It seems not one day goes by without the mention of global warming and the catastrophic effects it has unleased this year. In East Asia where I am based, this year has seen two typhoons, Yagi and Bebinca, batter Chinese coastal cities of Hainan and Shanghai respectively. The latter was even described in local media […]
In bustling Hong Kong, architects grapple with the perils of upgrading aged high-density buildings and infrastructure while advocating new design approaches that are environmentally friendly and people-centred. Dr Tony Ip is a leading voice amongst seasoned architectural practitioners. As founder of Tony Ip Green Architects (TiP), he has carved a unique niche combining his expertise […]
Read More… from Sustainable Design: Balancing Environmental Concerns and Users’ Well-being
As climate change is no longer a distant threat but a present reality, the built environment must evolve to meet the challenges of sustainability and resilience. Sustainable finance emerges as a crucial tool in this transformation, guiding investments towards projects that not only promise financial returns, but also deliver environmental and social benefits. To delve […]
Read More… from Sustainable Finance: Future-proofing the Built Environment
“Urban heat is not just a discomfort; it’s a serious issue affecting our health and social fabric,” says Tony Chan, an Associate Principal and Planning Business Leader in Arup, overseeing the multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy’s Southeast Asia urban planning projects. In densely populated cities like Singapore where Tony is based, UHI effect poses a significant challenge. […]
Read More… from Harnessing Uheat: Can a Digital Tool Combat Urban Heat Island Effect?
Associate Professor Sigit Dwiananto Arifwidodo, or Sigit to friends, is a distinguished academic at the Department of Landscape Architecture, Kasetsart University in Bangkok. His research primarily focuses on sustainable urban development and climate change, particularly within the context of Asian cities. Sigit’s journey into urban heat island (UHI) research began in 2014 when he started […]
Read More… from How Can Academia Help the Urban Poor Facing Climate Change?
Under the auspices of the WELL • BEING Estate Festival held in Hong Kong in September 2024, I had the opportunity to chat with Eric Ho, co-founder of Architecture Commons and founder of Neighbourhood Innovation Lab (NIL) to learn about the power of co-creation in placemaking. One of NIL’s latest projects is the Lam Tsuen […]
Read More… from How Co-created Placemaking Can Enhance Climate Resilience and Well-being
Ouroboros is an ancient circular symbol of a snake/serpent or dragon eating its own tail, signifying variously infinity and the cycle of birth and death. It is one of the oldest mythical emblems in the world that represents fundamental concepts of life. Of this age-old never-ending ‘loop’, this entry seeks to present a modern interpretation […]
Jakarta, the largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, is among the world’s fastest-sinking cities. Due to massive groundwater extraction, its coastal areas experience land subsidence at an alarming rate of up to 15 centimetres/year.1 It has been predicted that around 90 per cent of North Jakarta could be submerged by 2050 if no counter-measures are taken, […]
Read More… from Coastal Reform: Muara Angke 2100 | FuturArc Prize 2024 Second Place
Of Muaragembong Estuary, the selected location upon which the proposal is based, the team described it as a prime example of what environmental historian Scott Gabriel Knowles calls a slow disaster. It has suffered from intensive salinisation due to nearly 50 years of anthropogenic landscape alterations, leading to a fresh water crisis. This area, where […]
Read More… from The Spatialization of Salt | FuturArc Prize 2024 Third Place
The following Main Feature presents FuturArc Prize (FAP) 2024 winning and merit entries, as well as the awardees. The 2024 cycle’s theme Architecture for Life After required entrants to propose architectural solutions within Asia for the continuation of life after either one or both of the following scenarios: Climate Destruction and/or Endings. Climate Destruction scenarios […]
Read More… from FuturArc Prize 2024: Architecture for Life After
In addressing the Endings scenario, the entry presents an idea that revolves around the theme of the cycle of life—it proposes a burial solution with an architectural scheme for a site located in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. The city’s over-1,000-year history has brought with it the effects of population expansion, environmental pollution and other […]
Read More… from Circulation of Life | FuturArc Prize 2024 Merit
Dong Nai, a province that borders Ho Chi Minh City, is known for its rich geological resources that include metallic and non-metallic minerals like quartz, sand, kaolin clay, limestone and granite.1,2 For over two decades since stone mining was permitted by the government in 2000, over 14,000 square kilometres of quarries have been established, measuring […]
Read More… from Reviving Mines: The Tan Cang Ecosystem | FuturArc Prize 2024 Merit
