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
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
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 […]
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 […]
A recent study has reported that Hong Kong has the best public transportation in the world.1 The worldwide ranking public transit sub-index based its findings on the volume of traffic, network density and infrastructure quality, while also including measures of how well cities are maintaining mass transit networks and number of commuters using them. “It’s […]
“Macet!”, meaning traffic jam, is an exclamation too often heard in Jakarta’s streets. It is no simple matter to unravel transportation issues in Indonesia’s most populous metropolis. Over 11 million people reside in the 660-square-kilometre land area, seeing an additional 7 million workers commuting from satellite cities each weekday. During peak hours, it is common […]
TODTOWN is a pioneering sustainable transit-oriented development in mainland China that integrates a multifunctional urban space with a mega transport interchange. This 432,000-square metre development comprises a Grade-A office tower; shopping mall; hotel; serviced apartments; high-end residences; generous public spaces; and other ancillary facilities—all connected to the Xinzhuang MTR interchange station. A major design concept […]
The expansive eco-development reorganises the spatial relationship between Nature, culture and the city. The once-exploited hillside has been carefully restored through the planting of new trees and water features, linking the urban space through a high line park, a wide-reaching TOD network and a landscaped courtyard. Set within the southern Shekou Peninsula, in a former […]
Unipark is Zhuhai’s first flagship transit-oriented development (TOD) project, and Ronald Lu & Partners’ (RLP) first TOD project in the city. Its conceptual inspiration came from its location by the riverfront of Qianshan River—the architecture features three high-rise towers flanking the shopping mall, evoking the sails of a ship. Through parametric design, RLP was able […]
Dear FuturArc readers, Remember seeing a cartoon or drawing of how people sometimes end up ‘making’ their own footpath even though a paved one is already available, often because the former is the shorter way? This image came to mind while doing this issue on mobility and Green transport, because it conveys in a nutshell […]
This home for a young family of four exemplifies how “basic is best”, focusing on necessities when faced with constraints. Designed with a limited budget, and constructed remotely during the pandemic with local builders, the architects concentrated on key elements of residential buildings. “The basics are the organisation of daylight, natural ventilation, and creating functional […]
Read More… from Multi-functional basics: Binh Thuan House by MIA Design Studio
Malaysia is home to roughly 70 different species of bamboo, making it a highly sustainable material for projects in this region. In terms of material life cycle, bamboo can be harvested locally and transported to building sites with a significantly lower impact on the environment. The design of this omakase restaurant in Malaysia was inspired […]
Read More… from The carbon-sequestering Bamboo Omakase Restaurant
