FuturArc Prize is an annually held competition co-organised by FuturArc and BCI Asia, as a platform to cultivate and excahnge innovative sustainable design ideas from students and professionals pursuing in architecture, building and construction industry. This year, the brief asked participants to imagine a city of biophilic delight: to investigate what is ‘nature’ when it is an integral part of a city. Entrants are tasked to make a case for how an Asian city might become (like) a forest—one that connects inhabitants to nature; restores ecosystem services; affects the form and shape of buildings and the network of streets and parks; and in the process, creates a new kind of urban ecology.

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Recent studies have shown that human beings tend to have an inherent need to associate with nature and green spaces. American biologist and researcher Edward O. Wilson, describe this innate attraction to nature as biophilia. As sustainable design continues to develop, the concept of biophilia was brought to the design table and there saw the emergence of biophilic design which aims to bring these natural or biophilic elements closer to humans. They include: provision of thermal, daylight, natural ventilation and water, as well as appropriate contact to flora and fauna, all of which are proven to contribute to human's health, productivity, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual well-being.

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In collaboration with seniors who are pursuing in Masters in Architecture at University Malaya, we explored how biophilic design can be implemented to an urban context within a sustainable system, and examined how the integration of permaculture, or urban farming within 1 sq km could benefit the inhabitants of Kampung Baru, a historic Malay village located adjacent to Kuala Lumpur City Centre.

 

The village used to be an agricultural land where the farmers would grow crops and sell them to the tin miners settlling around Klang River for a living. Rapid urbanisation that is taking place in the city centre threatens the village with demolition. By introducing permaculture to the kampung, its agricultural identity can be preserved and elevated, thus granting the village a significance for it to be exempted from the fate of demolition that has happened to many other old villages residing around the city. Crops provide food for the villagers as well as neighbouring city dwellers. Irrigation systems required to operate and maintain permaculture activated the previously buried, misused river as wastewater disposal channel. This brings a new waterfront to the residents and city dwellers to carry out recreational activities. Rainwater is also retained by systems that support permaculture, effectively reducing surface run-off to reduce flash floods which is prone to happen in KL.

 

Overall, the proposal helps to restore the ecosystem of the river, inviting fishes and birds to live in; provide fresh food supplies to the residents at low costs; cleanse air and reduce noise from vehicles; and last but not least, provide green public realm for the city dwellers – all of which promotes humans' well being by allowing access to biophilic elements.