054_F1’s first night race

The World’s first F1 night race will take place in Singapore on 28th September 08 (tomorrow) at 20:00 local time. Since the race begins at night, lighting is a key factor to ensure safety of drivers. The system, realised by Italian-based Valerio Maioli SpA, requires about 3000 lux to illuminate the circuit within the city’s Marina Bay area up to 4 times brighter than a typical stadium. This has resulted in a pretty interesting urban phenomenon – Illuminating City.

053_ interiorisation of urban space_04

Another great example on conversion of open-air urban realm into interior space is Bugis Junction. Situated above Bugis MRT Station, the shopping mall is Singapore’s first glass-covered, air-conditioned shopping streets. Existing shophouses with their five-foot ways (read about five-foot way on post #036) are preserved and modified by the demands of capitalism. For more information, visit http://www.bugisjunction-mall.com.sg.

052_line dance

According to Wikipedia, a line dance is choreographed dance with a repeated sequence of steps in which a group of people dance in one or more lines, all facing the same direction, and executing the steps at the same time. (Refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_dance) Line dancing has a wild-wild-west image because it was danced predominantly to country-western music in its early days. To date, line dancing has become more popular with a wider range of music. There are several groups of line dancing society (or association or whatever) in Singapore. All you have to do are to browse their websites, download dance step sheets, practice a bit, check the venue for the next gathering and you are good to go. In May 2002, Singapore held a Guinness World Records as World’s Largest Country Line Dance with 11,967 line dancers. The record was broken in December of the same year by Hong Kong.

051_tunnel tv

More and more of space are being utilised for commercial purpose. (See 046_commercialisation of urban space) SMRT, a train service provider in Singapore, has offered a new media called Tunnel TV during a ride between Newton and Orchard MRT stations. Tunnel TV composes of 360 LED panels mounted on the tunnel wall synchronising with the train speed to create moving images. (Read more about Tunnel TV at http://www.smrtmedia.com.sg/enews/Feb/index.htm)

050_the colonnade

The late American architect Paul Rudolph designed a few buildings in Singapore. Among them is the Colonnade, one of a handful of buildings with interesting design here in Singapore. Completed in the year 1988, the 28-storey apartment block still looks contemporary, as if it was just designed by some young architects with program/data-driven design approach.

049_tower bridge

This pedestrian bridge in front of the Central Fire Station appears to be overstructured comparing to any other ordinary bridges found in Singapore and elsewhere. Its excessive four-column structure is actually part of a former building that the bridge once connected to. The building was later demolished leaving a portion of its structure and foundation to support the bridge that still being used until today.

048_condensing city_02

Since the surface of the rear façade of a shophouse, after excluding doors and windows, is limited. A/C condensers sometimes take precedence over existing elements on the façade regardless of their importance.

047_a/c façade

Conversion of function in an old shophouse can result in a great amount of air conditioning required as we have already seen on post no.020_condensing city. Some shophouses have impressive collection of condensers covering almost the entire rear façade. Could aircon condensers play a part in architectural design if they are strategically placed on the building facade?

046_commercialisation of urban space

It is most likely correct to say that the success of an advertisement in the space where it is displayed is not just up to the quantity of targeted group of potential customers but also the amount of time they spend. Public transportation is probably the best advertising medium as it well captures both qualities, i.e. a great number of users per day and a rapid turnover. As an adaptation to high competition, contemporary advertising tends to be more customised and contextual in the battle for public’s attention. More and more of public spaces are being commercialised.

045_the rise of public

The Pinnacle at Duxton is the tallest public housing project by HDB (Housing & Development Board) to date. It comprises of seven 50-storey blocks linked by communal sky parks at 26th storey and roof level. The Pinnacle at Duxton was a winning scheme by ARC Studio Architecture + Urbanism and RSP Architects Planners & Engineers for a two-stage international design competition organised by URA (the Urban Redevelopment Authority, http://www.ura.gov.sg) in the year 2001 & 2002. The jury panel included, among others, Prof. Fumihiko Maki from Japan. Read more about the design concept of the Pinnacle at Duxton at http://www.ura.gov.sg/competition/results.html and http://www.arcstudio.com.sg. Other matters aside, the attempt of the organiser to realise the winning scheme is really appreciative.

044_HS

Under the CD Shelter Act 1997, developers and homeowners are required to incorporate Household Shelter (HS) in the developments. The overall surface of HS including its floor, walls and ceiling has to be strengthened RC structure with extra thickness. Walls need to be set back in from the building exterior following the requirement specified in the guideline by SCDF (Singapore Civil Defence Force, www.scdf.gov.sg). The entrance to the HS must be installed with SCDF-approved light protective steel door. Residents are allowed to use the HS for other functions such as pantry, store, wine cellar, for example, but, however, the temporary fixtures installed inside the HS must be easily removable within 48 hours in case of emergency. No permanent installation that required hacking or drilling on the floor, walls or ceiling is allowed.

043_pearlbank apartments

Pearlbank Apartments, one of a handful of unique masterpieces of modern architecture in Singapore and once the tallest apartment block in Southeast Asia, has been featured extensively in newspapers, magazines and websites since last year. It has been under threats going for en bloc sales as a result of the fast-growing economy and booming real estate market. Since the start of the incident, there have been organizations (including the Singapore Institute of Architects) and many individuals who love the building standing up to express their views and trying to stop the en bloc process. The spearhead of the individuals is Ed Poole of Poole Associates (a well-known interior design firm; http://www.poole-associates.com) who lives and works in the building. I had a chance to meet up briefly with Ed Poole in the Maldives during my work trip there and had a feeling that the guy is full of passion and energy and won’t give up until he gets what he wants. His home/office penthouse unit was featured in Wallpaper* UK and Condé Nast Traveler as an attempt to conserve the Pearlbank. Recently, I looked out of my window and saw the building had started a new paint job. This looks like a good sign. Read more about this cool building at http://www.pearlbankapartments.com.

042_fallen tree

There are always two sides to a coin. While having loads of big tree provides shading and pleasant environment, it’s quite dangerous to walk under them during a strong wind or heavy rain. Last year alone there were many reports on injuries and fatalities caused by fallen branches or even the whole tree appeared on papers. Since then NParks (National Parks Board) has allocated their manpower specially on checking the condition of big trees throughout the whole of Singapore. It surely sounds like a tough and never-ending job...

041_T3

In Singapore, the much-talked-about-lately T3 doesn’t refer to a film by the California Governor but rather to the Changi Airport’s new addition, Terminal 3. No prize for guessing, the design concept reflects the ‘garden city’ reputation. Natural light is abundant and vertical landscaping is applied to a massive wall as a backdrop for the terminal building. See 002_garden city on how they make T2 green.

040_too hot to handle

This is one of interesting creations found in Singapore I like. When you order take-away hot beverages, they’ll give you this so it’s easier to carry and you don’t burn your own hand. Would be nice if Starbucks can adopt the idea.

039_five-foot way_02

I earlier wrote about five-foot ways on the post no.036. You may think; ah… such a great idea people can walk everywhere without getting wet and burnt. It’s not really true as many of them either stop half way or don’t really get you anywhere. The alignment of five-foot ways also may not necessarily be the same, as shown on the picture. But in general it’s a very good concept for cities in tropical climate.

038_no no.4

This picture was taken from a department store. The storey numbers jump from 3rd to 5th. Wait a minute. Where is the 4th storey?! Chinese people classify no.4 as unlucky number because its pronunciation is similar to the one of the word ‘dead’ in Chinese. Such belief is even stronger in Cantonese-speaking society. I once worked on a project in Hong Kong. It was very confusing when it came to numbers of storey…

037_the self-organizing economy

Ephemeral models of economy obscurely develop themselves in major cities worldwide regardless of strict control. The behavior of these temporary programs such as street vendors tends to be self-opposed as they seek for the flow, to happen where a lot of people pass by, and, sometimes, flee from some other particular flow because they are illegal by nature. In Singapore such temporary transactions are only legally allowed in places with consent from the owner or landlord who will have to get approval from the responsible local authority. Check out the product display technique in the photo, very contextual as they cleverly make use of the glass wall.

* The title of this post is borrowed from a book by Paul Krugman with the same name.