UM:2116 – A MANIFESTO
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way..."
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (1859)
Today we live in the age of uncertainties, yet full of possibilities. There are so many questions, yet there are so little truth. How did we get here? Where do we go from here? What does the future hold?
Yes indeed. What does the future hold?
There is no answer. We are unsure of the future, but we would like to envision one because it gives us hope. Everyone needs hope.
UM:2116 is our hope. It is our vision for the University of Malaya one hundred years from now. University of Malaya, the pillar of our tertiary educational system, shall continue to be the radical leader for positive change for many generations to come.
UM:2116 does not pretend to “improve” the existing University of Malaya. UM:2116 is an idealistic illustration of an utopian dystopia through one hundred years of evolution (not revolution!), starting from today, from now.
The past is in the past. Let nature (wild vegetation and animals) reclaims the past and the many issues plaguing the existing campus. Let us build a new Arcadia in the sky - live in the sky, learn in the sky, work in the sky, and play in the sky! The future is in the sky and beyond, so that by 2116 we shall look down from above at the remnants of the historical UM with satisfaction and pride.
Le Corbusier has inspired us through his “City of Tomorrow and Its Planning”. But from Sant’Elia and Lebbeus Woods, a building rises.
Ultimately UM:2116 is a larger conversation for experimental educational spaces to be more interactive, exciting, and integrated, rather than a mere conventional university mater plan.
UM:2116 is a smart city campus with elevated axis converged at the central campus district.
- UM:2116 is a carless eco campus powered by renewable energy.
- UM:2116 is a hub for industry linkages with the students and university staff.
- UM:2016 is reclaimed by nature, and thus UM:2116 is an expansive Taman Rima Ilmu with its micro-habitat and micro-climate.
- UM:2116 is an interconnection of SPACEHALLS and SPACEPODS, with vibrant educational, lifestyle, social, sports and commercial facilities.
- UM:2116 is a world class cultural hub and routes, located along the main elevated axis.
- UM:2116 is a carless campus seamlessly connected by linear parks, trams, cable cars, cycling and pedestrian infrastructure.
- UM:2116 is the core centre enabling connections and integration from thesurrounding neighbourhoods.
- UM:2116 is a new landmark.
|
