Women in Architecture

Magazine / 2nd Quarter 2021

Women in Architecture

Dear FuturArc Readers,

Much has been said of the challenges that women face in the workplace, how a female point of view is often lacking in the boardroom. But how are these manifested in the field of design? In the realm of sustainability, in particular, is there a woman’s perspective at the drawing board?

In this issue, we talked to 10 women in architecture, urbanism and landscape design, from Pakistan to Sri Lanka, Taiwan to Singapore. What they share confirmed some of the issues reported elsewhere. Women deal with the proverbial glass ceiling; they struggle with clashing career and family demands. There can be biases in the office, on project sites and in client meetings. Some counter, however, that this is often tempered by social class: if a woman comes to the world of design from a background of wealth or privilege, the discrimination she encounters can be assuaged, but it does not go away entirely.

The vantage point that a woman brings to sustainability is harder to pin down: a female worldview is not apparent, they say, in deciding which strategies or technologies are adopted, or how a building looks. But it can alter how things are done: who is invited to the table, and which problems are prioritised. Yasmeen Lari, the pioneering architect from Pakistan (page 24), summed it up best: “sustainability can’t just be about materials; it has to be about social and ecological justice.”

It is fitting then that this issue is led by women: Zalina, Bhawna, Heather, and Ann are all long-time contributors, and Carissa was the magazine’s content editor. Candice is the heart of the enterprise, shaping the vision for the magazine and the FuturArc brand at large. I have known Candice the longest. She is passionate and proficient at what she does; over the years, her voice, on the subject of sustainability, has grown confident and commanding.

It is with pride therefore that I hand over the mantle of FuturArc Editor-in-Chief to her. This will be my last issue with the magazine.

I decided some months ago that it was time to move on. The post-COVID world beckons with new questions and urgencies that I must heed. And although I will admit that the decision to step away from FuturArc—a vehicle I have cherished and nurtured over 13 years—felt unsettling at first, the open road in front of me now feels compelling.

Before I go, I must thank all who have supported FuturArc, the magazine, its competitions and many events. I am grateful to anyone who openly expressed interest, offered feedback, purchased a subscription or an ad. Everything that we set out to do since 2008, when we rebranded FuturArc as the voice of Green architecture in Asia, has been possible because you propped us up. If there’s one thing I take with me from my encounters with you, it is that there is a voice in everyone you meet. It just needs a little time and encouragement to flourish.

Dr Nirmal Kishnan
Editor-in-Chief

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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