Archifest, happening (Sept. 27 — Oct. 13) is easily one of the best ways to learn about Singapore — trends populate the lecture and workshop programmes, you’ll get to visit and photograph winning sites you’d never be able to gain access to otherwise, and there’ll be limited edition knick knacks to collect or gift to impressionable visiting friends.
As always, the festival programme is easy-to-navigate and diverse, but if you were looking to pick up some new skills (or good habits), these are the events you should make time for:
Design as Text: An introduction to architecture and design writing
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Experienced design writer Narelle Yabuka leads this seminar about using thoughtful communication and criticism to report on architecture and design. Pick up practical tips on the writing world, as well as gain a fresh perspective on various topics through extensive discourse.
Oct 5, 11am — noon at the Archifest Pavilion, Dhoby Ghaut Green, 10 Penang Rd. $10.
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Learn how to breathe new life into recyclable materials like bottles from students of the Ngee Ann Polytechnic School of Design & Environment and creative design firm F2D.
Oct. 12, 10am — 12:30pm at the National Library, 100 Victoria St. Free.
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Find out how an entire urban prototyping initiative is conducted from the students of the Singapore University of Technology and Design, who are proposing “green parking lots” at Circuit Road to achieve a more pedestrian-friendly environment. There’ll be a workshop, a street exhibition and a showcase of all the exciting prototypes they’ve developed.
Sept. 28 — 29, 11am — 7pm at Macpherson (get exact location with the festival map). Free.
“Pocket Presentations” — Combining 3D Printing & Model Making
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The seminar’s over, but you can still learn the pros and cons of 3D printing in the field of urban planning, as well as figure out ways you can incorporate creative compact models in your work, at the exhibition.
Oct. 11 — 13 at the Archifest Pavilion, Dhoby Ghaut Green, 10 Penang Rd. Free.
Always wanted to pave the way for locavorism in Singapore? Start small at this workshop, where you will learn how plants work and what they need to stay alive. Social enterprise Edible Gardens will also provide you with starter kits so you can sow your own seeds and make cuttings on the spot — soon you’ll be growing basil and kangkong in the balcony.
Sept. 28-29, 11am, 2pm, 5pm at the Archifest Pavilion, Dhoby Ghaut Green, 10 Penang Rd. Free.
ALSO DON’T MISS: Satellite Creative Library
All junior or aspiring creative can consider this a treasure trove for the next couple of weeks. 50 local design heavyweights have shared their personal reading lists and contributed to this library of some 500 inspirational titles spanning across genres. Here, you’ll find out what stories award-winning designer like Chris Lee and pioneer Singapore architect Tay Kheng Soon have been burying their noses in. This is also a preview of the new design and lifestyle library scheduled to open at Orchard Gateway early next year.
Sept. 27 — Oct. 13, 10am — 10pm at the Archifest Pavilion, Dhoby Ghaut Green, 10 Penang Rd. Free.
