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DP INTERVIEW
What does it mean to you to win P*DA Designer of the Year? I am deeply honoured by this recognition. Winning it this year is special to me because the award was relaunched to focus not only on the quality of design, but also the far-reaching impacts that design can have. For me, the ultimate aspiration is to create architecture that improve communities and better lives, so receiving this award is a great encouragement. I also feel thankful. Preparing for the award has given me a chance to review my body of work; and looking back, I am very grateful for the support and friendship from my colleagues, family, clients and collaborators; without them, I would not be able pursue my passion for architecture. Not only has P*DA revamped its judging criteria for this year ’s edition, but also made it a biennial award. What are your thoughts on this change? Do you think the new judging criteria are fair benchmarks to appraise design/designers? It is probably a lot of effort organising the design award every year. After ten years, they have done a good job to establish the P*DA brand. Holding this every two years will enable the organisers to fully showcase the awards and give it more exposure to the public. As for the new set of criteria, I don’t see it as fair or unfair benchmarks; just thorough and different, which is good. What architects do affects the living environment and contemporary life, so design should not be just for design’s sake. It is a responsibility not to be taken lightly. The new criteria, I believe, will help to sieve through many aspects of design projects and help the public understand the complex layering of design.
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related specialists and typology researchers can always come together for design sharing and design crits. This culture is complemented by harnessing the power of technology such as Building Information Modelling (BIM). It has enabled DP with its 17 offices around the world and 8 specialist arms to seamlessly function as One Global Studio without the limitations of geographical boundaries and differing time zones. The use of technological tools also contributes to the exploration of new hybrid technologies in DP. The whole purpose is to ensure that there is always room for creative thought, conversations and feedback, which are in turn absolutely essential for producing effective and innovative design solutions delivered in high quality.
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS AND SHIFTS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOUR ARE CHANGING THE DYNAMICS OF THE PROFESSION AND THE DESIGN INDUSTRY. RESEARCH AND TECHNICAL MASTERY WILL HELP DEVELOP NEW SOLUTIONS TO DESIGN.
How do you reconcile your own design philosophy with the firm’s? What I am interested in, is architecture that addresses the needs of the everyday person. Spaces for people should be well considered in relation to the urban and natural context. When this is achieved in design, buildings can have a significant socio-economic impact, shaping the urban setting.
In what way has Singapore shaped the way you design? Designing in Singapore and Southeast Asian countries, a key consideration is the tropical climate so as to put user comfort first. My designs incorporate passive design principles as a core strategy. For instance, I employ the use of louvres as both a design and functional feature for natural ventilated spaces. You see this in Sunray Headquarters and Temasek Club.
DP's reputation was built on a 50-year portfolio of excellent architectural works that prioritised the human condition, with the aspiration to enrich the human experience and uplift the human spirit. This is the definition and heart of design in DP. It is also what I see as my responsibility and purpose as an architect.
Singapore’s vision to be a garden city and now a City in a Garden, has also shaped local designers’ sensibilities in integrating the landscape with the architecture. Urban greenery is now a key feature in most of the projects we work on. At Novotel & Mercure Singapore on Stevens, instead of conventional hotel blocks where all the spaces are internalised, we distributed the masses into oval pods around the site to create more porosity and allow more spaces for landscaping. The key design intervention for Paya Lebar Quarter, which has a site area of four hectares, is the active, landscaped public spaces that connects and anchors the entire development.
How do you maintain design standards and consistency in a firm as large as DP, with 17 global offices and 8 specialist arms? Keep things design-focused. Encourage and build a culture of continuous learning where our architects, designers,
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