Reports

June 26, 2009 | Event | Magazine | Reports

Really Ar 3

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The latest instalment of re: ACT’s design sharing session was held at the SIA’s theatrette on the evening of eleven June. Really Ar? attempted to raise the awareness of the cosy crowd that gathered, to the pressing humanitarian/ community responsibilities architects face today. The three speakers presented different scopes and involvements of architects and architecture in this era where an architect is not only to question the offerings of his buildings but also his role as the designer for the people.

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The first speaker, after former SIA President Tai Lee Seng opened the session, was Mr. Yong Teck Meng, National Director of Habitat for Humanity Singapore. He presented HFH’s portfolio of works which included disaster relief housing and building shelter for the less fortunate. It was an introduction to HFH’s goals and achievements for those who were uninformed of its being. Its aim of eradicating poverty housing and homelessness for the poor was being achieved by multi-level participatory processes from governments, to local professionals, aid agencies and community itself. Although the presentation was not an in depth analysis of the mentioned phenomena, it was however a display of a solution that was being undertaken through global and local involvement of various volunteers to alleviate the sufferings of others. It is a simple solution of bringing the community together to solve a real issue rather than just provide monetary aids. Of course, donations are greatly welcomed, as it is through donations of money and labour of volunteers that such an organisation can exist.

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Miss Ong Swee Hong’s presentation entitled “Urban spaces and its community: is participatory design the new urban design direction?” explored the urbanscape particularly that of cosmopolitan cities like Singapore, Beijing and Dubai. By inquiring what the direction of the city was in general, the role of the participating community in its crafting might be non-existent in the presence of programme-allotted plots. Touching on the essence of place and placelessness; is the formula of a good city only to fulfil an economic agenda and should not the inhabitants have a say in its crafting? The lecturer from Environmental Design in Temasek Polytechnic is well-apt in community participatory design as she has had an active role in all the past Design My Place Workshops. In the middle of her presentation, she brought forth her two students who were participants in the DMP to present their take on designing their city. True to their youth and enthusiasm, they raised questions and reminisced the community spirits of the past. While their questions may have been a rather textbook adaptation of how things were much better in the past when the cities were growing with its inhabitants, the underlying message was one that citizens are forgotten (or conveniently ignored). However, there is no obvious white and black divide in this matter, the presentation ended of with the question which would be a better solution, a top-down approach or a bottom-up one.

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The Good Earth, Arc Studio’s Khoo Peng Beng’s presentation was candid and as refreshing as it was alarming with its data and scientific facts of humankind and our environment. The scope of his portion was how to plan for the community of the future with integrated benefits of rural lifestyle. He began with a case study of deforestation in the Malaysian Cameron Highlands and description of the microbial planet. This microbial planet is interconnected, he said, telling the audience about how DDT sprayed in China was found in the winds in America. The interconnectivity of this planet dictates the fragility of the scale-free network through which all living things are connected- the accumulative breakdown of one natural community will ultimately lead to a systemic collapse. This tipping point in our environment will lead to a bleak future for all existence. The importance of ethics in design has been long ignored by the commercial super powers; with animation he vented his frustration on the creators of Agent Orange, DDT and the likes. The designer or architect has put his ethic consciousness into a long slumber, while presenting a case study of a project by his firm in Cameron Highlands, he emphasized the need for the architect/designer to be as well informed as possible of the natural surroundings. He quoted the works of Wade Davis and his theory of “permaculture” and Masanobu Fukuoka and the ideals of “ The One Straw Revolution”. The cited individuals were thorough with their synchronisation with nature. The enthusiasm while quoting them almost provoked one to pump his fist in the air shouting green revolution, and the ammunitions to aid the movement would be akin to Fukuoka’s Seed Bombs.

The presentations were concluded with interactive session with the audience. With participatory designing of the environment involving the community is ideal, the question Tay Kheng Soon (who was a member of the audience) asked was how does one translate the ideology of DMP into actions. The reply was a simple “ Ask the people.” – it is about giving the people a voice, although the realisation of their desires might be slow, it is a start to participation. Many ideals were thrown about during the presentations, ideals of the good conscious architect, the utopian city crafted by its people and the charitable designer, alas after much discussion a member of the audience asked, are we ready to take action? All talk and no show, when is the right timing? Aptly, a well-respected gentleman replied that the time is now. It might as well be, designers now not only have to be purveyors of ethical designs, but also revolutionaries with backbones.

May 20, 2009 | Event | Reports

CUBE 2009 with URA

This is a report cross posted from the Design My Place blog by Re:Act.

CUBE or Challenge for the Urban and Built Environment was a competition that re:ACT organised for the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) under its Architecture and Urban Design Excellence programme (A.UDE) as part of its 35th anniversary celebrations. We based the event on our usual DMP workshop framework but threw in a healthy dose of competition to spice things up a bit and to spur the different schools to come up with innovative ideas for the Chinatown area. The result was, we had one of the most creative and stimulating workshops ever with students trying to outdo each other, what with their dramatic presentations and out-of-the-box ideas!

Mr Khoo Peng Beng, priciple architect of ARC Studio and also a great friend of re:ACT was brilliant as usual in his role as Chief Facilitator. Leading a panel of architects and urban planners, he pushed, prodded, shaped and expanded the minds of the young padawans from different schools to come up with 10 awesome strategies to improve the built environment around Chinatown.

In the end, there could only be one winner. Hwa Chong Institution impressed the jury panel the most and walked away with the 1st Prize of $2,000 cash. This was presented to them and the rest of the winners (Temasek Polytechnic – 1st Runner-Up and Serangoon Junior College – 2nd Runner-Up) at the 2008 URA Corporate Plan Seminar on 17 April 09. More photos after the link.

Media Coverage:
http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20090511-140723.html
http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2009/04/ura-to-spread-wings.html

More images at the blog.

Also check out our related posts on the event.

April 26, 2009 | Broadcast | News | Reports | Uncategorized

Koolhaas sees economic woes blunting excess

SEOUL (Reuters Life!) – Architect Rem Koolhaas, renowned for his striking designs and musings on cities, believes the global economic downturn will lead to less ostentatious, more “socially responsible” buildings that better serve the public.

The Dutch architect, whose firm designed the gravity-defying CCTV Headquarters in Beijing, Casa de Musica in Portugal and the Seattle Central Library, said more emphasis will now be placed on the efficient use of space during these lean times.

“The last 10 years have been noteworthy for the excess in the private sector,” Koolhaas told Reuters at the opening of a sleek temporary exhibit hall he and his Office for Metropolitan Architecture designed for fashion house Prada in Seoul.

“What we are going to see is a return to the public sector. This is a healthy thing,” he said on Wednesday.

The Prada Transformer structure, located next to an ancient palace in central Seoul, will open on Saturday with a fashion display.

The tetrahedron-shaped steel building, covered in a translucent white skin, is designed to be lifted by cranes and rotated so that it can best use each of its differently designed sides to show movies, host fashion shows or hold art exhibits.

Koolhaas said the building provides a bit of lightness — constructed at a reasonable costs — that is needed during an economic downturn.

Prada would not provide the amount it paid to construct the building.

via Reuters, editing by Miral Fahmy

March 22, 2009 | Event | Reports

Reimagining Chinatown- Challenge for Urban & Built Environment (CUBE) 2009

What will Singapore’s Chinatown look like in the hands of a group of 18 year olds?

CUBE, short for Challenge for the Urban & Built Environment, is a two and a half day workshop organised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in collaboration with Re:Act of Singapore that attempted to answer that question. The quasi-competition was held in conjunction with URA’s 35th anniversary and saw young minds being given an early experience of designing our built environment, in this case Singapore’s Chinatown. continue >>>

March 12, 2009 | Profile | Reports

The Origin of Urban Design: Critical Conversation with Jan Wampler

In the last two decades of the field of architecture and urban design, there is no name that is more dominant than Jan Wampler, an internationally renowned architect who has been recognized around the world for his work in over twenty countries. However, we know him more as Professor Jan Wampler, a full professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), for his inspiration to generations of architects. Professor Wampler is one of the pioneers, who established the groundwork of urban design education and developed its distinctive approach by ways of the practicality rather than theory. He is interested in the spirit of community as for him is the internal system of people’s interaction that is important, not the fancy facade which can turn cliche after the excitement of the trend dies down. continue >>>

January 28, 2009 | Event | Reports

OUT THERE – Architecture Beyond Building

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November 25, 2008 | Digests | Reports

Archifest 08: The Summary

This is part of our coverage on Archifest 08, produced in collaboration with SA magazine. For a more detailed coverage of Archifest 08, check out issue #248 of SA Magazine with articles written by our very own FFW writers. Also,Â For more, check out www.fivefootway.com/tag/archifest.

If youâ€™ve blinked in October then youâ€™ve probably missed Archifest 08. This low-key event which took place during that entire month included events which mostly architects, designers and architecture-enthusiasts in the know attended. The highlight, which left most participants discussing, however, was the two day Forum at the National Library. A variety of speakers from all over the world like Jo Noero (South Africa), Gerard Reinmuth (Australia), Andrew Maynard (Australia), Fernando Menis (Spain), Ken Yeang (Malaysia), Richard Hassel (Singapore), Poh Siew Fatt (Singapore) and Madhura Prematilleke (Sri Lanka), presented their take on this yearâ€™s theme of Man + Environment.

Using their works to exemplify their perspective on the theme, young architects shared the platform with more experienced ones to discuss their practicesâ€™ stand on topics like the S-word and architecture itself. Overall, the discussions were delightful and provocative enough to get students in the audience nodding and oh-ing at each other. Gerard Reinmuth subversively questioned the credibility of the supposed green architecture of today, Andrew Maynardâ€™s self-depreciative eloquence of cheeky architecture that works tickled and awed everyone while Jo Noeroâ€™s firm social beliefs put to shame the bourgeois architect in me; the speakers were expressive individuals that held comprehensive and explorative views which made listening to them, both enlightening and entertaining.

Dr. Hitoshi Abe with his medal. Posing with him are the Asian-head for Getz and the president of SIA

FFW and SA managed to acquire for itself the privilege of some one-to-one time with some of the architects. A full article of the interviews and forum will be featured in next monthâ€™s issue of SA. We have portfolios on five architects from the forum and Dr. Hitoshi Abe, winner of this yearâ€™s SIA-Getz Award. The architects that we interviewed were Gerard Reinmuth of Terroir, Jo Noero of Noero Wolff Architects, Madhura Prematilleke of Team Architrave, Andrew Maynard of Andrew Maynard Architects and Fernando Menis of Menis Architects. Their portfolios reveal their take on the theme ,their modus operandi as architects and their advices for newbie architects.

Also, do remember to check out our coverage of the other events that made up Archifest 08 such as Architours , the forum nd also the other Fringe Events. For in detail coverage, make sure to get a copy of Singapore Architect’s magazine issue 247 out on magazine stands in December 2008.

November 16, 2008 | News | Reports

Architours – Night Tours

This is part of our coverage on Archifest 08, produced in collaboration with SA magazine. For a more detailed coverage of Archifest 08, check out issue #248 of SA Magazine with articles written by our very own FFW writers. Also do check out FFW’s Archifest related articles here.

Architours was started in 2007 with the intention of promoting discourse on the relationship between architecture and society and also to cultivate an appreciation for good design. This year, Architours return with more visits to various places with architectural significance in Singapore including Biopolis at One-North, Wessex Estate, Lasalle College of the Arts and the Marina Barrage.

The Night Architour is a new addition to the tour line-up where ‘tourists’ are not only brought to visit various architectural spaces in the evening but one that included visiting various architectural offices and gallery spaces before the tour is brought to an end with a round of drinks at various bars. In particular, the visit to the architecture firms provided a rare chance for the public to come into contact with the inner workings of those who shape the built environment where the ‘tourists’ were given a glimpse into the architectsâ€™ design processes and also an introduction into how projects are being executed and realized.

Inside Zong Architect's office

Inside Zong Architect’s Office

Those who came for the tour were mostly architecture students who are interested in experiencing and understanding architecture beyond the texts and lectures. Also present were architects from abroad who seek to understand Singapore’s architecture scene a little bit better and making up the rest of the entourageÂ were members of the public who were not from the design field but curious about it. Perhaps what was most impressive and a pleasant surprise was the fact that some of the ‘tourists’ had specially flown in from overseas to attend the Archifest forum and tour and this is an indication of the positive impact of Archifest in the larger context.

The crowd was generally shy but definitely keen to understand the lifestyles of these individuals whom we call architects.Â Fortunately, the architects who were in the various offices managed to give a warm welcome to the visitors and they were also open in sharing their experiences, personal views and visions of their firms. The architects were also forthcoming in sharing some limitations about the architectural scene such as the level of details and bureaucracy required for local projects. To give an illustration, one architect mentioned that a local small-scale residential project needed a minimum of 4 typical-sized black folders while only 1 typical-sized folder is more than enough for an overseas middle-scale project.

Inside Union Architect's office

Inside Union Architect’s Office

There are plenty of urban legends that revolves around the architect being a workaholic but this tour showed a different side to this. Beyond architecture, architects are truly passionate about the creative process and enjoying life. The tour introduced us to the sharing sessions organised by these architectural practices for their staffs to take a break from the monotony pace of daily workload – inviting them to engage in brainstorming sessions and taking idea generation as a form of exercising their minds. And of course, these creative souls indulge in a round of drinks occasionally; one that is best shared with their friends at an architecturally interesting space.

Mingling with the archi-tourists.

Perhaps it might be worthy to consider touring the various construction sites that continue to operate through the night around the island in a future edition of Architours. This could then give a glimpse into the importance of keeping a construction site going 24-7, why certain construction can only be done at night and also to understand the complexities of working in such conditions.

Nonetheless, Architours is a key fixture in the Archifest calendar and judging from this year’s edition of it, we believe that it will continue to be so next year. The tours play a key role in advancing architecture by giving a glimpse into the world of architecture – lowering the barriers of understanding and appreciating it for the public. Ultimately, armed with a better understanding of how the built environment is shaped, it will allow us to further appreciate the city that we live in.

Schedule of Tour:

Week 1 – 3 & 4 Oct: National Libary Building (Start), Designers’ Offices: DP Architects @ National Stadium, Union Designs, Old School @ Mt Sophia, zArch Collaborative and Night & Day Bar + Gallery + Friends, National Library Building (End)

Week 2 – 10 & 11 Oct: National Libary Building (Start), Designers’ Offices: Ministry of Design, MKPL Architects, Union Designs, Old School @ Mt Sophia, zArch Collaborative and Night & Day Bar + Gallery + Friends, National Library Building (End)

Week 3 – 17 & 18 Oct: National Libary Building (Start), Designers’ Offices: Arc Studio Architecture + Urbanism, Union Designs, zArch Collaborative, Old School @ Mt Sophia, and Night & Day Bar + Gallery + Friends, National Library Building (End)

November 6, 2008 | Other | Reports

From Singapore to Seoul: Thoughts of An Architecture Student.

This is a special report from an architecture student who is in Seoul for an exchange programme. If you are on exchange and studying architecture, do send us a short write-up reflecting on your experience and we can share it with others on the FIVEFOOTWAY. Email your write-ups to office[at]fivefootway.com and don’t forget to send a few images that best captures your experience!

By Neo Di Sheng, National University of Singapore -Â Hanyang University

On Internship

On the 25th of July, 17 NUS Architecture students came to Seoul on the SEP between NUS and HYU (Ansan). The programme included an opportunity to intern at some of Koreaâ€™s leading architecture firms, the likes of Space group, Woonyang and Yujin. It was an interesting experience, my 2-month internship at DP Architects, provided me with basis for comparison and plenty of food for thought.

Being a Singapore architectural intern in Seoul, a place where limited English is spoken (a general observation, as some Koreans speak fluent English), I was expecting to gain a lot of fresh experience. Attending meetings at work always reminds me of watching foreign films without subtitles, which results in a struggle to stay conscious. The importance of language as a tool of communication cannot be more apparent in my days interning at Space group.

It may be redundant but I have to remark that Koreans work very differently from Singaporeans. Here, they do not rush to complete work to the extent of skipping meals. Instead, they have proper meals and rest before continuing their work. Also, they are the most jolly and cheery people to work with; there is always plenty of jokes going around. Plus, as my internship period coincided with the Beijing Olympics, there is constant chatter about the latest South Korean Olympic medal or that cute swimmer Park Tae Won.

Picking up the formalities of the Korean working environment is one of the more interesting things I got to experience there. It is important to blend in with their culture if one wishes to be considered as an intern and not as a tourist in the workplace. Even though, at the end of the day, the lingering fact that I cannot speak Korean prevents me from contribute more to the team, the time I spent there was a rewarding one.

On the start of school

Our campus, strictly speaking, is not located in the metropolis that is Seoul. Hanyang University (Ansan) is found a peaceful distance away from the hustle and bustle of the urban city. Instead of the densely packed schools and faculties of NUS, we were pleasantly greeted by the wide, open spaces in Hanyang University. Granted, geographical conditions are not in Singaporeâ€™s favour but the change in physical environment definitely has a positive effect on us.

In NUS, we are fortunate that the department outsources the menial task of rearranging the studio furniture and cleaning up our studios. The students of HYU Architecture Faculty have to kick off their semester with a major â€œspring cleaningâ€ exercise. Before the studio sessions start off proper, they would have already brought their desktops to school and their own printers. In NUS, we have the luxury of desktops being provided for us (even though not one for everyone), and the all-important Scalebar (a school funded printing service that is operated by students). In this school, the students practically run and upkeep the place. The administration office consists of but two staffs. There is no IVLE, so the students create their own version of an online network where the professors can upload files for them to download. The initiative and drive that Korean students show definitely left an impression on me.

The manner in which studios are conducted in Hanyang University is very similar to what we have in NUS. The students will present their work to their respective tutors and there will be a feedback session. The only notable difference is that, in HYU, the studio sessions have to fit the tutorâ€™s timing, which means that studio sessions vary according to the tutorâ€™s schedule or preference. Otherwise, the official studio times are 9am to 1pm every Tuesday and Thursday. In NUS, we can usually count on studio timings to be between 2 to 6pm every Monday and Thursday.

The assignment that we been given this semester is a two-part project. We are given five weeks to come up with a master plan and site model for the Gwanghwamun Plaza cultural corridor in Seoul. The remainder of the semester will be devoted to designing a new building in the site. The scale of the design is, by far, the largest that we have had to work with. The unique geographical conditions and urban traits of Seoul present us with the opportunity to work outside of the usual design limitations that we experience in Singapore.

The first two weeks in HYU has been a promising start to a rewarding semester and fruitful exchange experience. More importantly, we have found friends in the Korean students who have gone out of their way to render us help time and time again.

Here are more images for viewing pleasure.

October 14, 2008 | Profile | Reports

Fernando Menis

This is part of a special series of articles profiling the speakers at Archifest 08 Forum which will be held on the 16 & 17 October 2008 at the Drama Centre @ NLB, Singapore. To find out more, click here for everything Archifest 08 on FIVEFOOTWAY.com or go to the official website.

Spanish architect, Fernando Martin Menis was born in 1951 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. He studied architecture at ETSAB and in 1981, he formed a team with architects Felipe Artengo Rufino and JosÃ© MarÃa RodrÃguez Pastrana MalagÃ³n which was to be known as Artengo, Menis, Pastrana Architects (now known as AMP Arquitectos)

In July 2004, Menis started his own studio: Menis Arquitectos and since then, Menis has brought his studio to prominence with projects such as that of the Cuchillitos de Tristan Park, a project of 55 social housing units in La Laguna, Tenerife and also the rehabilitation of Agulo and Vallehermosoâ€™s historical town centre on the island of La Gomera. Menis is also a visiting professor where he leads workshops and lectures in Europe.

Much of the architecture of Menis is inspired by the clear, powerful landscape of Tenerife. Menis proposes architecture that is needed by the environment and he has been quoted as saying that when he thinks of a new building, he considers its plasticity as a unified work which begins from its form. He thinks about the programâ€™s functionality, defining the workâ€™s potential to evolve and grow.

Fernando Menis is an architect with humanity as his primary focus. In an interview about the NEXT-GENE20 project in Taiwan , Menis says, “Architecture is about emotions. It should make people express themselves more easily,” he noted. For the project, Menis took inspiration from the rocks with many holes that were made due to the strong winds along Taiwan’s coastline and subesequently designed a device to produce energy from the wind. Menis was also inspired by his trips to Taiwan’s ancient temples, saying that “the usage of the colors gold, black and red in the temples [I visited] also gave me a lot of ideas.”

He also adds that “A conciousness of the place adds to all these Concepts because the project is designed with respect for the situation and the environment. The project aims to create a sustainable house which consider the orientations, the winds, the sun, the light; the project not only lies inside the nature but it understands it also, works with it and does no harm to it.â€

We at FIVEFOOTWAY are certainly looking forward to Fernando Menis’ presence in Archifest 08 and we hope to pick his brains on exploring the complex relationship of Man and Environment which encompasses context, genius loci, history, culture, economics, and technology. With his sensitivity to the environment as he crafts his architecture, we think that Menis will have something special to offer the audience in the Forum.

Further
Menis Arquitectos
Next-Gene 20

October 11, 2008 | Event | Reports

Helar Festival 2008

Helar (ngahelar) is an expression that comes from Sundanese language. It refers to the act of expressing our self to gain attention from the others. This term is also rooted from the Sundanese culture, indigenous ethnic group in the western part of the Java Island in Indonesia.

When the dutch first came to Bandung, they might never would’ve thought that Bandung would grow into one of indonesia’s most notable city. The low temperature, the mountainous landscape, the intimate scale of northern bandung, made this 166 km2 city once known as “paris van java” . Now, decades after the dutch departed, Bandung is struggling to maintain it’s colonial legacy, but more importantly, it has managed to find its way in creating a new legacy for it’s future generations.

Lines of independent clothing company, the sprawling factory outlets, and creative talents that seem endless provides a glimpse into Bandung’s future. The once tranquil and peaceful Bandung has now turned into a city of inspiration which is thriving economically . People from Jakarta would spend their weekends in Bandung to shop in the factory outlets and to taste the fine cuisine of west java, or to simply escape from their routines in the cool air of Bandung mountains. Truly, Bandung is now one of Indonesia’s most attractive and creative city.

The Helar Festival 2008 is Bandung’s biggest creative event. It is a month packed with more than 30 creative events showcasing the city’s best talents and assets. From the re-cycled bottles gallery under the Pasoepati flyover (Bandung’s only flyover bridge) to Kickfest (the biggest indie clothing line event in indonesia). From designing a new “angkot” (the name of bandung’s public transportation) to an international architecture seminar. Whether it is art, architecture, music, fashion, graphic design, extreme sport, The Helar Festival brings out the best of Bandung’s creative community together.

This event was initiated by the Bandung Creative City Forum, as a long term strategy to develop a sustainable creative economy platform in Bandung. This forum also initiated a branding strategy development and building networks as an effort to establish Bandung as a creative city that can compete globally. This event is like the validation of the creative community in Bandung. After years of existence without the support from government, Bandung’s creative community has now reach a status of establishment and have obtained the support that they’ve been looking for all this years.

To Indonesia, Bandung has always been a unique city of it’s own. Jakarta is probably the biggest and most populated city, but Bandung has always been the romantic and inspirational one. A city that gives most of it’s citizens the ability to look at chances and that small crack of opportunity, and later bust it open and turning it into something bigger than they thought it could ever be. This event is the proof of how Bandung’s creative community, that spreads across the city, could gather up and made an event that is the pilot project for creative city in eastern asia.

With an annual plan at hand, The Helar Festival will surely get bigger and better over time. Hopefully through it’s quality and determination, The Helar Festival could act as a catalyst for many other cities to follow the same path, in making the best of their potentials.

October 6, 2008 | Event | Reports

ARCHIFEST 08- What to expect

ARCHIFEST 08 officially kicks off on 6th October 2008 and we are here to tell you what you can look forward to in the month-long festival.

Exhibitions

There will be a whole lot of exhibitions happening at the main venue of Archifest 08- National Library, Singapore. . FIVEFOOTWAY suggests that you spend a good 1 to 2 hours there, looking at the various works on display. Here are the highlights.

9th SIA Architectural Design Award
SIA-NParks Skyrise Greenery Awards
SIA-Hunter Douglas â€œEco Friend Awardsâ€
SIA-Philips Green Innovation Award
SIA-Getz Architecture Prize
Student Exhibition by Singapore Polytechnic
Man+Environment Showcase
Bras Basah.Bugis (BBB) District Exhibition by URA

Architours

This year, Architours travel to Biopolis at One-North, Wessex Estate, Lasalle College of the Arts and Marina Barrage. When the sun goes down, tours will continue to several architectsâ€™ offices to get an insight into how our built environment is conceptualized, ending off with drinks at various bars.

This is a ticketed event and most of the tours are already fully booked so you got to be quick to be part of it!

For more information, visit http://archifest.sg/architours.html. For ticketing, go to www.sistic.com.sg

Forum

The highlight of the whole Archifest 08. Happening on the 16th and 17th of October at National Library, this forum features the theme â€œMan + Environmentâ€ and re-examines the relationship of Architecture with the Environment. Speakers line-up include Richard Hassell of WOHA, Andrew Maynard (Australia), Fernando Menis (Spain) and more.

After the forum, don’t miss the networking party at Naumi Hotel to have an informal chat with the speakers and also catch up with some old and newer friends!

For more information, visit http://archifest.sg/forum.html.

Fringe Events

There are more than 20 Fringe events in this year’s Archifet 08! The fringe events range from workshops and seminars to photography exhibitions to screening sessions. As a matter of fact, we (5ft Creatives) will be showcasing a NEW episode of our Emerging Architecture Studios series at the National Library throughout the whole festival!

We think that there is something for everyone in this year’s line-up of fringe events. Check out the calendar, take your pick and visit/get involved in a few of them and see what the theme Man + Environment truly means to you! See the whole list of events on http://archifest.sg/fringe.html

FIVEFOOTWAY.com coverage

FIVEFOOTWAY.com is proud to be the official online media of ARCHIFEST 08 and here’s what you can expect from us.

News Updates
Supplementing the official newsletter and the official website, FIVEFOOTWAY.com will be broadcasting the latest news updates from Archifest 08. To see all posts on FIVEFOOTWAY related to the festival, click here.

Speaker Profiles
FIVEFOOTWAY will be posting a special series of articles, profiling the various speakers at Archifest 08 Forum. We will give you a quick initiation to these talented designers, highlighting their design philosophies and key works and perhaps send you to a link or two for further reading.

Interviews
We’ve planned special interviews with the various forum speakers, award winners and organisers of Archifest 08. We think it will be a brilliant series of interviews and you can expect these to be online in October and November.

Event Reports
Our writers will be there to participate and cover the events so you can look forward to a comprehensive coverage of the ceremonies and exhibitions. Also, this year, we are collaborating closely with Singapore Architect’s magazine to provide coverage of the various events in Archifest 08. So, expect to see some of online-offline integration of the various event reports.

Photos
Our writers will be on site and we will be taking plenty of photographs to share it with you. But more importantly, if YOU have photos, do share it with everyone. Either email it to us OR upload it to your blog/Flickr/Picasa and send us the link and we will compile it all to share with everyone!

So now you know what to expect for Archifest 08, see you around!

October 6, 2008 | Profile | Reports

Andrew Maynard

When Andrew Maynard was just starting out his practice, he dropped “hello” cards in letterboxes, with a business card attached, in areas where he knew people shared a similar ideology with him to get some projects. This is of course not necessary anymore as today, Andrew Maynard’s practice is perhaps one of the most sought after practices around the world.

Named in Wallpaper Magazineâ€™s Architects Directory, an “annual guide to the worldâ€™s most innovative practices”, Andrew Maynardâ€™s design practice is quickly becoming recognised as an emerging force on the architectural scene. Since Andrew Maynard Architects was established in late 2002 it has been recognised internationally in media, awards and exhibitions for its unique body of built work and its experimental and conceptual design polemics.

In 1996 Andrew Maynard received a Bachelor degree in Environmental Design from the University of Tasmania and in 1998 he graduated with honours in a Bachelor of Architecture from the same University. In 1998 with friend Stephen Mees, Andrew won the Graphisoft international design awards for the design of The Devilâ€™s Ballroom.

On his practice’s website, he writes that he “spends half of his time undertaking architectural commissions and half entering design competitions”. Maynard explains in an Archinect interview that he uses these competitions to explore a number of issues that he wants to explore without the confines of client and budget. Also, these projects tend to encapsulate the kind of architecture that he is interested in promoting, marketing and doing.

It also goes without saying that much of Andrew Maynard’s work has captured the attention of the media which he admits helps to generate more work for him. Established design magazines such as Wallpaper and Pol Oxygen have all featured him in their publications and are constantly looking out for what he will create next.

“Maynard’s work offers a flash of illumination toward the next generation of smart, compact, elegant home design. Each project begs a long, awe-inspired look and makes the future look like a very nice place to live.”

Inhabitat

Beyond being the media darling, Andrew Maynard is perhaps the manifestation of an architectural environmental activist of the 21st Century. It is perhaps rightly so that one of his most (in)famous project is the design of a treehouse structure, the Global Rescue Station. Maynardâ€™s design is attached semi-permanently to the trunks of three trees and acts as a shelter for protestors during their demonstrations. Not only that, this Andrew Maynard brainchild also takes out anything beneath or around it if a logger dares to cut down its supports.

The Global Rescue Station initially emerged in the midst of opposition to clearcutting in Tasmaniaâ€™s Styx Valley Forest. The first iteration consisted of two platforms roped into the canopy of a single gum tree (affectionately named Gandalf). Maynard has since advanced his protest design strategy to create the concept for GRS Generation 2, which uses far more refined methods and materials to create a bi-level shelter replete with solar panels and sleeping quarters.

Other that the GRS, Maynard has also been exploring prefab solutions in his designs, resulting in projects such as the BOB, a mobile house for the future and his entry into the VicUrban Affordable Housing Competition. Andrew Maynard’s imaginative exploration into creating architectural solutions in response to various environmental issues resulting in projects such as the Poop House makes him one to watch in this year’s Archifest Forum. With the theme Man + Environment, we can expect Maynard to share some of the thought processes and ideas behind these brilliant projects and perhaps offer us inspiration on how to explore this complex relationship between man and environment. After all, this is the man who ‘dismisses sustainability as a theme’ but simply ‘the right way to do things’.

FIVEFOOTWAY.com will be conducting a special interview with Andrew Maynard which will be online in late Oct/early November. Meanwhile, do check back for more profiles of the Archifest Forum speakers coming up over the next few days.

FURTHER READING
Official Website- Andrew Maynard

August 17, 2008 | Event | Reports

Really Ar? 2

ReallyArchitecture is back again with â€œReally Ar?â€2, at Night & Day Bar. As you might already know, Really Ar? is Re:actâ€™s design sharing session that invites professionals to share about their recent projects in relation to a selected theme.

The theme for the night was â€œSo this is Masterplanning!â€ and 3 guest speakers, Philip Tan from Surbana, Prasoon Kumar from HOK, and Yu Sern Hong from 5+Design shared their experiences and views on urban planning. In addition, there were 2 special presentations; one by Elaine Tan from the URA explaining the AUDE Programme and the other by Chong Keng Hua who talked about [re:act] Initiatives.

When it comes to urban planning, all 3 guest speakers seem to have very different methodologies but share a common vision of making cities a better place to live in. The examples each cited displayed the different strategies urban planners came up with when dealing with different city conditions.

The first guest speaker Mr Philip Tan (Surbana) presented some of Surbanaâ€™s on-going masterplanning projects in Colombo and Abu Dhabi. These projects were designed with reference to the success of the Singapore Masterplan. Most of the presented projects involved transforming unused land into cities, coming up with strategies to attract developers and solving land shortage issues. This led to them telling usÂ about their plans of re-settling residents so as to ensure a controlled distribution of the population density.Â The importance of urban design as well as the promotion of a new city branding image were also emphasized.

Mr Prasoon Kumar from HOK talked about their current masterplanning proposal for Dharav, Mumbai, India. He shared their design process, intentions and visions for this project. Dharav is known to be a mega slum and Kumar showed us through their process of re-discovery the unique characteristics of Dharav and proposal of re-using the existing without disrupting the running of Dharav. During their design process, they took into account the contributions ofÂ the local people living at the place, because they felt that the residents knew for themselves what the best solutions are.

If a comparison could be made of the speakersâ€™ methodologies on urban design, Kumar seems to have a rather different, if not opposite opinion from Tanâ€™s. Tan’s proposal is like an immediate makeover of a city or starting on an empty piece of land, for example a desert, while Kumarâ€™s proposal was aÂ gradual city evolution, and a more down-to-up approach that involves the commitment and contribution of the locals. With constant communal involvement brings ownership to the city compared to immigrants whom just move into a newly designed city. Despite the project being still on a conceptual stage, it had a strong vision and social benefits for the city.

The last speaker, Mr Yu Sern Hong from 5+Design, gave us another different methodology from the previous speakers. Their project involved intensive researches on the siteâ€™s urban nature elements and urban behaviour and made use of scripting to assist them in the urban landscape design. It was a collaboration with teammates from different design fields, different nationalities and cities in LA for an urban design competition for Magok, Seoul. They proposed an urban design branding image of â€œInter-cityâ€ that involves 3 sub-components of Inter-link, Inter-face and Inter-weave. They promoted a vision of sustainable lifestyle for the city. Despite still being in the conceptual stage, they were able to move one step ahead with some architecture and landscape designs to distinguish parts of the proposed city design.

ReallyAr? concluded with a Q&A session despite the overrun of the presentation. Despite the session lack of “liveliness” as most of the audience left the session after the last speaker, the few questions asked were very intriguing and were those which would make one question the practice and principles of urban planning. This made me think about how the learning attitude of many people seemed to become self-centered in the sense that a lot of knowledge is being absorbed from the community but much less contribution is being made back to the community. I also believe that this session must have been, for those who do not come from an architecture background, an insight on how cities evolve, particularly through planning.

August 3, 2008 | Event | Reports

Bartlett School of Architecture Summer Show

The Summer Show is the annual celebration of student work at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL. Held at the Slade Galleries of UCL over a period of one week, the students put up a brilliant exhibition with their innovative drawings, models, devices, texts, animations and installations. The show saw the coming together of all the units’ distinctive research and exploratory themes in the past one year, creating a very exciting flow of architectural issue(s) as you progress from one boundary to another in the exhibition space.

Each unit has its characteristic storyboard to convey their love (or hate?) for their chosen architectural research discourse. Continuous frames of seductive drawings bombard visitors; every piece of work seemed to be shouting out for our attention. Installations and the delicate models are equally captivating, enticing people to stick their camera lens to capture that very priceless angle that could possibly inspire another soul in the world.

Constructability and mega detail sections are apparently absent in the entire show. Projects on showcase craved to push the current boundaries and question the contemporary architectural thinking and mindset.

School culture and professional support were commendable; a huge crowd (design students, tutors, architects in practice) gathered at the main quadrangle and Slade Galleries of UCL at Gower St on the opening night of the summer show.

Perhaps it is time we also start thinking about one of these: Landscape / Interface / Something Urban, Something Kitsch, Something Imaginary / Second Nature / Crash: Architecture of the Near Future / Real (ism) + e-state / The Absence of the Architectural Object / “Learning from Nature” The Environmental Paradigm / Buy : Sell / Decadence Ã¢â‚¬Â¦

August 3, 2008 | Digests | Reports

Singapore Digest July/August 2008

Recent News

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Bras Basah/Bugis district wins prestigious Urban Land Institute Award

URA logo

URA was recently conferred the ULI Award for Excellence 2008: Asia Pacific by the Urban Land Institute for its excellent planning efforts in turning the Bras Basah.Bugis district into an Arts, Culture, Learning and Entertainment hub.

The establishment of permanent art campuses and arts housing facilities and the pedestrianisation of Albert Street and Waterloo Street are amongst the many things that URA looked into to realize its artistic and cultural vision for the 95 hectare district.

More information on the URA website.

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Archifest 2008 Details Online

The Singapore Institute of Architects have announced the details of Archifest 2008. The theme of this year’s festival is Ã¢â‚¬Å“Man + EnvironmentÃ¢â‚¬? to examine the balancing relationship between manÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s needs and his environment. It runs from the October 6 to October 26.

More information on the Archifest website.

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Coming Soon

City Exhibition 2008: More Than Icons

City Exhibition is an annual event held by the Department of Architecture of the National University of Singapore to showcase the architectural works of its students.

This year, amidst the world’s mad fervor about creating iconic architecture showpieces , the school takes a step back to examine the notion of good architecture: is the craft of architecture only about building the next tallest building, or the strangest looking one?

The exhibition will be held at Vivocity, South Court, over the weekend of 1 Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 3 August 2008, during the opening hours of the mall. Admission is free.

August 1, 2008 | Reports

Architecture waxes Political

Image Courtesy of the American Geographical Society

After what Hassan Fathy did for Egypt by reintroducing local building materials and techniques – re-establishing the use of the local adobe brick as a fundamental building material – Universiti Teknologi Malaysia lecturer Professor Dr. Mohamad Tajuddin asks, “(Does Malaysia) have an architectural identity? Yes! But it reflects a top-down feudal culture that tries too hard to copy past nostalgia or foreign grandeur. Can (Malaysia’s) buildings become more democratic, people-friendly and multi-cultural? What future does a Malaysian architectural identity have?“

A tough question to answer, but one that isn’t too far fetched, as Dr. Tajuddin takes the argument to the political battlefield, questioning the Malaysian powers that be, and suggesting that it is a matter of leadership, and not entirely a matter of architectural design, that will shape the identity of the country.

As with present reality in all cities, the real-time identity of Malaysia is juxtaposed with an idealized identity; something which every city – and perhaps most in booming, developing Asia – has grappled with in the not-too-distant past.

Dr. Tajuddin’s somewhat melancholic diatribe calls to mind elements of architectural journalist and critic Dejan Sudjic’s discussion in his book, The Edifice Complex: How the Rich and Powerful Shape the World, which also received mention in a recent article by the International Herald Tribune’s Robin Pogrebin, entitled, “Are Architects above Politics?”

All this looks towards the conversation surrounding architecture and the role it plays within dominions of power and leadership, and how it is being wielded on today’s global construction sites, where iconic just so happens to be the overused word of the day; a phenomenon undeniably launched by the advent of Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim museum in Bilbao.

Alas, it appears the world seems to be wising up to the idea of the icon. With every city branding itself with a spanking new, glossy image – that is topped off by a new museum, library, government building, stadium, or concert hall – it appears we might see something of an icon overload in the very near future. Hugh Pearman echoes this very succinctly in a recent article for London’s Sunday Times, Zaha Superstar! And the Relentless Growth of Global Architectural Branding, where he comments on the Global Cities Exhibition at London’s Tate Modern, and a concurrent exhibition the Design Museum. What particularly catches his eye, isn’t so much of the superstar bravura of the star-chitecture on show; but rather an installation of Nigel Coates‘ Mixtacity :

“Slyly, Coates has imagined a whole megalopolis where every building is a landmark of one kind or other. Impossibly, there is nothing average to be found. Every little bit of it contrives to be special. Now that really is clever. And disturbing. Because when every object you see around you, stretching to the horizon, is special, then what on earth happens to the notion of the ordinary?”

It seems that a large majority of politicians these days appear more enamoured with image and cosmetics rather than the real fabric of the cities they govern. With more than half of the world’s population set to occupy the cities around the globe in years to come, it is without a doubt that what matters aren’t the fabulous buildings that will put a city on the world map; but rather the manner in which the new citizens of the world’s ever-growing metropolises will be accommodated.

[Image Courtesy of the American Geographical Society]

July 1, 2008 | Digests | Reports