The annual festival on all things architecture returns this month with events across the city at 12 locations. Now in its 12th edition, Archifest features 10 exhibitions, 12 talks, and 16 workshops and tours on its line-up, divided neatly into sub-categories like Design for People, Design for Time, and Design for Environment — all under the overarching theme of Design for Life.
Its anchor event SIA Conference, which is geared at industry bigwigs, spotlights keynote speaker Borja Ferrater, the multi award-winning Spanish architect and designer behind projects like Six Senses Kaplankaya in Turkey, the Barcelona Botanical Institute, and the West Beach Promenade in Benidorm, Spain.
When it comes to design for people, the organizers say that the aim is to meet the needs of the community, to create spaces that promote the well-being of the people.
Under this umbrella, events to look out for include the Design for Silver Generation Symposium and Exhibition, which tackles the issue of our ageing population, film screenings on “people-centric design,” kid-friendly workshops on city model making, and a city composition site walk that explores Singapore’s landscape through photography.
Next up: design for time, which deals with the life span of buildings and the deterioration of modern architecture. If you’re intrigued by old school shopfronts across the island, sign up for The Singapore Gothic talk by Mark De Winne to learn about their cultural and historical importance.
Otherwise, swing by these two exhibitions: Parasite Architecture, about adapting rooftop spaces to house unused infrastructure, and Conservations Conversations, a look at how art installations can draw the attention of the masses and inject a breath of fresh air in Kampong Glam.
When it comes to design for the environment, the fest is all about enhancing the life of our planet, with talks on resilient structures made out of sustainable materials that can respond to climate change. Here, you’ll find an Edible Gardens workshop about urban farming, a three-day Architecture Adventure of workshops and tours, and an open house journey about a conceptual “future city”.
Plus, for the first time since the debut of Archifest, the public can contribute to a mural designed by local firm Kite Studio Architecture that will hang at the pavilion at Marina Bay Sands Event Plaza. A donation fee is required, but that’ll go to charity, and you get to paint the bricks at the space to create a representation of the iconic Rochor Centre.
But perhaps the most exciting part of the event is, as usual, the Architours — the ever-popular journeys across Singapore that delve into the architectural details of residences, public spaces, and commercial buildings.
This time, eight tours will spotlight 24 locations, taking you from special education school Rainbow Centre and The Great Madras Hotel to Meandering On The Hill (a seven-bedroom house) and Stark House (a home surrounded by greenery). It doesn’t take an architecture-loving geek to be mesmerized by these structures.
Archifest 2018 is on from Sept 28-Oct 10, various timings at various locations. Free and ticketed.
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