4 March 2008

1st Singaporean team makes their mark at IAHH

BEYOND CLASSROOM: NUS Architecture students at Kumartuli, India.

NUS Architecture students came in third in the 6th IAHH Student Design competition with their sustainable housing scheme that interconnects waste streams to production. The annual competition is organised by the International Association for Humane Habitat (IAHH), a voluntary organisation promoting the goals and objectives of evolving human habitat through sustainable development.

The team comprising Chen Yuxun, Tan Ruixiang, Eugene Aw, Grace Chen, and Heng Yinghui, all fourth-year students, is the first Singaporean team to be among the top in the annual competition. Their entry was selected out of 87 schemes submitted from 20 countries. The NUS team is also the only team in the top three that worked on a housing site away from their home country.

According to the jury, the NUS entry was "exemplary in the level of energy and commitment shown by the students and displayed some charming drawings and thoughtful design work". 

SUSTAINABLE HOUSING: Winning designs that treat waste product as resource.

Their five winning individual design schemes focused on communal recreational space and household workshops to improve production, storage, access and living conditions space in Kumartuli, a two-hectare village in India with a population of 250 artisans or potters. The students considered no element as a waste product but as a resource for another process to feed off. One project, for example, integrated housing with a kiln and incineration facility to produce raw material for the artisans, as well as to generate heat in winter.  

The design schemes were completed as part of their coursework and led by Assoc Prof Joseph Lim, Department of Architecture. The students took a four-day field trip to Kumartuli during their study break in late 2007 to understand the villagers' lifestyle and living conditions.

"More often than not, we tended to design from our own perspectives and cultural background. What works in Singapore often do not work in Kumartuli, hence it is important that we learn beyond the textbook and classroom," said Eugene.

Assoc Prof Lim hopes that the IAHH win will dispel the stereotype that architects only design beautiful buildings. "Architects don't just design beautiful condos, they integrate aspects of engineering, science, technology, culture and tradition to create a sustainable habitat," he said.