Celebrating architecture and design

WHAT’S a festival without interaction in the flesh? After a 2-year hiatus, Archifest and Singapore Design Week (SDW) are about to take Singapore by storm.

Archifest, organised by the Singapore Institute of Architects, is an annual event to celebrate Singapore architecture and this year it takes place from Sep 9-30. The last 2 editions of Archifest were largely held virtually.

Meanwhile, the DesignSingapore Council’s big do is the SDW, which runs from Sep 16-25.

There’s no doubt that the organisers have put in all efforts to make the festivals’ return a memorable one. 

SDW 2022 festival director Mark Wee says that the 2-year break was a good time for the team to recalibrate.

“The new SDW will shine the spotlight on Singapore as a futuristic city of design and innovation economy; an East-West connector and a platform for South-east Asian design and lifestyle; and a purveyor of sustainable and impactful design solutions that address urgent real-world problems,” says Wee, adding that the festival could also draw in tourists and trade visitors from around the region. 

Meanwhile, love takes centrestage at this year’s Archifest – but not the romantic sort.

Rather, festival directors Khoo Peng Beng and Belinda Huang, founders of Arc Studio Architecture & Urbanism, say the festival theme, Order of Love, is about creating a more loving and hospitable future, characterised by the love of people, community and the environment.

Design and architecture buffs will be spoilt for choice with events that are taking place across Singapore. 

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Designed and made in Singapore

Sustainability is one of the key highlights of both festivals and visitors can expect to see installations that showcase green architecture and design, and join workshops where they get to create new materials out of waste.

There will also be the ever-popular tours around key projects in Singapore and the chance to see Little India in a different light.

The organisers say they want to show that design is everywhere and everyone can play a part in shaping their environment.

Khoo says that he hopes visitors to Archifest will “see that our world is interconnected with nature and people, and that design has an effect on our future”.

Huang adds that “especially through the workshops that we have planned, I hope people realise that they have a voice and design shouldn’t only be left in the hands of the professionals”.

While internationally renowned design curator Paola Antonelli is the curatorial director for the Design Futures Symposium, which brings together thought leaders, she too says that design can be in the hands of citizens. 

“State institutions and agencies can set policies. However, they are nothing without individual citizens believing in them, investing in them, making them better through their own prototyping and designing, at home and in their everyday life,” says Antonelli. “We argue for the need not only for nation designers, but also for citizen designers. Design can happen at all levels and scale and is the necessary step to bringing an idea to life. It is the enzyme for progress.”

What to see at Singapore Design Week

N*thing is Possible

Living sustainably isn’t a new concept to most Singaporeans, but sometimes it can be overwhelming not knowing where to start.

Perhaps the N*thing is Possible exhibition at the National Design Centre might show the way. Led by Potato Head and a group of collaborators, the exhibition is a showcase of the hospitality company’s 10-year journey to achieving a zero-waste lifestyle, where the mantra is to reuse, recycle, re-craft and re-live.

Among the displays is a small-scale version of the Potato Head Beach Club building facade. Designed by Indonesian architect Andra Martin, the facade in Bali was made from antique windows and shutters collected from all over Indonesia.

Catalonia designer Andrea Carulla will show how waste, such as styrofoam, can be turned into a functional material.

Potato Head founder, Ronald Akili, believes that the exhibition will encourage visitors to make a commitment to living sustainably every day. 

“For example, choosing to use a reusable drinking bottle instead of a plastic one is a small progress, but it can create a ripple effect,” says Akili.

He adds that by sharing Potato Head’s blueprint, industry folks might be able to find green solutions for themselves. “For us, what matters isn’t the final goal but a commitment to doing better.”

FIND - Design Fair Asia and EMERGE @ FIND

Touted as Asia’s largest furniture, interiors and design fair, FIND - Design Fair Asia, makes its debut at Singapore Design Week at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre

If you are a designer looking to fit out a client’s space or if you are a local brand wanting to expand overseas, this is the place to be. FIND is a platform that brings together over 250 luxury furniture, interior and design brands from Singapore and around the world. 

The Asia-Pacific furniture industry was valued at US$614 billion in 2021, with projected growth of over 5 per cent from 2021-25. FIND promises to give visitors access to leading architects, interior designers, and project developers driving the region’s design future.

South-east Asian designers take the spotlight at the inaugural edition of EMERGE @ FIND. More than 50 established and emerging designers from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines will showcase their works, some of which are made using local and natural materials; others salvaged from offcuts and recycled materials and some others showing unconventional and innovative uses of materials. Many of the region’s designers are showcasing their works for the first time.

Curator Suzy Annetta, founder of Design Anthology magazine, says: “Through their work, curated by their choice of material exploration and execution, I hope to showcase and celebrate the diverse range of processes and practices that continue to develop in the region.”

The 3-day event is open to trade visitors, but the public can visit on the last day. 

President’s Design Award Tours

The President*s Design Award (P*DA) is Singapore’s highest honour for designers and design projects across all disciplines. To give the public more opportunities to experience some of these outstanding designs, a series of P*DA Tours have been organised.

Designed to showcase the value of inclusive design, the Design that Cares tour takes visitors to the Enabling Village, a space where people with disabilities can connect with the wider society; The Pinnacle@Duxton, which redefines public housing, and to Bynd Artisan, to showcase craftsmanship.

Participants in the Hunt for the Green Treasure tour will visit SkyVille@Dawson, Oasia Hotel Downtown and Gardens by the Bay to learn about their sustainable design features. It won’t be a boring tour as participants will have to solve puzzles along the way. 

Good Design Research Pop-up Exhibition

What’s a contributing factor to good design? More often than not, a designer would say it is research.

To help local designers develop innovative and impactful design ideas, the DesignSingapore Council offers a Good Design Research (GDR) grant.

Folks who are keen to find out what recipients of the GDR grant have come up with should check out this pop-up exhibition at Bugis+.

On display are works by over 20 recipients, including Forest & Whale, a multidisciplinary design practice that focuses on creating sustainable products. Their Reuse Lab looks at how manufacturers can cut down on using single-use plastic packaging by experimenting with new compostable materials and through better design.

#Fashtag by Daniel Boey

A first at this year’s SDW is the showcase of fashion design. Local fashion veteran Daniel Boey started The Front Row, a virtual fashion festival in 2020. The festival returns for the 3rd year, this time as part of SDW.

While there will still be virtual elements to the festival, part of it will take place physically too, at Raffles City Shopping Centre. This year, #Fashtag celebrates inclusive design, and showcases the possibilities of what fashion can achieve in a digital post-pandemic society.

Some key highlights include #FASHIONFUTUREFACES, showcasing works by students from various fashion institutions; #COVIDCREATIVES, a series of virtual runways shows and fashion films by designers such as Max Tan, who prove that they can still be creative despite pandemic restrictions; and CABINES WITH A #CONSCIENCE, a runway show on responsible fashion consumption and small batch production.

Re-route by Plus Collaboratives

Say Little India and most likely Tekka Market and Mustafa Centre come to mind. But Mervin Tan and Cheryl Sim, founders of creative studio Plus Collaboratives say there’s a lot more to the area.

They have come up with Re-route, a placemaking festival that shows a side of Little India through the eyes of local residents and businesses.

For example, walking down Serangoon Road, participants will be shown lost trades such as brick making. New World Amusement Park is no longer around, but at Re-route, participants can experience it again, through interactive installations, costume and fashion design displays and live entertainment.

Plus Collaboratives has also roped in other creatives as part of the experience of rediscovering Little India. For example, it is working with a local ceramic studio to create exclusive pieces, made from clay dug up at Little India.

What to see at Archifest

ArchiPAVILLIONS

If you have time for only 1 Archifest event, make it ArchiPAVILLIONS at the URA Centre. Festival directors Khoo Peng Beng and Belinda Huang have come up with 7 themes and invited architects and architecture students to create pavilions around them.

For example, one of the themes is freedom, and the team at DP Architects is building a pavilion filled with bicycle chains. They see chains as restricting freedom, but also as a way of allowing free movement, such as those found on bicycles. Visitors are invited to rattle the chains which have been hung from the ceiling.

Meanwhile, a team comprising architecture firms such as SAA Architects and B+H Architects have chosen to create an edible garden for their Common Good pavilion. Edible greens are grown on stackable planters and the public are welcome to taste them or enjoy some time among the greenery.

Pallet Play: Creating with Community by Queenstown Kakis

How much do you love the public spaces in your neighbourhood? A group of residents in Queenstown, who call themselves Queenstown Kakis, are inviting the public to join them in creating furniture for public spaces, using wooden pallets and everyday items donated by residents.

The idea is that designing public spaces need not be left to the professionals, but ordinary folks can get involved too. There’s no worry about messing up, as architects and professional makers will be on hand to help.

While this is only happening in their neighbourhood at Blk 46 Stirling Road, the Queenstown Kakis hope such prototyping events can happen in other estates too.

ArchiTOURS

A constant hot favourite of Archifest, Architours takes participants on a guided tour to selected buildings and projects in Singapore. 

Organised by The Architecture Society at NUS, there are 3 tours this year. Among the places that visitors will get an in-depth look at include commercial buildings such as Solaris and Connexion, a multi-label kitchen appliances shop that isn’t quite conventional, as well as a handful of private residences, including the home of a young architect.

ArchiEVENTS

Festival directors Khoo and Huang are making sure that there is something for everyone at Archifest. The easiest way to enjoy the festival is to join the events that have been planned.

For example, there is the Archicycle which makes its debut this year. Participants will get to cycle around Queenstown and visit some of its key architectural features. 

Indie theatre The Projector will also be screening some movies, one of which is a film about Australian architect Richard Leplastrier who was part of the team that worked on the Sydney Opera House. 

There will also be workshops during the festival, including one on creating architectural models, and discovering Telok Ayer through sketching.

For more details on Singapore Design Week, see sdw.designsingapore.org, and for details on Archifest, go to archifest.sg.