1. The 8th June “issue” of the NYT Mag was quite splendid, and free of course. It gathered Nicolai Ouroussoff (architecture critic of NYT) and others to pitch in for its Architecture Issue: an interview with Bernard Tschumi, discussion about film sets’ cities and LOT-EK, there’s something for everyone. But it is through this issue where we learn about Ouroussoff’s story behind One-North, and Front Inc.’s “exuberantly baroque” winning scheme for a new LV store in Singapore featuring a curtain wall of completely curved glass.

“[..] Several years ago, the London-based, Iraqi-born architect Zaha Hadid received a phone call from a Chinese developer asking if she might be interested in designing a 500-acre urban development on the outskirts of Singapore. [..] With more than 20 blocks now complete, parts of the city look surprisingly conventional.”

2. The Lifestyle-Elephant & Coral Creative Writing Contest yielded its final winner, Perry Ho, whose endearing entry captured a side of architecture that was startlingly rare and refreshing. “The Apartment” is an anthropomorphic representation of the Apartment, with soul and many canny references to our built reality. Allegorical and definitely worth reading! Here I reproduce it in its entirety.

“Other buildings envied her Shiseido #119 ceiling. The Jesus she hung at the door (of her heart) gave her strength. Jade bangles around her ankles trapped the essence of her youth. You could hear them holding on for dear life whenever she got up and ran, ran with the other Apartments and Factories into the night. No one knew where she went, returning only when her ankles ached to keep up the night’s display of high spirits. Come morning, some proud Apartment would be seen wearing a night’s old #119.
(more…)

Here on qmark we advocate wholesome fun that’s stimulating and also free! It’s amazing how despite our pea-sized island, there’s really a wealth of places to explore and things to do cheaply or even freely, unbeknownst to many.

The latest (ok it happened 2 weeks ago) fun outing was the Southern Ridges Trail - a stretch of green from West Coast Park to Mount Faber / Vivocity that recently became connected. It has been in the papers a lot, so I shall just post highlights of the trail for those who are going! Nothing beats the experience of walking through these green heights.

>FULL STRETCH<

The entire route: 2.5 hours but really it takes almost a whole day. Alternative route from NUS to VivoCity instead of the 188 bus.

>HORTPARK<

@Hyderabad Road. Don’t miss out the experimental flowering blooms at the greenhouses, and the vertical green wall systems on display! If hungry, hit Thai restaurant KHA or take a bus to Queensway for lunch.

>ALEXANDRA ARCH<

MKPL designed this; a soaring archway that begins a stretch of canopy-walking all the way to Telok Blangah.

 >HENDERSON WAVES<

George Legendre of IJP Corporation’s first built experiment of algorithmic architecture, a bridge that spans 5 separate mathematical algorithms that generate the design. It’s the new wave~~~ (pun)!

>MOUNT FABER<

There’s a private location under the cable cars that can be perfect for some quiet reflection. Watching the world move above and enjoying the splendid view ahead, makes you want to linger on.

goes corporate.

PERSIMMON

50 Tiong Bahru Road Link Hotel
Euro-Singaporean

After toiling week after week, night after night, and surviving on nothing but calorie-laden Macs and oversampled canteen food in this nightmare boot camp, nothing beats a relaxing sumptuous meal out with great company.

Persimmon (on Facebook) is a 2-month old restaurant tucked snugly at one corner of the Link Hotel, just across the gentrified Art Deco estate. It markets itself as an Euro-Singaporean Bistro, a fusion of local delicacies and Western sensibility that in my opinion really suited its context - nothing too far off from the Tiong Bahru Market yet retaining a certain sophistication for its discreet location. (more…)

If you turn into the ulu Hyderabad road along Alexandra Road, and follow it for about 200m, you will see the newly opened HortPark Visitor Centre by MKPL Architects.

HortPark is a one-stop gardening hub that brings together gardening-related recreational, research and retail activities under one big canopy in a park setting. It is also one of the park connectors within the grand scheme of an island wide green network.

Despite the tight budget, MKPL managed to bring out elegance in simplicity by paring down to the essentials of structure. Construction is efficient and straightforward and all services are tucked to the sides making for easy navigation and an overall uncluttered look.

• Slender steel column stubs sit atop big concrete pillars for a light expression of the metal deck roof.

• The mal steel spiral staircase is an exhibit of refined details.

• An infinity pool stretches across the edge of the building, allowing for an unobstructed view of the nature beyond.

So pop down to HortPark for a breath of fresh air if you need a break from design!

: our new contributor Ruilin!

MONOCLE March

Tyler Brûlé reports on the new Changi T3, with a short overview of facilities and OK verdict in article SMOOTH LANDING. qmark will visit T3 soon so do check back!

WALLPAPER* March

Freelance Writer Daven Wu reports on Pearl Bank Apartments in PEARL GEM. Whatever opinion that might have been voiced from both camps of the en-bloc furore, I still find architect Tan Cheng Siong’s description the best, “… it was born of a heroic period when Singapore was searching for its place in the sun.” More on (proconservation)

SINGAPORE ARCHITECT March

My ex-lecturer Cheah Kok Ming muses on the use of the ferrous patina in IN PRAISE OF RUST. Textured, weathered materials are rarely seen in SG, although ironically the signs of weathering are easily seen on many surfaces. A case for following the successful examples of Gigon/Guyer and Iroje.

and school reopens.

As Dr. Wong Yunn Chii suggested in his Singapore 1:1 Island Exhibition, we are now going through an architectural phase of Innovation/Distinction with works like the new National Library, Sports Hub, Vivocity exhibiting iconicity. Well, the residential sector is not lagging behind either. The humble HDB has given way to shimmering condominiums with iconic marketing points. The latest shimmer is none other than (gasp) another project by OMA.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Old

The New

(1_Reflections at Keppel Bay: DANIEL LIBESKIND)


(2_Apartment Tower at Scotts Road: OMA)

(3_Apartments along AYE: OMA)

3 firms, 3 developments, 2 star names.

It’s almost like a battle between the real estate companies. As if a culmination of the property boom, a climax of their current endeavours, that becomes a keystone of their residential portfolio.

The Contestants

CONTESTANT 1:
KEPPEL HOMES with Reflections @ Keppel Bay - DANIEL LIBESKIND

Twisting Towers? Nothing really exceptionally new, but this was one of the first projects to use a starchitect in its marketing campaign. I’m not sure if its selling well, judging from the hideous number of full page ads running in the Straits Times.

CONTESTANT 2:
FAR EAST ORGANISATION with Apartment Tower @ Scotts Rd - OMA

May not be a new concept internationally, but much so for Singapore I guess. Suddenly it opens up possibilities, and its rationality towards providing better views suddenly makes sense.

CONTESTANT 3:
CAPITALAND RESIDENTIAL with Apartments along AYE - OMA

This latest contribution to Singapore’s rojaktecture has a bewilderingly obscenely simple strategy. It’s almost childish; stacking slab blocks in a hexagonal pattern like stacking cards - is this taking experimentation to a new level? However simple it may be, I can’t wait to see more renders to judge the internal circulation and spatial dimensions.

 

RESULTS: At the moment, I kind of like No. 3 most, however weird it may be. Someone commented it as a “chic slum”, I find that really funny. I guess it has its qualities, yet to be explored, yet to be seen. I guess my main reason right now is its ability to push HDB/residential architecture in Singapore towards a more stimulating direction, instead of the banality that sprawls in our heartlands.

suddenly remembers the IFHP competition.

 

“8 local literary quickies adapted for TV titillation.” 

That’s how Arts Central has described their Singapore Short Story Project, now into its 3rd Season. The episode which I was involved in is finally going to be shown this Sunday, 20th January at 9pm! Adapted from 2 short stories by local writers, “Video” by Alfian Sa’at as well as another by Denyse Tessensohn, it tells tales of 2 distinct people. Even though the events that unfold could be seen as “conventional”, it is the intricacies of development and setting in Singapore that gives it a fresh perspective.

Well much was learnt about directing and the evolution from script to visual reality - the issues of perception and choreography becomes pertinent and can drive the film in wildly different directions and readings. The creation of content (symbolic/contextual) also becomes a project in understanding and giving depth to the story. It’s almost like architecture where you articulate a central idea into material form; and not to mention the importance of spatial composition.

At many times stressful, at certain times really fun, but definitely memorable! 

 embarks on P3.

As I sieve through Singapore Design Festival’s website, I realise the overwhelming number of events being planned! Singapore is really opening up to the creative class and the creative wave. Finally being recognised and “farmed”. Here’s more exhibitions (a sequel to Part I) which should interest the culture / design / architecture junkie.

Moooi and more
LaSalle Project Space (28th - 4th) . Talk (28th) 730pm

Go!

HYBRICITY: SINGAPORE
LaSalle Level 5 (28th - 8th)

Go!

Objects As Architecture, Architecture As Objects
Sculpture Square (28th - 6th)

Go!

WOHA Reflects
WOHAGA (28th - 8th)

Go!

20/20 Base
National Library Plaza (28th - 8th)

Go!

10Touchpoints Winner’s Exhibition
National Library Plaza (28th - 8th)

Go!

President’s Design Festival
City Hall Foyer 3 (28th - 8th)

Go!

Brazilian Design Perspective: A Tribute to Oscar Niemeyer
City Hall Level 1 (28th - 8th)

Go!

Blurring Boundaries
NUS UCC (6th)

Go!

Plastik Blobular Worlds
Gallery Hotel (8th - 31st)
Karim Rashid Exhibition

Go!

Lightouch at the New Majestic Hotel
New Majestic Hotel (1st - 17th)

Go!

Interesting Venues: Old Supreme Court, City Hall, LaSalle, Emily Hill

and liberation!

The end of the year is here, and there’s surprisingly high number of exhibitions around about art, design and architecture! Well it’s largely because of the Singapore Design Festival, and it sure looks promising. Here’s the ones that I would like to attend (and you should too!):

___________________________________________________________________________________

1 Utterubbish
City Hall 28th Nov - 16th Dec

Self-professed as a “UseLess” exhibition, Utterubbish stresses on how the transition from UseLess to Use is informed by design, and the importance of design in its ability to give value to society.

Utterubbish Website

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2 Neues Bauen (New Building) International 1927 / 2002
National Museum, The Canyon & The Concourse, 14th Nov - 06th Jan

(Lissitzky's Wolkenbügel 1924-1925)

Architecture enthusiasts will be interested in tracing the “New Building” movement, a Modern architecture which emerged from the German-speaking Europe. Moving away from Expressionism, this movement advocated the expression of a building’s functionalism in its external form and sought to improve people’s standard of living.

There is a total of 105 projects by 66 architects or groups of architects, shown through architectural models and photography. This is a well-curated exhibition, and looks more like an art exhibition with orthographics and perspectives like paintings and models like sculptures. Moreover, it’s free!!
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3 ArchiFest: Forum & Architours
Forum: NTUC Auditorium, 30th Nov - 1st Dec
Architours: 30th Nov - 9th Dec

This is a pilot festival aimed to increase awareness for architecture in Singapore and beyond. The Forum brings together many acclaimed and rising individuals in the field to discuss about their experiences and issues about the city / urban environment.

Architours (which I will be in involved in heh) will bring the visitor around various iconic and landmark buildings, discussing their relevance and importance in Singapore based on 3 themes about the global city, Singapore’s progress and entertainment architecture. We hope to engage more than a simple “tourist” explanation, and discuss what local architecture holds public eye. Do join us!

Archifest Website

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4 Alvar Aalto
NUS Museum, University Cultural Centre, 16th Oct - 08th Dec

(Aalto's Savoy Vase)

Alvar Aalto, a Finnish architect, has eluded many people with his idiosyncratic strategy and humanist approach towards design, and that perhaps is the reason why he has continued to intrigue and inspire many as one of their favourite Modern Masters. This exhibition focuses on his one-family houses, as well as NUS students’ works in analysing them. While this may not be an indepth survey of all of Aalto’s houses, it becomes interesting when they are seen via a student/learning perspective.

*Take note of a talk about Alvar Aalto on the 29th Nov 2pm at the NUS Museum.
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5 Shunmyo Masuno
PageOne, Vivocity, 30th Nov (1900-2000 hrs)

(Inner Garden for "Rifugio" 2002)

“There is beauty in the incomplete. If we find something imperfect, then that is what we pursue.”

So says Shunmyo Masuno, who presents himself as Zen priest, landscape architect, professor “in that order”. Here in Singapore to work on the Nassim Park Residences, he will be sharing his design philosophy amongst the “landscape” of PageOne bookstore.
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6 Inventioneering Architecture
Level 1 Atrium, Vivocity, 21st Nov - 08th Dec

(Swiss Flag)

I appreciate Swiss architecture, for their materiality and clean lines. And for once, 3 Swiss schools will be coming in a travelling exhibition to showcase the works of faculty and students. But the highlight comes not from the exhibition, but from the talks! For one, Andrea Deplazes (ETH Zurich) of our architectural construction Bible will be giving a lecture on Dec 7th 5pm at NUS and I URGE you to attend it! Of course, the other lecturers Dirk Hebel and Jörg Stollmann, Prof Harry Gugger (H&dM partner), Prof Manuel Aires Mateus (USI Mendrisio/AAM) are also impressive heavyweights in this powerhouse troupe!

(Constructing Architecture by Andrea Deplazes)

Talks Schedule (pdf)
Swisshouse Singapore Website
Inventioneering Architecture Website

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7 Singapore 1:1 (Island)
URA Centre, 16th Nov - 31st Mar

(Exhibition Poster)

A sequel of sorts to the Singapore 1:1 (City) Exhibition held in Nov 2005, this (Island) version showcases architecturally significant works outside of the city centre after a process of nominations. They bring to our attention some buildings which we pass by everyday but did not notice, as well as more prominent ones. Singapore 1:1 becomes like a catalogue of Singapore’s post-independence explored through architecture.

Exhibition Website

and guerilla posts!

A case from the Japanese and their sense of the textured detail seen in the Republic Polytechnic.