Exclusive interview with Jason Pomeroy, host of City Time Traveller

With two seasons under its belt, City Time Traveller shows audiences cities through the eyes of award-winning architect and academic, Jason Pomeroy. From Malaysia to Bhutan, the travel series continues to explore more Asian cities through their architecture.

Beyond hosting City Time Traveller, Pomeroy is one of the leading architects working on sustainability. His role as an eco-architect is reflected by the focus the show gives to flourishing places that have weathered many a hard time.

Marie France Asia picks the brains of the City Time Traveller to find out which city took his breath away and how it felt like to scale the Bird Nest Stadium with a cold!

Marie France Asia: On top of being an architect and an academic, what made you decide to host City Time Traveller?

Jason Pomeroy: People who have read my books and attended my talks suggested that I should consider bringing such ideas to a broader audience, hence the medium of TV. I met a producer who in the same instance was interested in creating an architecture travel series. After several discussions between the channel, and ourselves, the format was agreed, the cities selected, and the buildings picked. They wanted someone who could then be able to communicate the story from an expert viewpoint as a practicing architect or an academic. I have the fortune of straddling both and so have become ‘the City Time Traveller’ so to speak. I also had the privilege of completing another architecture series called ‘City Redesign’, and a short segment for the BBC – both focused on Singapore architecture as the nation turns 50.

MFA: What was your most memorable trip out of all the cities you visited in Season 2?

J.P.: Every place has been memorable but if I had to pick one, I think it was Kolkata. Kolkata, India’s capital for 300 years, was the crown jewel of the British Raj. It was a mind-boggling lesson in governance that would be dubbed the ‘steel frame of India’. This level of control would not have been possible without three things – effective transport infrastructure; a centralised administration system and a World Class education system. The buildings I visited were testimony to this. My experience also made me think about the civil servants who would eventually head home to Britain. If they brought a little bit of Britain to India, surely they would return home with the silks, spices, cuisine, and the rich and diverse culture that would have left their indelible mark during their tour of India. Perhaps we should not just be talking about the British legacy left in India, but the Indian legacy that commenced in Britain?

MFA: Any interesting stories to share while you were in any of the cities?

J.P.: In one of my earlier episodes, I knew that I would be visiting the holiest of holy Hindu cities – Varanasi. But nothing prepared me for seeing the dead bodies that would be cremated on the open pyres as part of the Hindu funeral ceremonies. Bodies would be bound in saffron coloured cloth before being dipped in the holy river Ganges. They are then laid upon burning embers. The smell and the smoke are as intense as the crowds clambering to pay respects and is an experience I will never forget.

Another unforgettable experience was ascending the Bird Nest Stadium in Beijing. Despite suffering terrible flu and chest infection, my director expected me to climb to the top of the structure for a shot of me looking proudly over the city. I may appear happy and jovial in the series but I was feeling terrible on the inside, but its one of those things you just have to do. Most recently, Bhutan has taken my breath away. Being a city dweller, I’m so used to hustle and bustle – hearing noise and seeing people 24/7. To have these two elements replaced by green valleys and ancient fortress monasteries in perfect silence was a wonderfully calming experience.

MFA: How has architecture played a role in the development of Asian culture?

J.P.: I would say it’s more like how has culture played a role in the development of Asian Architecture! I’ve had the privilege of researching and exploring many different Asian civilisations, and the buildings and places they created. They have been forged through an almost Darwinian process of natural selection, where only the strongest space planning principles and design ideas survive. Superfluous detail or fancy gets quickly erased in history – what is retained is what is often key to a people’s living habits. In Asian cultures, we see the heightened importance of the kitchen as the matriarchal centre of the home, the veranda as a social space, and occasionally the courtyard as the provider of natural light and ventilation. These elements transcend geographic location, and we can see similar models in Thailand as well as India. Adornments and motifs may come in the form of religious or local crafts expression that provide a distinct local cultural flavour, and this also helps shape the architecture from a cultural starting point.

MFA: What are some examples of architecture that has withstood the test of time?

J.P.: All the places I visited have spanned and withstood the test of time. They have ranged from the 7th century ancient city of Varanasi, rich in spiritual content, through to the 21st century city of Tokyo that is a hotbed of technological ingenuity laid upon centuries old socio-cultural practices. I’ve also seen the majestic Palaces of Hue, and the magical ruins of Ayutthaya. What transcends architecture though is an indigenous civilisation’s understanding of basic environmental and social needs, embodied in many of these historical buildings. Shelter from the elements, natural light, natural ventilation, locally sourced materials, folklore influence and a spatial planning as to who can come in and occupy a particular space, and who must stay outside, can be found in all.

MFA: What do you think Asian cities will look like in the future?

J.P.: I think the Asian city will be a hybrid city – a marriage of old, contemporary and what we can call futuristic. The vestiges of a 19th century colonial or indigenous past (the ubiquitous shophouses of Telok Ayer in Singapore, or the Hutongs in Beijing) will be retained as urban artefacts of nostalgia to remind us of yesteryear. The layering of the contemporary (the tall buildings and new structures) will act as a reminder of economic progress and technological advancement in the 20th century.

But the 21st century layering will come as a result of climate change, inner city migration / population increase and further technological advancement. Buildings may not need unsustainable demolishing but will be simply extended upon above the roof-tops that will grow parasitically upwards, and they will be interlinked to other structures via skybridges.

Skygardens will be in abundance given the need for alternative social spaces for people to interact in such increasing inner city densities. These vertical gardens could also provide an opportunity for urban farming to cater for increasing food needs of an ever more populous city centre, as well as help reduce the noxious pollutants in the atmosphere and the searing heat of the city.

MFA: Is there one city that you would love to visit for its architecture but have not?

J.P.: Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, is one city I would love to visit. Sana’a is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and is also one of the highest capital cities, at 2,300 metres. An ancient outpost of the Yemenite Kingdoms, the city was a centre of regional trade and its buildings were built, changed, extended and improved through the Abyssinian period, Ottoman domination to the modern day. The Old Sana’a area is a UNESCO heritage site, complete with 103 mosques, 14 hammams and over 6,000 houses built during the 7th and 8th centuries.

MFA: Lastly, what are your hopes for Singapore’s future architectural plans?

J.P.: Singapore is one of the most progressive cities when it comes to eco-architecture, and I have high hopes for this country. The city realised early on that land was limited, and it took steps to offset the loss of green space brought on by urban development by creating skycourts, skygardens and other urban greenery in its private and public buildings. It has incorporated Singapore’s culture and tradition through the preservation of its shophouses, temples and other heritage buildings, while building some of the most modern and iconic skyscrapers in the world.

I would like to see Singapore continue its nod to the past through the protection of its older buildings. While technology plays a role, the city-state needs to place more emphasis on the socio-cultural contribution that buildings and places can give. I would also like to see the adoption of more renewable energy sources, driven by an intelligent tax and incentive scheme that would encourage developers to employ them in future projects. Lastly, I want to see a continued greening of Singapore, through parks, skycourts and skygardens – providing not only aesthetic value, but environmental and physiological benefits also.

City Time Traveller is on every Saturday at 8.30pm on Channel NewsAsia.

Amanda Lim

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