The Chinese province of Guizhou is known for its scenic landscapes and diverse ethnic cultures. While relatively underdeveloped, the region’s mountainous terrains contain numerous settlements with distinct characters. For a period of seven years, Shancun Atelier—a team led by professors from Tsinghua University—collaborated with the local Anshun Design Institute to regenerate a rural setting that […]
How does one retain a historical urban asset while making it relevant to present-day conditions and context? Arsomsilp Community and Environmental Architect Co., Ltd. took up the task of converting Bangkok’s crown gem of a park—one that was established for Her Majesty Queen Sirikit—into a thriving public treasure that contributes its ecological and hydrological functions […]
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 […]
Urbanisation has led to an increasing loss of green areas in Hanoi. This has been exacerbated by traffic congestion and air pollution. And a spike in the number of residents in the city means that the demand for civic and community spaces is increasing too. The team proposed to transform abandoned pedestrian tunnel spaces, which […]
Read More… from Low Garden: Greening Below Ground | FAP 2022 Merit
Located in the north of Indonesia’s capital of Jakarta, the ambitious plans for Kemayoran Airport did not pan out for various reasons, leaving the once glistening structure abandoned. A portrayal of disintegrated city development, dozens of unfinished projects were left scattered around the area and deserted lands have grown into a wild urban forest. Over […]
Read More… from Biodivercity: A Story of Flight | FAP 2022 Second Place
Climate change warrior and landscape architect, FuturArc Prize (FAP) 2022 juror Kotchakorn Voraakhom channels her impact on the environment by building productive Green public spaces that tackle climate change in dense urban areas and climate-vulnerable communities. The recipient of countless accolades and awards, such as the 2020 UN Global Climate Awards, she is CEO and […]
Portland Street is one of the most popular streets in the Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong, known for its various retailers, bazaars, local restaurants and hourly hotels. Located in the Yau Ma Tei area, it has a long history as a harbour village that lives on to this day—including a century-old fruit market, a 1930s theatre, […]
Read More… from Minding the gap: A vibrant rest garden between city buildings
Today, Tokiwabashi is being invigorated beyond just economic functionality to further imbue joy, pride and happiness into the city. The redevelopment district called TOKYO TORCH will create 2 hectares of open public space in the centre of the city, including the eight-storey podium of Torch Tower, which is enclosed by a spiralling open-air walkway. Standing at 63 floors above ground, the tower will be the tallest in Tokyo—providing an observation deck called Sky Hill at its very top. […]
At 13.5 kilometres long, the bold Banzhang Mountain Connector in Zhuhai will link the mountain within the city to the sea. Located right in the middle of the city, Banzhang Mountain has been viewed as a hindrance as it prevents the development of roads, thus limiting people’s access around the city. The design team, however, […]
Read More… from Zhuhai Xiangzhou Green Connector: Jing Shan Trail
FuturArc conducted an interview with Sacha Schwarzkopf about blue-green initiatives that can be transformative strategies for city regeneration. Here is one of the projects that was presented as an example. SS: Back in, say, the 1990s or even up until maybe 2005, the edge of Downtown Houston next to the Buffalo Bayou was really a […]
A portion of an abandoned electric train track has been transformed into an elevated green pedestrian bridge overlooking the Chao Phraya River. For 30 years, the unfinished structure between Phra Pok Klao Bridge withstood the elements and served as a reminder of the old Lavalin Skytrain project, which was abandoned in 1992. Today the concrete […]
This project design won the first prize in an international competition for the Thu Thiem Central Plaza and Riverside Park, organised by ICA and Sazaki in 2008. The central plaza and river park is a multifunctional realm, a poetic signature of the natural geography. The design is not merely a plan drawn on the surface—it […]
