Buildings adapted to marine environments and paper structures designed for funeral ceremonies are among the sustainability-focused architecture proposals in this VDF school show by Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).

The digital exhibition, entitled Sustainable Design for a Better World, features work completed by Master of Architecture graduates that studied as part of the Architecture and Sustainable Design studio.

Each proposal was developed as an investigation into "the needs of humankind and the global environment".

Singapore University of Technology and Design

University: Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)
Exhibition title: Sustainable Design for a Better World
Course: Master of Architecture
Studio: Architecture and Sustainable Design
Contact address: asd@sutd.edu.sg
Instagram: @sutd_asd

Course statement by Daniel Whittaker:

"Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) is pleased to present exemplary student work from the recent graduating class of 2019.

"The Master of Architecture students, while enrolled on the Architecture and Sustainable Design program, have produced a series of investigative projects that expand the boundaries upon which architecture serves to balance the needs of humankind and the global environment we all live within.

"Together, this broad sampling of student work represents the incredible intellectual range which Singapore University of Technology and Design students explore, pushing digital architectural solutions towards their greatest possible application.

"These theoretical inquiries into new architectures for Singapore, Southeast Asia, and the world, demonstrate deep digital and critical-thinking skill sets which are paramount student acquisitions while mentored within the Architecture Sustainable Design program at SUTD."

The Poetics of Construction: Reinterpreting the Bamboo Architecture of Simón Vélez by So Jing Wen

"Architecture is invariably as much about structure and construction as it is about space and abstract form.

"Jing Wen's M.Arch thesis project seeks to explore the spatial and geometric potential of bamboo as a building material, focusing on the poetic dimension of the translation from line drawings to three-dimensional space.

"The language derived from So Jing Wen's study was then applied to the design project, as an interpretive reinvention and progressive evolution beyond Simón Vélez's novel techniques in bamboo construction."

Name: So Jing Wen
Project: The Poetics of Construction: Reinterpreting the Bamboo Architecture of Simón Vélez
Award: DP Architects Design Excellence Award
Thesis advisor: Felix Raspall
Website: airlab.sutd.edu.sg

Plasticity by Clara Chow Khoi Rong

"The world's coasts are increasingly urbanised, with populations of one to ten million people located near ocean coastlines.

"Coastal settlements have always been attractive due to its provision of critical inputs to industries. However, inadequate waste disposal management has also, unfortunately, resulted in the pollution of our seas from many of these cities.

"Clara Chow Khoi Rong's project aims to employ plastics found in rivers; to mechanise the landscape to collect them, in order to allow for the building of a plastic-city that is resilient to adversities of climate change in the future."

Name: Clara Chow Khoi Rong
Project: Plasticity
Award: M.Arch Thesis Award for Representation
Thesis advisor: Eva Castro
Website: formaxioms.com

Building Instruments by Yeow Zhi Wei Michael Augustine

"The geometrical and material aspects of surfaces that define our built environment often serve to enhance the visual composition of architecture and the experience we see. However, if given the opportunity to dictate and control the manner in which we experience the sounds of our surroundings, our perception of space changes.

"Yeow Zhi Wei Michael Augustine's M.Arch thesis proposes the design of aural architecture through the control of soundscapes by manipulating the geometrical and material properties of key elements of our built environment."

Name: Yeow Zhi Wei Michael Augustine
Project: Building Instruments
Award: M.Arch Thesis Award for Research
Thesis advisor: Christine Yogiaman & Kenneth Tracy
Website: dal.sutd.edu.sg

Verteco City, An Ecological Prototype for Hong Kong 2050 by Chua Rui Xiang

"Dense urban housing, poor waste management and poor carbon reduction measures are social and environmental issues that Hong Kong face on a daily basis. Despite this, Hong Kong is ranked ninth globally on the ARCADIS Sustainable Cities Index 2018 due to its high economic sustainability.

"Chua Rui Ziang's M.Arch thesis aims to study this urban contradiction in Hong Kong and propose an alternative architectural model to assist in increasing the metropolis' ability to solve complex compound social and environmental issues."

Name: Chua Rui Xiang
Project: Verteco City, An Ecological Prototype for Hong Kong 2050
Award: M.Arch Thesis Award for Computation
Thesis advisor: Thomas Schroepfer
Website: aal.sutd.edu.sg

Burning Hope by Sng Ei Jia

"The ancient, esoteric custom of burning paper effigies during religious rites derives from embodied Chinese beliefs that continuity exists between the world of the living and the dead.

"The custom has played a significant cultural role at death until recently and is now unfortunately threatened with disappearance. This traditional craft is also being replaced gradually by technological developments and the lack of skilled craftsmen.

"By comparing the techniques and designs of traditional and contemporary paper effigies, Sng Ei Jia's M.Arch thesis aims to suggest a new method for creating ceremonial paper-house offerings for the deceased."

Name: Sng Ei Jia
Project: Burning Hope
Award: M.Arch Thesis Award for Fabrication
Thesis advisor: Joshua Comaroff

A Living Organism: Design for the End of the World by Nabila Larasati Pranoto

"The twenty-first century is seeing a growing wave of acute environmental anxieties. Dispelling the notion that human beings are in control, the earth's natural forces are becoming increasingly volatile, threatening the very fabric of mankind's existence.

"Confronted with such environmental uncertainties such as rising sea levels, what is the role of architecture and design in all of this? How should we change and evolve architecture to better accommodate the future?

"This thesis examines our reactions to climate change, exploring the possible ways that we, as designers and as people, could eventually adapt architectural solutions to suit a marine environment."

Name: Nabila Larasati Pranoto
Project: A Living Organism: Design for the End of the World
Award: M.Arch Thesis Award for Sustainability and Coup de Coeur Award by the Jacques Rougerie Foundation
Thesis advisor: Eva Castro
Website: formaxioms.com

Digital Echo by Ong Ying Ying

"Inujima is a small island within Japan's Seto Inland Sea where communities still practise their natural, humane and resilient way of living. However, this culture is being threatened as there are only thirty-seven elderly living on the island with an average age of seventy-five years.

"Ong Ying Ying's M.Arch thesis project, Digital Echo, is a tale of the forgotten island that utilise robots to capture an individual's way of life as artefacts.

"Transformation of the village into a museum of seniors will happen through stages, and multiple strategies with varied scales will be applied to share the villager's way of life, educating future generations."

Name: Ong Ying Ying
Project: Digital Echo
Award: M.Arch Thesis Award for Social Innovation
Thesis advisor: Erwin Viray and Sam Joyce Conrad
Website: metadesignlab.com/projects.html

Merging Scapes by Hendriko Teguh Sangkanparan, Nur Fadhilah Binte Nordin, Sally Tan Jie Ying and Lun Ci Min

"Sustainability and nature take prominence in this scheme to transform the defunct Pasir Panjang electric generating plant area in Singapore into a nature-centric, mixed-use precinct with residential, lifestyle and commercial functions intertwined with parks, water features and recreational facilities.

"The public spaces proposed thoughtfully consider both ecological restoration and how people interact with space. To create distinctive recreational experiences, the scheme demonstrates how water could be weaved in throughout the site to revitalise and create a delightful district for all residents and visitors to enjoy."

Names: Hendriko Teguh Sangkanparan, Nur Fadhilah Binte Nordin, Sally Tan Jie Ying and Lun Ci Min
Project: Merging Scapes
Award: First Prize URA Power up Pasir Panjang competition
Studio instructor: Jackson Tan

South Coast [P]romenade by Tan Yuan Ling Rebecca, Ng Su Wen, Dion Teo Jian Xian and Chen Rui

"This project envisions a new residential district that functions as the central hub that serves future developments in the surrounding Pasir Panjang area.

"This scheme presents a bold and exciting idea for a unique waterfront residential enclave that wraps around the site, screening off a viaduct and existing electrical substations, while providing cleverly created points of connection.

"With Power Station A as a transport and community hub, and B as a learning hub for family and lifestyle activities, they serve as the focal points of regeneration, celebrating the history of the place while breathing a new life into the buildings through daily remembrance and utility."

Name: Tan Yuan Ling Rebecca, Ng Su Wen, Dion Teo Jian Xian and Chen Rui
Project: South Coast [P]romenade
Award: Third Prize URA Power up Pasir Panjang competition
Studio instructor: Jackson Tan

Atlas by Ashley Chen Siew Li

"This virtual-reality design project takes an exploration into an extra-planetary realm: the creation of Astra, a political borderless educational hub for a class-neutral society.

"Starlight shines through an unpolluted night sky; the user selects the environment they prefer to occupy – be it a deciduous forest floor nestled upon autumnal fallen leaves, or an opaque pool of liquid – all environments created within a modified geodesic architectural domed space wrapped within a frame composed of irregular polygons.

"Upon a chance encounter with friends seeking communal virtual environments, the metropolis prospers and grows within an architectural delight."

Name: Ashley Chen Siew Li
Project: Atlas
Award: Core 2 Studio
Studio instructor: Calvin Chua

Virtual Design Festival's student and schools initiative offer a simple and affordable platform for student and graduate groups to present their work during the coronavirus pandemic. Click here for more details.