Erwin Viray

Lilian Chee

Domesticity implicates notions of gender, sexuality, labour, class, ethnicity and taste. It draws upon the performative aspect of its occupants in space, and materialises ambitions for comfort, security, privacy and independence. The conserved domestic space is unlike the conserved monument. It must be flexible to change, intensified occupation, unusual habits, and robust enough to accommodate use and decay. It is a space marked by the passing of time associated with occupancy - cycles of moving in, starting a family, growing old and dying. It is also, no matter how temporary, a space one calls 'home, ' and thus includes physical, geographical and mental registers related to this idea. What does it mean to conserve a house? Can conservation's motives and domesticity's purpose converge in the house's interior? This volume explores such questions by reflecting on the afterlife of several conserved domestic spaces.

Conserving Domesticity

Davisi Boontharm

Limin Hee

Rapid technological, economic, social and cultural changes are transforming the idea of "Asian space." With the shift to a global economy and an urban population explosion, Asian cities have become a mainstay of progress, national pride, identity, and positioning on the global stage. The extraordinary pace and intensity of the changes have created a situation unique in the history of urban development. Despite the immense diversity of Asian countries, "Asia-ness" is often treated as a distinctive quality that has emerged from unique recent circumstances affecting Asian urbanizations as a whole. In Future Asian Space, 15 authors explore broad concepts relating to the creation and re-creation of "Asian space" and contemporary Asian identity, and their examination of different sites and research approaches highlights the difficulty of pinpointing what Asia-ness is, or might become. Appropriate design and planning of cities is a critical element in building a sustainable future and coping with environmental, social and cultural problems. Future Asian Space is designed to stimulate interests and engagement in discussions of the Asian city, and its trajectories in architecture and urbanism, but the authors' conclusions will intrigue anyone interested in the future of cities and urban life in Asia.

Erwin Viray

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