Groundbreaking solutions are being invented by forward-thinking architects to show how coastal cities can become more resilient, viewing climate change as an opportunity to lead the way in waterborne and flood-resistant architecture. Image courtesy of BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) Sea levels are rising to new highs, temperatures are increasing, and floods and storms are getting […]
by Miriel Ko Eating healthy and sustainably is starting to shape the hospitality industry worldwide. Aside from catering to our changing diets, new food establishments are also looking at ways they can be designed to reduce waste and their carbon footprint. After all, sustainability is not just about where food is sourced but also about how the restaurant is designed and operates. Ovens […]
Most industrial establishments in India have embarked on their sustainability journey only recently. With 8,000 members across all segments, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is a non-governmental, not-for-profit, industry-led organisation founded in 1895 that overlooks the concerns and development of the sector. In 2004, the CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre (CII-Godrej GBC) was set […]
The history of industrial architecture can tell you a lot about the evolution of health, environment and human dignity in the workplace. Providing wealth to its owners and millions of jobs to the labouring masses, the development of factories also brought the world mass production, pollution and the rapid growth of makeshift industrial communities. And […]
The Alchemy of (Sustainable) Design by Dr Nirmal Kishnani Dr Nirmal Kishnani examines the challenge of teaching sustainability in the classroom, summarising the pedagogy of the urban studio of the Master of Science, Integrated Sustainable Design programme at the School of Design and Environment, National University of Singapore. This is described as a set of aspirations […]
Can landscape and the built environment merge seamlessly as one, especially in dense cities? Eco-puncture is a concept that should be explored and defined in the design of our cities—the break down of concrete barriers within the urban fabric. Green developments should not be confined to stand-alone entities as they also have an impact on […]
Read More… from Nature & Neighbourhood: A Singapore Snapshot
We Are All Living In A Material World by Miriel Ko For architects, designers and builders alike, the selection of materials can differentiate between projects, which only adds to the complexity. How one develops their style, builds their material palette or efficiently constructs and uses materials is a large part of the design process. It not only affects the shape and form of […]
While many aspects of Singapore’s development have been described internationally in glowing terms, the island’s public spaces have often faced a cooler response. Rem Koolhaas—one of Singapore’s admirers—described the national landscape as a laboratory of “willed ugliness,”i where aesthetic and social banality is designed at a micro level. As Pasi Falk and Colin Campbell have […]
Read More… from The problem of public space: Singapore as case study
The last decade has seen the slow rise of a peculiar idea. This is the belief that architects should not approach their work with a signature; the preoccupations of a career or practice have become an unwanted imposition. Due to the pressures of technology and society—not the least being sustainability—architects must now acknowledge that they […]
Read More… from The role of the architect in the sustainable design process
Transport-led Design in a Developing Asia by Ed Baker Research suggests that 66 percent of the world’s population will be living in urban areas by 2050, up from 50 percent today. Housing this growing population is one of the greatest challenges facing the world. India alone needs to build 31,000 homes per day for the next […]
Asia-Pacific Cities: Smart, But Also Sustainable?by Grace Chua The need for smarter cities is especially pressing in Asia, which is home to over half of the world’s urban population, and together with Africa, will account for 90 percent of the world’s urban population growth by 2050, according to United Nations’ figures. As one of the fastest urbanising regions in the world, Asia […]
Read More… from Asia-Pacific cities: smart, but also sustainable?
