FUTURARC "Conservation / Hospitality"

Conservation / Hospitality

In this edition, FuturArc examines perspectives on preserving architectural heritage in our region. Laws do exist to protect historical and cultural buildings but sometimes enforcement fails when ancient neighborhoods are swept away by mega structures. Conquering ignorance is often the first step in preserving heritage; owners may not know their buildings are heritage listed, let alone how to begin conserving them. Then there is the practical question of whether to restore, rezone or redevelop.

Despite the bleak picture, Singapore has emerged with a success story that took decades to accomplish; then there is Berlin—a city that lost so much architectural heritage last century, but has been carving a new identity in the hope of reliving its past glory.















gambar di atas adalah gambar dari :
Islington Hotel, Australia
Developing a well-appointed hotel with modern amenities isn’t easy, particularly if faced with the challenge of conserving a historical structure on site or preserving views to a historical building. The second half of this edition conveys a range of boutique hotels in China, Southeast Asia and Australia all designed to provide guests a unique experience; some brilliantly respecting heritage.

Retail Price: Rp 79.000,-

DISCUSSION—CONSERVATION
• Race Against Time
The preservation of historical and cultural heritage is not a top priority for most countries in the region. Is this cause for concern? Or is it too late?
• Historical Loss
Beijing’s hutong areas are on the verge of being exiled.
• Restoring Java’s Big City
An attempt to make residents of a town in Java aware of the value of losing their heritage.
• Carving a New Identity
Berlin is still in the process of transformation and so far, so good—despite glitches and sceptics.
• Preserving the Past
Chief Planner and Deputy CEO of Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority talks about conservation.

gambar sebelah adalah gambar dari :
New Majestic Hotel, Singapore

PROJECTS—HOSPITALITY

• New Majestic Hotel, Singapore
• Islington Hotel, Australia
• Kiama Blue, Australia
• Grand Kemang Hotel, Indonesia
• Majestic Hotel, Malacca, Malaysia
• Sentosa Private Villas and Spa, Indonesia
• The Avenue Plaza Hotel, Philippines
• Crosswaters Ecolodge, China
• Nanjing Daji Resort and Spa Resort Convention Centre, China
• Sanya Xiao-Zhou Island International Yacht Club Hotel, China
• H Cube, Hong Kong
• Princess d’Annam Resort and Spa, Vietnam
• X2, Thailand
• Essay: Yesterday’s Solutions, Today’s Strategies Communication Critical in Design Process

BCI ASIA HIGHLIGHTS
• BCI Asia Top 10 Awards 2007: Top 10
• Architecture Firms Creating Spaces for PeoplePublish Post

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m fahmi tw..:)

China International Furniture Exhibition, 12-15 September

Asia’s landmark event for the furniture industry is getting ready for business in autumn, when it will open its doors from 12-15 September in Shanghai.As the first significant international event after the summer break in Europe, Furniture China returns with 1, 600 exhibitors on 220, 000 sq.m. exhibition space.Featuring Asia’s best designs and quality products, the show is expected to draw over 70, 000 visitors, including 12, 000 international buyers. In an attempt to balance growth, available exhibition space and visitors’ convenience, the organisers have appointed two venues to take pressure from the overbooked Shanghai New International Expo Centre.

The lack of exhibition space will be relieved in 2008 with two additional exhibition halls scheduled to be finished at SNIEC, adding 23, 000 sq.m. of floor space.Three more halls, with a floor space of 35, 000 sq.m. will be completed in 2009 and another set of three in 2010.It is expected that the 17th China International Furniture Expo in 2011 will become a show of about 350, 000 sq.m., then being the world’s second largest furniture show.

Despite the show’s name, Furniture China’s exhibitors are increasingly international, with many companies from Southeast Asia taking part, shifting the focus from “China-made” towards “Asia-made”.Exhibitors from Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia have confirmed their participation.Support from Western countries is also growing, with Italian, French and American companies targeting the domestic high-end market, as well as international buyers from China’s neighbouring countries.

A survey revealed that most visitors are visiting Furniture China because of its broad range of exhibits and the high quality of exhibitors, the majority considering Furniture China as a “must-visit” event.When comparing Furniture China to other exhibitions in China, visitors highlighted the quality of exhibitors’ and products’, the venue’s excellent connection to the airport and public transportation and the services offered by the organiser.

Flexible Architecture, Dragspelhuset (Accordion House)

Dragspelhuset (Accordion House), Övre Gla, Ärjäng, Sweden. Built: 2003.

During the summer the building can change its form or, like a butterfly, unfold its wings for extra shelter during rainy days. The addition is for a house from the year 1800, located on the banks of Ovre Gla Lake in the Swiss nature reserve of Glaskogen. Regulations limited the amount of construction that could be done on the exterior of the building and proscribed a 4.5 meter green space around the stream that encloses the area. 24H came up with a telescoping cabin, adding to the usable surface and arching out over the stream. This accentuates the organic shapes of the design, which emulates the rustic surroundings.

Book Review : Flexible, Architecture that Responds to Change, by Robert Kronenburg

Flexible, Architecture that Responds to Change, by Robert Kronenburg.(Amazon USA and UK.)

Editor (Laurence King Publishing)'s blurb: Flexible architecture adapts to new uses, responds to change rather than stagnating, and is motive rather than static. Understanding how it has been conceived, designed, made, and used helps us understand its potential in solving current and future problems associated with technological, social, and economic change. This book explores the whole genre of flexible architecture buildings that are intended to respond to evolving situations in their form, operation, or location. Crossing the boundaries between architecture, interior design, product design, and furniture design, this innovative book is the first to deal with the entire scope of the topic.

The hologram of a football stadium on the cover of a book that deals --among others-- with responsive architecture! I was not sure at all whether it was a genius idea. The image does get your attention though but it also shouts "hey, i'm hip and a bit superficial". Fortunately the content of Flexible is nothing of the latter. And it is not any football stadium anyway.

The author, Robert Kronenburg, while he began working on the book in 2000, has actually been exploring the topic for two decades and it shows. The book is well-researched, precise and it encompasses all the aspects of flexible architecture: geographical, chronological and cultural. Although Kronenburg never hesitates to go into technological details, the explanations are always clear and easy to grasp. None of that puts too much strain on your grey cells yet you feel like you're getting much smarter with every page you turn. Me likey! It's also one of those books you enjoy either by just flipping through to have a peek at the images and discover projects you had never heard of or by reading it religiously, from page 1 to 231. The first part of the book goes beyond the swanky interactive screens and explores the historical, cultural and social context that has shaped contemporary design and architecture. Mobility reflects human civilization's tendency towards change and is nothing new, especially if you take a look outside our static Western culture... think about the Yurt or the traditional Japanese home with its tatami and flexible items of furniture that can be moved around to better respond to the inhabitants' needs and which probably have them engaged in a more meaningful way with their dwelling.

Inside the book
The second part is organized around 4 key factors that characterize flexible architecture: Adaptation (to better respond to various functions, uses and requirements of the building),Transformation (with alterations of the the shape, volume, form or appearance of the building), Movability (an important aspect when you think that a building is one of the most immovable artefacts of our culture) and Interaction. The chapter about interaction encompasses both the inside and the outside of the house. The use of intelligent systems, whether automatic or intuitive, in architectural practice owes a lot to researches from other fields, in particular the automotive industry. That interactivity might be guided by many factors that range from the need to control the use of energy to a mere desire to change the appearance of the building by the overlay of changing images and patterns.
Inside 24H Architecture's "accordion" house .

4 Kunci faktor karakteristik dari Flexible Architecture :
1. Adaptation ( Adaptasi ) adaptasi ke arah respon yang lebih baik terhadap beraneka ragam fungsi, kegunaan dan kebutuhan / persyaratan dari bangunan

2. Transformasi ( Transformasi bentuk, volume, penampilan dari bangunan

3. Movability

4. Interaksi