Officially the award was given to the architects for the cooled conservatories at Bay South, but at the ceremony director Paul Finch explained that they wanted to recognise the whole team that worked on the enormous tropical garden in Singapore, which also features tree-like towers covered in climbing plants.

"One of the rather amazing things about Singapore is that things do grow," says Baker, discussing these vertical gardens. He explains how around the world vertical planting requires "a lot of irrigation and a lot of work" but in this project they could easily "put things in the air and get them to survive".

Bay South is the largest and first to complete of three landscaped gardens at the 100-hectare Gardens by the Bay site, which is sited on reclaimed land that had been a park before. Baker discusses how the government took a "brave decision" to keep the area as a large park, which in turn "increased the commercial value" of land at the perimeter. "I think they had some very good foresighted thoughts about how to make this a special place," he says.

Read more about Gardens by the Bay in our earlier story. You can also watch our interview with Baker just after receiving the award, or hear more about the project from architect Chris Wilkinson.

We’ve published a series of interviews with award winners at the World Architecture Festival. See all the movies, plus more stories about WAF 2012.

Photography is by Craig Sheppard.

The post "We wanted real drama in a flat landscape"
- Paul Baker on Gardens by the Bay appeared first on Dezeen.

"We, the Vietnamese, need to think about climate change, so we should make a house, a school, a building using less energy," says Nghia, as he explains how the rising sea levels caused by climate change are a frequent cause of flooding to the country.

The architect describes how Binh Duong School was designed without air conditioning in the classrooms. Instead, vertical louvres and perforated screens covering the facade allow air to flow freely across the external corridors and into each room. "The louvres stop the direct sunlight," he says.

Located in the town of Di An, just north of Ho Chi Minh City, the school comprises a single five-storey building for junior and high school students. Nghia explains how he'd like to design a similar type of building for offices in the city, where ventilation is provided naturally and only computers are relient on the electricity, which he says often cuts out.

To conclude, the architect describes how he believes low-energy buildings would be welcomed by the people of Vietnam. Describing the humid climate, he claims that stepping out of the "terrible hot" into a "green building" makes people "feel good".

Read more about Binh Duong School in our earlier story, watch our first interview with Vo Trong Nghia about his design for the Stacking Green house or see all our stories about Vo Trong Nghia.

We've filmed a series of interviews with award winners at the World Architecture Festival. See all the movies we’ve published so far, including our interview with architect Chris Wilkinson about the World Building of the Year.

See all our stories about WAF 2012 »

The post "People in Vietnam want green buildings"
- Vo Trong Nghia on Binh Duong School appeared first on Dezeen.

Hill, an Australian architect, moved to Singapore in the late 1970s and he describes how "the standard of architecture" and the "sense of architectural community" has significantly improved since then. "More and more the quite important and certainly the more interesting buildings are being done by home-grown Singaporeans," he explains.

Martin No. 38 is the architect's first housing project in Singapore and comprises a series of apartment blocks in a former warehouse area near to the Singapore River. The architect describes how the building was driven by the climate as much as the programme. "The trick with building in the tropics is not to exclude the sun, but to invite it in through a series of filters," he says.

These filters take the form of a louvred facade system that residents can control, allowing them to "mediate climate, noise and privacy". Each apartment also has an open-plan layout for additional flexibility, while terraces are created at the base of each building as "outdoor living spaces".

However, Hill also explains how he thinks the design scene "isn't just about apartments" in Singapore. "I simply think that Singapore is maturing and the design community is emerging as a force," he says. "It is a place today where developers understand that good design sells."

We’ve filmed a series of interviews with award winners at the World Architecture Festival. See all the movies we’ve published so far, including our interview with architect Chris Wilkinson about the World Building of the Year.

See all our stories about WAF 2012 »

The post "I hope that Singapore doesn't have a style"
- Kerry Hill on Martin No. 38 appeared first on Dezeen.

The project won the award in the higher education and research category and brings together all the disparate faculties of the school into a single campus constructed in and around a Victorian granary and two former transit sheds at King's Cross.

Williams describes how they used unfinished materials such as raw timber and concrete for the walls and surfaces. "When you're creating an art college, the one thing you're not looking to do is impose a strong architectural identity," he says. "It's the actual disciplines that should create the identity."

An internal street runs through the centre of the buildings, creating an exhibition area between the studios of each department. "We have created much more shared space, so there is less space in ownership of departments," says Williams. "It is space that can be used by all of the disciplines."

The architect also discusses the importance of flexibility, which will allow the campus to "morph" in the future. "A lot of the areas and walls that are built are soft and they can be knocked down and reconfigured," he says. "The principle of the building is it is a stage for transformation."

Read more about the campus for Central Saint Martins in our earlier story, or see more stories about Stanton Williams, including our interview with Alan Stanton about the Stirling Prize-winning Sainsbury Laboratory.

We’ve filmed a series of interviews with award winners at the World Architecture Festival. See all the movies we’ve published so far, including our interview with architect Chris Wilkinson about the World Building of the Year.

See all our stories about WAF 2012 »

Photography is by Hufton + Crow.

The post "An art college should be a blank canvas"
- Paul Williams on Central Saint Martins appeared first on Dezeen.

Named Stacking Green, the building won the award in the house category at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore earlier this month and is located in Ho Chi Minh City.

"In Vietnam we have many problems with energy and electricity, it can stop many times a day," Nghia tells Dezeen editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs. During these times light is able to filter into the house through the inner wall of glazing, but the twelve layers of plants in front prevent direct sunlight from passing through and increasing the internal temperature.

Natural ventilation also comes through this planted facade. "To invite wind into the house you open a window and then the air goes through the vertical garden," he says. "Even when it is raining you can open the windows."

Nghia also discusses how Vietnam is "developing so quick," but shouldn't fall into the easy trap of following the architectural styles of western countries. "The climate is totally different, yet we almost do the same thing," he says, before explaining why he designed this house for the continuous "hot summer" rather than for the changing seasons of Europe.

Read more about Stacking Green in our earlier story, or see more stories about Vo Trong Nghia.

We’ve filmed a series of interviews with award winners at the World Architecture Festival. See all the movies we’ve published so far, including our interview with architect Chris Wilkinson about the World Building of the Year.

See all our stories about WAF 2012 »

The post "In Vietnam we have problems with energy"
- Vo Trong Nghia on Stacking Green appeared first on Dezeen.