June 22, 2018
The Oasia Hotel Downtown, designed by Woha, a Singapore-based architectural firm, is one of the most stunning skyscrapers in Asia. There is, first, the signal-red mesh envelope, a splash of color unlike anything in its neighborhood, and then the surreptitious patches of green that seem to slowly envelop the building. Planted façades are not new…
May 9, 2018
The Paramit Factory by Design Unit Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia, challenges the industrial typology that is too often mired in questions of functionality and cost. John Bulcock, the principal architect, is best known for tropical houses, noteworthy for unfinished concrete walls and playful inventiveness with climate. Daylight, greenery and vistas were key considerations from the start.…
May 4, 2018
In 2013, the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) launched a movement to address issues regarding health and well-being within the built environment. From this, the WELL Building Standard was established with the aim to provide architects and designers with guidelines on how to make a real and measurable difference to how we function within our…
November 10, 2017
Sound expert Julian Treasure previously discussed how acoustics in the workplace are key to worker productivity and health. But how does that apply to the educational environment? How does noise affect students and teachers in the classroom? Acoustics in Education Bad acoustics in schools can be a big problem. In a typical classroom, noise levels…
November 1, 2017
Every learning facility wants to bring out the best in its students. While the quality of the curriculum is vital, it’s not the only factor. The interior should not be underestimated, so how do you design a positive space in which students and teachers flourish? This was the key question in the creation of the…
October 12, 2017
Offering stylish furnishings from globally responsible sources, West Elm grew up in the Brooklyn neighborhood of DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass). Their commitment to community initiatives, dedication to personal retail service, and desire to connect global artisan markets to their customers made them a magnet for attracting the millennial shopper. When their business took…
September 22, 2017
Biophilic Design as a key aspect of health and wellbeing is moving up the built environment agenda fast – and for good reason. With high rates of urbanisation, a rise in stress related illness and an increasing level of technological proliferation – it seems that we are moving ever further from the natural elements that…
September 18, 2017
Breaking new ground is only possible by making changes. Initiating the process and successfully shaping change calls for boldness, determination and a new way of thinking from everyone involved. This was the challenge that Philips DACH faced while planning the relocation of its headquarters in northern Hamburg, Germany. A smooth transition from traditional to modern was the…
September 8, 2017
Singapore’s Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) might well be the most biophilic hospital in Asia. In no other healthcare institution of this scale are elements of form, space and landscape so explicitly tied to the goal of human well-being—the very definition of biophilic design. The KTPH competition brief, from the onset, asked that the new…
June 18, 2017
I had the pleasure to visit ASID’s new HQ, the first space to receive both the WELL Platinum and LEED Platinum certifications. Becoming the first space to receive both the WELL Platinum and LEED Platinum certifications makes it truly one of a kind. ASID and Perkins+Will partnered to create an exceptional space that speaks to…
Nirmal Kishnani 
Oliver Heath 
Sonya Lehner 
Interface 
David Gerson