As society continues to grow and evolve, can architecture help us navigate these changes and create a more resilient and sustainable future? Rethinking our built environment as continually being in a state of transition can be an effective response to change, as posited by the overarching theme of Singapore Archifest 2023, “Interim: Acts of Adaptation”.

Happening from 29 September to 28 October 2023, the 17th edition of the signature annual festival organised by the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) returns with a diverse line-up of over 80 events that provoke introspection about the adaptability of our built environment to meet the needs and demands of an ever-growing society and solve society’s pressing issues.

Leading the curation of Archifest 2023 is its festival director, Calvin Chua, who is the Founder of local design practice Spatial Anatomy and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).

“The city is a testbed, with architects as agents of change. This year’s festival is a lab for experimenting and demonstrating the Interim. Evident in our planning and policy language, Singapore is no stranger to the Interim with our range of discrete, stopgap interventions facilitating the transformation of our city. Through a dynamic line-up of festival programmes this year, we hope to invite fellow industry practitioners and visitors to participate in this collective endeavour to explore the Interim as a new paradigm of architecture, in hopes of creating responsive, inclusive and responsible design solutions that lead to a better future for society,” said Calvin Chua, Festival Director of Archifest 2023.

For the first time, Archifest will be activating a cultural precinct to embed meaningful architectural discourse into the physical landscape of the city. With its unique blend of modern and traditional outlooks, and rich history tracing Singapore’s national development; Kampong Gelam precinct was chosen as the festival’s nexus to create a playground for experimentation and dialogue. It also allows the festival to explore various topics relating to architecture from other sites around Singapore. The festival’s traditional pavilion format has been turned on its head and reimagined as AF Installations – a series of six dispersed urban installations around Kampong Gelam, in the spirit of adaptability in an “Interim” future. Backed by URA’s Lively Places Fund, AF Installations aims to provide deeper insight to its heritage and spark changes in perceptions of how a space can be rejuvenated.

The installations provide meaningful art encounters as visitors meander through the alleyways of Kampong Gelam. At the corner of a traffic intersection leading to the iconic Sultan Mosque, Fabric Forest transforms an unused space into a gateway for Kampong Gelam, offering versatile community areas inspired by its pilgrim history, featuring canopies and benches under Angsana trees, echoing the district’s textile charm. Located at the coach lots at Sultan Gate, Dulang-Dulang which is shaped as a long table inspired by the symbolic food trays in Malay culture, is reimagined as a vibrant communal space that celebrates community interaction.

The various stories of the neighbourhood are also explored with Collective Memories of Kampong Gelam seeking to pay homage to the diverse communities that journeyed from distant lands to Singapore, while the mural artwork A Particular Place integrates a mix of iconography found within Kampong Gelam as well as photographs of the precinct. Two artworks also highlight architectural interventions in the precinct, namely Scaffold Bridge Over Fence which creates an interim bridge that reflects an interim desire to enter the previous landmark gathering site, as well as Asterisk – a canopy comprising of several overlapping asterisks that serves as a spot for people to rest under to watch the bustling Kampong Gelam in action.

To further immerse visitors, the festival also partnered Hidden SG! for AF Play!, a new outdoor exploration game that allows visitors to explore the vibrant streets of Kampong Gelam to uncover its hidden stories. Easily accessible via mobile, participants can check out AF Play! in a game or race setting, guaranteeing collective fun in teams or simply as a solo urban explorer.

Additionally, the precinct will host a range of new programmes that connect visitors with the architecture community to generate more conversations. Bridging the gap between emerging international creatives and the rich cultural heritage of Singapore, Archifest partnered Figment, a co-living operator of boutique shophouses in Singapore to offer residencies for six international designers from Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia and Switzerland. Under this AF Residency, the designers will have a chance to immerse themselves in the festival, explore Singapore and work in a studio where visitors can get a glimpse into their creative processes and inspirations. The AF Residency programme embodies the spirit of innovation and cultural exchange, serving as a platform for the convergence of diverse design perspectives.

Through a one-week programme, AF Incubator, an intensive series of design workshops for students connects them with workshop leaders from the architecture community to demonstrate the value of architecture in solving society’s pressing issues. They will be exploring inventive solutions within the built environment and investigating the potential of adaptive architecture as the mode of action in response to environmental, cultural and technological change. AF Happenings serves as an intimate platform designed to foster deep research and inquiry into architecture, culture and the city. By bringing together thought leaders across a variety of architecture disciplines, it encourages insightful discussions around the topics of built heritage, typology and consumer culture.

The programmes complement the introduction of a Festival House that is home to the AF Exhibition displaying industry-shaping projects from Singapore and the region. This year’s exhibition delves into architecture’s relationship with change and volatility shapes our buildings, cities, and environments. It seeks to provoke reflection and imagination on the possible modes of architectural action that open up once we begin to read our cities and its structures as mutable, by first acknowledging the effect of time on the city. Featuring an array of works from the Archifest Curatorial Team, as well as designers and architects, the showcase embodies the concept of the “Interim” through interactive exhibits.

Bringing together ten local and international leading voices from the industry, this year’s headliner AF Main Conference focuses on amplifying the conversations around the applications of an “Interim” thinking in architecture and the city, with an emphasis on the cross-pollination of ideas, methods and visions. Taking place on 2 October, the conference will spotlight three sub-themes: Interim Architecture, Interim Urbanism, and Interim Culture, presenting unique perspectives and diverse manifestations of the “Interim”.

Returning favourite Architours invites participants to join in on an immersive experience to discover architectural works and gems across three sites. Kicking off at Kampong Gelam, the tours bring participants on a journey around Singapore, igniting discussions on how these works enliven our spaces. This year’s Archicraft looks at the investigation of interim cultures, environments, and technologies through hands-on crafting workshops involving traditional, local materials and landscapes like Batik and Tiling.

“As the SIA celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, it is a timely occasion to reflect on the past achievements that have shaped today’s landscape of architectural excellence and what lies for us in the future. Over the years, Archifest remains instrumental in fostering conversations on how architecture and the built environment has a potential to improve the world we live in. With every iteration of Archifest, we look forward to cultivating a more design-conscious society and vibrant creative culture, aiding us in our strive towards developing Singapore as a global design capital,” said Melvin Tan, President of the Singapore Institute of Architects.

Archifest 2023 runs from 29th September to 28th October 2023. Full programme and more information available here