Our theme for issue 102, Rethink, Reinvent, recognises the importance of creating quality places that reflect the essence
of the people who inhabit and use them. We all want to dwell in a comfortable environment that makes us happy. We all want agile workplaces that improve productivity and well-being. Importantly, we all want to have a sense of belonging.

In this issue of Cubes we talk about the need for workspaces to foster a strong sense of identity, and encourage community, collaboration and wellness. We want offices that are agile and flexible, and tuned to the digital age. We need them to have minimal impact on the environment and above all, we want them to be cost efficient. It’s a tall order to hit all these notes well in equal measure. The projects herein show us that the best workplaces take on a tactical approach, focusing on specific issues with conviction and depth.

It’s the 100th issue of Cubes. We are also in the middle of a health crisis that has inadvertently sickened the economy. It certainly is a bizarre time to be putting together a milestone issue. But seen through rose-tinted glasses, it’s also an opportune time to be doing so.

This issue of Cubes marks my last at its helm. It has been an honour and a privilege to tell the stories of so many talented architects and designers from Singapore and our region over five rewarding years. As Cubes enters triple digits with its upcoming hundredth issue, I wish all of us in the built environment industries – practitioners, clients, suppliers, writers, photographers and design aficionados – continued passion and diligence in steering what we do and love in the most insightful, resilient and inspirational direction we can.

This issue, Working With Intent, is a wide-reaching investigation into how, why and where we work. We tap into admirable efforts to shift the conversation about sustainable design. We review the Saturday Indesign 2019 Debate about designers’ willingness and agency to create more sustainable outcomes. (Where do you sit in this argument?) And we hear about the pursuit of design that can make a positive change in society. We also step into a spectrum of workplaces that provide leading demonstrations of how a working environment can have rewarding effects far beyond the immediate interests of the company or institution within it.

Our theme this issue, Re-Nature, is in some ways an oxymoron. It refers to the idea of restoring semblances of nature – via green and blue – to urban areas. Of course, if done sensitively, this can have obvious positive impacts on the wellbeing of not just people, but the wider ecosystem as well. But the very idea of restoring ‘nature’ – something we traditionally think of as being separate from human influence – by the human hand is where things get interesting. We developed this issue with mind to the impact (already being felt) of climate change in Asia, and the potential for mplants, water and the associated biological systems to help mediate its effects. Certainly, a greater emphasis on ecosystem thinking in city environments can have beneficial outcomes, and we have unearthed some wonderful examples of projects that show just that.

Issue #102

Issue #101

Issue #100

Issue #99

Issue #98

Issue #97

Cubes is a premium annual publication for design thought leaders, reviewing and challenging the ideas that shape design and architecture.

We were founded in Singapore, and we reach into Asia. Cubes gets to the core of the architecture and design scene – the ideas, projects, people and products that fuel Singapore as one of the world’s most impressive design centres. But we also look outwards to our region – a part of the world that charts its own course and needs its own design dialogue. Curiosity, research and conversation are our building blocks.  

We ask important questions that designers and architects need to consider. How can design solve the new problems faced by humanity and the ecosystems in which we live, work and play? How do the design professions need to evolve in the face of new challenges? How can tradition meet contemporary design directions and new technologies to create intelligent and meaningful outcomes?

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Cubes - Issue #102

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