Letter from the editor Dear <strong>FuturArc</strong> Readers, Your body is about 60 percent water; the surface of our planet, 71 percent. Water is life. It is the conduit for the many flows and exchanges that keep living systems alive: nutrients, thermal energy, waste, oxygen, etc. It is home to over 1 million known species of plants and animals. Water, as a pre-condition for living systems, is the theme of this issue. The cover, in case you wondered, shows the blue between Singapore and Malaysia. It was inspired by Sylvia Earle, an American marine biologist, who famously said “no water, no life… no blue, no green”. The projects ahead speak of the restoration of hydrological landscapes, the remediation of water quality, the creation of new waterfront places for recreation and contemplation—places with social and cosmological meaning. Each reminds us that water, from a human perspective, is an instrument of mental and spiritual wellbeing. And that working with nature is the best design strategy. Of the river projects, the one by Morphogenesis (A River in Need, page 56) illustrates this best, working with the ebb and flow of tides along the river Ganga, temporally adjusting human space to hydrological space. Often, an issue like this leaves us wishing for more, say, projects showing water as habitat. There are two here—the Lingang Bird Airport (page 52) and Mangrove Tetrapods (page 46)—but there could and should be others out there. We might also wish for projects that speak to the importance of water as transportation. There are cities in Asia where water-based mobility has been the cornerstone of development—Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok come to mind—where investment in the water transportation is long overdue. Lastly, there are not enough examples of integration, where a water system simultaneously creates social and ecological value. A noteworthy exception is Singapore, Asia’s Little Blue Dot (page 16). With a population of 5.5 million and growing, the small city-state relies heavily on water from Malaysia. The article on four taps tells the story of diversification, integration and political will. Singapore now has (a) vastly increased its rainwater catchment and detention areas through land-use policies and urban infrastructure, (b) invested in technologies that recycle waste water to potable standards, and (c) invested in desalination plants. Imports, by the year 2060, will be altogether eliminated, making the island self-sufficient. This, however, is not just an engineering feat. What is remarkable here is that this push for self-sufficiency is backed by a decision to make water infrastructure more attractive, more people-friendly, and in the process, making the city more livable. Planners and designers in Singapore are now asked to turn once-hard water infrastructure into social-ecological spaces. In this issue, we see two examples: Yishun Pond and Sengkang Floating Wetlands (page 22), which serve both humans and nature. This then is an argument that is not often heard when experts talk about sustainability: that a solution for resilience and self-interest should also make for a more beautiful, more inclusive, world. Happy reading. Dr Nirmal Kishnani Editor-in-Chief n.kishnani@futurarc.com
contents main feature 16 Singapore: Asia’s Little Blue Dot the futurarc interview 26 Jack Sim Founder, World Toilet Organization & World Toilet College projects 34 Nature Takes Centre Stage 46 Mangrove Tetrapods 52 Lingang Bird Airport 56 A River in Need 60 The Sabarmati Riverfront Development 64 Floating Ponds: A Vertical Aquaculture Farming Typology people 70 In Conversation with Nripal Adhikary happenings 76 BCI Asia Awards <strong>2017</strong> 88 Special Focus 92 Milestones & Events 96 product advertorials
Change language