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Cheat Sheet to the Archifest 2011 Forum (Part 3 of 3)

In the last of our 3-part series, we share with you the Q&A that followed the 8 speakers’ presentation. BY SHAHIDAH SHAHJIHAN

Missed the first two? They are here and here. 

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Q&A

A forum that began quite well (not so much as a bang, but more of a welcomed knock on the door) ended with a disappointing thud. Running short on time, because of a 30 minutes delay in the morning, the panel discussion had only time for one question from the audience, and it couldn’t have been more rhetorical: “How have Common Spaces evolved and are they more important now?”.

Each speaker gave a short answer and the discussion that followed examined the politics of common space and it’s cultural connotation.

Kai: Its evolution is dependant on people, as what was once just a physical gathering area like the Roman Agora today encompasses the World Wide Web.

Phil Kim: As with architecture, critiquing of spaces comes from a very western voice, an Asian perspective to shared spaces are less political and more symbiotic to daily activities.

Peter Cook: Used the example of Foster’s Hong Kong Bank as an agreeable surprise: no one expected people to gather so naturally under the building since it was not what the architect had intended.

Umberto Napolitano: Linked common spaces to democracy, and that people will use and reinvent the space according to their needs and habits.

Kaoru Suehiro: Argued that common spaces do not exist unless it is interesting and interactive enough, just like commuters in a train do not speak to one another, but are actively engaging in mobile phone texting instead.

Siew Man Kok: Acknowledges that there is a layer of ownership to every shared area, but this sense of ownership is depleting with the overcrowding of spaces.

Pernilla & Asif: Touched on the idea of ‘fake common spaces’, where only acceptable public behaviour is allowed. The architect or authority cannot create spaces and expect to force people to behave in a certain way so as to create a naturally occurring social culture.

Qi Bin: To shape people’s behaviour, you need more shared public spaces.

Moderator Chang Jiat Hwee hurriedly summarised that it was indeed difficult to pin down the definition of common spaces due to cultural and political reasons, and ended a discussion that should have been a more challenging exchange between noteworthy intellectual minds — if only there was more time.

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You can also read our interview with Archifest’s organizing committee chairman, Mr Seah Chee Huang and our contributor’s reflections of Archifest 2011 in our magazine section.