Director of international design practice, Broadway Malyan, Professor Jason Pomeroy is the architect of The Idea House, and author of the newly launched book, Idea House: Future Tropical Living Today. A specialist in socio-spatial functions of skycourts and skygardens within the vertical city model of the 21st century, Jason has delved deeper into green architecture by researching on carbon zero development. Founder of Broadway Malyan’s Research and Development studio, the award winning architect is more than determined to fulfill his vision of incorporating sustainable design in our urban structures. Jason is also a professor of the University of Nottingham, an adjunct professor at University Technologi Malaysia and Mapua Institute of Technology, and a member of the Editorial Board for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, amongst many other things.

Your expertise lies in the sustainable building design and vertical urbanism; what does that encompass?

We first need to highlight what the issues are. Environmentally, we’re living in a world where we’re consuming 86 million barrels of oil daily, to satiate our consumerist needs. Socially, by 2050, 9.2 billion people will be walking the face of this earth, which is a significant increase from the 7 billion today. Spatially, what this means is that we have increasing population and the increasing trend of inner city migration. We’re seeing urban densification on the rise, which is giving way to taller urban structures to handle such needs. Economically, more are capitalizing on the economic prosperity, which gives rise to trend of inner city migration. The result of all this is a significant increase in carbon emissions. 40% of the world’s carbon emissions can be attributed to the built environment and so we need to take steps to mitigate those social, economic, environmental, spatial, cultural and technological constraints. Culturally, we’re living in a increasingly globalized society whereby local traditions are coming on to threat so the architecture and the urbanism that I design is very much an answer to some of these prevalent, sustainable issues; or actually, non-sustainable issues.

Vertical urbanism seeks to try and balance the loss of open space within the identity of the environment for the betterment of civil society. Once upon a time, we had open spaces, streets and squares that provided opportunities for social interactions and movement. What I advocate is for the incorporation of sky courts and sky gardens into the identity of the environment to try and help replenish the loss of those spaces that is good for society in providing opportunities for social interaction once again. Its good for the environment as when you plant the spaces, it can help reduce ambient temperatures; it is good for the economy because the incorporation of such spaces can increase the values of the development, as well as provide opportunities for income generation; spatially it’s good because it means less identity blocks in differentiating space; and technologically, it provides opportunities for rainwater harvesting to try and help collect water to be used for irrigation or other social purposes. So collectively, vertical urbanism is very much almost a manifesto of how we should be creating more sustainable, vertical, urban environmental structures for the 21^st century.

You talked about rainwater harvesting; how does that work?

Rainwater harvesting is the opportunity to collect the rainwater, be that on horizontal, vertical or diagonal surfaces. More often than not, the incorporation of planter boxes and rooftop gardens is a good way of being able to collect the excess rainwater, thus reducing the reliance on culvert drains in order to drain the water away. If you don’t have this, you end up having to over design your culverts and your rainwater drainage tanks and pipes, which can actually be quite costly. It’s also a good way of being able to recycle water to use for irrigation of planting, or for flushing of WCs. So whilst we’re all very conscious of the finite natural resources of oil and gas, we should similarly be conscious of water as an increasingly depleting resource and the ability to harvest rainwater, and furthermore reduce the reliance on main water, thus also reducing your water bill every month.

The integration of water is key in the designs of your sky parks and sky gardens. Apart from rainwater harvesting, what other valuable qualities does water have?

Water has been an important feature in the man-made environment for centuries. You only have to go to the Middle East to have a look at the Islamic four-fold garden or what is called the chahar-bagh, which places the water fountain at the centre of these four areas that represent the four parts of the universe. Practically, we all know that the Middle East is rather dry place and therefore, one can understand the importance of water in hot and arid climates. We also need to bear in mind the opportunities for evaporate cooling in water; when you start to put water in the urban landscape, it is possible to cool the passage of air that’s flowing across pools of water and thus help cool the air for the benefit of the internal environment; keeping the internal environment cool and thus reducing the reliance on artificial cooling methods like air-conditioning. One needs to be conscious though, that it is all very much dependent on the climate that you’re in. This works very well in temperate, hot and arid climates with very significant wind speeds. It’s slightly harder to undertake that evaporate cooling in tropical settings like Malaysia or Singapore where humidity levels are high, at around 85% to 90%, and wind speeds are very low. Therefore the psychological cooling properties and the social health and well being of just looking at water can start to come into play. That is why water and its integration within the green landscape is very important to the works that I do, and the ability to try and ensure that the water is recyclable is similarly key.

What other factors are taken into consideration besides temperature, wind speeds and humidity?

I don’t believe sustainable design is anything more than good back to basics design. What this basically means is that we should be going back to look at the past traditions of architecture, or even building and learning from those lessons. Getting the orientation right from day one is key. What we’re very much aware of, is the low angle sun of the east and west, when its rising or setting, and that could be a significant source of solar heat gain, which then drives your energy bill higher to keep the building cool. Deeper floor plates, that you need to be switching on artificial lighting to keep the internal spaces at a lux level, where people could read a book. These issues are probably some of the problems with technology of the 21st century. You think of cavemen and cavewomen sitting at the mouth of the cave, enjoying natural light and ventilation, but when they discovered fire, they moved deeper inside the cave. The downside is that with the advent technology, we have increasingly moved deeper and deeper inside of the cave by looking at artificial, alternative means of technology to support our everyday lives.

All I’m requesting is for us to move back to the mouth of the cave, which is basically good, passive design. Get the orientation right, make sure that the floor plates are narrow enough to allow very good day light penetration, opportunities for cross ventilation; ensure that materials are specified, that have a high recyclable content, and are of a natural source that are specified within a particular distance to the site, so that you’re reducing the reliance on energy consuming transportation to move into the site; ensuring that there are design processes that mitigate wastes, ensuring that the design team are using intelligent software that models everything about the built environment, down to the nut and bolt; so that everything can be quantified. This then reduces the possibility of clashes or anything that can go wrong on a site. Considering water and energy efficiency, we need to look at green innovation and opportunities to push the boundaries of green technology; in order to try and reduce the reliance on our finite resources, in order to embrace the positive attributes of wind, sun and rain.

What are some of the projects that you have been involved in before and also tell us about your upcoming ones.

I was the architect and author The Idea House, which was the first zero carbon house in South East Asia. The project seeks to provide a glimpse of future tropical living or be it today, the project reinterprets the kampong house tradition that has deep overhanging roots, has a very shallow narrow floor plate that allows very good day light penetration thus reducing the reliance on artificial lighting. Its orientated to minimize solar heat gain to the east and the west, the internal environment is with slidable partitions to allow for cross ventilation thus mitigating the needs for artificial cooling. The house has photovoltaic cells that generates more energy than the actual house needs to consume, thus almost being a miniature power plant so that the occupants will never have an energy bill for the rest of their lives. Its also a modular construction, ameliorating the need for wet trade on the site, it could be clipped together like a lego kit, and erected within an eight week period. It can be dismantled so that future generations can use the site for whatever societal or economic needs they may have.

Other projects include Vision Valley Malaysia, which almost goes from the micro scale of The Idea House to the macro scale of a complete city. Interestingly enough, the same sustainable principles that we see in the house can be similarly applied in the macro scale of a city. The Vision Valley Malaysia is 80, 000 acres, approximately five times the size of Manhattan; it comprises of sports education, healthcare, entertainment and leisure, green technology manufacturing, business aviation and commerce; all of these five distinct economic drivers coming together to form a network garden city that will be implemented over a 30 year period and as part of great Kuala Lumpur’s expansion programme down towards the south of the strait of Malacca.

I have also worked on the Milano Residences in the Philippines. This is a 53-storey tower, which marks the first branded condominium in Asia. I partnered with Versace, who undertook the interior design; we did the architecture and the landscaping. What’s quite curious here is the importance of trying to create a cultural identity and brand; and we did that by interpreting the Italian ethos. When you look at the 15-century villas of the Manetto, Vicenza and Padova in Venice, the Italian villas would have a space called the loggio; these were outdoor rooms that provided an opportunity for families to socially interact. We have reinterpreted this as a series of sky-loggias that step up and through the building like a series of planted sky courts for the betterment of the family. These are then incorporated with lunge pools that can also keep the interiors quite cool.

We’ve also recently been proud to be working with the Trump organization on the Trump Tower in Manila, and this will be tallest residential tower in the Philippines when complete in 2015/16.

Speaking of residential properties, a large majority of them are considered as high-end, luxury properties. How can average people like us afford a green residential property too?

I think that we only have to look at the past historical precedence of the 18-century court and the 19-century arcade as prime examples of how the more affluent, speculative property investors of the time were able to be philanthropic in their gestures of handing space back to civil society. In the case of the 18-century court, semi-public open space was seeded back to society, providing the opportunity for them to meet and greet, and socially interact within the confined development. In the case of the 19-century arcade, the La Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele in Milan for instance, links up primary squares – the Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Scala. In both of these cases, what it provided was an opportunity for people to take a short cut through the city, thus providing ease of movement; and at the same time, economic benefit to the individual owning the arcade.

I believe that sky courts and sky gardens in the future could potentially be spaces seeded back to civil society. This means that a developer can actually be slightly philanthropic and therefore satisfy his own corporate social responsibilities. However, we have a long way to go and the current state of affairs is far from the vision that I have of the future. At the moment, there are still very semi or private spaces that are only for the affluent or privileged. For instance, you still have to pay an entrance fee to get to a particular sky courts, sky gardens or observation decks to glean a panoramic view of the city; be that in Singapore, Tokyo or London. But perhaps in the future, it will actually be more of a open, social space that will be there to provide a replenishment to civil society to use.

When it comes to the private, residential development though, even if it is an affluent setting, I think that the future is to try and balance restraint with delight. Delight, being in the form of these, wonderful residential settings; and restraints being the sustainable agenda. We only have to look at the hospitality industry as a prime example, if you’re paying a significant amount of money for nice room, one almost feels privileged to be able switch on a rainfall shower, to enjoy the experience. It’s about the empowerment of the individual to make that choice – whether they want to have that experience because they feel they deserve it, or whether they want to conserve the water at the flick of the switch. So I think the ability to balance restraint and delight is all about empowerment – the ability to foster a greater understanding within the individual, to be able to highlight the importance of trying to conserve our natural resources. And hopefully through education, they will make the right decision.

Our landscape has very visibly been reshaped over the past five years, where old buildings have been demolished. What’s your take?

It’s the same as in any developing urban environment; I think it is the mark of a developing economy and society that is able to embrace change for the greater good of the future.

What we need to be conscious of though, is that we should change for change sake; it should not be trend driven, it should not be almost like a veil of modernity. What we should be looking towards is the reinterpretation of some of the past traditions in order for us to be able to move forward into the future. Singapore has a rich heritage of fine colonial buildings that have been tropically aware in their orientation and materials used in their site planning, in their climatic responses. Shophouses are a prime example of an adaptable structure that has changed during the hundreds of years of its existence. Its five-foot way provides the perfect opportunity for an ease of movement through the city, but at the same time, shade and shelter from tropical elements. The shutters allow for cross ventilation, and similarly, cuts out any low angle sun related issues. It is these architectural and urban devices that should be interpreted to create an architectural identity that is specific to Singapore, that would also provide a way forward in creating an architecture of cultural identity. I’m heartened to see that there are particular building in Singapore that start to embrace that sort of tradition, we just need to be conscious of being able to choose the right building types at the right times to develop, and to ensure that we’re not eradicating the heritage just for the sake of modernity.

What has driven you to be so passionate about green architecture?

When I was eight years old, my father took me to St. Paul’s Cathedral and I asked him who created the building and how. He told me that it was Sir Christopher Wren, who was an astronomer royale, mathematician and architect; and he studied in a university. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to go to Cambridge and study architecture. What I was also particularly taken by in the experience (at the cathedral), was the fact that the awe-inspiring light that came through the stained glass windows, almost negating any sort of need for artificial lighting. It was a very incredibly cool, well-lit environment that was simply awe-inspiring. So naturally, these little idiosyncrasies in one’s life do kind of shape your future. When I did finally go on to Cambridge, many years later, a similar experience reaffirmed the passion I have for green architecture that is environmentally responsive, as well as socially, culturally responsive to a place. It was stepping foot into another one of his buildings – Cambridge College Library. The breathtaking nature of the very large windows provided an amazing ambient light and an airiness that also negated the need for artificial lighting. So, I guess I have Sir Christopher Wren to thank for.

How green are you in your daily life?

I try as hard to be. Naturally, the nature of my work doesn’t always allow me to be as green as I would have like. I work extensively in Asia, which sees me travelling almost on a weekly basis; businesses takes certain amount of air miles going backwards and forwards from Asian cities. That is something that I’m not particularly proud of and I somehow feel that the green architecture that I create almost tries to offset my carbon footprint.

My day-to-day living habits once again, I try to be as green as possible. What I’m also conscious of is, the importance of trying not to lead a consumerist lifestyle. This means that the product that I buy tends to be tailored, bespoke – something that could last me a lifetime, something that I could be happy to pass on to future generations. I recycle.

What would Jason Pomeroy’s ideal house look like?

I’ve designed my ideal home so many times and its like picking up Shakespeare, reading King Lear the first time and then reading it again when you’re 16, 20, 25, 30. You always find something new, not only in the narrative, but also how you can see individual character. Similarly, when I first designed my ideal home when I was a student, and the way I perceive my ideal home now is very different. I can honestly say that I don’t think I will ever design my own home, I’ll far rather give that privilege to another architect who will work to the brief that I give, so that I will not become too emotionally attached.

You just had your book launch for the Idea House: Future Tropical Living Today, tell us more about the book.

The Idea House book provides a graphic and photographic record of the journey the design team took to create the first zero carbon house in Asia. It is an ideal read for the academic, the property and design consultants, or even the student looking to understand sustainable design and how to create to the first zero carbon house. So in that respect, the book actually performs three undertakings. Number one, it was a perfect record of the process of sustainable design in order to get to this ultimate sustainable product. Number two, it perfectly summarizes the idea of knowledge transfer; what we’re doing is transferring all of our collective knowledge, through the book, to the broad audience that expands the academic students, even to people who are just interested in the green agenda. And the third, and by virtue of the second, it provides an opportunity to have a guideline for a route map, to show one how to create sustainable developments in the future, and how the technology that we used in the house have now been applicable to larger scale developments. For instance, the Asia Pacific Sports College or Vision Valley Malaysia, which is a mix-use residential development that I was also designing that will be launched next year in Kuala Lumpur.

Would you like to see your book in the library in the future?

Of course, because I think it’s about sharing that knowledge and I’m hoping that it would be source that people can refer to in order to be able to create a more greener, urban habitat. Ultimately, sustainability is about collaboration and the sharing of ideas to foster a greater sense of community and pleasant environments to be then able to work and play in. If we don’t share that knowledge, we’re just going to be doing business as usual which is something I’m strongly against.

If you could design a home for anyone, whether dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Sir Christopher Wren. To say thank you for helping me embark on this journey and I hope that I would not be able to let him down. I know that all of the lessons that I’ve learnt from him I could be able to embody in the design.

]]> http://www.plussixfive.com/2011/11/06/feature-interview-jason-pomeroy/feed/ 0 http://www.plussixfive.com/2011/10/25/idea-house-future-tropical-living-today/ http://www.plussixfive.com/2011/10/25/idea-house-future-tropical-living-today/#comments Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:40:26 +0000 Mae Chong http://www.plussixfive.com/?p=45534

Idea House: Future Tropical Living Today

Mae Chong / October 25, 2011
Art / Books / Design

Pioneering in sustainable tropical living in the region, Broadway Malyan presented a detailed graphic and photographic documentation of Southeast Asia’s first carbon zero residence, Idea House: Future Tropical Living Today. Written by Professor Jason Pomeroy of Broadway Malyan, the book illustrates the various opportunities and constraints behind the design; site planning, water efficiency and green innovation; executional processes from construction to completion; and finally, the importance of using the Idea House prototype as the key foundation for onward commercial residential application. A fine reinterpretation of the past cultural tradition of the Malay kampong, the Idea House is the perfect example of the embodiment of embracing our Asian heritage. Conceived as a socially, economically and environmentally responsive prototype dwelling for new sustainable ideas and processes, the house collectively saves money, energy and resource consumption. Successfully setting the ‘green’ benchmark for sustainable design to complement our tropical climate, the Idea House simply cannot remain as a prototype.

Broadway Malyan was approached by Sime Darby Property in August 2008, to develop a house design for the ‘green consumer. The vision for the completed Idea House was to provide an insight into future tropical living.

Idea House: Future Tropical Living Today is available at all leading book retailers

]]> http://www.plussixfive.com/2011/10/25/idea-house-future-tropical-living-today/feed/ 1 http://www.plussixfive.com/2011/09/10/feature-interview-rayson-tan/ http://www.plussixfive.com/2011/09/10/feature-interview-rayson-tan/#comments Sat, 10 Sep 2011 00:28:09 +0000 Mae Chong http://www.plussixfive.com/?p=44647

Feature Interview: Rayson Tan

Mae Chong / September 10, 2011
Accessories / Design

Staying true to his passion of graphic design, Rayson Tan has translated his visions into his label, L’ile Aux Ashby. As one of the pioneer designers of PARCO next NEXT and a participant of BLUEPRINT, the 27 year old has ... ]]>

Staying true to his passion of graphic design, Rayson Tan has translated his visions into his label, L’ile Aux Ashby. As one of the pioneer designers of PARCO next NEXT and a participant of BLUEPRINT, the 27 year old has sown the fruits of his labour. We find out a little more about the label’s latest collection, Cosmopolitan Beau, that reinforces the foundation of shapes and forms, introducing new platforms like scarves and leggings.

Tell us, what’s the root of L’ile Aux Ashby?

I started out at Fash Bash. When I first went there, I felt a little inferior because I was new and I saw all these other brands and their set up – I didn’t even have spot lights for my stall! But I did quite well and that boosted my confidence. So it was from there that I thought maybe I should do clothes and I ended up at Maad Sunday.

I won the Red Dot Award: Design Concept in 2005 doing a magazine spread, and my work was exhibited there for a year. So after that year, they called me up, and that was when I was in the army, and told me that they were looking to organize a designer market. They knew I was in the army but I went down to have a chat with them anyway. I was very interested in it, but not as a designer- I wanted to be a part of it. So I told them that I was thinking of launching a full range; not just accessories. So I sent them a mood board and I had to go through a panel of seven judges. And I got in! So I got everything done and launched the next week at the flea.

We know you are graphic design trained. So why accessories?

Before I went into the army, two friends and I wanted to go into accessories. So the three of us bought tools and began to make the accessories and I found that I managed to do it quite quickly. We created a brand and sold our designs to friends and friends of friends. I initiated campaigns and look books too; since I had the skills. When I was enlisted, I still found myself making these accessories and I thought to myself, ‘Maybe I should do this by myself.’ So it started out as a hobby, but after Parco next NEXT, I decided to rebrand my designs as a fashion accessory label.

I think I’ve also been influenced by my mom because she used to make accessories when I was a kid. I remember I used to sell my mom’s accessories to my school mates and I actually did earn quite a lot. There were quite a bit of orders!

Wait, you did this in primary school?

Yes. Since the response was so good, I started selling to students from other classes too. It wasn’t expensive, and since erasers were in then, I used the opportunity to attract the girls because the guys had all the erasers. I became quite popular with the girls; only from primary to secondary though.

When you first started, did you seek help or opinion from your mom?

No, everything was self taught. Even when it came to consigning or stocking. But as time goes by, you get the hang of it and it gets easier. She has become my private assistant now, where she approves of the colours you see in my collections. I think its important because when I work on it for too long, it gets a little confusing sometimes – an outside perspective and a non-designer’s opinion is refreshing too. She also advises me on simple things like the length of neckpieces; that make big differences if you don’t get it right.

What is Cosmopolitan Beau really about?

It’s basically an extension of my past collection of acrylic rings. There are more bright colours, a lot of colour blocking too. I’ve also done scarves and leggings for the first time in this collection. It still revolves around a lot of graphics and prints because I’m graphic trained; I’ve used that same aesthetic to create digital prints that you see on my bags. It very much inspired by architectural forms like in all my collections. Buildings, cityscapes, things like that. I deal a lot with shapes and I made it more 3D this time – that’s why the stacking. I’ve also added in an industrial, hardware feel to it. You’ll see things like screws screwed into the stacked bangles that help to create this illusion. It also helps to reinforce the architectural inspirations for the collection.

Why scarves?

Well, I saw great potential too to have my designs printed on the silk. If you notice, the designs of the scarves are actually an extension of my clutch bags. Another reason why I went into scarves is to also reach out to a new and wider target audience. Hopefully I can do this with my leggings too. They’re made of lycra and can be worn both ways – there’s no front or back.

Acrylic jewelry is actually not very common worldwide. Is there a particular reason why you chose to use this material?

I have always wanted to work with acrylic. But it was comparison to another label that stopped me from working with the material for a while. I wanted to prove that I could do more than just acrylic, that I was versatile and that I could explore more materials. So I launched the wood collection at Parco next NEXT. But I realized that many people were still discovering my label through my first acrylic collection and it was then that I decided that I should get started with it again; and that’s when I did my acrylic rings. I moved on the bangles too because there wasn’t anyone in Singapore who was doing it. Then I got more garang (brave) and now I’m doing textile design.

How do you ensure that you cater to different age or income groups?

I’m trying to create two different types of products – luxury and the other, a more affordable range. I use similar but less complex designs that still maintain the brand’s essence for my affordable range. My luxury range will of course include more expensive and exclusive materials.

Tell us, for once and for all, how do we pronounce L’ile Aux Ashby?

It’s Lil’ Ashby. It’s French, meaning avant garde, cosmopolitan and modern.

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Unveiling the latest collaborative collection from Incase, a partnership with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Equest and A Curious Teepee are proud to rant about this distinctive series. Available for the first time outside of Korea, Incase has applied the late artist’s work on selected cases, sleeves and bags for apple products. Among all the prints used – Flowers print, Dollar Signs, Camouflage and Banana screen print, the colourful cow portrait taken from Andy Warhol’s 1966 Cow Wallpaper is one of our personal favourites. A Curious Teepee will be the exclusive retailer for this unique Incase collection for a limited time.

A Curious Teepee is located at 2 Orchard Link, #02-24

Moving away from Amoy Street just a few months back, Strangelets has found its way to another cosy corner. Religiously maintaining its singular charm, the store is stocked with a whole bunch of anti-hyper-mass production items that we constantly crave for. There are cute wooden planes, Postalco envelopes and notepads, friendly letter sets, beautifully hand-painted porcelain ware, Apolis ties, light-switch sitckers, curious robot-like toys, animal calendars and a sweet collection of furniture and lifestyle items. Get tangled in this mini whirlwind of the quirky and quintessential.

Strangelets is now located at 7 Yong Siak Street

Kult has just released Animals – their 6th issue of their art-zine for Summer 2011. This issue hopes to draw our attention to the extensive damage that we are inflicting on the animal kingdom, destroying their habitats and driving them into extinction. International and Asian artists lend a hand in celebrating animals and the lives that the lead with their visuals accompanied by loads of bizarre and interesting animal facts. Click here to subscribe or keep a lookout at your favourite local store and art galleries around Singapore to cop your copy.

Hard Graft has created the iMac Slipper, an accessory for your iMac that is constructed with the utmost quality, but definitely not a necessity. The iMac Slipper is made to slip under the base of you 24″ or 27″ iMac Cinema Display and keep it from scratching your tabletop. Handmade in Italy using Florentine vegetable tanned leather and 100% premium wool, the iMac Slipper can be purchased here.

Absolut Vodka has just launched their latest limited edition bottle – Absolut Illusion, a reinvention of the classic, iconic Absolut Vodka bottle that inspires everyone to embrace the unexpected and challenges perspectives in an innovative way. Looking at the Absolut Illusion from the front, one may think that it is the classic Absolut Vodka bottle, however the bottle uses the liquid to magnify and mirror the Absolut logo, creating the illusion of the label floating in the vodka inside the bottle. When tilted sideways, the logo seems to be moving around in the bottle, what’s interesting is that the bottle looks different from every angle. Check out the video that was created for the Absolut Illusion campaign. The limited edition Absolut Illusion bottle will be available from 21 July 2011 at the following outlets.

Lunar – Block C, The Cannery #01-03
Pump Room – 3B River Valley Road, The Foundry #01-09/10
Rebel – Block C, The Cannery #01-07
Soul – Odeon Towers #02-01
Timbre at Old School – 11A Mount Sophia #01-05
Timbre at The Arts House – The Arts House #01-04
Timbre at The Substation – 45 Armenian Street
Yellow Jello – Block C The Cannery #01-06
Zirca – The Cannery #01-02

The finalists of Star Creation 2011 previewed 3 selected looks per designer during the Audi Fashion Festival 2011 Opening Gala Dinner. What the designers from around the region showcased were really impressive and it looked as though some of them were born to be in fashion. Take it look at the photos below for a better idea of what I’m talking about. After a long hard deliberation by the judges, the judges named Singapore’s Tsai Ming Hung, China’s Chen Zhi Gang and Malaysia’s Tiang Boon Tieon as the winners of Star Creation 2011. Notable mention also goes to Japan’s Hiroyuki Watanabe for bagging the Audi Young Designer Award 2011. Each of the Star Creation winners won SGD$10,000 in cash, an internship with leading fashion retailer F J Benjamin and the chance to launch a capsule collection at Star Creation 2012 the following year. Stay tuned for our coverage of the Star Creation Showcase featuring the entire collections of the winners in the coming days.

Chen Zhi Gang (China)

Zhang Zhe (China)

Hiroyuki Watanabe (Japan)

Mike August Yapching (Philippines)

Benjamin Neo Ben Jie (Singapore)

Tsai Ming Hung (Singapore PR)

Ngo Quynh Phuong (Vietnam)

]]> http://www.plussixfive.com/2011/05/16/star-creation-2011-winners/feed/ 0 http://www.plussixfive.com/2011/05/13/star-creation-11-pre-judging/ http://www.plussixfive.com/2011/05/13/star-creation-11-pre-judging/#comments Fri, 13 May 2011 04:45:18 +0000 Nick Chong http://www.plussixfive.com/?p=40228

Star Creation ‘11 Pre-Judging

Nick Chong / May 13, 2011
Design / Womens Fashion

Two days ago we were fortunate enough to have been invited to the Pre-Judging rounds of Star Creation 2011. This was a chance for the 12 finalists from around the region to showcase their collections to four of the events’ seven judges and also for the judges to have a chance to touch and feel the fabrics used by the designers and dish out some last minute advice. This more intimate session gave the designers the chance to show the judges their mood boards, inspirations, initial sketches and also explain their interpretations of this year’s theme – Internationally Asian. The four judges comprising of CEO of F J Benjamin, David Wang, chair of the Designers and Retailers Group, Textile and Fashion Federation, Lorna Hall, Senior Retail Analyst and Desmond Yang, owner and designer of fashion label Abyzz; got the opportunity to handle the garments, try some of the pieces on, got the designers thinking about how to grow their brand name in the future, gave them valuable insight about the fashion industry as well as helped them out with the selection of the three key pieces that they should be showing later on in the evening at the Audi Fashion Festival Gala Dinner. Click here for more pictures.

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Whoever said that collecting art is for the rich? rockstar is a firm believer that art, at its best, can tickle thoughts, challenge mind-sets, inspire amazing chains of events, bring a giggle or two even warm the soul; and we couldn’t agree more! With a collection of works from four different artists now in store and more from homegrown artists soon, this is the perfect way for you to start your very own art collection.

rockstar is located at Orchard Cineleisure, #03-08

Images courtesy of rockstar

Inviting industrial design students and fresh graduates to compete for a six-month internship and prize money is Electrolux Design Lab 2011. Running for the ninth year, Electrolux seeks solutions with intelligent mobility within home appliances, where the challenge is more than just about creating greater portable appliance, but more so in providing flexible control to liberate time and support creative expressions. Electrolux has always held its Scandidavian values close to its heart and this design lab will put great emphasis on sensitivity to the environment, an intuitive ease of use and aesthetic appeal. Eight finalists will be selected and given the opportunity to participate in the final event come September. We are looking forward to this season of creative souls so if have the goods, take up this challenge.

Deadline for entry is 11.59pm, 1 May
Visit www.electrolux.com/designlab for more details

Images courtesy of Electrolux Design Lab 2011

]]> http://www.plussixfive.com/2011/04/07/electrolux-design-lab-11/feed/ 0 http://www.plussixfive.com/2011/03/30/canon-eos-1100d-x-sbtg/ http://www.plussixfive.com/2011/03/30/canon-eos-1100d-x-sbtg/#comments Wed, 30 Mar 2011 01:15:03 +0000 Nick Chong http://www.plussixfive.com/?p=37806

Canon EOS 1100D x SBTG

Nick Chong / March 30, 2011
Art / Design / Photography / Tech Accessories

Just when we thought that we’ve seen every possible shape and form of a collaboration, SBTG comes out and delivers yet another knockout punch.World renowned artist SBTG has been commissioned to design for Canon, in conjunction with the launch of Canon’s new EOS 1100D, he has designed a series of very limited camera straps and protective wraps. SBTG utilizes one of his most recognizable camouflage motifs, the Parsilia (it was used on the Nike SB Dunk Low SBTG back in 2006) in four different colourways to match the available colours of the EOD 1100D – Black, Red, Metallic Grey and Brown. This extremely limited editions of the EOS 1100D x SBTG box set will be unveiled later today at the launch of the inaugural Men’s Fashion Week (MFW). The box set which contains the EOS 1100D Kit, matching strap, protective wrap and SBTG-designed packaging will be auctioned off during the MFW Opening Gala Charity later today, with all proceeds going to the disaster relief fund for Japan.

Photos courtesy of Royalefam

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The Tintin shop is located at 56 Pagoda Street

Images courtesy of The Tintin Shop

]]> http://www.plussixfive.com/2011/03/25/the-tintin-shop-pagoda-st/feed/ 0 http://www.plussixfive.com/2011/03/24/k-i-n-2nd-floor-launch-x-kult3d-interactive-window-display/ http://www.plussixfive.com/2011/03/24/k-i-n-2nd-floor-launch-x-kult3d-interactive-window-display/#comments Thu, 24 Mar 2011 11:32:23 +0000 Nick Chong http://www.plussixfive.com/?p=37579

K.I.N. 2nd Floor Launch x Kult3D Interactive Window Display

Nick Chong / March 24, 2011
Art / Design / Events / Womens Fashion

K.I.N. will be throwing a party tomorrow, Friday 25th March 2011 to celebrate the launch of their new second floor. Gone are the days when the second floor was used and abused as the K.I.N. office cum impromptu ping-pong duel venue; having moved on to a bigger and better space, the second floor has been turned back in a retail space. Wanting to create a slightly different realm from the first floor, the K.I.N. team furnished it with rugs and carpets they’ve accumulated over the years from around the world, furniture that they’ve produced and a small but growing collection of knick knacks that they’ve gathered over time, which tells a story of the people behind K.I.N. and their inspirations. In conjunction with this, they have commissioned Kult to curate their shop front window display. For the very first time in Singapore, Kult takes art out of the printed page and delivers it as an interactive experience through a multi-touch window display. Passers-by will be able to interact with selected artworks from Kult’s magazine by using the  multi-touch displays that is installed in the shopfront. Audiences will also be able to try their luck at a game created from an artwork about Fortune. In addition to this, it will also be the official launch of contemporary knitwear label ‘ND I. Party kicks off at 7pm, peep the flyer below for more details.

K.I.N. is located at 51 Haji Lane

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