20 things about FIVEFOOTWAY.com
1. Asian Architecture.
FIVEFOOTWAY.com is committed to the advancement of innovative positions in asian architecture. In an increasingly homogeneous world, context is everything. We feel that Asia and its people is rich with a diversity of opinions, potential and issues. We are interested in architecture from a uniquely Asian perspective and we engage it through research, journalism and action.
2. Quality Journalism.
FIVEFOOTWAY.com places great emphasis on original, well-researched, honest, critical writing. We scrutinize every press release we get and every piece of news we get from around the world. We give news the FIVEFOOTWAY analysis before sharing it with you.
3. Multi-national.
The Singapore-based Malaysian architect, the Japan-based Singaporean, the US-trained Thailand architect. Architects are operating across boundaries and this rich cultural mix defines the next generation of Asian architects. FIVEFOOTWAY.com benefits from having an international team and with this mix of cultures, the website delivers forward thinking and outward looking articles, productions and programmes.
4. Invest in Aesthetics.
We feel that there are too many copycat aesthetics out there. FIVEFOOTWAY.com promotes talented photographers,illustrators, graphic designers and picturemakers to achieve an original, coherent and distinctive aesthetic to all our productions. The high production quality of the website sets it apart from its peers. It is the website that architects are proud to be a part of.
5. Keep it Simple.
Being busy professionals, architects need to get their dose of news in a concise and effective manner. FiveFootWay keeps things simple to understand for maximum effectiveness.
6. Multimedia.
Text articles, photojournals, video productions, printed matter. Some mediums work better for some stories as compared to others. We are interested in producing good content and we do not limit ourselves by the medium. We are truly multi-media.
7. Multiplatform.
We exist as a website for your browser. We deliver our content via RSS for your RSS reader. We deliver our videos as podcasts for your iPod/iPhone. We feed it to our social network presence. We even deliver it via the slightly old-school email newsletters. Any way you like it, we make sure it gets out.
8. The Architecture Fraternity.
Everything we do, we think about the fraternity. Is it useful and informative? Does it advance a design discussion? Does it benefit the profession? If it doesn’t, it won’t be on FIVEFOOTWAY.com
9. Knowledge is Free.
We are strong believers in open-source knowledge. Access to FIVEFOOTWAY.com will be free and will continue to be so indefinitely. The way we see it, the more people read it and get exposed to good content, the better it benefits the whole profession. In fact, we will also attribute all our productions a Creative Commons License. So how do we earn our money? Read below.
10. No to advertisements.Yes to collaborative partnerships.
Being the forward thinking people that we are, we have chosen not to subscribe to the traditional advertisement model. There will be no banner adverts on the website as it diminishes the quality of the production. FIVEFOOTWAY.com will earn its revenue by engaging its commercial partners through its partnership program.
11. Celebrate Skills and Craft.
We love beautiful, well-made building components and well crafted buildings. We love craftsmen who make buildings become works of art. We respect and believe in the value of skilled work by the craftsmen, carpenters and specialized contractors. God is in the details.
12. Embrace Technology.
Technology advances the profession significantly and opens up new frontiers. We want to encourage our readers to embrace new technology with strong design integrity and reinvent the profession.
13. Talk the talk and walk the walk.
FIVEFOOTWAY.com readers are opinionated individuals who want to engage each other in open discussions. They are also the ones who will step up and do something to advance the profession. We want to engage this group and have a chat while walking the FiveFootWay together.
14. Driven by passion (and coffee).
Passion runs deep in FIVEFOOTWAY.com . From its founders, to its core production team, contributors, readers and commercial partners.
15. FIVEFOOTWAY is almost human.
We don’t want to become a faceless company that churns out productions and articles. We want our readers to have a relationship with FIVEFOOTWAY.com. We will continually improve our website to be intuitive and useful for the visitor. We will answer all emails personally and perhaps have a conversation with you. Occassionally, we will send out personal hand written snail mails. We might even add you as a friend on Facebook.
16. Slow and Steady.
The world is moving too fast. We are seeing a loss in quality as we rush out quantity. FIVEFOOTWAY.com advocates the slow route. We want to take our time, do things properly, enjoy the process and produce something high quality. Go on, take a slow sip on that coffee and feel the difference. We know you want to.
17. Don’t do to others what you don’t want to be done to you.
We hate spam. We hate pop-ups. We hate baseless accusations. We hate irresponsible behaviours. We are part of the architecture community and we will not give you things that you hate because we hate them too.
18. Engage Beginners and attract Experts.
Writing good articles and producing good productions doesn’t need to alienate different groups of people. We want to do quality stuff that will be accessible to those who are just starting out in Architecture and also to the professionals with 30 years experience whose excitement and expertise will draw others to the FIVEFOOTWAY.
19. Love the Environment
This is no corporate tagline. We really do. As architects, we have a huge responsibility to build sustainable buildings so that their 50 year life-spans won’t come at the expense of shortening human existence by 500 years. At FIVEFOOTWAY.com, we want to do our best for the environment. That includes working from home/wherever you want to reduce travelling/carbon footprint, a paperless working environment, educating others about the environment, and contributing in ways that we can to make a small difference to save/improve it.
20. ______________________
Intentionally blank. We are always open to new ideas and together we will fill that blank. Are you ready to be a part of this?