In recent decades, Southeast Asia has become a vibrant laboratory of high-density urbanism with places such as Singapore, Bangkok, and Hong Kong packing more people into taller buildings on smaller parcels of land.
EcoArchitecture: The Work of Ken Yeang, by Sara Hart. John Wiley & Sons, 2011, 272 pages, $75. WOHA: Selected Projects, Volume 1, by Patrick Bingham-Hall. Pesaro Publishing, 2011, 280 pages, $65. In the present environment of instant communications and global architectural practices, the swirl of influences between East and West is as dynamic and complex as the trade winds that blow between continents. This pair of publications, EcoArchitecture, The Work of Ken Yeang, by Sara Hart, and WOHA: Selected Projects Volume 1, by Patrick Bingham-Hall, captures the complexity and promise of this moment. WOHA: Selected Projects, Volume 1, by Patrick
The death toll from Cyclone Nargis, the storm and corresponding tidal surge that struck Myanmar last weekend, continues to climb. An initial estimate of 350 fatalities has risen sharply, with some now projecting 100,000 dead. Approximately one million people are homeless, hunger and disease are threatening survivors, and the city of Yangon, the country’s commercial capital, is littered with debris and lacks electricity. In addition, the government is blocking most international aid, according to news reports. As the situation appears increasingly dire, the San Francisco–based Architecture for Humanity (AFH) already has mobilized its forces to help disaster victims. As of
