Visiting Singapore

For the coming couple of weeks I'll be working from Singapore and while I'm here besides trying to see some of the interesting sights/buildings I'll will also try to understand and write about the ideas behind this extremely successful city state.

After just a couple of days here I can see why this city has managed to capture the Asian imagination - from the projects of creating new cities in China.. to flights of imagination (or should I say the lack of it) of Indian politicians .. and even the power hungry Sheikhs of the gulf - everyone wants to recreate their own pieces of Singapore in their respective places!

Although the extremely well planned lifestyle of the city - for instance its amazing greenery and great public transport systems - is a welcome respite from the chaos that is Mumbai - its clinical 'beauty' is a bit too overwhelming.

Nothing 'happens' here - its all planned; the city is sort of an out of scale class room where the students (ie everyone) is constantly told what they can and cannot do;

and to add to all of this it is soo safe here that it is frightening! The city is a marvel of w

hat a total state can achieve and hence will always be a prototype for all those in power around Asia (and probably even beyond). But besides all of this I hope to figure out what it is we can learn from here as a far as city making is concerned!

I will try to visit some of the important projects that helped define the architectural landscape of Singapore while it was still a 'middle of no where' 'nothing' city and also see of the new icons of its current reinvent self - the hub of South East Asia.

South Bombay monotones

Clicked these photos last week around the fort area of South Bombay as part of a photo shoot I was doing for a corporate interiors project.

The photos demanded to be converted to monotone!

The spectacle must go on

Here's a few photos and a video of yesterday's opening of the world's tallest building -

Burj Dubai ...

As expected Dubai put up a grand spectacle which has made it to front pages of newspapers the world over... It felt like the whole of Dubai was at Business bay last night...



The renaming of the tower to Burj Khalifa was quiet a surprise! But I guess after all that money that Abu Dhabi gave away it could have been expected.....


This morning I asked an Emirati girl from Dubai at the bank what she thought about it - though a bit surprised she thought it was good move .. solidarity of the country and all that ..!!!!

As for all my Indian friends in Dubai - they all emphatically sympathize with Sheikh Mohammed!

Happy 2010!!!

Happy new year everyone!!!!!

Spend most of last night stuck in a horrible traffic jam .. but thankfully before that I managed to watch the new year fire works display outside the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai..

Here's a couple of photos

and here's a video of the same

Happy 2010!