‘Mindshaping’ for the future of resilient cities
28 JUNE 2022 – After two years of facing the health crisis with lockdowns, the field of architecture has had to weather through businesses disruptions and made adjustments in conducting the profession. Now, practitioners are seeking to recover towards resilience.
The Arc at Bandar Rimbayu is an example of open-space architecture that promotes healthy natural ventilation
“Fundamentally, [the pandemic] has changed the ecosystem of the construction. Reduction in projects and the demand for projects have forced architects to improvise and adapt,” said Sarly Adre bin Sarkum, President of Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM).1
“One positive aspect of the lockdown is the forced adoption of technology … I believe as a profession we will need to keep updated with new developments in these technologies to improve our resilience in the event of a similar economic disruption in the future.”
In line with this preparedness and forward-thinking, ARCHIDEX as an international architecture, interior and building exhibition is returning with a hybrid format at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from 29 June – 2 July 2022 alongside an online platform.
The theme for this year is Mindshaping the Future, which is an important aspect for building practitioners. “Fundamentally, architects are concerned with ideas and the creation of ideas. Great buildings and cities spark from the convolution of these many ideas,” said Sarly. “More often than not, the barrier of meaningful change in society is no longer technological but rather challenges in collective will.”
PAM’s Future City Pavilion at ARCHIDEX 2022 Suasana Putrajaya is a Green-rated building in Malaysia’s administrative capital
The event features a Future City Pavilion by PAM, which is devoted to global futurists who want to explore new possibilities in architectural and urban design. It is situated in the same hall that exhibits highlights in Future Energy, Smart Infrastructure & Buildings, Smart Mobility, Smart Economy, Sustainability and Society.
“Over the last century, many ‘future cities’ have been attempted from scratch, including [Malaysia’s] very own Putrajaya/Cyberjaya and Forest City,” said Dr Lim Teng Ngiom, Director of Kuala Lumpur Architecture Festival (KLAF) as the event organiser.2
“Now, the generic vision of a ‘future city’ is mostly shiny towers. This vision hasn’t changed for a hundred years and continues to motivate the ‘visionary’ image. But if we were to envisage an apocalyptic disaster, the future city could well be underground, or floating on water.”
At the pavilion, the forum will also showcase over 20 speakers to cover topics related to the future of cities. Visit the ARCHIDEX platform for information on more programmes, including DATUM:GREEN that will specifically explore Green building designs and technologies.
As a media partner of ARCHIDEX, visit FuturArc’s booth at the exhibition and take advantage of exclusive subscription promotions!
1 https://archidex.com.my/pam-president-interview/
2 https://archidex.com.my/klaf-director-interview/
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