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Interview with Charu Kokate of Safdie Architects: Designing for Community

Safdie Architects has officially opened the new campus headquarters for Surbana Jurong, Singapore’s leading architecture, urban design, and infrastructure firm. The project expands Safdie Architects’ vision of 'for everyone a garden' into the workplace with a design that draws on the tranquility of the site’s previously undeveloped natural setting to foster shared moments of engagement and creativity. Achieving Green Mark (Super Low Energy) certification, the campus is the flagship development of the emerging Jurong Innovation District, envisioned as the first business park set in a tropical rainforest.

The development marks Safdie Architects' sixth project in Singapore and enhances the firm's prominent built portfolio in the city-state, which already includes Marina Bay Sands, Sky Habitat, and the Jewel at Changi Airport. On the occasion of the opening, ArchDaily spoke to Charu Kokate, Partner at Safdie Architects, who leads efforts in the Singapore region, about the firm's unique development footprint and building philosophy.

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The Urban Transformation of Medellín: A Case Study

CityMakers, The Global Community of Architects Who Learn from Exemplary Cities and Their Makers, is working with Archdaily to publish a series of articles about Barcelona, Medellin, and Rotterdam. The authors are the architects, urban planners, and/or strategists behind the projects that have transformed these three cities and are studied in the "Schools of Cities" and "Documentary Courses" made by CityMakers. On this occasion, Victor Restrepo, Coordinator of CityMakers in Medellin, presents his article "Medellin: A Case Study".

Medellín stands as an inspiring example for many cities worldwide. It is a city that transitioned from deep collective fear to hopeful enthusiasm for urban and social life characterized by quality and coexistence. The city's crisis has always been associated with violence and drug trafficking. However, this crisis is more structural and profound, it responds to many more factors, some of which are associated with the accelerated growth of its population, as in many Latin American cities.

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Social Spaciousness: MVRDV Reimagines the Future of Co-Living

MVRDV has just released a new design study exploring how co-living can help shape the future of housing. Created in collaboration with developer HUB and sustainable investor Bridges Fund Management, the study introduces a comprehensive study exploring diverse typologies, aiming to revolutionize communal living and vibrant neighborhoods. It addresses modern housing needs, including flexibility, sustainability, and community, while tackling climate crisis and affordability issues. The endeavor offers tailored solutions for various co-living projects, catering to many demographics and lifestyles.

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UN-Habitat Launches “My Neighborhood,” a Practical Guide for Achieving Sustainable Urban Spaces

The UN-Habitat Urban Lab has published “My Neighborhood,” a publication that offers a checklist of urban design principles aimed at creating more sustainable and resilient cities. Containing actions that are applicable at the neighborhood scale, the guide strives to present an integrated approach that responds to key sectors such as transportation, local urban initiatives, housing, public spaces, utilities, and more.

A Model for a Healthier, Adaptive Approach to Community Development

This article was originally published on Common Edge.

The Healthy Cities movement is a strong but sometimes underappreciated planning concept with its roots in the complex structure of the human body. Formed in the 1970s, it transcends the current paradigm of building, roadway, and open space planning to address a more complex and systemic view of community life. The movement was pioneered and co-founded by Dr. Leonard Duhl, who was both an urban planner and medical doctor. I was lucky to have him as a planning mentor.

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MVRDV and LOLA Unveil "Grüne Mitte," A Participatory Social Housing Complex in Düsseldorf, Germany

MVRDV and LOLA Landscape Architects have just revealed the new development of “Grüne Mitte” in Düsseldorf, Germany. Centered around open communication, negotiation, and compromise, the project aims to introduce 500 new apartments and community spaces to enhance the neighborhood. Approximately 50% of the scheme is designated as social or affordable housing, which was designed in participatory processes with the residents.

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First-Ever +POOL to Open in New York City This Summer, with Plans to Expand Swimming Access across the State

New York Governor Hochul has announced a partnership with the nonprofit Friends of + POOL to open the first urban river-sourced swimming facility in the United States. Utilizing + POOL’s design and technology, the 2,000-square-foot plus-shaped swimming pool is set to open in New York City’s East River in the summer of 2024. In 2010, four young designers, Archie Lee Coates IV, Dong-Ping Wong, Jeffrey Franklin, and Oana Stanescu, established + POOL with the goal of providing New Yorkers with access to free and safe river swimming. Now the state promised to invest $16 million to pilot and scale the system, hoping to expand it across the state of New York.

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ArchDaily Curator's Picks 2023: Global Projects our Curators Highlighted Through the Year

The ArchDaily projects library is managed by our curators who constantly seek to populate our stream with the most interesting global works, showcasing evolving focuses and criteria. While we usually share our reader’s top 100 favorites, this year, we also decided to initiate our editor’s picks on the ArchDaily Instagram account, where our curators highlight some projects that include interesting themes and unique traits. 

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“An Architect’s Traditional Lane is Pretty Limiting”: In Conversation with Johanna Hurme of 5468796 Architecture

What about architecture in North America – its history, policies, but also building codes – makes it particularly vulnerable to the global housing crisis? And how can those inherent flaws be counteracted with purposeful residential design and a more inclusive approach to the architecture discipline?

In a presentation at World Architecture Festival 2023 under the programme theme ‘Catalyst’, Johanna Hurme and Sasa Radulovic, Co-Founders of Winnipeg-based 5468796 Architecture, showcased how these and other questions are key to their building style and also addressed in their forthcoming book platform.MIDDLE: Architecture for Housing the 99%.

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MVRDV and Space Encounters Collaborate for a Model of Sustainability in Amsterdam's Sluisbuurt Neighborhood

MVRDV and Space Encounters' proposal for a 22-storey residential tower is set to be implemented in Amsterdam’s Sluisbuurt neighborhood. Aiming to enhance community strength, the design boasts a timber framework, an energy-generating façade, and plenty of communal spaces. The project serves as a model for sustainability and environmental friendliness.

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