ATTENDED AN INSIGHTFUL SESSION AS PART OF THE CLIMATE TRANSFORMATION: SUSTAINABLE SOCIETIES LECTURE SERIES, WHERE EXPERTS EXPLORED THE INTERSECTION OF URBAN SUSTAINABILITY, PUBLIC HEALTH, AND ARCHITECTURAL INNOVATION.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR STEVE YIM AND DR. SRILALITHA GOPALAKRISHNAN SHARED VALUABLE PERSPECTIVES ON HOW URBAN ECOSYSTEMS CAN MITIGATE ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES LIKE AIR POLLUTION AND THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT IN HIGH-DENSITY CITIES LIKE SINGAPORE. THE DISCUSSION HIGHLIGHTED THE ROLE OF REWILDING, GREEN CORRIDORS, AND LANDSCAPE INTEGRATION IN IMPROVING AIR QUALITY AND OVERALL WELL-BEING.

MODERATED BY PROFESSOR DR. THOMAS SCHROEPFER, THIS SESSION UNDERSCORED THE IMPORTANCE OF A BIO-CENTRIC APPROACH TO URBAN DESIGN—ONE THAT HARMONIZES ARCHITECTURE, CLIMATE RESILIENCE, AND COMMUNITY HEALTH. A COMPELLING CONVERSATION ON SHAPING CITIES THAT BREATHE, ADAPT, AND THRIVE.

YESTERDAY, THE OSM PROFESSOR LECTURE SERIES AT THE NUS DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE FEATURED AR. YUTAKA SHO, WHO SHARED HER INSIGHTFUL PERSPECTIVE ON "IN SEARCH OF ANTI-HATE ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICES." THROUGH THE WORK OF GENERAL ARCHITECTURE COLLABORATIVE (GAC) IN RWANDA, AR. SHO EXPLORED THE COMPLEXITIES OF PRACTICING ARCHITECTURE IN REGIONS WHERE GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT FUNDING INTERSECTS WITH LOCAL NEEDS. HER REFLECTIONS ON ARCHITECTURAL VIOLENCE, ETHICAL DESIGN, AND THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ARCHITECTS IN LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES OFFERED VALUABLE PERSPECTIVES. GAC’S EFFORTS TO CHALLENGE CONVENTIONAL POWER DYNAMICS IN ARCHITECTURE AND PROMOTE MORE EQUITABLE, COMMUNITY-CENTERED DESIGN SOLUTIONS WERE TRULY INSPIRING.

THE LECTURE SERVED AS A POWERFUL REMINDER THAT ARCHITECTURE IS NOT ONLY ABOUT BUILDINGS—IT IS ALSO ABOUT PEOPLE, CULTURE, AND JUSTICE. THIS SESSION SPARKED ENGAGING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE VITAL ROLE ARCHITECTURE CAN PLAY IN CREATING A MORE INCLUSIVE WORLD.

ATTENDING THE AHS 2024 NUS-URA SEMINAR WAS A TRULY INSPIRING EXPERIENCE, HIGHLIGHTING THE VITAL ROLE OF ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE IN SHAPING URBAN LANDSCAPES. RECOGNIZING PROJECTS LIKE GOLDEN BELL MANSION AND SRI MARIAMMAN TEMPLE SERVED AS A POWERFUL REMINDER THAT HISTORIC BUILDINGS ARE MORE THAN JUST STRUCTURES—THEY ARE LIVING MEMORIES, CARRYING FORWARD THE STORIES, VALUES, AND CULTURE OF COMMUNITIES.

CONSERVING THESE SPACES IS ABOUT HONORING HERITAGE WHILE ADAPTING TO MODERN NEEDS. PROJECTS SUCH AS BUKIT TIMAH RAILWAY STATION AND 59 EMERALD HILL ROAD DEMONSTRATE HOW HERITAGE AND CONTEMPORARY DESIGN CAN SEAMLESSLY COEXIST, BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO HISTORIC SITES AND ENSURING THEIR RELEVANCE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

THIS SEMINAR REAFFIRMED THE IMPORTANCE OF VIEWING ARCHITECTURE AS A BRIDGE BETWEEN PAST AND FUTURE, PRESERVING HISTORY WHILE EMBRACING INNOVATION. GRATEFUL TO THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE AND URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE (URA) FOR ORGANIZING SUCH AN ENLIGHTENING EVENT AND FOR CHAMPIONING THE VALUE OF SINGAPORE'S ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE.

ATTENDED AN INSIGHTFUL EVENT THAT EXPLORED THE INTERSECTION OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC HEALTH THROUGH WORKSHOPS, EXHIBITION BOOTHS, AND A COMPELLING PANEL DISCUSSION. THE EVENT SHOWCASED INNOVATIVE RESEARCH AND PROJECTS FROM START-UPS AND ENTERPRISES, HIGHLIGHTING SUSTAINABILITY, HEALTH, AND WELLNESS AS ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF URBAN DESIGN.

A KEY TAKEAWAY FROM THE PANEL DISCUSSION WAS THE TRANSFORMATIVE ROLE OF GREEN BUILDINGS IN ENHANCING PUBLIC HEALTH. ALIGNING WITH SINGAPORE’S MINISTRY OF SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENT (MSE) THEME ON “PUBLIC HYGIENE”, THE CONVERSATION DELVED INTO STRATEGIES FOR INTEGRATING SUSTAINABLE DESIGN PRACTICES THAT NOT ONLY PROMOTE HEALTHIER LIVING SPACES BUT ALSO ELEVATE HYGIENE STANDARDS IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS.

THE EVENT WAS A POWERFUL REMINDER OF HOW THOUGHTFUL URBAN PLANNING AND GREEN BUILDING SOLUTIONS CAN CREATE MORE LIVEABLE, RESILIENT CITIES. EXCITING TO SEE HOW THESE IDEAS WILL SHAPE THE FUTURE OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT.

ATTENDED AN INSPIRING TALK BY ZHANG LI AT NUS DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, WHERE HE INTRODUCED URBAN ERGONOMICS—AN APPROACH USING INFORMATICS TO ANALYZE HOW PEOPLE INTERACT WITH URBAN ENVIRONMENTS. HE SHARED EXAMPLES LIKE BIG AIR SHOUGANG BEIJING 2022 AND THE JIANAMANI VISITOR CENTER, SHOWCASING THE POTENTIAL OF THIS FIELD TO CREATE LIVABLE, HUMAN-CENTERED CITIES. THIS INNOVATIVE APPROACH PROMISES A FUTURE WHERE TECHNOLOGY AND HUMAN EXPERIENCE SHAPE SMARTER, MORE SUSTAINABLE URBAN SPACES.

ATTENDED AN ENLIGHTENING SEMINAR BY PHILIPPE RAHM AT THE NUS DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, WHERE HE EXPLORED THE INTERSECTION OF ARCHITECTURE, URBANISM, AND CLIMATE. HIS TALK REVISITED THE HISTORICAL ROLE OF CLIMATE AND HEALTH IN SHAPING CITIES AND BUILDINGS, HIGHLIGHTING HOW THESE CONSIDERATIONS WERE OVERSHADOWED IN THE 20TH CENTURY BY FOSSIL FUEL RELIANCE, LEADING TO GLOBAL WARMING.

RAHM EMPHASIZED THE URGENT NEED FOR ARCHITECTS AND URBAN DESIGNERS TO RE-ENGAGE WITH CLIMATIC ISSUES, ADVOCATING FOR DESIGNS THAT PRIORITIZE LOCAL CLIMATE CONTEXTS AND SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SOURCES. BY TREATING ATMOSPHERIC QUALITIES—AIR, LIGHT, HEAT, AND HUMIDITY—AS ESSENTIAL BUILDING MATERIALS AND INTEGRATING THERMAL PRINCIPLES AS DESIGN TOOLS, ARCHITECTURE CAN BE BOTH AESTHETICALLY AND SOCIALLY TRANSFORMATIVE.

HIS APPROACH, ROOTED IN DIALECTICAL MATERIALISM, PRESENTS A COMPELLING FRAMEWORK FOR RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE IN THE ERA OF CLIMATE CHANGE. THE SEMINAR WAS A THOUGHT-PROVOKING REMINDER THAT SUSTAINABILITY IS NOT JUST A TREND BUT A FUNDAMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY, SHAPING THE WAY BUILDINGS AND CITIES ARE DESIGNED FOR A HEALTHIER, MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.