10 September 2020 — In this keynote session, which is part of the International Built Environment Week (IBEW) 2020, speakers from leading organisations such as the World Green Building Council, City Developments Limited and Beca Asia shared how we can draw lessons from the COVID pandemic and leverage innovative technologies to accelerate global climate action moving […]
Read More… from IBEW 2020: New opportunities for accelerating climate action and sustainability
8 September 2020 — In this session, which is part of the International Built Environment Week (IBEW) 2020, speakers from leading organisations such as Building and Construction Authority (BCA), CapitaLand Group and Samwoh Corporation shared their sustainability journeys and how their efforts have accorded them a competitive advantage. This session will also look at how […]
Read More… from IBEW 2020: Redefining sustainability in a post-pandemic era
The site area is placed in the center of an industrial park 50 kilometres north of Ho Chi Minh City, the economic capitol of Vietnam. A pioneering initiative, Jakob Factory is the first project in Vietnam proposes completely naturally ventilated manufacturing halls. It offers an intelligent distribution of work spaces combined with a plantation façade […]
The fully digital International Built Environment Week (IBEW) 2020 kicked off officially on 1 September 2020. This year, the annual event is themed “Emerging Strong through Innovation“, highlighting the need for the built environment to bounce back stronger from challenges brought about by the pandemic. Desmond Lee, Minister for National Development and Minister-in-charge of Social […]
Read More… from IBEW 2020: Opening ceremony by Minister Desmond Lee
COVID-19 shutdown measures have had economic impacts far beyond city boundaries as urban economies account for 80 per cent of global GDP. The response should tackle the inequalities and long-term development deficits that have been exposed and made marginalised groups more vulnerable. The UN SG’s Policy Brief on COVID-19 in an Urban World estimates that urban areas […]
Read More… from COVID-19: Cities in the frontline of response and recovery
The Microlibrary Warak Kayu is the latest addition to the iconic architecture landscape of Semarang, the capital of Central Java in Indonesia, and the fifth built project within SHAU’s Microlibrary series. It is built at Taman Kasmaran, a public square in the city centre with direct proximity with a river. The current mayor of Semarang, […]
During the first in a series of roundtable discussions on responding and recovering better from the global crisis, this one with women economists, Secretary-General António Guterres painted a grim picture of acute suffering, saying that extreme poverty and hunger are set to increase drastically. Many healthcare systems are already at breaking point; and a whole […]
Read More… from ‘Bold and creative’ solutions needed for a sustainable, post-pandemic economy
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP), alongside several partners in the Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership (SIP), developed a set of ten principles for post-COVID-19 recovery focusing on investing in sustainable and resilient infrastructure. To avoid future crises, the Principles recommend that infrastructure ensure resilience through integrated, systems-level planning and built-in flexibility and redundancy. The Principles state that […]
Read More… from Principles for recovery: Sustainable and resilient infrastructure
Not only is there a twin health and economic crisis, but the long-standing international order has been weakened at the very time we need it to underpin our response to climate change and ease rising geo-political tensions. We need to reimagine how to strengthen cooperation between governments, businesses and our communities in Asia-Pacific, to build […]
In light of the coronavirus pandemic, the COP26 United Nations climate change conference has been rescheduled to 2021. “COVID-19 is the most urgent threat facing humanity today, but we cannot forget that climate change is the biggest threat facing humanity over the long term. Soon, economies will restart. This is a chance for nations to […]
Read More… from COP26 climate summit postponed to 2021—What is the message sent?
While the Prime Minister’s Housing-For-All scheme successfully tilted the outlook of India’s private housing market towards affordable housing for the middle class, it did little to alleviate the deficiencies created by archaic governmental policies. It also failed to facilitate the economically and politically marginalised ‘rurban’ migrants—people who survive in cities on daily wages. Crisis within […]
Read More… from Creating robust urban ecosystems in post-COVID-19 India
COVID-19 has brought both challenges and opportunities, as innovation flourished and new technologies found their ways to advance further. In April 2020, LWK + PARTNERS completed the temporary quarantine facilities in Sai Kung Outdoor Recreation Centre in collaboration with Paul Y. Construction and Paul Y. – iMax to assist the government’s response to COVID-19. It […]
Read More… from Part II: Modular Integrated Construction for sustainable future
