As of 2021, China’s countryside houses about 36 per cent of its population. The process of rural-urban migration as a result of economic reform since the late 1970s has seen a drastic decline of the agricultural livelihood that once fostered Chinese civilisation. While urbanisation has brought vast wealth to the country and lifted millions out […]
Read More… from Reimagining Heritage: Architectural Regeneration in Rural China
Lao Tze said, “To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.” What happens when you meet the guru of conservation and heritage to discuss the topic close to his heart? You gain some wisdom by removing common misconceptions of a subject thought to be old and staid. Far from […]
Over my nearly 20 years of living in Singapore, the city has changed almost beyond recognition. I moved here as a teenager, when Sentosa had a few ramshackle beach bars and Orchard Road had a huge green space where ION now sits. Of course, change is the only constant in Singapore and other Southeast Asian […]
Read More… from Pioneers of Tropical Living: Singapore’s ‘Middle-aged’ Condos
Old shop lots, Selangor An increasingly rare sight nowadays, bamboo blinds (or ‘chick blinds’) were a common feature of shophouses, especially those from the pre-war era in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia and Singapore. These blinds were made of long strips of bamboo tied together with strings, and could be rolled up or down […]
Earlier this year, the Southeast Asian Cultural Heritage Alliance (SEACHA) held a conference titled Cultural Wisdom for Climate Action: The Southeast Asian Contribution, bringing together conservationists, architects and urban planners to discuss various aspects of the region’s heritage as a part of the strategy for climate action. The panel titled Urbanisation and Built Environment investigated […]
Read More… from Cultural Wisdom for Climate Action: The Southeast Asian Contribution
Finding inspiration for architectural design does not always need to come from novelty—good solutions can come from retracing one’s past experience, interests and even connections. This is something that has been often expressed by speakers of FEX, who are leaders and senior architects with an array of notable projects across the nation, to the audience […]
Read More… from FuturArc Exchange and Exhibitions (FEX) | 2Q 2023
The Rajbagh Silk Factory is one of the state government-owned properties that was severely affected by the floods that ravaged the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir in 2014. The facility was flooded with up to 17 feet of water, submerging all the machinery for 27 days. After the waters receded, cleaning of machinery […]
The temple was constructed in 1955 and is one of the oldest Ayyappa Swami1 Temples in Northern India. It was constructed by Swami Vimochanandaji (known as Govindan Nair in his Purvasram or pre-monastic life) with an aim of spreading the message of Sabarimalai Sri Ayyappa2 and giving his devotees a place of worship outside Kerala. […]
Gurmeet S. Rai is a conservation architect who can be credited with the conservation of some of the most famous built heritage projects in India. There, she started the Cultural Resource Conservation Initiative in 1996, a conservation consultancy firm that works on cultural heritage conservation and management practices locally. Rai has been a specialist consultant […]
Did you know that many of the oldest living organisms on Earth are trees? In fact, the Methuselah Tree, a Great Basin Bristlecone Pine, was thought to be the oldest living tree in the world. What does an ancient living species have to do with today’s city landscapes? For one, Earth’s biosphere and ecology will […]
Read More… from Climate Feature: Cultivating the Right Tree in the Right Place
One of China’s most beloved architectural heritages, the Tulou is a type of mud house common in the southern region of Fujian. The most famous ones are circular with soaring walls large enough to shelter an entire clan of people. In 2008, a total of 46 buildings were listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites, which […]
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 […]
