ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

The Asia Pacific Forum/Conference was initiated by The Institution of Structural Engineers Malaysia Division in 2005. Since then, this annual forum/conference has been hosted by other Divisions of The Institution of Structural Engineers in various parts of the Asia Pacific region with interesting themes as listed below.

2005: “Seminar on Special Structures”, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2006: “Recent Advances in Structural Engineering”, Shanghai, China

2007: “Innovations in Structural Engineering”, Singapore

2009: “Advances in Steel Structures”, Hong Kong

2010: “Structural Excellence and Sustainability”, Shanghai, China

2011: “Structural Engineering for Extreme Events”, Gold Coast, Australia

2012: “Cradle-to-Cradle Structures in Transportation Engineering”, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The IES/IStructE Joint Committee is pleased to organise the 8th IStructE Asia-Pacific Conference on Structural Engineering with a theme on Future Cities. The conference will feature an impressive list of lectures on future structures, sustainable energy and water resource developments, eco-cities that will undoubtedly interest structural engineers, contractors, city planners and architects. There will be ample opportunities during coffee breaks, and lunches for delegates to discuss the engineering problems and innovative solutions directly with the principal engineers/designers of future cities.

LECTURES

There will be a total of 8 invited lectures presented during the 1-day conference. The topics and speakers for the lectures are:

ARCHIBIOTIC – Mr Vincent Callebaut (Vincent Callebaut Architectures, Paris)

"What is Archibiotic? Archibiotic = Architecture + Biotechnologies + New Information and Communication Technologies. The association in Architecture of the Living (Bios) and the NICT (New Technologies of the Information and the Communication) can reach the antique Chinese thought that always refuses to separate the Nature of the humanity that nourishes itself, the body and the spirit that would not exist without it. Further to the acceleration of the demographical evolution and the economical and industrial development of these last decades, the entropic activity is judged responsible for the global ecological crisis. On the thesis, the Ecopolis of tomorrow will build themselves durably by the possible merge of the sciences of the Nature and the technologies, the projects of Vincent Callebaut Architectures break the rules and design new pioneering prototypes of green and sustainable eco-structures tending to a right balance of our human actions on our environment! Biomorphism, Bionic and Biomimicry create new the lifestyles of tomorrow!"

Future Structures – A/Prof Joseph Lim Ee Man (Department of Architecture, School of Design and Environment, National University of Singapore)

“You can never plan the future by the past,” Edmund Burke 1729-1797 In the years to come the challenges facing all cities in the following areas will be acute: Shelter, Climate change, Energy, Production, Transport, Population Growth, Food and Jobs. How we minimize the depletion of non-renewable resources in the light of population growth has resulted in the re-thinking of current practices. How this translates into opportunities for the future as architectural propositions will change the way we think of our designed environments and shape consumption. The presentation will cover selected architectural projects, some of which are built and some of which are the subject of ongoing research to articulate contemporary design strategies for the future.

Green Buildings and Green Mark – Mr Tan Tian Chong (Group Director of Technology Development Group, BCA)

Punggol Eco-Town: The Future is Now – Er. Dr. Johnny Wong (Group Director, HDB Building Research Institute)

As the public housing agency that houses over 80% of Singapore's population, the Housing & Development Board (HDB) has been driving sustainability efforts in its towns and estates. In line with Singapore’s sustainable development blueprint, HDB is positioning Punggol as the first Eco-Town. Planned to promote sustainable living from the onset, Punggol Eco-Town is ‘The Sustainable Waterfront Town in the Topics’ and an integrated live-in laboratory for new HDB developments. Guided with a holistic and comprehensive framework that covers social, economic and environmental considerations, Punggol Eco-Town serves as a testing platform for new urban planning, sustainable design and green building solutions, to build capabilities and develop new solutions while providing a quality living environment. This includes Treelodge@Punggol, HDB’s first eco-friendly public housing project, and My Waterway@Punggol, the first man-made waterway that brings to life the vision of ‘Green Living by the Waters’ for the residents of Punggol. These initiatives and efforts also align with HDB’s Roadmap for Better Living in HDB Towns, supporting the blueprint for a Sustainable Singapore.

Energy and Water for Future Cities – Dr Terence Goh (SIM University)

Futuristic Structures Created from Fabric Formwork – Prof Tim Ibell (Bath University, UK)

Super High-rise Buildings in Future Cities – Prof James Ding (Tongji University, China)

Future City of Singapore – Mr Lim Teck Leong (URA, Singapore)