On October 3, 2024, over 200 participants gathered at NTU's Gaia Auditorium for the inaugural Mapletree Annual Sustainability Lecture, hosted by the Asian School of the Environment. The lecture, "Humanizing Our Cities", was delivered by British designer and inventor, Thomas Heatherwick, who discussed innovative ways to humanize urban spaces through environmentally friendly architecture. Heatherwick shared some of the challenges, opportunities, and learning as the architect of NTU's award-winning building, The Hive, and demonstrated how resilience and creativity are strong tools in the face of multiple restrictions.
Heatherwick's insights set the stage for a thought-provoking panel discussion, where five experts, including our lab's Principal Investigator Perrine Hamel, explored sustainable building design in tropical Asia, highlighting the critical intersection of cutting-edge architecture and nature-based solutions.
Collaboration emerged as a key theme throughout the discussion. The group highlighted the value of turning up with questions rather than answers, promoting multidimensional thinking and cooperation beyond traditional design studios. This includes engaging diverse age groups, from children to the elderly, to create projects that reflect community values and tell meaningful stories. “We must find the values of the project,” Heatherwick, advocating for designs that not only serve functional needs but also enrich public life. By reimagining our built environments at multiple scales, from the door-level to the city-level, and witnessing it through a collaborative lens, we can create buildings that are generous contributors to society, enhancing both ecological sustainability and human connection.
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