November 26, 2009 | Broadcast | Exhibitions | Showcase
Landslide 2008: Marvels of Modernism
“Marvels of Modernism” at The Andy Warhol Museum celebrates landscape architects’ “experimental and innovative” public and private spaces that, until recently, “have been misunderstood and under appreciated.”
November 7, 2009 | Broadcast | Competitions | Showcase
South African Interpretation Centre wins World Building of the Year at World Architecture Festival Awards 2009
Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre in South Africa, designed by Peter Rich Architects of Johannesburg, has won global architecture’s most coveted accolade of World Building of the Year at the prestigious World Architecture Festival Awards (WAF Awards) 2009.
The presentation took place during a special awards ceremony, which marked the conclusion of global architecture summit the World Architecture Festival, at the Centre Convencions International Barcelona (CCIB) on 6th November.
Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre, which is situated at the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers, is designed to house artifacts from the region’s prehistory. The project is underpinned by a strong social programme, using the skills and labour of local people and involving them in the design and construction process. Judges praised the project for its roughness and hand-crafted intelligence. They also admired the way in which it handled issues of sustainability and its relationship to the landscape.
The WAF Awards form the biggest architectural awards programme in the world and are designed to celebrate and showcase the work of the international architectural community. The WAF Awards are unique in that they involve shortlisted architects presenting their projects live to more than 1,500 delegates, distinguished architects and renowned industry experts during World Architecture Festival between the 4th and 6th of November.
Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre was selected from a total of 15 finalists, by a ‘super-jury’ chaired by Raphael Viñoly of Rafael Viñoly Architects PC, which included Kengo Kuma, Farshid Moussavi, Suha Ozkan and Matthias Sauerbruch. The finalists were whittled down from a shortlist of over 270 projects.
Speaking at the WAF Awards Paul Finch, WAF programme director and editor of Architectural Review, said: “The super-jury faced a tough challenge to choose a winner from such a strong list of finalists. Yet again we received a huge response to these fiercely contested Awards, with 272 projects shortlisted from a 67 different countries. The wide geographical range and quality of this year’s designs were exceptionally high and offers a real insight into the current condition and diversity of global architecture. Our congratulations go to Peter Rich Architects who thoroughly deserve to receive world architecture’s highest accolade.”
Collecting the World Building of the Year Award, Peter Rich said: “I will continue my quest to be of service to the less privileged, because they deserve it.”
Commenting that his next project would be in Ethiopia, Rich added: “I’m going to continue the good fight and take it to the world.”
This is the 2nd year the World Architecture Festival Awards have been presented. Last year’s overall winner of World Building of the Year 2008 was Luigi Bocconi University, Milan, designed by Irish practice Grafton Architects. The Awards look beyond borders to celebrate the finest work from the world’s greatest architects.
In addition to the 15 categories in the World Building of the Year, for buildings completed in the last year, this year’s Awards feature three new sections – Interiors and Fit-Out, Structural Design and Future Projects, which celebrates excellence in design for projects still on the drawing board.
The World Structural Design of the Year Award went to upi-2m for Arena Zagreb in Croatia, the World Future Project of the Year Award was given to Miralles Tagliabue Embt for the Spanish Pavilion for 2010 Expo Shanghai and the World Interiors & Fit Out of the Year Award was won by Amanda Levete Architects for the Corian Super-Surfaces Showroom.
November 2, 2009 | Broadcast | Showcase
Enclosed Open House by Wallflower Architecture + Design
Wallflower Architecture + Design have sent us images of a recently completed project in Singapore. continue >>>
October 13, 2009 | Broadcast | Showcase
1F Cluny Road
Designed by RichardHO Architects, 1F Cluny Road is a winner in Category A of the Architectural Heritage Awards (AHAs) 2009. Organised by Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), the award aims to recognise owners, architects, engineers and contractors who have sensitively restored heritage buildings for present-day use.
June 16, 2009 | Broadcast | Showcase
UN Peace Park and UN Memorial Hall, Chungju, South Korea
The project of the UN Peace Park was initiated by the City of Chungju in honour of the current General Secretary of the United Nations Organization and native of Chungju, Ban Ki-Moon. The project will be the new cultural landmark for the city, spreading out along the banks of the river Namhangang and to the north of the Natural Park Tangeumdae. This cultural aspiration culminates in the design of the new UN Memorial Hall, creating a new landmark building for Chungju.
June 10, 2009 | Broadcast | Showcase
mAAN
If you haven’t visited the refreshed mAAN website lately, I suggest you do. Redesigned by our friends at Octopus Ink, the website is easier on the eyes. You might also be interested in the 2010 worKonference that’s coming up soon. Visit the mAAN website at www.maan.org
June 8, 2009 | Broadcast | Showcase
Fukuyama City Central Library by Nikken Sekkei
The Fukuyama City Central Library is a complex building completed in March 2008 housing a municipal library with a capacity of about 650,000 books. Other facilities included are Historical Material Library, meeting rooms, child-rearing support centre and a satellite studio for the University of the Air.
June 5, 2009 | Broadcast | Showcase
Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention Center
The administration of the booming city of Guangzhou decided to develop a new administrative centre to the north of the downtown area, on the site of the old airport, at the edge of the historical landscape of the Baiyun Mountains. - full details at WAN
May 22, 2009 | Broadcast | News | Showcase
“People say it’s the end of the icon project,” she says. “Psssht.”
In a sobering interview with the only female architect to have won the Pritzker Prize, Tom Dyckhoff reveals what seems to be the personality and history of the architectural iconoclast whose name precedes even herself:
Nothing withers like a withering look from Hadid. Her eyes are ablaze. “I think it’s too simplistic to say there’ll be no more exuberance in architecture. Just look back. Norman Foster’s Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank — when was that commissioned? During a recession. The Pompidou Centre? In a recession. Lloyd’s? It’s too simplistic to say we’re all afraid, we can’t do icons, we have to restrain. What does that mean exactly?”
via The Times Online
May 11, 2009 | Broadcast | Showcase
More of Tyersall House / Istana Woodneuk
Images contributed by Mohd Khalid Aijaz Khan.
More of his works at http://www.flickr.com/photos/khalidonmove/2080474448/in/set-72157603356027439/
April 27, 2009 | Broadcast | Showcase
Filament 2009: Reclaim Land, For Rent, Make.Shift.
Filament ‘09 is an annual showcase of audio and visual projects from the graduating students of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Singapore. This year’s event will feature 11 video projects (10 from the division of Electronic and Broadcasting Media, and one from the division of Journalism) and 1 audio project.
Reclaim Land
One which has caught our attention is “Reclaim Land”, a project about stories by ordinary people who have created their own places despite living in the city-state of Singapore that is just over 700 kilometres-square in size — so small that some have called it a “little red dot”.
The accompanying website, reclaimland.sg, features Stories, a multimedia gallery, a Q & A section and a Blog that captures latest happenings on Reclaim Land as well as recommended events and news.
For Rent
Of note are projects that explore various facets of our built environment such as “For Rent” which attempt to capture the challenges faced by residents who rent their HDB flats. The video also attempts to shed light on underlying social issues that a common Singaporean may overlook and forget, while living comfortably in their own housing estates. More info about “For Rent”
Make.Shift
Another video documentary explores the temporal nature of space utilisation of “Pasar Malam” (Malay for Night Market). Aptly titled “Make.Shift” , the video introduces the vibrant and widely known night markets, offering an in-depth understanding of the trade and its conventions. More info about “Make.Shift”.
April 10, 2009 | Broadcast | Showcase
Tactics of the Peripatetic: On vendors’ making an interior of the street by Sharn Lim
Sharn Lim
Master of Arts (Interior Design) RMIT,
Melbourne, Australia
Paper presented at 2nd IFS International Interior Design / Interior Architecture Conference, Edinburgh 2008
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ABSTRACT
As agents of the street, vendors’ practices provide the framework for spatial arrangements of an intimate and temporal scale. How are street vendors employing tools and tactics to create interiors, and what are the implications for the Interior Designer? The production of interiors is positioned as a practice constantly adaptable to reengage with the conditions of its surroundings. This paper investigates an opportunity-dependent practice; poaching, inviting pauses and being mobile are analysed as tactics for interiorisation.
March 29, 2009 | Broadcast | Showcase
Tyersall House / Istana Woodneuk by Daniel Cheong
This is the first of what we hope will be a somewhat regular feature where we highlight interesting architectural photography of our urbanscape. First up are photos of Tyersall House in Singapore by Daniel Cheong.
March 26, 2009 | Broadcast | Showcase
Urban Symphony by Kay Ngee Tan Architects- World Expo 2010 Singapore Pavilion WINNER
Singapore today unveiled the winning design of the Singapore Pavilion for World Expo Shanghai 2010. Designed by Kay Ngee Tan Architects, the winning design titled Urban Symphony pays tribute to Singapore symbolising its harmony of culture, progress and sustainability.
continue >>>
March 24, 2009 | Broadcast | Showcase
My Dream,Our Vision by Design Act - World Expo 2010 Singapore Pavilion Finalist
Singapore based design firm, Design Act have sent us images of their entry into the World Expo 2010 Singapore Pavilion competition. Selected as one of the finalists, alongside the likes of Ministry of Design, their submission attempts to take a much more conceptual approach.
March 24, 2009 | Broadcast | Showcase
Singapore is Alchemy by Ministry of Design - World Expo 2010 Singapore Pavilion Finalist
Ministry of Design (MOD) have sent us images of their submission for the World Expo 2010 Singapore pavilion. Titled “SINGAPORE IS ALCHEMY”, the submission was one of the finalists in the competition organised by the Singapore Tourism Board. More than a mere enclosure to house life, the design is conceptualized as an icon that is given its distinct 3-dimensional form by the myriad of activities it contains. continue >>>
July 1, 2008 | Showcase
Thinking About Cities
Thinking about cities is a workshop organized by MIT (Asian Cities Cluster) in collaboration with the department of Architecture, School of Design and Environment, National University of Singapore and 5ft Creatives and funded by MIT, the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program commonly known as UROP.
Held from 11th June to 15th June 2008, a party of people was brought together by their common interest in urbanism in Southeast Asia.
The focus of the workshop revolves around the comparison of two cities with opposite development philosophies: a highly controlled, development model as in Singapore with a more laissez faire situation as in Bangkok. With the impeding growth of cities throughout the world, which of the models - or combination of the models - would be appropriate to address the ‘speed’ and ‘scale’ demands? Recent credible research has bravely quantified this future challenge as a ‘doubling of urban population with a tripling of area - all by 2030 - and the bulk of the housing would be low rise by a relatively poor population.” Unfortunately, effective strategies that respond to this scenario seem in short supply.
The workshop aimed to ask following questions:
- WHAT is proposed for the growth? Where will people live? What form of housing is proposed, to accommodate the various income groups? Who will build it? Where do the funds come from?
- HOW will it be achieved? What codes, guidelines, incentives, etc. are proposed to make the growth strategies come to life?
- Can this be a MODEL for others? What is needed to make it work? Particularly in the Singapore’s case, can this be duplicated in other cities of the Third World? Would parts of the strategy be able to be adopted to fit within the individual context of cities? - Do we WANT to do this elsewhere, is it a ‘good’ model, a good way to live and a good way for cities? Meeting with families takes on a big role, in order to get a sense if the model is ‘good’, and goes beyond bureaucratic and technical advantages. The model needs to deliver ‘good housing, for good cities’.
It was a brilliant learning experience for us at 5ft and we believe that the same can be said for all those who attended it. See the photos!
For further reading:
http://www.fivefootway.com/2008/06/30/thinking-about-cities-2/
