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05 Jul 2024
6 Min Read
Associate Professor Dr Keith Tan Kay Hin (Academic Columnist)
Followers of current events since the dawn of the 21st century might be forgiven for thinking that humanity is busy sowing the seeds of its own destruction. Regardless of where we come from, what language we speak, or how old we are, we are increasingly exposed to extremes of human behaviour via social media and other online platforms, whether wittingly or unwittingly. The unthinking trend to treat the planet like a huge waste-paper basket—containing the discarded remains of our consumer-driven society—is a clear and present danger to all of us living now. For future generations, it will be an existential threat to their ability to enjoy what we take for granted today, socially, economically, or environmentally.
Buildings contribute a large part to this problem, yet they also hold the key to a large part of the solution. This is because the construction, use, and demolition of buildings occupy the top position in almost every country concerning carbon emissions and waste creation, exceeding the amount of pollution caused by vehicles almost everywhere. This is despite buildings having a potential lifespan of hundreds of years, compared to cars, which are often changed and scrapped every decade. It is for this reason that the study, curation, and conservation of architecture are of paramount importance to the future well-being of humanity.
People first crafted natural materials into buildings for their use several thousand years ago. The earliest of these examples, being rather poorly documented, are referred to as ‘pre-historic’ because they pre-date the reliable written record that we refer to as ‘history’. That word itself derives from two simple English words, namely ‘his’ and ‘story’. The human mind is hard-wired to seek out stories from everyday events, while the eye seeks out forms, and especially faces from everyday life, which is why rocks, clouds, and objects are often imagined as conveying ‘expressions’ from which we can derive meaning.
Since urban dwellers (who, in 2024, constitute approximately two-thirds of the world's residents and three-quarters of Malaysia’s) spend most of their time indoors, buildings occupy a singularly important place in the psyche of humanity and have much to contribute to our well-being. People look for stories in their buildings, particularly in old buildings and ancient cities, and are disappointed when these buildings are silent, unavailable, or, in the worst case, demolished.
Old buildings that still stand in the present day are, by definition, ‘survivors’. What is considered ‘old’, however, is a subjective honour. In Malaysia, anything built prior to the Second World War is generally considered old and increasingly treated as heritage. In much of Europe, by contrast, 19th-century buildings form the main stock in many cities, and only exceptional examples are valued as heritage. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, heritage stretches back to the biblical era and touches the face of pre-history and the origins of humanity.
It would be a mistake, however, to think of architecture as being mainly concerned with the past. To be concerned about architecture is to be concerned about humanity, because after food and clothing, ‘shelter’ is the most important human necessity. In an era where humanity threatens itself with non-sustainable ways of living, new buildings are just as important as old ones to safeguard our future. This is because well-designed new buildings share a common trait with many long-lived old ones, which is their relative carbon neutrality.
Because old buildings were built before the era of air conditioning, and very old ones before the era of electricity, they rely on passive design principles to maintain human comfort. This means working with the climate, natural light, water bodies, and plants to ensure comfortable occupancy, even in the deserts of the Middle East. Because schools of architecture increasingly emphasise sustainable design, new buildings also seek to achieve the same environmentally friendly outcomes, with assistance from new technologies like geothermal energy, wind and solar power, and waste and water recycling.
None of this is possible without a commitment to research, which creates new knowledge in a given field. Architectural research at Taylor’s University focuses on future tropical cities, heritage empowerment, and intelligent building solutions to sustain a virtuous cycle of learning that is inclusive yet targeted. Rather than a focus on ‘style’, which can be superficial outside the proper context, architectural research at Taylor’s crafts solutions which are region-specific, respectful of heritage, and supportive of technology to identify solutions to problem statements that require the best minds to come together to solve. Because of this, we have been successful in attracting scholars from around the world, and from Tropical Asia in particular, to partner with us in creating a scholarship that serves the planet, one brick at a time.
The study of architecture, when done well, therefore contributes to a brighter future for the planet and all who dwell in it. New generations of architects are increasingly equipped with technology and equipment undreamt of by past masters of the profession, which is why new buildings are becoming ever larger, more complex, and more exciting. The School of Architecture, Building and Design at Taylor’s University shapes young people to become effective leaders in this process of renewal, where new construction takes its important place in our cities, while the ingenious adaptive re-use of old buildings safeguards the narrative of cities that are so important for preserving the human need for identity, without which well-being is impossible.
In an increasingly globalised world, we draw strength from teaching staff, including visiting adjunct professors from nearly a dozen countries stretching from Europe to the Pacific, who offer different yet complementary visions of what the built environment will look like in the decades to come. While every form of scholarship offers a kind of ‘immortality’, the study of architecture offers an especially profound one, where the best buildings still stand long after their designers have gone to rest in a better place. For those who enjoy life, but also for those who dream, architecture therefore offers an exciting journey of self-discovery and service.
Due to the constant change bombarding us from all quarters, one of the buzzwords of the 21st century is ‘lifelong learning’. For architects, however, lifelong learning has been a fact of life ever since we started documenting the progress to convert ‘pre-historic’ ways of living into ‘historic buildings’. Every generation of architects learns from the generation that came before, and each new generation hopes to pass on worthwhile knowledge to the next. Universities fulfil an important role in this process by serving as safe, progressive, and welcoming laboratories of learning from which the next generation of architects will emerge, armed with progressively more effective tools to tackle the progressively greater problems that life will throw at them. We need to be part of the solution—our planet deserves it.
Shape the future of architecture with innovative research that merges heritage conservation and sustainable design. Explore how a PhD in Architecture can empower you to lead the way in creating environmentally friendly, resilient buildings.
This article was written by Associate Professor Dr. Keith Tan Kay Hin, a UK Registered Architect and Programme Director for the PhD in Architecture at the School of Architecture, Building and Design.
