In addition to yesterday’s announcement of the World Building of the Year Award, two further awards have also been awarded at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore:
Kallang River Bishan Park, Singapore, designed by Ramboll Studio Dreiseitl, has won the ‘Landscape of the Year’ Award and Msheireb – Heart of Doha, Qatar, designed by AECOM, has won the ‘Future Project of the Year’ Award.
Find out more about the awarded projects after the break.
Landscape of the Year Award / Kallang River Bishan Park, by Ramboll Studio Dreiseitl.
The Kallang River Bishan Park project was designed with a holistic and sustainable approach to integrate the park with the river. One of the main features of the redevelopment is the restoration of the concrete canal to a naturalised river. It features bio-engineered river edges using a variety of plants and bedding materials. This project is the first of its kind in Singapore, and the integration of the river with the park aims to make the waterway more accessible to the public while creating more spaces for the public to enjoy. The design employs a flood plain concept whereby during dry weather, the river flow will be confined to a narrow stream in the middle of the river bed. In the event of a storm, the water level in the river will rise and the area adjacent to the river will be used as a flood plain to contain the rainwater.
The jury commended it, saying, “This remarkable project fundamentally transforms the urban landscape of Singapore by reversing the fundamentals of 1960s thinking on drainage canals into an ecological and people-friendly urban sponge. It powerfully embraces the extremes of flooding disasters, while providing a rustic and poetic simplicity with its landscape strategy for the public. Its large scale with subtle local effects also showcases truly sustainable strategies.
Future Project of the Year Award / Msheireb – Heart of Doha, by AECOM
The aim of the Msheireb project is to create a modern Qatari homeland that is rooted in traditions and in doing so renew a piece of city where global cultures meet. The Msheireb site is located in Inner Doha, less than 0.5 km away from Doha Bay. It forms part of a strategic gateway for the city from the West, lying between two key routes into the city which extends through the oldest part of Doha and onto the existing airport, as well as the new proposed airport.
Fundamental to the Msheireb Masterplan is the concept of the grid and the lattice. Designed to evoke memories, the lattice captures the incidental qualities of the fereej, or ‘community’. These sikkat or ‘laneways’ are an important reminder of the simplicity and enjoyment of walking within the city. The grid, on the other hand, symbolises the paradigm of Western cities. Together, the grid and the lattice form the bedrock of the masterplan that provide continuity between the past and future.
The jury praised the project, saying, “it has a highly intelligent set of guidelines for the re-creation of the city. It understands the implications of culture and substance; we have much respect for the Qatar Masterplan.”