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canvas print on Operation Void Deck
Impressive blog. Thanks for writing
Conrad McKee on Wishing all our friends a Blessed Christmas!
Same to you
waiting room furniture on Operation Void Deck
Thanks for sharing this Joshua, good job.
Updates to re:ACT’s Youtube Channel!
Daniel Lee on Fri, July 3, 2009
Videos from June's Really Ar? 3 - "It's I, It's You, It's We, who build Community" have all been uploaded to re:ACT's Youtube Channel. So if you did not manage to catch the last edition of Really Ar?, here is your chance! With engaging and inspiring presentations by our three speakers, Mr Yong Teck Meng, Ms Ong Swee Hong and Mr Khoo Peng Beng, as well as an exciting discussion session at the end, this is something that surely you would not want to miss.
Also, we have updated 2 more videos into re:ACT's Youtube Channel. First, the "Singapore Research Film", written and produced by Yu Sern Hong and Janita Han, seeks to explore what really makes a Singaporean. Do we as Singaporeans really have our own culture? Do we have our own Singaporean identity? As they explore the streets of Singapore and speak to members of the public on this issue, interesting ideals and opinions surface from people of all walks of life. To view this video, please click here.
Secondly, ''Seletar Airbase - Singapore's Secret Garden", a film written and produced by Li Xiuqi, speaks about the little known North-Eastern Airbase. With the area surrounding the base slated to be turned into an Aerospace Hub, Li ventures into this area of Singapore and discovers a hidden sanctuary tucked away in a corner of the country. With the peace and calm of the area only broken by the sound of children laughing and playing, Li brings us on an unforgettable journey away from the hustle and bustle of modern life. Click here to watch this video.
To view all of the videos on re:ACT's Youtube Channel, please click this link.
Architecture in Singapore and Asia, Film, News, Seletar Project, Showcase 0 comments
re:ACT features on Commonpeople.sg!
Daniel Lee on Fri, July 3, 2009
Commonpeople.sg, a platform that seeks to re-look and re-think what creative expression means in Singapore today recently held an interview with members of re:ACT! Sernhong and Joshua gave insights into how re:ACT was run, our vision and gave details into some of the prominent projects that re:ACT has been involved with in the past. It certainly was a little daunting at first, with video cameras and microphones watching your every move, but once they got into the groove of things, Sernhong and Joshua provided viewers with stimulating ideas and thoughts, as well the direction that re:ACT is going to take in the future to continue to impact the architecture community in Singapore.
We are thankful to the team at Commonpeople.sg for this opportunity to be on their website. Great stuff guys!
Click here to view the interview.
Announcements / Competitions / Events, Architecture in Singapore and Asia, Collaborations, News 0 comments
Singapore 1:1 Exhibition at the URA
hann on Sun, March 30, 2008
Had a chance to attend the Singapore 1:1 Forum last week, held in conjunction with the Singapore 1:1 Island exhibition at the URA Gallery, the second in what I hope is a (longer) series of exhibits on architecture in Singapore. The first was Singapore 1:1 City two years ago. The exhibition documents key architectural highlights in Singapore, chronologised into ‘ages’, from the 1960s til today.
Moderated by Larry Ng, director of the Architecture and Urban Design Excellence (AUDE) programme at the URA, the forum was given its kick-off by Dr Wong Yunn Chii, the curator of the exhibition, who spoke on the processes behind curating the exhibition, and the mode of selection of its theme (and projects). In so doing, the audience was given a live commentary-cum-critique on many of the selected exhibited schemes, which felt like a Brief History of Modern Singapore Architecture 101 (in a most positive way, of course). It was enlightening, as it was my first time listening to a talk on curatorial thought processes, and on viewing the exhibition after the forum, it lended additional credence to the exhibition itself. The photography for some of these projects was pretty impressive as well.
Mr Arthur Aw of Jurong Town Corporation later gave his insight on his eight or so years of working at the Jurong Town Hall, itself a Brutalist-styled design from 1969 (by Architects Team 3) which still commands much awe, if audience response was anything to go by. A quote from Mr Aw: “If someone joined JTC, in the old building (Jurong Town Hall), I would have got to know him within three months. Now, if someone joins JTC, in the new building (Jurong Summit), it would take me a year to get to know him.”
This simple comment brings forth further, deeper questions of modern office-space typologies, and is a silent criticism on developers’ quests to go for taller, lower-footprint skyscrapers. The latter little more than fulfilling efficiency, and, in the case of Jurong Summit, are probably far less of an architectural marker in time, than buildings designed to make their presence felt - Jurong Town Hall would be a case in point.
Ms Rohani Baharin from CPG Airports then gave a detailed talk on everyone’s favourite airport - Changi, documenting the progress it’s made since the opening of Terminal 1 back in the 1970s. This was a very refreshing point of view - one uses or views an airport on a very microscopic level, compared to the people who are actually planning it, everything from its masterplanning to its infrastructure to the little architectural details that contribute to the airport being runaway best-in-the-world for several years running. (Nugget of interesting information: There are baggage carousels running underground from terminal to terminal, below the existing MRT line!)
The audience was treated to a video of the conceptualisation process behind T3 as well, with details of the now-famous skylighting flaps, and the green walls and large expanses of curtain-wall glass. Ms Baharin’s talk ended off with optimistic hope for T4, which has now been confirmed to be in the pipeline.
The Singapore 1:1 Exhibition has been extended til April 11th, and can be viewed during the URA’s opening hours.
Mr Tan Kok Hiang of Forum Architects gave an enlightening talk on the thoughts and design processes behind three of his projects - the Henderson Community Centre, the Assyafaah Mosque (model pictured above) and the new entrance for the Singapore Science Centre. Cultural significance and relevance lend themselves to Forum’s projects, and these show up in details, both highly microscopic - for instance, in the Arabesque screens of the Mosque - and macroscopic, in the primordial Fibonacci Sequence system that guides the new landscaped plaza leading to the Science Centre. It left the audience with the feeling that architecture indeed innovates, and is meant to innovate, while serving more fundamental demands of space, form-making and client/programmatic demands.
The forum concluded with a colourful Q&A session, in which the speakers furthered their respective talks with commentaries on the future of architecture and architectural innovation in Singapore, while keeping true to what we’ve held proud thus far - efficient and “pleasant” design. This is a timely shot in the arm as we are seeking a myriad set of answers to the perennial “So, what’s next?” question, in the context of local architecture.
All in all, it was a talk that neatly wrapped up the Singapore 1:1 Island exhibition, itself a neat set-up. I bought the concomitant book - even with slight reservations on its graphic design - as I know it will become a handy historical document on how far Singapore architecture has come, as it is itself a history-documenting book.
Announcements / Competitions / Events, Architecture in Singapore and Asia, Design, Discourse 0 comments
The Penguin Effect
hann on Mon, March 24, 2008
No profound philosophical or architectural debate here, but I thought this was a rather straight-forward and easy-to-understand clip from National Geographic which demonstrate on strategies that architects use in building small spaces. It does bring out certain issues for further thought though. I was just thinking, Japan’s really tight space constraints has resulted in many innovative solutions. The refinement of these solutions result in architecture that is often efficient, clever and almost appear effort-less. The Japanese designers have managed to take something challenging and turn them into opportunities. That is certainly something we can learn from in Singapore.
So far, our space constraints have mainly led us to the same typology of HDB blocks year after year. As competition for space increases, the only thing that has really changed, is the HDB block growing higher and expanding laterally into a screen. Time for a re-think? More like overdue. Why should landed property only be for semi-detached houses and the like? Would it work to have a cluster of Penguin Houses, which though small, make it affordable for more people who want an alternative to high-rise living? It’s all about creativity and offering choices, no? Which brings me to another interesting thought. Notice how penguins who live in some of the coldest, harshest environments still manage to look mighty gentlemanly and sophisticated in their simple but almost designer-like black and white suit ensemble? Now, that’s some creative designing for you!
Architecture in Singapore and Asia 0 comments
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