Magazine / 4th Quarter 2020

YEAR-END 2020

The sustainability roadmap that emerged two decades ago has failed us. Yes, more buildings in Asia are certified Green. And yes, more professionals and developers now buy into the need for change. But the situation is escalating faster than the pace at which solutions are generated. There is also a substance gap here. Are things that we do the same as what must be done?

We invited a panel of experts to tell us where we are, and if they see a fork in the path ahead. Here is a summary of what they say:

It’s a systemic problem.

We’ve grown accustomed to tinkering with parts; we need to tackle wholes. This means expanding the canvas beyond site and shell. It means fostering generosity. The architects at WOHA talk of generosity, how a project gives back to the neighbourhood, the city and the ecosystem. This does not obviate the case for building efficiency or occupant wellness; it adds a layer to what is already done. Critically, generosity is a clarion call to policymakers. System-wide changes will happen if there is a new DNA for urbanism and planning. This means raising the bar on planning and codes, and incentivising private actions that create public good.

It’s about our relationship with Nature.

Michael Grove, Sasaki and Bill Browning, Terrapin Bright Green say the rethink here starts with knowing what we have, how natural systems are vital to our survival. This leads to the protection of ecosystems, inside and outside human settlements. It alters how we design buildings and neighbourhoods to forge a partnership between the man-made and the natural. This is how design becomes a force for good, and an agent of change.

It’s time for courage and some outrage.

Big change is hard work. There are some who must be gently persuaded; others who must be aggressively refuted. The role of designer expands to educator, activist and agitator. Anna Heringer talks of how she founded a company that commissions hand-stitched textiles from women in Bangladesh villages. It was the only way they could stay in their community, and not have to move to a city to make a living. Nikos Salingaros decries self-delusion and aggrandisement of the design community. These are harsh words, meant to jolt us. Dr Nirmal Kishnani deconstructs the Green movement, which has lulled us into complacency. Challenging path dependencies is the first step to knowing what’s next.

Collating these views into a single issue has been a milestone for FuturArc. We’ve always advocated critical thinking and positive change, mostly through the curation of past projects. This time, we step outside our comfort zone and, with the help of experts, signpost the journey ahead. We hope this manifesto triggers optimism and urgency in you, as much as it has in us.

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
8^th 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

Previous issues:

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

3Q 2021: CITIES ISSUE | EQUITY AND URBAN INTERVENTIONS

MAIN FEATURE
How Can We Design Cities to Be More Equitable?

SHOWCASE
Tebet Eco Garden

CITY PROFILE
Hoi An
Kandy

HAPPENINGS
Special Focus: World Cities Summit
In Conversation With Anupama Kundoo
Milestones
Products

FUTURARC INTERVIEW
James Shen

COMMENTARY
Why All Cities Should Prioritise Green Walking

PROJECTS
Shi Ban Qiao Mixed-Use Development
Zhuhai Xiangzhou Green Connector: Jing Shan Trail
Matsubara Civic Library
Porte de Montreuil

2Q 2021: WOMEN IN ARCHITECTURE

Main Feature: Intersectional Feminism for a Sustainable Future	Kotchakorn Voraakhom
Yasmeen Lari	Ganga Rathnayake
Serina Hijjas	Ching-Hwa Chang
Sonali Rastogi	Milestones
Maria Warner Wong	Product Advertorials

1Q 2021: ENERGY

THE FUTURARC INTERVIEW Hossein Rezai; Lee Chin Wei; Serina Hijjas	A Carbon Neutral Skyscraper: Arthaland Century Pacific Tower
Reaching Energy Targets: Singapore Institute of Technology; The Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation	In Conversation with Jan Glasmeier
Sky Green	Steering Clear of Catastrophe: Solutions from the Built Environment
Integrated Production Facility for Organic India	Water Becomes the New Crude and Other Things
SMU Connexion	Milestones Product Advertorials

MAIN FEATURE
Landscape Architecture Is Our First Line of Defence
The Next Paradigm; Where We Go From Here
The Future of Cities: Sustainability’s Deceptive Dreams
Rethinking Sustainability: Form Follows Systems
Moving Beyond Sustainability

THE FUTURARC INTERVIEW
Anna Heringer
HAPPENINGS
Milestones & Events
Product Advertorials

MAIN FEATURE
Adaptable Spaces
Cities and a Circular Economy After the Virus
Density versus COVID-19: An Indonesian Case Study
Landscape through the Lens of Pandemic
Reclaiming Immaterial Spaces

THE FUTURARC INTERVIEW
Prof Dr Lou Yongqi; Liak Teng Lit; Sameep Padora

HAPPENINGS
Milestones & Events
Product Advertorials

MAIN FEATURE
FuturArc Prize & FuturArc Green Leadership Award 2020 Winners

PROJECTS
The Green Hostel Village, CUHK – Jockey Club Postgraduate Halls 2 & 3
House No. 17
H.A House
Forest In The Sky
Viettel Academy Educational Centre

THE FUTURARC INTERVIEW
Prasoon Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO, billionBricks

HAPPENINGS
BCI Asia Top Ten 2020
Milestones & Events

Book Review
Product Advertorials

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT 2020
Information on FuturArc Prize & FuturArc Green Leadership Award
Jury & jurors’ comments
FuturArc Prize 2020 winning entries
FuturArc Green Leadership Award 2020 winning entries

MAIN FEATURE
Urban Farming

THE FUTURARC INTERVIEW
Veera Sekaran, Founder, Greenology

CITY PROFILES
Singapore
Kuala Lumpur
Dhaka

FUTURARC SHOWCASE
Thammasat Green Roof

PROJECTS
Dalat Farm
The Red Roof
Roof Water-Farm

PEOPLE
In Conversation with Shimul Javeri Kadri

COMMENTARY
Carbon Farming and Climate Change Education on Urban Farms

Milestones & Events
Product Advertorials

Main Feature
Frontlines of Ecological Practice

The FuturArc Interview
Yu Kongjian (Professor for landscape architecture, Peking University; Founder, Turenscape) and
Lou Yongqi (Dean, Tongji University’s College of Design and Innovation in Shanghai; Founder, TEKTAO and Design Harvest)

Futurarc Showcase
Shanghai Houtan Park & New Jindai Elementary School

Projects
Microlibrary Hanging Gardens
Lakeside Garden
Mandai Eco-Resort
Viettel Academy Educational Centre

Commentary
Benchmarking the Benchmark: Reflections on the 10th Anniversary of Malaysia’s Green Building Index

Happenings
Milestones & Events

Product Advertorials