There’s no escaping the F1 madness this September – though Archifest, back for its eighth year on 26 September 2014, is certainly a welcome respite after an extravagant weekend of fast cars and furious parties.
For this year, the annual architecture, design and city living festival explores the notion of “CROWD”, how it operates and contributes to architecture and urbanism. Here are our suggested must-dos during its two-week run:
Architours
Curated by National University Singapore’s The Architecture Society, these weekend tours will give you insights into award-winning projects scattered around Singapore. Three tours will be conducted for 12 locations, which include the newly revamped Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall and The Sandcrawler, aka Lucasfilm’s HQ.
Urban Lab
Knowledge is power, and the festival has lined up a series of workshops, installations, and sharing sessions to encourage knowledge-sharing and collaboration in areas like parametric design.
Those interested in learning more about crowd pricing (which helps push prices down with more people purchasing a certain product) should make your way down to Haystakt’s crowd pricing workshops, which will take place at the Archifest Pavilion on both weekends. The Wholesome Co. and U Grow Gardens will also run their workshops based on this model.
Archifest Conference
The conference is divided into two subcategories – collective intentions and community capital. Dialogues will discuss how individuals work together toward a common goal, and how community improves existing places and quality of life. Mr Paul Noritaka Tange, founder and president of Japan’s acclaimed Tange Associates, and Mr Tan Cheng Siong of Archurban Architects & Planners, are keynote speakers.
Fringe events
Check out the KEEPERS pop-up store at Orchard Green, a collaboration between local designers and artisans to showcase everything from furniture to food.
Indulge in cinematic delights based on the theme “breakthroughs in cinema” at the Perspectives Film Festival from 16 to 19 October 2014, organised by students from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information of Nanyang Technological University. Plus, go on an architecture walking tour and attend a talk by Singapore Architect Magazine – there’ll be something for everyone here.
Archifest 2014, Marina Bay Sands Event Plaza, Expo & Convention Center, 10 Bayfront Ave, Singapore 018956. The festival will run from 26 September to 11 October 2014. Check out their Facebook page for updates.
Images: Archifest