Photos courtesy of Bernardkhoury.com ( i hope he doesn't mind given the less than pandering stance i took vis a vis his antics in this post)
Once this blog hopefully stops being an inner monologue and someone starts asking how a blog on Singapore real estate is connected to Beirut, that's just because I really hope that someday, I'd be granted honorary citizenship to the city.
Anyway, besides the city's enfant terrible, Bernard Khoury, I've recently 'discovered' another architect- Issam Barhouch. He's the man behind Elements, a club, which, as I remember it, is next to Khoury's hip sushi bar, Yabani(which I'm similarly crazy about). I never did see the interiors of Elements but it seemed a really cool place- much like a very modern house, really, with a semblance of a very well maintained garden.
Down the street is Kitchen, another Barhouch creation. Kitchen, a restaurant, is on the same street as Market, another restaurant that oddly seems to have the same concept and design as Kitchen- wonder who's behind Market though...
What I really like about the designs in Beirut is that it always manages to provide a platform for a political statement- a knowledge seemingly intrinsic to media-savvy Khoury who seemingly exploits it to his best advantage.
Want a club in a low-rent area that's guaranteed plenty of media interest- The answer is B018, a club designed like an underground bunker situated within a locality that was witness to the massacres of many a Lebanese during the wars.
Yabani was similarly a political statement- a chic sushi bar(I really dig that lift shaft cum chi chi lobby that takes you down to the sushi bar) with patrons and prices that underscore the disparity in Beirut. When the restaurant first came to press(as per the photos in Wallpaper magazine), I understand that Yabani stood alone amongst what looked like detritus. By the time I got there though, a whole list of restaurants and clubs had sprouted around it, I suppose the political statement became rather diluted.
Centrale, as the foreign media would have it, was Solidere's(the manifestation of the offensive, painfully out-of-context developer as the media quoted Khoury saying) gesture of reconciliation with the very vocal Khoury. I did not visit it but will make it a point to the next time. Background information on the supposed friction between Solidere and Khoury- Solidere, the brainchild of Hariri, is responsible for the reconstruction of post-war Beirut. Khoury has criticised Solidere's re-creation of the French-inspired apartments downtown. If Khoury was referring to those apartments with the balconies around Riad el-Solh- I actually thought they were pretty cool!
And yes, I'm also curious to find out who's behind Elie Saab's boutique in Beirut and have made a mental note to check out Black Box Aizone, an offshoot of Aishti, which I had a glimpse of from the highway.
Beirut- architecture
Architectural stamp of approval
With all the hype surrounding the integrated resorts and the active solicitations of star architects(Moshe Safdie, Daniel Libeskind) , the Singapore real estate scene is getting increasingly interesting.
While I'm excited to see the manifestation of Daniel Libeskind's 'Sunflowers' project on the marina, I'm not so sure what messages are being sent to the local community of architects. The efforts to promote the local architectural scene internationally(and admittedly, much has been done to provide an international platform for local architects overseas) seems to have taken two steps back with the granting of what will probably be the definitive Singaporean projects this decade to (illustrious, internationally recognised) foreign architects.
Arriviste?
I remember briefly alluding to the house replete with Da Vinci furniture in a previous post. While it's easy to label a look that is so obviously passe, i'm pretty sure the arriviste tag can be equally applied to houses/apartments where the owner boasts of the furniture procured from Space, the top of the line (modern) kitchen equipment, the Starck paraphernalia, the black Baccarat chandelier and the bathtub in the master bathroom 'that was designed by some architect who designed (insert name of iconic building).
And while we wonder in awe(and envy) at the clever,slick packaging and the enviable lifestyle choices, the ethos behind these genre of 'designer-everything' residences and the Da Vinci fanatic is too similar.
Guz Wilkinson(the architect whom I credit as the progenitor of the rooftop swimming pool), when interviewed by the Business Times in the wake of his nomination as one of the best architects in the country by design guide Wallpaper, showed his residence to be almost completely devoid of any iconic design pieces. There were no clever juxtapositions of an iconic mid-century modern piece with asian stuff, no Roy Lichtenstein prints, chandelier or water feature. In the interview he (unpretentiously) remarked how it was more satisfying to be surrounded by nature- or something to that effect.
Too often, I feel, the creation of design icons lead to the parody of design itself(think the Crate by Jasper Morrison) or that ridiculous starck-in-your-face plastered on a flyswat. And while I cannot be more fond of pieces that are ideological in its underpinnings like Maarten Baas' smoke chair, I cannot be more skeptical of pieces that are controversial simply because the designer is famous.
Whether it's the intellectual paucity of some designer accoutrements or the arriviste mentality of the starck-everything residence, the all too-human hubris, whether manifesting itself in the established designer or your rich neighbour, seems to be a constant factor that manifests itself whatever the prevailing mood is. It's disturbing to note that, despite the 'gold taps and expensive antiques' having been thrown out, the spirit of flaunting one's wealth has been replaced by something equally aspirational. I hate to think that the appreciation of design and good architecture- which i first imagined to be largely ideological has devolved into the same crass name-dropping(noticed my clever pairing of my Eames Chair and that salvaged dining table? or worse- how my never-used salif juicer complements my obscenely expensive kitchen)...
That 70's show
So imagining yourself in another era has been made a chic enough pastime if the onslaught of 70's inspired shows and movies are anything to go by.
And so I wonder,aside from whether I would have been much happier living in an environment and time where being politically active(preferably leftist) was sufficient as a way of life- how I would have tolerated different architectural movements through the (relatively recent) ages.
I've decided that I would have liked Art Deco(some of my favourite older developments in Singapore were obviously built during that era), and some creations of the mid-century modern look. That said, I do feel blessed to be given the benefit of hindsight, aesthetically. I love the fusion of different looks- the Balinese look later gave way to a far more sophisticated 'modern tropical' aesthetic as championed by the likes of Ernesto Bedmar and Kerry Hill; an aesthetic that looked set to define the vernacular vocabulary of a then-emerging architectural scene in Singapore.
And while 'facade-ism', where conservation buildings have had its interiors completely modernised have been heavily criticized, I've always loved the apparent discordant note struck- even though I mentioned, quite a few times, about how I actually (and perversely) 'loved to see a conservation effort so thwarted'.
A black and white house with absolutely modern interiors- a chinois chic bar at the entrance, the kitchen of stainless steel, the cigar bar and library in the basement overlooking into the sleek streamlined pool- remain one of the most memorable houses I've seen on this island.
The infusion of vernacular designs from different parts of the world is also a favourite of mine. The Moroccan look in particular, have caught my fancy. As does Shanghainese art deco, Indian or a Mediterranean look(and a condominium named after some resort in an exotic mediterranean location doesn't count). I'm yet to see houses(I'm not reasonably expecting exotic aesthetics to be incorporated within developments- the only vernacular we'll be exporting for some time is more likely to be the loft from New York than say, the courtyard house from Shanghai) that incorporate interesting architectural and design elements from different parts of the world.
So call it a form of Orientalism if you may- but I'm in the mood for some Benetton-esque diversity.
A contemporary aesthetic
I've freuqently wondered if I was truly, inherently, (intrinsically) a modernist or would I similarly be bowled over by the prevailing contemporary aesthetic.
Art deco, art nouveau, that era where Singaporeans discovered wealth and started buying in the 'Da Vinci' look(it's truly scary that you still see some real estate ads touting Da Vinci furniture like it's some sort of selling point), the proliferation of the Balinese villa aesthetic...
And actually I do remember my first reaction to St Martin's Residences when I was a relative newcomer to the real estate scene. I could see that it was an upscale, well finished, more popular development but was turned off by the 'perpetual holiday feel'. I think what I actually meant to say was that the faux representation of a vernacular aesthetic (so I'm still relentlessly plugging my first cross-disciplinary exhibition) was just not my cup of tea.
Given the prevailing fads in the housing market then, the most sought after developments amongst others were, in no particular order:
-Four Seasons
-Nassim Jade
-St Martin's Residences
-Ardmore Park(but of course)
-Scotts 28
-the relatively new Cuscaden Residences
My impressions-
Four Seasons I just did not like- I can't even pin down the reason.
Nassim Jade looks really cool from the outside, with its entrance, that, post-Da Vinci Code, looks like it possibly contains some sort of Masonic symbology. I loved those windows as well and the landscaping wasn't overdone. The interiors though, weren't necessarily impressive.
Ardmore Park- eh?
Scotts 28- funny, why do I not remember ever having seen the interiors of a unit in Scotts 28???
Cuscaden Residences- I somehow absolutely took to this development. The finishes were especially welcome given the rest of the other developements and I especially liked the water features in the common areas. There was a very light, bright ethos to the whole development. Never mind the fact that, in retrospect, the rooms could just be a little bit tiny...
In my mind though, Lincoln Modern would always be the first development that resonated with me aesthetically. Tracing the trajectory of my aesthetic awareness and development, I had found myself to be strongly attracted to modern houses that, even a fickle 2 years later, I still stand by as being amongst the best on the market.
The Lincoln Modern, however, was definitely the first development to so completely encapsulate and represent the modern ethos. I remember gushing in the earlier version of my website about the development, calling it 'a sister development in the hip troika'(which otherwise consists of The Ladyhill and 33 Robin) and waxing lyrical about how the only thing missing in the 'boutique hotel chic' development, was the check in/out counter.
Previously, the River Place was the preferred domicile of single expats, both for its proximity to significant clubbing spots and, I believe, the ratio of bored Japanese housewives. Chancing upon the Lincoln Modern was obviously exciting for me, given the choice and variety in residential developments at that stage. The loft concept, the stainless steel kitchen, the sophisticated panelling of zebra wood, those mirror ball curtains and pop furniture in the showflats- were leap years ahead from the vocabulary of contemporary housing developments.
So given my above initial reactions to the predominant aesthetic then(which was about 3-4 years ago?), I might be able to (safely) say, that instinctively, I lean towards a more modern aesthetic. Given the huge success of Lincoln Modern, though, I'm sure that I wasn't the only one who instinctively gravitated towards the new 'designer' look.
Needless to say, though, I've had different(sometimes simultaneous, often times consecutive), love affairs with different developments at different stages of my real estate career.
I do feel that I would have been less than enthusiastic about looking at random pieces of real estate had the modern look have been replaced by, say, the gaudy strain of Balinese(replicated by Singaporeans who've discovered their first Banyan Tree) or the arriviste aesthetic of a home completely furnished by Da Vinci.
New Webhost
I might be acting paranoid but ever since my webhost got bought over, the emails have had 'outages' and I witnessed for the first time, my website being 'down'.
So now I'm looking for a new webhost. Also there are worries about ease of transfer of website and emails.
I hate shopping around for something new- I remember spending a few days finding a suitable domain AND webhost so I do not really fancy the idea of going through the process all over again.
Pre-requisites in a webhost:-
- Almost essential, is a live support chat facility. I hate the thought of having to wait, or never have my emails responded to.
- Good looking website. I cannot bring myself to host with a company that has a shoddy, even plain, website.
Design blogs
I'm a fan of design blogs and have, sporadically and at various times of my recent life(after all, it IS a recent phenomenon) trawled the net for interesting design rags.
Amq always a fan of an element of interactivity in websites and surfstations resonated the most with me in this aspect. With a tagline of 'it's ok if you don't get it'- it's (almost) like a kindred spirit of my property website(urbanites uber alles?- a great blog once thought it contained shades of fascism).
There's one section that asks viewers to include just ONE picture that's supposed to represent them and the photo that I picked, isn't of a property but of a theme park.
Very willy wonka-esque...
Conservation within condos- redux
Yesterday's Straits Times(19th August) had a feature article in the Architecture pages discussing conservation houses that are incorporated within a condominium development.
I've covered that in an earlier posting. What I didn't realise though, were the plans for Tan Chin Tuan's mansion- I'd always thought it was going to be the clubhouse for Cairnhill Crest. Really dig the idea of the whole house being converted into apartments though...
That really looks like one grand house!
The article also mentioned Ventana, a development on Pasir Panjang Hill developed by the A.C.T property group, one of the first few developers who got into the trend of conservation before it became fashionable. That's another trend altogether, really- the conservation of family homes into smaller units(be they townhouses or apartments), where descendants keep a few units for themselves and either rent or sell the rest.Below are a few examples:-
1. On Chancery, a family home was divided into a couple of townhouses, with the owners keeping a few units and renting out the rest. What results is a gorgeous, hilltop residence with very well-renovated and conceptualised interiors.
2. Close to Kovan MRT, a family subdivided their family shophouse into apartments and kept one unit for themselves. These conservation apartments alternately come with water features and maisonette layouts. What's consistent though, are the new, fashionably contemporary finishes.
3. As per the above, Tan Chin Tuan's family are similarly dividing the house into apartments, keeping a few and leasing the rest out. I am feeling the guilt of a voyeur but I would so love to see the end result!