By refurbishing an existing 1970s three-storey concrete building and adding a mass timber structure, Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Primary School is now enclosed in a high-performance envelope with light, airy interiors. The process transformed the run-down former training centre—a typical institutional example of brutalist concrete monolith of its time—into the first educational facility […]
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At first glance, one would not think that Shanghai’s largest urban park belongs to a shopping mall. The 20,000-square-metre green slope—named Urban Farm—is designed in such a way that the boundaries between the inside and outside have been blurred, creating a lush and spacious arena not only for shoppers but also for the neighbouring community, […]
At the heart of healthcare lies the people for whom clinics and hospitals serve. How such facilities are designed and built would affect the quality of care local communities receive, and this is especially so for those living in rural areas or in places where healthcare facilities may be lacking. Working the local context and […]
Although armed with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in physical sciences, with a specialisation in mathematics, Sri Lankan architect Palinda Kannangara felt his calling was elsewhere. Kannangara joined the study course conducted by the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects in 1994, and trained under Sri Lankan modernist architect Anura Ratnavibhushana, who had worked with Geoffrey […]
Human health and well-being (HWB) are central to the quest for Green buildings. WELL is a new building standard, now available in Asia, that seeks to be universal, i.e., applicable to all buildings everywhere. Can there ever be a universal standard for health and well-being? How do we position HWB at the very start, when […]
HB: You’ve pioneered ecological design in Asia and paved the way for transformation of the design industry. What, in your view, is the importance of ecological design in Asia, and what does it demand of the designer? KY: What we as human beings do is that we go on the earth and any part of […]
Building owners and corporate occupiers can no longer afford to ignore the demand for the well-being of occupants. It is no longer just about being Green. These days, it is about how well you feel in your physical environment. The built environment has immense potential to affect health, emotions and the quality of work we […]
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How can we design healthcare facilities to enable the shift in thinking that healthcare is more than preventive care and pathogenesis? Can a hospital be designed to support health rather than just treating illnesses? The healthcare industry is constantly evolving, as patient needs shift, and new medication and technology change methods of treatment. The challenge […]
