Crowded places form theme of Archifest '14

YOU'VE heard it before. With Singapore's population at 5.2 million people, the country has indeed gotten crowded. That could well have inspired the "Crowd" theme of this year's Archifest - a Festival of Ideas for the City.

The annual architecture festival kicks off on Sept 26 for two weeks, to explore the idea of "Crowd" in its different meanings and contexts, specifically in the categories of Collective Intelligence and Community Capital. That is, how people and ideas are connected through places they share to produce a greater impact, and leverage on social capital in building better places for everybody. Archifest, now in its eighth year, is organised by the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA).

Some of the key highlights this year include a pop-up cafe in collaboration with Toby's Estate; a conference headlining international and local speakers; a series of installations, workshops, tours and sharing sessions showcasing architecture projects; and other fringe events.