchor of the page and arranged other information around it.  As compared to the previous version that required much scrolling, we have attempted to display the information in a more compact manner without compromising on clarity.

On top of that, we’ve introduced the calendar on the front page where a simple mouse over brings up a box to show the events happening on that day. We also introduced a subtle touch to the front page for a better experience by having a grey background upon having the mouse over the article title. Ultimately, we hope that the front page will be more useful for a visitor.

The Articles

For each of our articles, we’ve introduced a 2-column layout; the right being the supporting information and the left, the main article. The right-column now shows the title, the article credits and a new addition: the summary. This 20-word summary serves as a preface for the full article and we believe that this will be a useful feature for one of those random-surfing days.

So what happens when you reach the end of the article? After much thought, we concluded that you might be inclined to do something as a reaction to the article. With that, we present to you the Tool box, the Related Posts and also the Comment Box. These ‘call to action’ serves to use the article that have just been read as the point of departure for further action related to the topic and this is in line with what we want to achieve at FIVEFOOTWAY.com- to encourage discussion and action.

Menu Hierarchy

We also realised that there are a lot of things that we want to share with our readers but the problem was about ordering it in a manner that was easy to find. So now, there are 2 bands of menu, one at the top and the other at the bottom.

The top menu is directly related to the articles and features of the site; Feature, Report, Review and Broadcast. The one at the bottom leads to supporting information that we feel you might want to know. We highly recommend reading our “Philosophy” page to get a glimpse into the FIVEFOOTWAY soul.

And more!

There are also other technical improvements that we’ve done under the hood for example; upgrading the Wordpress engine, cleaning up our CSS so that it loads faster, installing plug-ins for added capabilities, moving to a Singapore based server for faster loading time and installing a new newsletter subscription engine amongst others. We are also working on refining our tagging system so that “Related Posts” will show more relevant content for you.

There will be more visual and technical tweaks that will be done in the coming month as we iron out the bugs and make changes with feedback from you. We want to make the FIVEFOOTWAY experience a plesant one. Do leave a comment on this post or drop us an email at office[at]fivefootway.com to tell us how we are doing and what needs changes.

One more thing…

Fresh from working hard on getting FIVEFOOTWAY.com refreshed, we are now working on getting a new section on the website up by late 2008/early 2009. We present to you, The “FIVEFOOTWAY shop”, an online concept store where one can find products and publications (among other things) to feed the architectural mind,soul and life. We think that it is time for a carefully curated concept store by architects for architects. More details will be made available in the coming months. Meanwhile, hope you keep walking on the FIVEFOOTWAY!

September 5, 2008 | Broadcast | News

India: Sparks fly over restoration of historic Delhi hub

An £85m redevelopment of Connaught Place, the historic commercial centre designed for imperial Delhi by the British Raj architect Robert Tor Russel, has run into a storm of criticism just as the first phase has been completed.

The restoration of the first of Connaught Place’s colonnaded neo-Paladian buildings was completed in August under the urban renewal project, which is due to be finished by July 2010. But the work has faced criticism from conservation architects as well as local traders… moore from The Guardian.co.uk

Via Maseeh Rahman in Delhi
The Guardian, Thursday September 4 2008

September 5, 2008 | Broadcast | Events | News

Construction World Awards India’s Top Builders, Architects

The 3rd Construction World Architect & Builders Awards were distributed by the Governor of Maharashtra to recognize exceptional work done by Architects and Builders in various aspects of infrastructure and real estate industry.

CW Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

# # #

Spin Communiqué is corporate reputation management consultancy to assist in the image enhancement of clients. With offices in India and Middle East Asia, it has helped over sixty national and international brands. It is an ideas agency.

September 3, 2008 | Broadcast | News

Popo Danes: Architect with a green conscience

The Jakarta Post , Wasti Atmodjo -

Popo Danes is a multi-faceted, modern individual.

For the island’s contemporary arts circles, he is known as a generous patron, who, through his Danes Art Veranda, has continuously provided ample space and strong support for the development of Bali’s young, progressive and avant-garde artists.

For the island’s rights activists, Popo is among the most ardent proponents of the establishment of a modern and democratic civil society.

For the local environmentalists, Popo is an articulate and influential voice, which tirelessly badgers the local administrations for better, eco-friendly development policies.

For Popo himself, he is just an architect, who believes that anybody can make a difference.

“It (the change) could be big or small, but any person can make an impact in the world,” he told The Jakarta Post.

Popo chooses to make that change through his work as an architect.

More from The Jakarta Post website

September 2, 2008 | Features | Q&A

A conversation with Kengo Kuma

Established Japanese architect, Prof. Kengo Kuma was in Singapore as part of the Distinguished Lecturer Series organised by the National University of Singapore in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of the Department of Architecture. Scheduled to speak about the subject of “Anti-Object”, Kuma’s lecture was filled to the brim with students and architects alike.

Prof. Kengo Kuma spoke to FIVEFOOTWAY.com before the lecture and chats about the state of Architecture today.

From Contrast to Blending in

“Architecture in the 20th Century was very much about creating contrast between the building and its context but in the 21st Century, buildings should blend in with its environment.” Those were the words of Prof. Kuma as he speaks about what his architecture is attempting to do. True to those words, the works of Prof. Kuma has never been about making a loud architectural statement but rather, a quiet calming presence that seems to live with harmony with its surroundings.

In his opinion, architecture must not be an object, but merely a device for the framing of life and the environment. Prof. Kuma takes great care in ensuring that his buildings achieve this and it is best manifested in his meticulous attention to details. “The typical size of the materials that are used matter”, says Kengo Kuma. “If it is too big, it will destroy the harmony with the environment. If it’s too small, it will disappear instead of blending into the environment”.

Search for the Local

When asked, Prof. Kuma also expressed his concern that cities are “becoming too similar” and if this is the eventual effect of globalization on cities around the world then he feels that it is “a tragedy”. Prof. Kuma proposes that because of this, it is even more important for architects to learn how to search for the distinguishing local element in every site.

While this might perhaps be easier in less developed areas it is not entirely impossible for dense urban areas. Prof. Kuma feels that the idea of the local can still exist even in cities such as Tokyo or Singapore. “One needs to observe the city carefully, break down the city into smaller districts and look for the local elements”.

Prof. Kuma believes that going local is not a romantic concept but rather one that makes economic and design sense.  “The material that can be obtained from the site is perhaps the material that is best acclimatized to the local climate. Also, when these materials come from local sources, it reduces the transportation costs incurred.”, he adds.

Feeling Singapore

When asked what he ‘felt’ about in Singapore, Prof. Kuma responded that he was most impressed by the co-existence of the dense urban developments and lush greenery.

He also added that such dense development have significant advantages when it comes to creating a sustainable environment. This, he proposes, is the way forward for cities as we realize the folly of sprawling suburbanisation

And to the quality of these dense buildings that we have in Singapore today, he said that while they are efficient, there is nothing special about them, a point that would perhaps be applicable to a large majority of the buildings standing today. Perhaps one day, if Prof Kuma were to get a commission to build in Singapore, he could realise his dream of “building a new kind of high-rise”.  To extrapolate from his Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey headquarters where he utilised wooden mullions for a building in metropolitan Tokyo, it would definitely be interesting to see how Prof. Kuma would deal with the Singapore context.

After the short interview, Prof. Kengo Kuma proceeded in delivering his lecture to the eager crowd. His pulling power was there for all to see as architects took time off their busy schedule to return to the University for the lecture. Enthusiastic students crowded round the aisles and steps of the theater and those who couldn’t fit into the room had to be content with a space in the next room where the lecture was telecasted live.

During the lecture proper, Prof. Kengo Kuma presented his range of projects to demonstrate his design principles manifested in practice. With his witty remarks, Prof. Kuma shared with the audience his thought processes and ideas that were embedded within his designs. In particular, his detail of including sprinkler heads within the wooden facade of the LV building in Tokyo to work around the city regulations were greeted with amusement and a nod in agreement to this man’s brilliance.

Prof. Erwin Viray perhaps summed it up the best in his closing remarks, citing Kengo Kuma as an example of an architect who has the uncanny ability to use architecture to evoke a romantic atmosphere without being overly nostalgic and he does this with a solid grounding in an understanding of tradition, materiality and technology.

September 2, 2008 | Features | Q&A

Asians - Architecture education. AA