INDUSTRY |
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AWARDS & EVENTS |
D P A R C H I T E CT S RANKS 10TH WA 1 0 0 2 0 1 7 DP Architects has been ranked 10th in the world on WA100 2017, with 767 architects employed. Building Design’s survey of the world’s largest architectural practices culminates annually in the WA100 – a list that ranks the top 100 architecture firms around the world by the number of feeearning architects they employ. DP Architects is also one of only three Southeast Asian practices to clinch a spot on this list.
ABOVE: FAÇADE OF THE ADDRESS HOTEL, DUBAI MALL. BELOW: BUILDING ENVELOPE OF CREATE, NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY.
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D PA C O N T I N U E S I T S S U P P O RT F O R URA CUBE PROGRAMME
Since 2012, DP Architects (DPA) has been a sponsor and facilitator of the Challenge for the Urban & Built Environment (CUBE), an annual programme for pre-university students organised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. This programme aims to inspire the next generation of architects and urban planners. DPA senior associate director Mr Ng San Son, architectural associates Mr Chio Wen Tian and Mr Josiah Leong mentored students from Temasek Junior College during the four-day programme, guiding students in the understanding of key urban design and planning concepts. DPA director Mr Seah Chee Huang was also on the programme’s critique panel. This edition ran from 21 to 25 November 2016 and saw a record of 16 participating schools. Similarly, in Singapore, the latest iteration of the Green Mark standard lends much weight to ‘Tropicality’, clearly drawing the attention of designers on the adoption of building façades that are adapted to the local environment. About 10 years ago, I gave a presentation to the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA). I introduced what, I believed, would be some of the future developments in terms of façade technology, such as commercially-viable thermochromic glass and vacuum-insulated glazing. Over time, the trend forecasts have come to pass. This is a testimony to the feverish research efforts arrayed towards improving the quality and performance of building envelopes. Coincidentally, I have recently done another similar discourse at SIA, and am curious to find out if nano-coatings will eventually supplant silver-based low emissivity coated glass, or that high-performance thermal breaks will become the norm even beyond temperate climates, amongst others, will also turn into a reality. Beyond these purely technological advances, though, it is this paradigm shift in the very basis of the design of building envelopes, drawing inspiration from, and improving upon, time-tested solutions that is likely to be the real game-changer. Time will tell.
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CINEMAXX JUNIOR W I N S I N T E R I O R D E S I G N AWA R D S DP Design’s Cinemaxx Junior, Asia’s first cinema of its kind, clinched an accolade at the FX International Interior Design Awards 2016 in the ‘Best Leisure or Entertainment venue’ category. The FX Awards is organised annually by leading London-based architectural and interior design magazines, Blueprint and FX. Cinemaxx Junior has also won the Gold award in the Public Design category at the Design Excellence Awards (DEA) 2016, an annual event hosted by the Interior Design Confederation of Singapore to recognise innovative and leading interior designs various design categories. At the same awards, redpan – a restaurant opened by DP Architects – has also attained the Bronze award in the F&B Design category.