Climate change was famously called a monster of our own making. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2019, which swiftly evolved into the most significant health problem of this century. The health and economic fallouts are well documented, particularly on already vulnerable families and communities. ⠀ For some people, staying at home posed threats […]
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When it comes to Green and sustainable housing, Nature offers promising solutions. The fast-growing bamboo is known as a sustainable alternative to conventional building materials such as concrete, steel and timber. When properly treated and engineered, bamboo exhibits impressive compression properties and tensile strength, surpassing traditional materials. In Nepal and the Philippines, homes that are […]
Among the rapidly aging societies in Asia and the Pacific, Hong Kong is expected to have the highest share of the world’s senior population by 2050. More than four in 10 persons will be aged 60 and above then. JLL said the city will face a shortage of over 60,000 senior-friendly places by 2032.19 The […]
In Vietnam, the construction sector uses 54,000 tonnes of asbestos annually, ranking as one of the top importers of ‘fibro cement’. Most of the supply goes to low-income and vulnerable populations unaware of the health risks of exposure to friable airborne asbestos. In a 2021 project, Habitat for Humanity Vietnam set up zero-asbestos villages21 as […]
In summer, temperatures can exceed 40 degrees Celsius in many parts of India. For low-income families with little or no access to electricity, staying in cooler homes is more a matter of survival rather than just comfort. Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter partnered with Excel Coatings in a pilot project in […]
Habitat for Humanity Cambodia is working with computational design students from University of New South Wales in Australia to explore the use of data modelling in housing design for future projects. Prior to construction, modelling can help to optimise variables such as orientation of the house to minimise the exposure to sun rays. In Cambodia’s […]
EMBRACING THE CENTRAL ROLE THAT WATER PLAYS IN ECOLOGY, CULTURE AND ECONOMY “Water is special also in that, left to itself, it will always lie level, but with the help of God, Nature and the artifice of man, it is capable of assuming an exuberance and vigour, and a symbolism difficult to achieve with any […]
The following Main Feature presents FuturArc Prize (FAP) 2023 winning and merit entries, as well as the awardees. Based on the theme of Cross-Generational Architecture, FAP 2023 asked professional and student entrants: How can architecture respond to societal issues for tomorrow’s generations amidst ongoing climate and planet challenges? How can we address quality of life […]
Read More… from Cross-Generational Architecture | FuturArc Prize 2023
CHALLENGES Jakarta is the world’s fastest-sinking city that is also facing persistent water shortages, flooding, sea-level rises and other related climate change impacts, along with pollution stemming from historical influences. Thus, communities living at coastal areas are most directly affected. These settlements or urban kampungs, according to the team, are deemed critical to the development […]
Read More… from Renewing Water-edge Communities | FAP 2023 First Place
CHALLENGES Mang Thit is a famous pottery, brick-making craft village in Vinh Long Province, Vietnam, that is being shut down, partly due to the pollution of the brick-making process. As such, most of the kilns have been dismantled and destroyed due to the deterioration of the village. The dismantling processes of unused brick production facilities […]
Read More… from Re-generational Architecture | FAP 2023 Second Place
CHALLENGES Kyoto Prefecture has approximately 55 per cent of its population concentrated in the city, which is the highest ratio among the prefectures in Japan. The challenges it faces include a shrinking population caused by overtourism and an aging population. Aneyakoji, located in the historical centre of Kyoto, serves as a relevant sample of the […]
Read More… from A Small Intervention: Urban Bamboo Forest | FAP 2023 Third Place
CHALLENGES The entry posited that Hong Kong is facing a ‘double aging’ issue of both buildings and people. The Hong Kong Population Projections 2020–2069 report by the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has recorded that 18.3 per cent citizens are over 65 years old. Census and research have […]
Read More… from A Scaffolding System Adapted for Double Aging | FAP 2023 Third Place
