HB: The scope of work you undertake is really wide-ranging, from affordable housing and neighbourhood plans to studies, exhibitions and publications. How do you determine which projects to undertake? Is there a specific goal or objective behind your work? ME: We are interested in neighbourhoods—how they grow, how they are shaped internally by the people living in them, and […]
BJ: You have been working in the area of Green buildings for over 20 years. How would you assess the impact of Green buildings, as we have come to define them today, on driving actual sustainable development? TT: The general awareness about Green buildings has definitely increased, but whether this has led to any ‘sustainable’ development […]
HB: What led you to set up a SHAU office in Indonesia? DS: We actually got our first projects in Indonesia through exhibitions. After the IABR in 2009, we continued exhibiting other urban architecture ideas, which got the attention of the Indonesian Diaspora Network. They put us in touch with several ministers, which led to meeting […]
LM: How has your background in architecture/urban planning impacted the way you look at the city and its problems? TR: In a way, my background has helped me position my decisions around people. Prioritising their well-being and comfort is an important takeaway from my academic training and experiences in government service. I combine this approach with the […]
AD: You have a number of personal achievements related to water use: back in 2004, you won Singapore’s first Green Plan award; you’re an Asia Development Bank Water Champion; a council member with the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda for Water Security; TIME magazine’s Hero of the Environment—what do you want Green architects and designers […]
NK: In your 11 years as CEO, what have been the most significant achievements? JK: The concept of sustainable development was put in place in Singapore decades ago. When it came to buildings, we introduced the Green Mark scheme which, though basic and preliminary, was a step in the right direction. With this, we started to look […]
LM: From physics to climate engineering, can you briefly chart your trajectory of practice? WK: I studied nuclear physics until Chernobyl, the nuclear catastrophe that happened in Ukraine. In April 1986, I changed from nuclear physics to solar physics. This made me relook at energy sources and understanding the potential that solar energy holds. Thereafter, I […]
BJ: As a practitioner in the sphere of sustainable architecture that goes beyond just the built form, what do you think has changed in this field from the time you started your practice more than three decades ago? How has the perception of sustainability in architecture impacted the practice? SA: I finished architecture school in Delhi and […]
HS: Can you walk us through Green? MG: I have a simple definition of Green architecture: designing with nature. You go to the site and analyse the environment. What is the climate? What are the resources? What is the slope? Then you design accordingly. You avoid sunlight coming into the building from the west and east. You […]
BJ: You have been a practitioner and advocate for ecological architecture from the time you started your practice in 1991, which incidentally was the year India opened up to globalisation and had a huge impact on the architecture scenario in the country. Were you conscious of this shift while setting up your practice then? CV: It […]
NK: What motivated your work in Green buildings? And how did you get involved in biophilic design? BB: As a child I lived in Okinawa, Germany and the United States and experienced different ways of thinking about the built environment. I was most interested in architecture and nature. I went to the University of Colorado for […]
MK: You were born in Jakarta, grew up in Surabaya and internationally educated in the Netherlands. What prompted you to return to Indonesia to build your practice? SK: I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to intern under Andy Rahman, a famous Indonesian architect. Following the internship, I had to continue my studies and chose […]
