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Deep Dive in Design with Kelley Cheng: Sustainability, Architecture & Economy
Cosentino Singapore hosted the third talk in the series with distinguished architects Tan Cheng Siong and Catherine Loke, tackling issues on how to balance economic growth through architecture with sustainability in mind.
Last week, Cosentino City Singapore was once again crowded with young and seasoned practitioners from the architecture fraternity who were thrilled to catch two heavyweights speak and present their solutions at the third session of Deep Dive in Design, Ar Tan Cheng Siong and Ar Catherine Loke.
As with the two previous sessions, Kelley chose a topic of discussion that resonates with not just the fraternity, but also the mass population of Singapore at large. The big question posed to the speakers is: How do we mitigate the need for urbanisation, its environmental impact, every government’s desire for GDP growth and yet allow for the creation of great architecture?
Deep Dive in Design is a series of quarterly talks that is curated and moderated by the Creative Director of The Press Room, Founder of Studio SML, and President’s Design Award Recipient, Kelley Cheng. The series aims to shine the light on all things design-related, enabling designers of different genres to come together and discuss architecture, design and life. This collaboration builds on C-TOP Design mission to support design professionals at all stages of their creative process.
As a champion of sustainability, Catherine shared her thoughts on how architects can play a part in our volatile future, and the importance of asking good questions. As the founding president of The Circle of Human Sustainability, a trans-disciplinary society recently formed in 2021, she urges listeners to look at sustainability holistically. She spoke of the nine planetary boundaries, of which five are out of balance. It is not just climate change that we should be worried about, there are other challenges that are converging all at once right now which require our immediate attention and action.
Her solution? Little farms everywhere. Not just in the 1% designated agricultural zones in Singapore, we can do farming everywhere from our private balconies to common grounds. Read more about Catherine’s vision here.
“Stop saying Singapore is a land-scarce nation. The fact is we need new perspectives and new paradigms for creative planning if we want a better future,” said Ar Tan Cheng Siong after sharing his proposed solution to Singapore’s urban landscape.
Speaking from his experience fighting against the endless enbloc exercises that saw the demolition of the iconic Pearl Bank Apartment he designed, Ar Tan shared his continuing hope in preserving the lifespan of buildings in Singapore. He believes that demolishing structurally-sound structures is not the answer to optimising land use, let alone be an economic growth driver. Instead, he singles out the need for urban planners to gain new perspectives on using spaces more creatively that are inclusive to the populace who lives in them.
He ended his presentation with a food for thought, “We need to be bold to be heard.”
Speaker profiles:
- Ar Tan Cheng Siong, Principal Architect and Founder, Archurban Architects Planners (Singapore) and Archurban Projects Consultancy (Shenzhen, China)
One of the pioneers of Singapore’s residential typologies, Ar Tan designed the iconic horse-shoe shaped Pearl Bank Apartment and Pandan Valley. He heads multiple urban planning and design committees for Singapore government and is an advisory member of Shenzhen Planning Committee. His architectural firm was founded in 1974 and has an extensive portfolio of over 200 projects spanning across Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and China.
- Ar Catherine Loke, Partner, Lander Loke Architects
Apart from being a veteran architect of over three decades, Catherine wears multiple hats: she is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore, teaches at The Architects Academy (SIA), and is also the Founding President of The Circle for Human Sustainability. She was the first Vice-President of the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) from 2018 to 2020, and is currently a member of the Board of Architects Singapore.
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