Hortian Consultancy

Happy to announce that our designers Ahrum and Xin Kai, together with Tat Haur (TAt Architects), Bronwyn and Carissa (Camphora), had won the First runner-up (Location 3) for the URA PLAY@Punggol design competition.

Entitled Fly with Me Hor! @ Punggol, the site is located next to Punggol SAFRA, the upcoming Punggol Regional Sports Centre, and at the intersection of two green corridors of Punggol Green and Punggol Heritage Trail. This kinetic installation hopes to spark a new vibrancy with the wind and flow of the waterway and its surrounding context. Further inspiration is drawn from a local past-time hobby.

In the past, bird singing clubs were a common sight and sound around housing estates and parks in Singapore. Enthusiasts would gather their prized songbirds in cages and hoist them on long poles using a pulley system. The practice brings people together while they admire the songs of the birds. In some Asian culture, birds are seen as heralds linking the sky to the earth and erecting bird posts at the entrance of towns was a sign of hope and wellbeing for the community. This installation hopes to bring back some of these traditions by creating a space where people can come together and take part in activities and create a sense of community for Punggol.

Find out more about the other winning designs at:

https://www.ura.gov.sg/Corporate/Resources/Ideas-and-Trends/play-at-punggol-winning-design-flora-and-fauna-kinetics-playscape

Hortian Consultancy would like to wish everyone a Happy Lunar New Year this coming 2023. Our office will be closed from 21 January onward and resumed on 30 January. May the year of the Rabbit be full of happiness and health.

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year from all of us here at Hortian!

media0.giphy.com

East Coast Avenue, one of our first collaboration with PI Architects, is featured on Archello.com

Check it out at: https://archello.com/project/east-coast-avenue

East Coast Avenue | PI Architects | Archello Creating an Oasis to Quench Wanderlust During a Travel-less Pandemic. Sipping a cup of coffee within the oak-cladded walls of a luxury hotel room wit...

https://2022.sgciie.com/zh/pages/showroom/63102a30d1f77f6e81415f8a

2022.sgciie.com

Hortian Consultancy is proud to be part of the 5th ​China International Import Exhibition 2022 (CIIE2002) at the Shanghai International Convention Center (SICEC) from 5th to 11th November 2022. The CIIE is an annual international expo positioned as the world’s first national-level import-themed exposition held in Shanghai since 2018. It provides an opportunity for companies to market their products and services, and foster partnerships with buyers from China in various industries, such as Food & Agriculture, Trade-in-Services and Consumer Goods.

Led by the Singapore Business Federation, Hortian Consultancy is part of the 50 Singapore companies to participate in the expo. Our Hangzhou team, led by Country Head Ng Yin Seng Jason, will be curating our range of design services at the Singapore Services Pavilion, Hall 8.2.

Find out more about from our virtual exhibition, as well as other Singapore companies in the following link:
https://lnkd.in/gg7YAfj8

Milan Navigli Canal Challenge architecture competition winners revealed! Winners selected from Netherlands, Colombia and Singapore.

Fresh from the press!!!

Our entry for the Milan Navigli Canal Challenge: "Revamping the Artery of Milan-Bringing back Nature-Urban integration for the city and beyond" has just been awarded 3rd Prize Winner and BB Green Award.

Jury commentary:
"Revamping the Artery of Milan proposes a three-way approach through infrastructural overhaul along the canal, enhancement of greenery, and lifestyle change. Likening the current situation to a ‘disease’, it aims to enrich the city through healthy changes and cutting down on bad habits. The jury writes: “Eco-urban renaissance is a great approach for the city. This project creates an integrated transit node where water, metro, road, cycling and pedestrian intersect. It is a A project that perfectly frames the complexity of flows in a big city and, in a creative twist, links the rediscovery of Navigli with the metro line. An urban park that is not only imagined as a flourishing and lush garden but contains an exciting range of activities. Milan will benefit from it as it is implemented over time. It would benefit from such a greater variety of uses.”

Check out more on our entry and other winning entries here:
https://architecturecompetitions.com/naviglicanalchallenge/

We are delighted to announce that our design entry for Wacai Headquarters Office Building, Hangzhou, China, has won an A' Design Award Silver Design Award in 2021 - 2022 Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award Category.

Led by our Design Director Ng Yin Seng Jason, the building was designed as a green and sustainable North-South facing building with extensive sky-rise greenery incorporated within. The cylindrical architecture form allows maximum natural light into the interior space thus minimize the use of artificial lighting in the office spaces within. It is designed with extensive landscapes surrounding the site to offset carbon emissions as well as to regulate the ambient temperature in a bid to cut down on the reliance of climate control systems.

Find out more about the project here: https://competition.adesignaward.com/gooddesign.php?ID=128270

🌳✨🌳THE ARCADIA🌳✨🌳

This proposal calls for a Karesansui (Dry landscape) arrangement to serve as a viewing landscape for the Client and his family. We proposed for a simple arrangement to include a feature tree with earth mound and stones of various sizes, arranged in a formation inspired by the Pleiades star cluster. Here, each stone represent one of the 9 brightest star in the Pleiades cluster. When viewed from the side, each stones plays a part in harmonizing with the tree and earth mound, while the surrounding greenery serves as borrowed landscape.

Through this arrangement, we hope to create a tranquil and contemplative landscape for the client and family to enjoy, and to "bring the stars to Arcadia".

This Teachers’ Housing Estate residence is a 65sqm design & built project comprising of 3 sections: front yard, sidewalk and backyard. As part of the overall refurbishment works of the property, the proposal calls for an imagination of the green space as a place of tranquillity and homeliness, where the client and his family can relax and seek inspiration from the garden.

Envisioned to be a first impression for friends and family members on arrival, the showcase will be a Ficus benjamina bonsai display with landscape inspired by the 枯山水 (karesansui) or “dry garden” of Japanese garden-style. Complementing the bonsai display is a stone statue of Lord Ganesha, facing the East.

Hortian Consultancy work closely with the architect in positioning the views. Here, we explored the concept of 見え隠れ (miegakure), to partial conceal and reveal parts of the garden through the circular glass opening - a play on the oriental element of moon gates.

Hortian Consultancy updated their business hours.

Happy Chinese New Year to all our friends and collaborators! Here's wishing everyone a good 2022 filled with joy and prosperity! 祝我们所有的朋友和合作伙伴新年快乐！ 希望大家2022年幸福快乐，万事如意🐯㊗️

Our offices will be closed as follow:

Singapore office: 31st Jan to 4th Feb
Hangzhou office: 31st Jan to 10th Feb

From all of us at our Singapore and Hangzhou office, have a wonderful New Year's Eve today as we welcome 2022 tomorrow. Happy New Year!!! 🥳🥳🥳 我们在这里祝贺大家2022新年快乐！

We are happy to be part of the finalists for this competition in Elini, Sardinia, Italy! Our interpretation of the brief to transform the town of Elini and its surrounding is to revitalise and add value the area of the oil mill, the railway area and the Carmine Park area.

Our design strategy of "extraction" and "extension" creates new space by repurposing the various heritage buildings and create new opportunities for outdoor recreational spaces. We hope that these interventions can transform Elini into a model town, breathing
new life while maintaining its culture, traditions and heritage.

https://www.youngarchitectscompetitions.com/competition/culture-stations

We are happy to be part of the finalists for this competition in Elini, Sardinia, Italy! Our interpretation of the brief to transform the town of Elini and its surrounding is to revitalise and add value the area of the oil mill, the railway area and the Carmine Park area.

Our design strategy of "extraction" and "extension" creates new space by repurposing the various heritage buildings and create new opportunities for outdoor recreational spaces. We hope that these interventions can transform Elini into a model town, breathing
new life while maintaining its culture, traditions and heritage.

https://www.youngarchitectscompetitions.com/competition/culture-stations

Client: “Can we have a garden filled with lalang 🌾🌾🌾?”

Us: 😥😰😨😱

In this implementation, we were given the task of creating a “wild” yet exquisite garden for our client, a local artiste who spend most of his time overseas. Here, we experimented with the aesthetics of “New Wave Planting” by mixing Fountain grasses, Mexican Petunia and Dogfennel.

The completion of the garden is the start of its nurturing process. Together with our client, we observed the growth of the plants and added annuals like Cleome and Cosmos along the way. Watching the garden grow and transform is a very fulfilling process, and we are glad to be on this journey with our client.🌾

Our design director and co-founder of Hortherapeutics, Xin Kai will be speaking at this ASEAN Workshop on Therapeutic Horticulture on Monday, 27 September 2021, 14:30 – 17:00 (GMT+8). Do join us for this session via Facebook Live. Link and instructions below.

WEBINAR ALERT 📣

Introductory Webinar for the ASEAN Workshop on Biodiversity and its Links to Human Health in an Urban Context and Capacity Building on Therapeutic Horticulture as an Example of the Links

Monday, 27 September 2021, 14:30 – 17:00 (GMT+8)

How do green spaces affect our moods? 🌳🌴

Tune in live on our page as therapeutic horticulture experts and practitioners discuss the importance of the links between biodiversity and well-being.

This event is organised by , European Union in ASEAN , and the ACB.

Happy Mid Autumn Festival from all of us here at Hortian Consultancy 🌝🐰🥮🍐🫖

The butterfly trail plays an important role in the transformation and branding of the hospital as a pioneering ground to integrate greenery and nature with the process of healthcare rehabilitation and the healing of patients. However, it is equally important to create green spaces for the hospital staff to rejuvenate their energy and strength in a non-clinical environment, especially in this current pandemic where healthcare workers are among those that have made tremendous sacrifices.

According to the Butterfly Circle group, 102 species were spotted here at the Butterfly Trail . This is a significant number as it accounts to more than a quarter of the species that Singapore is recorded to have!

Hortian Consultancy is proud to be part of this meaningful project, from the process of design to implementation.

Our Design Director Ng Yin Seng Jason was featured in The Business Times as an expat living in Hangzhou, China.

Happy 56th National Day Singapore! From all of us from Hortian Consultancy!

https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/18-months-on-singapore-expats-still-missing-that-familiar-taste-of-home

18 months on, Singapore expats still missing that familiar taste of home WHILE Singaporeans continue to hunker down during the Covid-19 pandemic, there is still a sizeable number of citizens who live abroad for work or family reasons. Read more at The Business Times.

For the past few weeks, we have been busy implementing a butterfly trail garden for a hospital in Singapore. The butterfly trail at Alexandra Hospital plays an important role in the transformation and branding of the hospital as a pioneering ground to integrate greenery and nature with the process of healthcare rehabilitation and the healing of patients.
According to the Butterfly Circle group, 102 species were spotted at the Alexandra Hospital Butterfly Trail. This is a significant number as it accounts to more than a quarter of the species that Singapore is recorded to have!

Stay tune for more updates on the garden completion!

Two weeks ago, the China Healthcare Garden and Horticultural Therapy Conference 2021 was held in Suzhou. Organised by the Horticultural Therapy Association of China (HTAC) 园艺疗法中国, the conference aims to promote the comprehensive development of garden health and horticultural therapy through outreach,
education, research, and practical approaches in design and programming.

The range of topics covered by the speakers were both interesting and insightful - Professor Cao Lindi and Associate Professor Wang He shared about the cultural and healing factors of Suzhou Gardens, including the significance of flowers in Suzhou from the long period between the Tang to the Qing dynasty, Professor Fusayo Asano shared on Japan's healthcare landscape design, Professor Lee Shuhua talked about the evolutional history of people-plant interaction, and Sue Stuart-Smith, author of "The Well Gardened Mind" spoke about how gardening is a vital activity that provide an escape for the brain, and its role in shaping our minds through action as well as thought.

Our Design Director, Ng Yin Seng Jason also presented on the development of the Therapeutic Garden movement in Singapore, with examples of elderly and dementia-specific garden features.

As part of the conference, participants also attended several cultural gardens and plant nurseries, as well as took part in therapeutic horticulture and traditional Suzhou arts and craft workshops.

Next up, we'll looking forward to attending the Australian Therapeutic Landscape Conference (https://tha.org.au/conference/) in September and the IPPC/AHTA/ISHS 2021 symposium (https://internationalpeopleplantsymposium.org/) in October.

Stay tune for more updates from us!