FUTURARC PRIZE 2019 – PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY – FIRST PLACE

3CS: CONNECT, CONSERVE, CULTIVATE

Land scarcity is one of the biggest challenges in Singapore, a high-density megacity. The key challenge is clear. On one hand, there is the insatiable desire for development; on the other hand, there is the limited carrying capacity of our nature and city. The team set our design objectives as connection, conservation and cultivation (3Cs), which summarise our answer for high-density living. A system of systems, in which multiscale passive strategies are conducted, is applied to redevelop an existing industrial area in Singapore to fulfil self-sufficiency, social inclusivity, nature, ecosystems and reciprocity needs.

Dr Nirmal Kishnani: What is remarkable here is that it embraces the waterfront in new ways. It supports life below and above water. The network that is above water is made up of podium and tower typologies, connected at multiple levels. The network below supports marine life. This is a useful template for how cities might grow, within the constraints that are faced today.

Ada Fung: A system of systems transforms an existing industrial area of reclaimed land to a new high-density urban area along the waterfronts of Singapore. It achieves the project goals for a hyper-dense city. Connection with an existing neighbourhood and habitat; social inclusivity; self-sufficiency; nature and ecosystems; and reciprocity have been well considered. It demonstrates that a quality environment that embraces community; connectivity; well-being; nature and ecosystems; as well as resource and consumption could be achieved with a sense of materiality, from a professional perspective.

Dr Jalel Sager: This project has the unusual characteristics of being both bold—even visionary—and buildable, under current practice. It is not difficult to imagine this becoming part of Singapore’s already fantastic landscape. It would speak well with existing Singapore architectural landmarks, such as Gardens by the Bay.

FUTURARC PRIZE 2019 – PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY – SECOND PLACE

HERE WE WENT BACK FROM

With predictions of the future, already over-saturated by ultra-dense megapolis schemes, this project offers a new perspective to achieve sustainability, both sociologically and environmentally, by focusing on small thriving cities and utilising their intrinsic potentials. By accommodating the major façades of living, the bond of the cycle of consumption and reproduction may ensure constant and continual supply of resources. Therefore, not only will the system be able to create small, liveable sustainable cities, it will also cater to the needs of the next phase of human life.

Dr Nirmal Kishnani: A polycentric model of urbanism is demonstrated here. The city grows as a network of dense peri-urban nodes connected by mobility networks and surrounded by ecological spaces, creating a symbiosis of man-made and natural. This is also an elegant, poetic and understated scheme.

Ada Fung: A community-driven development with living spires across the river valleys allows Yonezawa City to grow organically in an agriculture-based city. The relatively rural setting in the choice of site is quite unique. The presentation itself is poetic. Self-sustaining eco-systems; use of cross-laminated timber; geothermal energy; and multilevel circulation have been carefully considered.

Dr Jalel Sager: This project has a dreamlike quality to it, a lyricism many professional architects would shy away from. Yet, this vision is girded by a strong feeling for particularities of macro-level and historical-evolutionary context. It views the human and our structures as bounded in time, but changing as part of a larger system. Yet, it also presents realistic strategies for mundane issues such as materials and energy. There is an unusually credible view of self-sufficiency and hyper-density coexisting here, and the strategy of moving the site to an agricultural area was singular. There is a question of whether density goals were achieved.

FUTURARC PRIZE 2019 – PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY – THIRD PLACE

GHAZIPUR WALLED CITY: THE CASE OF DELHI’S URBAN FRINGES

This proposal addresses the social mindset of Delhi’s city planning by taking marginalised societies near Ghazipur landfill and Shahdara drain as primary stakeholders, and engaging them in the redesign of the landscape—treat sewage water as part of the closed loop water cycle, rectify the problems of landfills, mainstream agriculture and fisheries, and introduce a cyclical economy of material reuse. The design vision and interventions are impregnated by the idea of reviving the collective memory of the city along its urban fringes: riverfront development, landscape conservation, creating active public spaces and work-dwell communities, as well as ensuring gender-parity and transgressing social boundaries.

Dr Nirmal Kishnani: The relocation of marginalised communities is the focus, with a new kind of riverfront development in which the question of waste is explored. Slums in India often rely on rivers as waste disposal systems. In this proposal, this is mitigated with a layer of mangroves that cleanses waste water as it leaves the settlement. A landfill site nearby is restored as a bird sanctuary.

Ada Fung: This mixed-use linear development between a canal and a drain offers an opportunity for marginalised societies in Delhi to act as primary stakeholders, engaging them to help treat sewage water, resolve problems with landfill, mainstream agriculture and fisheries, etc., with a story of remdiation.

Dr Jalel Sager: This project has an admirable programme for remediation of polluted land. Its structural and social programme could be interesting if implemented with care, as could the half-finished pedestrian bridges above the wetlands. Much of this ambitious project would be contingent on implementation.

FUTURARC PRIZE 2019 – PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY – SPECIAL MENTION

LAW OF THE RINGS

Density is a package of different typologies, morphologies, social environments and moments that coexist. And what stacks those moments together is the opportunity of a strategic location. But what does a strategic location mean in a city with a population of 10 million? A ‘free’ area, balanced between city and countryside, as local as it is global, connecting various communities: Hanoi first ring. Therefore, we focused our project on the importance of a strategic location and a smart use of land. This study investigates a dynamic method that could replicate and resonate in all big Asian cities: the transformation of rings and highways. To do so, the project offers a panel of tools to experiment density and build a buzzing environment. From living under a bridge to working on a highway interchange, we deliver new synergies to enhance growing cities.

Dr Nirmal Kishnani: A truly compelling idea. Land under an elevated ring road is packed with housing, shops and parks. What was once dead space comes alive and reconnects parts of the city that had been fragmented by heavy infrastructure.

Ada Fung: This project offers a bold idea and statement about the utilisation of land associated with the ring road to address urban issues. Interesting ideas include shifting the road to engage pedestrians, multi-timing of use, etc.

Dr Jalel Sager: The Hanoi ring project is still mainly in conceptual form, but provides a flexible DNA for revitalisation of what are some of the most blighted, dead urban areas. I, like the other jurors, was inspired by this entry, which is singular in its vision. Many details here are left for later, but we felt that the power and potential of this idea deserves a special regard.