The Water Issue

Magazine / Sep - Oct 2017

The Water Issue

Water, as a pre-condition for living systems, is the theme of this issue. The cover, in case you wondered, shows the blue between Singapore and Malaysia. It was inspired by Sylvia Earle, an American marine biologist, who famously said “no water, no life… no blue, no green”.

The projects ahead speak of the restoration of hydrological landscapes, the remediation of water quality, the creation of new waterfront places for recreation and contemplation—places with social and cosmological meaning. Each reminds us that water, from a human perspective, is an instrument of mental and spiritual well-being. And that working with nature is the best design strategy. Of the river projects, the one by Morphogenesis (A River in Need) illustrates this best, working with the ebb and flow of tides along the river Ganga, temporally adjusting human space to hydrological space.

Often, an issue like this leaves us wishing for more, say, projects showing water as habitat. There are two here—the Lingang Bird Airport and Mangrove Tetrapods—but there could and should be others out there. We might also wish for projects that speak to the importance of water as transportation. There are cities in Asia where water-based mobility has been the cornerstone of development—Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok come to mind—where investment in the water transportation is long overdue. Lastly, there are not enough examples of integration, where a water system simultaneously creates social and ecological value.

A noteworthy exception is Singapore, Asia’s Little Blue Dot. With a population of 5.5 million and growing, the small city-state relies heavily on water from Malaysia. The article on four taps tells the story of diversification, integration and political will. Singapore now has (a) vastly increased its rainwater catchment and detention areas through land-use policies and urban infrastructure, (b) invested in technologies that recycle waste water to potable standards, and (c) invested in desalination plants. Imports, by the year 2060, will be altogether eliminated, making the island self-sufficient.

This then is an argument that is not often heard when experts talk about sustainability: that a solution for resilience and self-interest should also make for a more beautiful, more inclusive, world.

Happy reading.

Table of Contents
1Q 2023: MOBILITY & TRANSPORT
THE FUTURARC INTERVIEW
Bryant Lu
Elisa Sutanudjaja

PROJECTS
Regeneration of Disused Transport Infrastructure
MRT Kota Station: Catalysing a Historic Node
Cakra Selaras Wahana (CSW): Articulating a Lost Roundabout
The Longest Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge in Flanders, Belgium
The Rise of PAREX in Manila: An Antithesis to Green Mobility
A Greener Future for September 23 Park

COMMENTARY
Climate Feature: Climate Targets and the Transportation Sector
Roads Reimagined
Cable Cars as Feasible Urban Transport Option?
Can Pune be a Case Study for Indian Cities to Improve Pedestrian Infrastructure?

HAPPENINGS
Can Indonesia accelerate the adoption of net zero buildings?
FuturArc Exchange and Exhibitions (FEX)
Products



Previous issues:

4Q 2022: YEAR-END ISSUE | POLICY VS PRACTICALITY, PRACTICE VS PRINCIPLES, PROGRESS VS PLANET
MAIN FEATURE
The Uneasy Relationship Between Architecture Practices and Labour

FUTURARC INTERVIEW
Swati Janu

PROJECTS
Private Houses, Public Good?
A Tale of Two Platinum Firsts
Huma Betang Umai: What Should a Future Governmental Palace Look Like?

COMMENTARY
Form Follows Political Paradigm: A Reflection on Indonesia’s New Capital City
Peak Heat: Learning from London’s Hottest Days
Land Reclamation in Asia: Is Eco-engineering Possible?





PHILIPPINE FOCUS
City Profile | Quezon City: Setting up an Infrastructure of Sustainability
Commentary | Master-planning Happier Philippine Cities
Project | Hue Hotel Wave Front

HAPPENINGS
WGBW spotlights recent efforts to advance net zero around the world
IGEM 2022: Can we push a ‘carbon report card’ for every single building?
WCSC 2022: What entails a liveable and resilient urban future?
IBEW 2022 aims for Industry Transformation
Better Climate Festival 2022: Preparing an industry ecosystem to meet carbon targets
Products


3Q 2022: GREEN AWARDS | REINTERPRETATION
MAIN FEATURE
FuturArc Prize 2022: Reinterpretation Jury Panel & Comments

FUTURARC PRIZE (FAP) 2022 WINNERS
First Place | A Chronographic Blueprint:
Reinstating the Valley of Hope

Second Place | Biodivercity: A Story of Flight
Third Place | Revival Waste: Propagating Permaculture

MERITS
FluxToActive
Footsteps of Imagination
Agropolis
Wastefilter
Touch of Change
Low Garden
San Chung


FUTURARC INTERVIEW
Excerpts from FuturArc Prize 2022 Jury Meeting
Round-Table Discussion with FuturArc Prize 2022 Jurors

SHOWCASE
Ragunan Bio Park: A Nature-based update of Indonesia’s oldest zoo

COMMENTARY
And Now the Real World

HAPPENINGS
FAP 2022: Young talents awarded at BCIAA
FuturArc Exchange and Exhibitions (FEX) | 3Q 2022
Actionable steps for Malaysia’s building industry
Products


2Q 2022: NEW & RE-EMERGING ARCHITECTURE
MAIN FEATURE
Imagining a Building Culture Revived on Architectural Robustness

COMMENTARY
The Sky as a Source of Cooling & Other Tropical Innovations
Igniting Ideas from Other Insights
Reinforcing a Labour of Love
Re-emergence of the Vernacular in India

HAPPENINGS
SIWW & CESG 2022
The potential of circular materials for architectural use
Revitalised Tebet Eco Park opened as a Green oasis
How emerging architectural technologies can decentralise healthcare
Milestones & Events
Products

FUTURARC INTERVIEW
Wendy W. Fok

IN CONVERSATION
Aswin Indraprastha & Carlos Bañón:
Next-Generation Technologies in Architectural Design


PROJECTS
OCEANIX City: Keeping Future Cities Afloat
A Futuristic Idea of Using Nature to Heal & Manage Diabetes
Cocoa Craftsman Factory: The Building as a Chocolate Melting Machine
Daylight Ducts for High-Rise Offices


1Q 2022: HOUSING ASIA
MAIN FEATURE
Homes, not Houses
3d-printed housing in India
Homes built by homeowners in Sri Lanka
Carbon Tech Modular House in Indonesia

VIETNAM FOCUS
Adapting Vietnam’s Urban Street House to High-Rise Apartments
Hong Ha Eco City
The Nest Modular Housing
Tan Phu House

COMMENTARY
Public and Private Housing in Malaysia

HAPPENINGS
8th APHF: Mainstreaming Green throughout the housing value chain
Oceanix City
Milestones & Events
Products

SHOWCASE
Habitat ’67: Critique on a Classic & Its Modern Interpretations
Safdie Architects: Charu Kokate

FUTURARC INTERVIEW
Toyo Ito

IN CONVERSATION
Eko Prawoto: Living More Authentically With Nature

PROJECTS
Bay Window Tower House
AMN Student Housing
Baan Hom Din
Jervois Mansion
Permeability Housed

4Q 2021: YEAR-END | NOW & THEN

MAIN FEATURE
Aspirations Versus Realities of Utopia in India

SHOWCASE
Charles Correa Now

YEAR-END FOCUS: CARBON
A Case Study from China
Reaching Carbon Neutrality in Hong Kong
A Singapore Perspective

HAPPENINGS
Special Focus: Reimagining the Future at IBEW 2021
Indonesia’s Progress Towards Carbon Goals
FuturArc Readership Survey 2021
Milestones
Products

FUTURARC INTERVIEW
Jason F. McLennan

COMMENTARY
Brazil’s Favelas

PROJECTS
Heron Hall
Climate Pledge Arena
ASHRAE World Headquarters
HMTX World Headquarters and Materials Innovation Center
Singapore Zero Energy Cases
Green Shore Residence Phase II
Tianheng Bayview

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