Carbon is everywhere—in the soil, in the air, in life. Carbon is the foundation of architecture and the built environment. Carbon is also infamous for intensifying the climate catastrophes around us. And architects—by the nature of their education and practice are transforming this carbon into the built environment.
Twelve critical essays in this book present a constellation of voices surrounding carbon and its relationship with architecture, renovation, material, form, and design pedagogy. The renovation of two buildings on the Equator—at the School of Design and Environment (SDE), National University of Singapore; serve as the protagonists for these reflections. The essays raise key questions on the values embedded in the architecture of architecture schools. What principles might a low-carbon future embody? What do renovations mean for rapidly urbanizing Asia? How can they transform the relationship between climate and architecture on the Equator? Do they demand new equatorial forms? How can material innovations influence their design? How can the design of architecture schools influence a new generation of architects towards a sustainable future? These and other questions are set forth within while illustrating the models of thought that have shaped the architecture of SDE 1 & 3, offering ways to sustainably transform carbon in the context of our warming world.
| Prologue |
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4 | (6) |
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1 Spatializinq Schools of Thought |
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10 | (20) |
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2 From Lifestyle to Life Cycle: And Other Readings of Carbon Form in Architecture |
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30 | (8) |
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38 | (12) |
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3.1 Two Different Approaches to Sustainability in SDE's Campus Rejuvenation |
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3.2 Spatializing Sustainability: Housing a School of Architecture |
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3.3 Carbon Dichotomies Lakshmi Menon |
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4 Carbon Transformations at the Equator |
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50 | (96) |
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The Architecture of SDE 1 & 3 |
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65 | (81) |
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5 Calibrating the Carbon Problem |
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146 | (16) |
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5.1 Evaluating the Hidden Carbon in SDE 1 & 3 |
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5.2 A Problem of Problems: Systems Thinking at the Drawing Board |
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162 | (8) |
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6.1 Towards a Post-Anthropocene, Postmodern Architeeture |
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6.2 Manifesto for the Architecture School Building in a Time of Crisis, 2021 |
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| Epilogue |
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170 | (3) |
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| Coda |
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173 | (11) |
| Facts and Figures |
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184 | (1) |
| Project Credits |
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185 | (1) |
| Book Credits |
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186 | |
Erik LHeureux FAIA is a Vice Dean, Master of Architecture Programme Director and Deans Chair Associate Professor at the School of Design and Environment, National University of Singapore, teaching a new generation of architects to be committed to the complexities and potentials of architecture located along the equator. His design research combines passive performance, pattern, and simplicity as a poetic response towards the equatorial hot, wet climate and a dense urban context. His design work and contribution to the discipline has been recognised by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), being elevated to the College of Fellows, AIA in 2020, and his buildings have won several AIA New York and SARA Design Awards among others.
Giovanni Cossu is a sustainable development professional and associate director at the National University of Singapore (NUS). With experience in real estate and sustainability services, he is part of the senior management group at the NUS School of Design and Environment (SDE) where he oversees and manages a portfolio of campus redevelopment projects, sustainable finance and corporate sustainability initiatives.
