ADAPTING TO SITE CONTEXT While many places in the world are still using fresh water for toilet flushing, Hong Kong has been extensively adopting seawater for flushing since the 1950s, covering about 85 per cent of its population.1 This allows the precious fresh water to be preserved for potable purposes. However, such a system is […]
Virdas: An Ingenious Water Harvesting Marvel of Banni’s Sustainable Landscape
In the heart of Banni, a remote expanse famed for its grasslands and one of the biggest salt deserts in the world, a testament to human ingenuity quietly thrives amidst the arid beauty. Sketches by Charul Bharwada (from the book Let it be Banni: Understanding and Sustaining Pastoral Livelihoods of Banni by Charul Bharwada and […]
Read More… from Virdas: An Ingenious Water Harvesting Marvel of Banni’s Sustainable Landscape
Towards a Healthier, More Resilient Future in Flood-Prone Kurigram: Interventions for Clean Water and Sanitation
Known as the face of poverty in Bangladesh, Kurigram district in the north is home to 2.4 million people. Over 70 per cent of the population is poor,1 almost three times the national poverty rate of 24.3 per cent. One in two persons in Kurigram is extremely poor. Caught in an intractable cycle of poverty […]
The Rise of PAREX in Manila: An Antithesis to Green Mobility
Soon, Manileños will see a new addition to the skyline of the capital. The linear vista of the waterfront of Pasig River, the most significant waterway crossing several cities of Metro Manila, anticipates a change that will unveil drastic outcomes on the quality of life of Filipinos. Pasig River Expressway (PAREX) is a 19.37-kilometre six-lane […]
Read More… from The Rise of PAREX in Manila: An Antithesis to Green Mobility
Regeneration of Disused Transport Infrastructure
Rather than demolishing and building anew, the revitalisation and greening of deserted transit infrastructure is becoming increasingly commonplace in dense, fast-growing cities. Jiaxing Train Station in China by MAD Architects and Taichung Green Corridor in Taiwan by Mecanoo are two examples of reusing existing infrastructure to rejuvenate the urban realm. By recreating a train station […]
Read More… from Regeneration of Disused Transport Infrastructure
Streetscaping of JM Road by Oasis
Oasis Design Inc. were asked to redesign Jangali Maharaj Road, better known as JM Road, which is named after Sadguru Jangali Maharaj. The road has a right of way of 36 metres and is an important arterial road in Pune. It is primarily a commercial street with many high-end shops lining the property edges. JM […]
A Greener Future for September 23 Park
The lack of green spaces and parks has become a common lament amongst most city dwellers in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. The area of trees per capita (square metre per person) is lower in the country’s largest city—home to more than 8 million people—than in its capital, and even lower when compared to […]
The Longest Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge in Flanders, Belgium: Cycle Bridge over the A201
With a total length of 710 metres—a deck 510 metres long and sloping approaches of 200 metres—the new bridge will be a striking feature in the urban landscape when it is completed and open for use in 2024. Architectural studio ZJA, part of the consultancy consortium MoVeR0, produced the architectonic design for the cycle bridge […]
Cakra Selaras Wahana (CSW): Articulating a Lost Roundabout
Jakarta may be known for its modern cityscape, but it is in fact one of Southeast Asia’s oldest capital cities at 495 years old—perhaps ‘buried’ under rapid development. Its historic past is only legible to those who know how to ‘read’ the urban fabric. However, those who visit the area of Kebayoran Baru are likely […]
Read More… from Cakra Selaras Wahana (CSW): Articulating a Lost Roundabout
MRT Kota Station: Catalysing a Historic Node
One of the much-anticipated transportation projects in Jakarta is the mass rapid transit (MRT) expansion. First opened to the public in March 2019 after six years of construction, the railway’s first phase spans 13 stations across South and Central Jakarta, passing through the metropolis’s largest business districts. Serving over 60,000 commuters daily on average, the […]
Read More… from MRT Kota Station: Catalysing a Historic Node
Jiaxing Train Station by MAD Architects
Competing to outdo one another, China’s train stations tower over its cities like grand palaces, surrounded by large main roads, imposing viaducts and often empty plazas. But instead of pursuing monumental architecture, Beijing-based MAD Architects asks if it is possible for urban train stations to be constructed at a more comfortable, human scale; to be […]
Taichung Green Corridor by Mecanoo
Boasting extensive urban planning experience, Delft-based architecture firm Mecanoo transformed a 1.7-kilometre-long disused railway track crossing downtown Taichung, the second most populous city of Taiwan—which once served as an important catalyst for the growth of the old city—into a dynamic linear park offering walking and cycling paths. Running alongside the Green River, the people-oriented green […]