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THE CAPERS @ SENTUL EAST

NTU LEARNING HUB
BIDOS TECHNOLOGICAL PARK
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ISSUE 085. 2015 | S$8

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iN THIS ISSUE
The recently open NTU Learning Hub, designed by Heatherwick Studio and built by CPG Consultants, is a
landmark project that involved strong participation from all players in the team. The eight-storey building is made
up of a cluster of 12 towers of differing heights, each a stack of elliptically shaped tutorial rooms staggering
apart upwards. In place of traditional building components or straight lines are an organicity and scaleless-ness
on the heavily textured external faade, making it possible for the mind to draw a parallel with a product, such
as unevenly stacked dim sum baskets p12
Viewed from the Sentul Link expressway, the seductive sharp angled silhouette of The Capers is easily seen
as the new icon for Kuala Lumpur. Standing out from the convention of vertical residential highrises, the
condominium complex, by RT+Q Architects in collaboration with YTL Design Group, heralds a new stage in the
transformation of the larger Sentul master plan developed by YTL Land and Development. From a single storey
podium plane, the two seductively skewed towers of The Capers surge to a height of 36 storeys, orientated
towards spectacular view aspects KLCC on one side and the green hills of Batu Caves on the other p30
The house of Four Connecting Nature Voids at Jalan Mariam by Lim Ai Tiong Design for a two-generation family
addresses the question of how to bring nature into a house that is built right up to the site boundary. The solution
was in the strategic carving out of voids in the massing to encourage connectivity between family members
while introducing nature within the three-storey home, seen as a double-block on the exterior p44
The S$12m Indian Heritage Centre, by Robert Greg Shand Architects, is designed to house various art galleries,
educational and community spaces. It is the first museum of its kind dedicated to the Indian community in
Singapore. The experience of the Indian Heritage Centre will be a stimulating and evocative journey, referencing
the richly layered and multifaceted nature of Indian culture, from the colourful murals and dancing lights on the
periphery, to the peaceful inner sanctum of the galleries p62
Multidisciplinary design studio PRODUCE inserts a new program into the atrium space of the award-winning
School of the Arts (SOTA) for Kki Sweets and The Little Drm Store, in the form of an appropriate design that
would suit the eminent host. For this, the designers actively seeks out, analyses and abstracts the deep structure
of SOTA into its most essential diagram a datum plane and the volume it segregates p90

Hamish Guthrie, Interior Designer

We strived for a home that wasnt complete at the start but something
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iNSIDE
IS S U E 0 8 5 . 2 015

wide\angle

12 | A HANDMADE BUILDING
The NTU Learning Hub by Heatherwick Studio and CPG Consultants
22 | A THIN HORIZONTAL LINE
The bidos Technological Park, Portugal, by Jorge Mealha

habitat

30 | SKEWED SEDUCTIONS
The Capers in Sentul East, KL, by RT+Q Architects in collaboration with YTL Design Group
38 | MAKING CONNECTIONS
The House of Memories at Holland Grove Terrace by A D Lab
44 | FILLING THE VOIDS
House of Four Connecting Nature Voids at Jalan Mariam by Lim Ai Tiong Architects
48 | SPATIAL RHYTHM
Untitled Two, transformation of a three-room apartment by Studio Wills + Architects
50 | LIBRARY IN RESIDENCE
L45 in Jalan Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, by Tetawowe Atelier

community

56 | ENGAGING AND OPEN

An interview with David Adjaye on the OUE Artling Archipavilion Competition
62 | CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
The Indian Heritage Centre in Singapores Little India conservation district
by Robert Greg Shand Architects
68 | PLAY AND READ
The Pinch, a small library and community centre in Shuanghe Village,
Yunnan Province, China

Cover image from photo

by Albert Lim (p30)

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iNSIDE
stay

70 | DEFINED BY FLUX
Hotel G @ Kelawei, Penang, by K2LD Architects in collaboration
with local firm, Architect T Y Au

practice

76 | EACH PROJECT IS AN EXPERIMENT

Christina Luk talks about her Shanghai-based boutique practice, Luk Studio

dfusion

84 | FROM CANDLES TO INTERIORS

Prolific British designer Tom Dixon presents his collections
at Lane Crawford, Hong Kong
88 | DISTINGUISHED PIECES
Poliforms Soo Chan Collection by the interiors arm of multi-disciplinary
practice SCDA Architects

shop

90 | A GOOD ENGAGEMENT
Kki Sweets and The Little Drm Store at the atrium space
of SOTA by PRODUCE

pulse

94 | SPACE CRAFTS
Group exhibition, Earth and Metal: Contemporary Sculpture,
at Art Plural Gallery
98 | MAPPING A BLANK SPACE
Review of Geo|Graphic: Celebrating Maps And Their Stories,
at the National Library, Singapore
102 | SIMRYN GILL: HUGGING THE SHORE
Exhibition at NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore in Gillman Barracks
iNTRO 06 | CATALOGUE 103 to 111 | SUBSCRIPTIONS 112

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wide\angle
12

a handmade building
critical thinking and craftmaking in architecture
nTu learning hub by heatherwick Studio and CPg Consultants
by Wu Yen Yen | PhotograPhy by Hufton & CroW | Images courtesy HeatHerWiCk Studio

There are so many firsts in the newly completed Learning Hub of the Nanyang Technological
University (NTU) Singapore, it is no wonder that its opening has been widely publicised. Especially
so during Singapore Design Week (Mar 10 to 22) in which, as part of the GREAT Britain campaign,
the British Council also showcased Inside Heatherwick Studio at the National Design Centre
(Mar 11 to April 12). Already dubbed the dim sum hub by the Straits Times1, this peculiar building
is set amidst a sober NTU campus, creating a buzz for passers-by and users, attracting gawks
because of its unusual form. Three years in the making, the hub completed in March 2015.

his eight-storey building is made up

of a cluster of 12 towers of differing
heights, each a stack of elliptically
shaped tutorial rooms staggering apart
upwards. Its lack of almost all traditional
building components or straight lines, replaced by its
organicity and scaleless-ness on the heavily textured
external faade, makes it possible for the mind to draw
a parallel with a product, such as unevenly stacked dim
sum baskets. Lest critics assume that the star designer
is responsible for this form-making for the sake of
sensation, the design process shared at the media
launch (Mar 10) reveals that it was, instead, a landmark
project which involved strong participation from all
players in the team.

an NTU first: learning spaces of today

First of its kind, the brief given by NTU was a progressive,
top-down initiative to revolutionise and update tertiary
learning spaces of today. Asked to design round tutorial
rooms without corners using flexible, configurable
furniture with panoramic spreads of TV screens and
white boards for walls, NTUs key thrust was that
classrooms are no longer about having a place to learn,
or an outdated master and servant relationship between

14

teacher and student. Digitised learning and retrieval of

information makes learning accessible from anywhere.
Transfer of knowledge may happen even before class.2
The other essential component of education, in the
form of discourse, discussion, incubating and realising
ideas, however, still requires meaningful, intellectual
human interaction. Small group interactive learning,
cross-disciplinary collaborations and use of backlit digital learning devices in darkened, windowless,
air-conditioned rooms, necessitate a new spatial typology
for schools.
Conducive environment for interactive discourse
and innovation does not occur in stuffy, hierarchical
classrooms, nor staid corridors where students, full of
ideas, get released into after class. NTUs enlightened
administration understands that this informed and
refreshing way of understanding tertiary education, even
as a design brief for this hub, needs to be housed in a
correspondingly innovative, real environment reflecting
this pedagogy physically.
As NTU Professor Kam Chan Hin, Senior Associate
Provost (Undergraduate Education) puts it, The new
Learning Hub provides an exciting mix of learning,
community and recreational spaces for NTU students,
professors and researchers from various disciplines

The primary design challenge

was how to make this humble
material feel beautiful. [...] The
result of the buildings various raw
treatments of concrete is that the
whole project appears to have been
handmade from wet clay

nanYanG teCHnoLoGiCaL uniVerSitY LearninG HuB, SinGaPore

site area
Gfa
building height
client/owner
lead architect
design consultant
main contractor
sustainability consultants
mechanical & electrical engineers
civil & structural engineers

to gather and interact. The educational and social

aspects of learning are here inseparable, both in
program and form. Particular also to this building is
that the only functions are flexible-use classrooms and
discussion rooms. There is no requirement for the usual
administrative functions, halls or resource centres,
which, in a way distils the program for the designers very
simply, into only classrooms and corridors.
Still, it is in this spirit of innovation and contemporary
relevance that Heatherwick echoes. The Learning Hub is
a collection of handmade concrete towers surrounding a
central space that brings everyone together, interspersed
with nooks, balconies and gardens for informal
collaborative learning.

2,000m2
approx 4,000m2
8 storeys
Nanyang technological university
cPg consultants,
Project LeadVivien Leong
heatherwick studio,
Project architectole smith
Newcon builders
cPg consultants
bescon consulting engineers
tyLin International

It has always been this kind of revolutionary

thinking and applied in practice that springboards the
most interesting architecture.

heatherwick studios
first major building in asia
Founder and Principal Thomas Heatherwick of
Heatherwick Studio understands creating firsts well. As
the designer who re-made the London New Routemaster
Bus in 2010, won top prize for UK Pavilion at the Shanghai
Expo 2010 and kept worldwide audiences enthralled at
the lighting of his London Olympic cauldron in 2012,
Heatherwick advocates thoughtful craftsmanship.
Keeping the central idea of each of his projects, he

visualises human processes, visual and tactile journeys,

and is able to manifest these into handmade products
supported by clever use of materials. He is be able to
tackle both the mind and the body at once, understanding
that everything we do, such as opening a cabinet door,
is not a mindless action. Rather, one that would engage
your intellect, action and senses if well executed.
Take for example, Heatherwick Studios use of
concrete and bronze as the two main materials at the
NTU Learning Hub. Citing project budget and Singapores
stringent local buildability guidelines as main constraints,
the press release said, The combination of local building
codes and high environmental aspirations meant that
a concrete construction was necessary. The primary
design challenge was how to make this humble material
feel beautiful. [...] The result of the buildings various raw
treatments of concrete is that the whole project appears
to have been handmade from wet clay.
Working within modest budget, yet the designers
made conscious design decisions to explore and
showcase a myriad of customised texturing and
construction techniques for pre-cast and cast in-situ
concrete, as well as unusual use of bronze in custom
bent railings, lift car facades and tensioned perforated
external screens. The trade-off for these non-traditional
construction techniques and materials, which to the
designers had a earthly character unlike steel and glass,
necessitated that, to keep within budget, the floors are
kept as bare cement. Mechanical and electrical services
are exposed galvanised iron pipes snaking around on the
underside of exposed concrete floors, and rooms have
exposed airconditioning pipes and carpet floors. The
emphasis on having a handmade quality to a conventional
building sees a rejection of all building components
symbolic to ones common reading of architecture.
All the columns, walls, cladding, services are painfully
re-framed to avoid the perception of banality. There is
a sense of Heatherwicks craft training extending into
almost every component of architecture here.
Another main means of subverting the conventional,
is to re-frame the spatial typology of spaces. For example,

LEvEL 1

LEvEL 2

LEvEL 8

the idea of centrality in a building; of having corridors

wrap around an atrium on one side and leading off to
classrooms on the other is not new. Heatherwick expands
on that by designing corridors that bulge out into the
naturally lit and ventilated central space. Fluctuating
widths and depths of these public corridors also bleed
outward towards more intimate balconies offering views
beyond from between the stacks. These gives between
each stack catches the breeze and light on the upper
floors. Heatherwicks taking of traditional transitory
corridors and activating them with sinewy pathways
forming collective spaces delivers NTUs requirement in
creating spontaneous spaces for student interaction.
Along the corridors, we also see the vertical load
bearing structures, which are the tapering columns, lift
and stair core walls, both of which too, were not spared
from contributing to the overall orchestration of curated
customisation. The pre-cast concrete columns are
sculpted to mimic the natural leaning silhouette of tree

trunks; uneven and dimpled for texture. Sara Fanellis

700 commissioned drawings were cast into the coloured
concrete core walls, bearing illustrations of science,
technology, art and literature.
On the ground floor of the central atrium, the
spaces between the stacks allow entry into the building
through twelve different entrances, rather than the usual
one. NTUs intention is for the ground atrium to host
community-based activities and initiate collaborations.
There may also be a food and beverage outlet on the
ground floor run by student-owned social enterprises.
Other common huddle areas are found at the roof
terraces. As the heights of the 12 stacks differ, roof
terraces on a few of the lower ones have built-in precast concrete planters and seats that are sheltered or
open-to-sky.
Throughout the building, what is also unavoidably
visible, are the ubiquitous mechanical and electrical
systems ducting and conduits. Choosing to prioritise
certain customisable architectural features, the
undersides of the concrete floors and services run
overhead are exposed. Light tubes in rooms are bright
and radially arranged, sporadic lighting spots at common
areas give dim, uneven illumination.
The visual excess of these scalloped corridor floor
plates bound by intricate bronze bent railings, seen
together with slanting columns, wall murals and ceiling
services, creates such an interior busy-ness for the
eye that the corridors around the atrium present quite
a spectacle. When the students start to occupy the 56
classrooms in August 2015, this effort of deliberate
craftsmanship and decoration in what is essentially a
space designed for human intellectual engagement, will
hopefully be appropriated.

a first in construction: customised

modularity in a handmade building
In order to execute this architecture, Heatherwick
Studios Project Leader Ole Smith worked daily
with local architect Vivien Leong, Vice President
(Architecture) from CPG Consultants (Lead Architects
and Sustainability Consultants).
On the external faade, one sees another kind
of busyness with a different application of coloured
concrete and bronze. Because the curvature of the walls
differs from floor to floor, stack to stack, the designers
and architects, rationalised the forms into 10 repeated
curvatures. Out of these, over a thousand discrete precast concrete walls are cast from 12 specially designed,
adjustable silicone moulds. In addition to the difference
in overall geometry, within each pre-cast panel, there

are further intricate bands of undulating curves, different

exposed stone aggregates and finishes, all working
together to produce a heavily textured three-dimensional
surface. While these 2 by 3.8 meter modular panels are
pre-cast off-site, these details still require customised,
inventive equipment and can be labour intensive. The
pre-cast panels can only be cast a few a day in the
factory, over a course of a few months as there are only
12 moulds. Few pre-cast concrete specialists would be
able to undertake this level of open source exploration,
detailing and co-ordination.
To receive these curving panels, the floors must first
be cast with traditional, non-reusable plywood formwork
for concrete. Again, due to its geometry, each floor has
many curves and nuances that require expertise and
attention to execute. In addition, the slanting columns had
to be resolved by the local architect and engineer team
to counter the loads in a flat slab construction without

floor beams. Once the floors are ready on site, these

non-loading bearing reinforced concrete wall panels are
then mounted off the floor edges. Naturally, there is a
challenge in accuracy and workmanship dovetailing the
joints between the pre-cast and the made-on-site.
Sandwiched between the external concrete wall
panels and the internal partition white board walls of
classrooms is an air-exchange plenum, where a fan-less
cooling system employing convection principles becomes
a green feature of the building.
There is another strong element on the external
faade at the recesses between the stacks. Special
phosphor bronze tensioned wire-mesh screens are
installed in a curved or zigzag fashion, attempting to
conform to the curving floor. These screens allow for
natural light and ventilation while acting as safety and
rain resistant barriers.
The application of these two faade materials, along

18

with the others on the interior, demonstrates one of the

goals of the designers, which was that all materials used
would not require another level of finishing other than in
their natural state.

kudos to the construction team

Credit must be given to the construction project team
for putting together such a complex system of many
building parts, each with its own character and difficulty.
If the design intention from Heatherwick Studio was to

re-invent all recognisable, conventional architectural

components, then CPG Consultants as the executors
of that brief, too had to re-invent all construction and
engineering standards, procedures and techniques in
order to have delivered the final product. It is no mean
feat that despite these many customised, unusual
components of architecture, the Hub obtained Greenmark
Platinum status. (BCA Green Mark is a green building
rating system to evaluate a building for its environmental
impact and performance, endorsed and supported by the
National Environment Agency Singapore.)
It is rare, even for the most artistically driven
architecture of today, for an institutional building to
describe itself as handmade. Yet this term was reiterated
several times from the designers studio and in media
releases. The concept imagery of wet clay, red earth
ceramics, hand-wrought metals and craftsmanship in the
building come across very strongly in every wall that is
textured, in every motif, bulging column and zigzagging
screen. There is a certain Art Deco spirit in the work that
displays an enthusiasm for material experimentation in
every corner. The scale of object as building (and vice
versa) is tricky ground, especially when pitched against
other measures of good architecture, such as space,
function, light, time and place making. Materiality, the
intimacy and immediacy of tactility, appreciated by
product designers, may sometimes be lost in scale
changes and translation when the same is applied
in architecture.
For example, a modification to what essentially is
typical column and flat slab concrete construction to
accommodate the form, resulted in uneasy placements
of big slanting columns inside classrooms, causing
occasional blind spots along the panoramic classroom
walls. Had the concrete external walls been also load
bearing, eliminating the need for columns, that may
have demonstrated a holistic approach in architectural
thinking, rather than faade making.
Every object and aspect of NTU Learning Hub
is indeed innovative in a way where we are able to

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20

imagine the future and proof that futuristic buildings do

not equate to steel and glass. Forward and progressive
architecture can also be about using mechanisation to
build humane, soulful worlds. Regardless of aesthetic
outlook, it is ultimately space and spirit that people relate
to. The approach and interaction of man and place, first
starts with space and object, and then detail in use and
the everyday.
When there is an understanding that making of
architecture is not singularly about the designer, but
rather a confluence of forces from different vested
groups coming together in a singular way, can an
architecture distinct of character materialise. In the same
way that we and our ideas shape the city and space, so
too when such unusual spaces are formed and they in
turn continue to shape our eyes and lives when we start
to use them. From a can-do, change-the-world kind of
attitude from all team members, comes a building ready
to take on that task of behavioural change in learning
and living.

1
2

NTUs $45m dim sum hub creates a buzz,

Straits Times by Andrea Ng, 11 March 2015
NTUs learning hub to become a hive
of learning and innovation, Nanyang
Technological University News Release,
10 March 2015

wide\angle
22

a thin horizontal line

Story and imageS courteSy Jorge Mealha | PhotograPhy by Joo Morgado

Jorge Mealha drew much inspiration from the surrounding countryside in bidos municipality,
Portugal, extracting ideas from the village and town community spaces, monasteries and
convents, and even the topography, into the design of the bidos Technological Park.

24

he bidos Technological Park is

located in the outskirts of bidos, a
small and beautiful historic town about
100km north of Lisbon, in a region
characterised by forests and small
farms. Paved surfaces spread throughout this territory in
an almost random way, and the plot designated for the
building complex was once the main supply site for the
A8 highway construction, that today links Lisbon to the
north of the country.
In 2010, the bidos Municipality in Portugal
launched an international architecture competition to
design the complex, intended to house creative startups. The competition programme had stated a plaza in
addition to the main buildings required. Jorge Mealha,
who participated and won the competition, had felt
strange that the project asked for a main piazza for
a technological park in the middle of the countryside.
Mealha questioned: How to create a piazza in the
middle of this particular and still beautiful countryside?
How to design (draw) a piazza without an urban fabric
surrounding and evolving such place?
The study concerning the shape, uses and
geometry of several piazzas and the possible adequacy

to the project site emerged during the design process

as a quite strange and forced solution. The piazza, as
concept, cannot be separated from the urban realm that
forms and shapes its limits and purpose. So, how to
draw a piazza without a city, without its generator urban
fabric? This design perplexity...had been a key factor in
the search for alternative public spaces. So, the design

ElEvaTions

strategy shifted, and we tried to search for other kinds of

convivial spaces that could achieve the intended public
realm without designing a piazza as such.
Eventually, the idea was drawn from the terreiros,
large borderless public spaces that characterise some
of the settlements or small villages all over the area.
These convivial spaces range from a kind of formless
shape almost without buildings surrounding them, to
places completely integrated and evolved by small
constructions. It is in these very flexible spaces that
throughout the year, small communities in the region
organise traditional corteges, informal open air markets,
religious processions, music concerts and activities or

sEcTions

games. Instead of providing a typical urban piazza, yet

meeting the aims of the competition brief, the design
decision focused on creating a large terreiros public
space with an easy and flexible relation with the buildings
surrounding it, a complement to the natural landscape.
Placed along the axis between Lisbon and Coimbra,
the bidos Technological Park aims to link academic
research with business production, especially in the field
of creative industries. The main building is a squareshaped ring, echoing the typology of cloisters, that
sharply defines an inhabited topography. This piece of
pure clarity provides a strong visual relationship with the
central square.

Groundfloor

sEcond floor

roof Plan
Third floor

Studies of the monasteries and convents that are

typical in the landscape of the region revealed interesting
aspects relevant to the competition programme. The
cloisters presented by those religious structures were of
particular effectiveness for the requested programme. In
fact, as a start-up companies compound, communication
and easy contact between users is a fundamental aspect.
Or, a cloister structure is quite effective towards the
possibility of a strong visual interaction.
Another observation is that large buildings in this
particular territory, apart from the small built settlements,
appear as scratching thin horizontal lines in the mainly
green landscape. This inspired the design to show as
a building that would appear in the landscape as a thin
horizontal line, as a long and continuous wall.
The facade of the buried body is formed by a

perforated surface of rusty metal that evokes natural

processes of landscape erosion, and defines the built
limits of the convivial public space. From the outside, the
base of the building is hidden and only a long and narrow
strip is perceived, evoking the walls of monasteries
and convents.
All the public spaces, such as main meeting/multipurpose rooms, shops, restaurant and a fab lab are
purposely located on the ground floor in order to reinforce
the public character of the interior void. Working areas
are distributed on the first floor on a modular grid that
allows great flexibility in the use of the space.
Materials used are mainly concrete, steel and
glass. The ground floor is basically of rough concrete,
expressed as a structure that is hearth-like and heavy
in expression. In contrast, the second floor is all about

28

BIdoS TeChNologICal ParK CeNTral BUIldINg,

BIdoS MUNICIPalITY, PorTUgal
programme
gFa
site area
completion
architect
design team

mixed use
4,096m2
17,000m2
2014
Jorge mealha
andreia baptista, carlos Paulo, diogo oliveira rosa,
Filipa Ferreira da Silva, Filipa collot,
gonalo Freitas Silva, ins novais
landscape architect marisa Lavrador
structural engineering JFa engenharia, Jos Ferraz,
Lvio oliveira, bruno Santos
electrical/climatisation/
fire consulting rodrigues gomes & associados
hydraulic S e Servios de engenharia
construction mrg engenharia e construao S a

geometry and precision. A set of huge metal trusses are

assembled to create four interconnected prisms that
form a large and floating cloister. Modular startupoffice units occupy most of the space on this floor.
Internal walls and floors are of concrete. A few
appointments in wood (OSB panels) and painted black
elements (reception counters, acoustic false ceilings,
staircases) present an internal framework of perspectives,
balancing the expression of concrete.
Externally, at ground floor, apart from windows
(double thermal glass with natural colour aluminium
frame), concrete and corten steel is used. The concrete
floor is texturized with metal powder in order to slightly
and randomly rust this pavement through time. Part
of the walls are covered by corten steel panels. These
panels are made using standard modules of scaffold
pavement units. On this floor, the inner circulation is

naturally ventilated, protected by a huge glass surface.

External walls are made with light damp-proof insulated
panels, and internal walls have been built with light dry
gypsum panels system.
Along the circulation cloister, the flooring is of
folded perforated steel scaffold units and the false
ceiling of light aluminium sheets. The outer facade is
completely covered by light, translucent and transparent
white membrane, built with lacquered perforated steel
scaffold units.
Embedding part of the programme underneath the
landscape achieves several goals. One is to increase the
plots green surface; the other is to decrease energy
needs in terms of AVAC systems for cooling or warming
the building. A wide range of the materials employed
are recyclable.

habitat
30

skewed seductions
by Kenneth Cheong | PhotograPhy by Albert lim and FiFoto | Images courtesy rt+Q

Driving along the Sentul Link Expressway, the line of sight

between the twin towers of The Capers by RT+Q will align
with the Petronas Twin Towers. Where the Petronas Twin
Towers may trump in height and scale, the seductive sharp
angled silhouette of The Capers wins hands down as
the new icon for Kuala Lumpur.

he Capers is not only a new landmark

but heralds a new stage in the
transformation of the larger Sentul
master plan developed by YTL Land and
Development. Dato Yeoh Seok Kian,
the executive director of YTL Land and Development, is
the visionary behind the masterplan and the curator of
a collection of bespoke buildings which become draw
cards for the revitalisation of Sentul. The boutique offices
of d6 and d7 also by RT+Q, and more recently the
exquisite interiors of the YTL Sales Gallery by Unit One,
are a handful of these projects. Located in Sentul East,
the distinctive forms of The Capers will set a bold new
direction for future developments within its 108-acre
masterplan.

32

the CAPerS, SentUl eASt, KUAlA lUmPUr

design architect rt+Q architects Pte Ltd
in collaboration with ytL design group
rene tan, t K Quek and
eddie gan (project architect)
submissions architect ar. alexis maraidass
developer sentul raya sdn bhd
builder syarikat Pembenaan yeoh tiong Lay sdn bhd
C&S engineer Perunding ysL sdn bhd
in collaboration with ytL design group
m&e engineer Perunding K L chock
in collaboration with ytL design group
quantity surveyor ytL design group
landscape consultant seksan design

form making

ELEvaTion

SECTion

How does one stand out from the convention of vertical

residential high-rises? RT+Qs elegant solution was
perhaps conceived from an engineering trajectory
rather than transferring vertical structural load in a linear
vertical fashion, the vertical load is transferred diagonally
like a Maxalto table stacked one on top of another. Each
floor plate subtly shifts 400mm projecting to a total of
2.8m and retracting 2.8m in the opposing direction as a
counter-balance.
The skewing of the towers are finely tuned and
proportioned for maximum impact while remaining
elegantly slim on the side faade.
From a single-storey podium plane, the two
seductively skewed towers of The Capers surge to
a height of 36 storeys. The two towers are orientated
towards spectacular view aspects KLCC on one side
and the green hills of Batu Caves on the other. Two five-

34

storey lowrise blocks complete a ring around a central

pool. Smaller rectangular boxes housing the gym and
ancillary facilities infill between the larger blocks.

details and materiality

RT+Q is best known for bespoke private residences
with exquisite details finished in a sophisticated palate
of materials. In The Capers RT+Q proves the rigours
of crafting at an intimate scale can be replicated and
executed on a much larger scale.
The main ingress and egress to The Capers is via
the rich patina of the corten steel entrance vestibule

leading to the underbelly of the podium deck.

A shaft of light signals the drop-off point to each
tower. The lobby is through an armature of water and
light. A sheet of cascading water becomes the threshold
leading across a reflecting pool into the cool travertine
walled lobby. Intermittent linear shadow gaps pattern the
cognac coloured stone.
The floor plate of each tower is H shaped with the
vertical cores located along a double-loaded naturally
ventilated corridor. The corridor is panelled with timbergrained cementatious boards attenuated vertically,
accentuating the linearity of the corridor.

SiTE PLan

PoDium fLooR PLan

The units are designed as an all-white architectural

space with the view taking centrestage. White washed
walls and honed white reconstituted stone flooring
makes for a dramatic contrast to the richer darker tones
of the common areas and faade. A feature wall in
bush hammered stone patterned with vertical grooves,
become a secondary focal point and grounds the open
plan living space.
The solid partitioning walls of the rooms in a
typical unit are subtly detached from the faade glazing
and infilled with glass to impart a delicate lightness to
the rooms.

The faade of the towers is a study in patterning

and proportion. Vertical and horizontal aluminium fins
interjected with vertical and horizontal gaps break the
monotony of the larger face. On the Sky Terrace floors,
a sculptural steel staircase leading to the Sky Lounge is
painted in vermillion like a Calder sculpture, adding a pop
of colour to the facade.
On the side faade of the towers, strips of
glazing dance up the skewed shear walls panelled in
aluminium cladding.
The more intimately scaled low-rise units are
sheathed in a denser screen of louvres. The galvanised

36

ToWER: TyPiCaL bLoCK PLan

ToWER: SKy TERRaCE fLooR PLan

ToWER: STRuCTuRaL DiagRam

iron skin is interjected with timber framed protrusions

to distinguish each duplex unit on the pool deck level.
The amber tone of the timber adds warmth to the
overall monochromatic colour palate of The Capers.
Landscaped lawns finish the roof of the low-rise blocks
which are visible from the towers.

the economics of architecture

The Capers registered a new price benchmark for Sentul,
with 80% units of the tower blocks snapped up within
two days of the official launch in 2011. (Star Property,
March 29, 2011) Although setting a new pricing
benchmark, The Capers remains a property product of
exceptional value for money due to the exquisite quality
of the finishes and specifications.
Several factors contribute to the fine balance
between design and construction cost of The Capers.
A regular rectangular 4.35 acres site means an
efficiency of land use. The height of Capers at 36 storeys
equates to the height hovering at the magical number
of 40 storeys which any structural engineer worth his
salt will vouch is the optimum height to maintain the

economies of scale for steel tonnage and piling costs

for highrises. Clarity and a rationalised column layout
to eliminate expensive transfer slabs. These factors can
only be attributed to a high level of synergy between the
consultant team, the developer and the architect during
the design process.
I truly believe that the essence of Capers lies in the
progressive and fearless vision of Dato Yeoh Seok Kian
of YTL and the good work of the builders SPYTL (Syarikat
Pembenaan Yeoh Tiong Lay Sdn Bhd), adds Rene Tan.
As a new icon in the Kuala Lumpur skyline,
The Capers is a tough act to follow. YTL Lands bold move
in delivering an exceptional property product in The
Capers clearly proves the developers commitment in
transforming Sentul into a destinational development.

habitat
38

making connections
by Luo Jingmei | PhotograPhy by Derek SwaLweLL

The House of Memories by A D Lab embodies

both history and the present in a poetic construct.

stablished by husband-and-wife team

Warren Liu and Darlene Smyth, A D
Lab is an architectural firm that has
designed mainly single-family dwellings.
An observation of their portfolio reveals
a penchant for dynamic formal experimentation where
interesting spatial experiences are carved out or the
conventional domestic typology is given unexpected
twists: the Moonbeam View House, for instance, has a
frontal segment wrapped in mesh and a steel-cladded
back portion to represent the husband and wifes different
personalities and lifestyles; in the Jalan Binchang House,
the idea of openness is taken to the extreme with a large
part of faade sliced away for the occupants to be at one
with the elements.

FronT ELEvATion

And so it is with curiosity that I approach the House of

Memories, a recent project in Holland Grove Terrace that
garnered a honourable mention at the 2014 Singapore
Institute of Architects (SIA) Architectural Design Award.
Unlike the aforementioned projects, it features a more
traditional form that of a traditional pitched roof as its
key datum and together with a subdued material palette,
presents a picture of genteel calm.
The pitched roof shape is popular with architects
worldwide in recent years, perhaps due to the desire for
a simpler architectural language in contrast to the wild
architectonic gymnastics feathered by the possibilities
of parametric computerisation. In some instances, it
has almost become a trend. But here at the House of
Memories, the reason for using this primordial form goes
deeper, shares the projects architect C J Foo.
The parents had built a house [on this same plot]
in the 1980s and didnt really want to tear it down, he
explains. The need to cater to the elder sons family
of three young children and give the younger son a
private zone to call his own left him with the decision
to demolish the old family home and replace it with
two semi-detached houses so that the former could
live separately but still close by. We felt it was quite
important to keep some things they are familiar with [in
the previous abode], to help them transit from the old to
the new home, Foo adds.
Discussions with the family revealed sentiment
about the original pitched-roof form, as well as bright,
open spaces surrounded by nature. And so, these were
elements that the architect decided to reinstate in the
new houses but in new ways.
The original house had two stories but the two new
houses included a basement and attic each. The first
storeys of each were thus raised, which allowed for lush
garden alcoves that the common areas looked into. This
would not have otherwise been possible had not the car
porch been tucked into the basement.
The original house also had a similar pitched roof
at that position, but of course it was lower, says Foo,
pointing out the location of the pitched form over the
parents home. Another pitched roof was added at the
side elevation of the elder sons house a move that not
only expresses the latters portion of the development,
but also the concept of duality the architects accorded

LEFT ELEvATion

rEAr ELEvATion

rigHT ELEvATion

ATTic PLAn

BAsEMEnT PLAn

rooF PLAn

1sT sTorEy PLAn

2nD sTorEy PLAn

throughout the two houses, where common or shared

elements tie the house together visually and reflect the
inevitable ties between the two families.
For instance, a pronounced expression of the line of
the pitch and roof eave in a dark tone is stretched across
the frontage of the two houses that has them read as
related volumes. A distinct screen element that traces
the roof pitches is also consistent on the elevation of
both houses. The pattern on the screen in stark white,
and denser at the bottom to indicate the original houses
pitch roof height as well as to act as a privacy and climate
filter at the lower levels where the rooms are gives the
house an ecclesiastical semblance.
Continuing the concept of duality, a water feature
is inserted in between the two houses on the first
storey, but at different spaces for two different, specific
experiences, Foo highlights, adding, At the sons
house, it serves as an entrance element; in the parents

sEcTion A-A

sEcTion B-B

HouSe oF memorieS, HoLLanD groVe

site area
total floor area
architect
project team
builder
civil and structural engineering

753.7m
974.32m
a D Lab pte ltd
Darlene Smyth, C J Foo
heng Choon Construction Pte Ltd
grace Consultants

42

house, they experience the water feature at the dining

room during meal times. Openings on the walls of both
houses that open up to the water feature allow occupants
in each house glimpses of happenings in the other house
throughout the day, fostering communication. Not least,
they also aid in bringing light and natural ventilation into
the houses, fulfilling the occupants request for airy,
open spaces. Throughout the houses, other apertures are
carefully positioned to further porosity and connectivity
both to nature and among family members. The
basement car porch as also been left as one large open

space, though Foo adds that should either houses be

sold, the authorities require for a wall to be built between
the two houses.
Despite common features in both houses, each
has been given a unique identity to suit the respective
occupants needs and lifestyles. An example is in the way
the entry for each house has been designed. A doublestorey glass block signals the entrance of the elder sons
house (above which is positioned a study toward a good
view) and also helps to visually detach it from the parents
house. The elder sons family has a bigger entrance that

is more welcoming because they constantly have friends

visiting, Foo explains. The parents house has a more
discreet entrance that is more set back and enclosed,
because they are [more private people].
A black-stoned foyer greets one upon entry of the
latter, before opening up in a grand manner to a twoand-a-half storey living room. This is the raison dart of
the home, where the screens as well as the luxuriant
foliage outside are appreciated from indoors in their full
glory. Meanwhile, the younger sons bedroom is designed
as a mini-apartment, perched at the attic level of the
parents house. While private, a connecting balcony
overlooking the living area ensures it is connected with
the rest of the family.
Materials are applied strategically to set a different
mood in each house a more matured aesthetic
for the parents home; a palette that exude a more
contemporary, light-hearted vibe in the elder sons home
as well as to create points of interest. For instance,
the walls at the courtyard where the water feature is has
been given a loosely checkered pattern using different
textures of a sand-coloured stone, enlivening what would
have been a large, dull surface. Because we knew there

were certain parts of the house where windows would

be facing the walls, we decided to do this interesting
pattern, says Foo.
While nothing extraordinary, the House of Memories
is poetic in both form and meaning. For sure, it is an
elegant addition to A D Labs oeuvre.

habitat
44

filling the voids

by Luo Jingmei | Images courtesy Lim Ai Tiong ArchiTecTs

The strategic carving out of voids in the massing

of a two-generational home encourages
connectivity between family members while
introducing nature within.

omes designed for multigenerational

living in Singapore is a perennial
practice, reflective of the scarcity and
exorbitant cost of land, as well as the
Asian culture of mutual care provided
by different generations of a family living together. With
regard to house design, architects have oft late been
put to the test in exploring the potentials of a brief that
requests for privacy for the different generations while
not losing the interaction among family members.
Architect Lim Ai Tiong (his eponymous firm was
formerly named LATO Design) faced this scenario in a
recently completed project. The solution for the detached
house in a sleepy residential neighbourhood in Jalan
Mariam was an interesting solution involving nature.
The concept is highlighted clearly in the projects
name: Four Connecting Nature Voids. This is, Lim
highlights, a summary of a much longer title One
House, Two Blocks, Three Levels, and Four Connecting

Nature Voids that provides a more in-depth explanation

of the design.
Although its for two generational living, ultimately,
it is for one [large] family, says Lim on the One
House descriptor. On the first storey are the common
areas, while the second storey is given entirely to the
parents, and the third to the son and his wife. On each
storey are also guestrooms (or future bedrooms for a
third generation).
The second descriptor Two Blocks refers to the
expression of two interlocking zones on the exterior,
which are finished to delineate their hierarchy. On the
right, the master wing containing the bedrooms of the
parents and son is articulated in a warm timber tilecladded volume, while the volume on the left where the
guestrooms are located is finished with a more reticent
pale grey SKK spray texture. Lim has decided on the
position of the master wing on the right for it to get
access to the more favourable Eastern sun.

house oF Four connecTing nATure VoiDs, JALAn mAriAm

site area approx 580m2
built-up area approx 665m2
design consultant
(architecture & interior) Lim ai tiong architects
project team Lim ai tiong (Principal), titik akbariyah,
Irene congson, Li ying, micah maravilla,
Zenobia Loh, Deanna Huin, Quek Li Hiang
main contractor
structural engineer
quantity surveyor
carpentry contractor

While the third descriptor of Three Levels is

straightforward and requires no further explanation,
the fourth and final descriptor Four Connecting Nature
Voids is where the heart of the design lies. Because
land is so expensive in Singapore, the client wanted to
try to maximise the floor area. So the house is built to the
maximum set back allowed. Then the question goes: how
do I bring nature into the house, because it is not left with
much land after these set backs?
Lims solution was to carve out four square-shaped,
double-volume voids in the houses massing two
connecting the first and second storeys, and another
two connecting the second and third storeys. This parti

megana Pte Ltd

tnJ consultants LLP
PQs consultants
Leong aw Furniture
& Decoration contractor

is simple but results in an enriching experience while

solving a host of problems.
First of all, is the incorporation of nature that the
intense built-up of the house removed. These take the
form of gardens and water features within the four voids.
One encounters the first of these at the entrance, with
the sound of softly trickling water providing a soothing
welcome. The double-volume height of this space cuts
into a space in between the parents bedroom and a
guestroom above. This is what I meant by interconnected
spaces; when there are guests coming into the house,
the occupants can look down from the second storey,
Lim points out.

1sT sTorey plan

On the first storey, a second void anchored by a

luscious Ficus tree connects the living and dining area
on the first storey, and the parents room on the second
storey; a second void with another Ficus tree connects
the parents room on the second storey with the sons
bedroom on the third storey. The last void containing a
water feature is found at the back of the house between
another guestroom and the sons bedroom.
On plan, these voids are found at the edges of the
house, which make them useful as visual buffers to the
proximity of the neighbouring house. Aside from privacy,
the views out to the water features and gardens also
afford the occupants green relief. This is all the more

2nd sTorey plan

delightful in spaces such as the bathrooms in the master

wing that are located next to the garden voids; taking a
bath or washing ones face with the window open is akin
to the feeling of being in a spa with the gentle rustling of
leaves and views of nature close by.
As Lim describes, The leaves filter the light and
the occupants can appreciate the nice view of the trees.
Also if you open the window, breeze does come in. More
importantly, he adds, Im trying to give both generations
privacy hence the split in two levels but at the same time,
Im trying to connect them though the views.
In the middle of the house, the leitmotif of cut-outs
continues in the form of two voids puncturing the floor

3rd sTorey plan

plate through from the first to third storey. A skylight with

timber screens running through the length of the house
between the master and guest wings provide additional
natural illumination.
The choice of finishing in the house is
straightforwardly neutral in creamy beige, white and
chestnut tones. Its not the most inventive or inspiring
but one could argue that it allows the spatial experience
and views created by the connecting voids to become
the focus. Perhaps what would be more interesting
is, if the differentiating material palette of the facade
was carried through into the interior instead of
remaining superficial.

habitat
48

hankfully, the word home does not

conjure the same concreteness and
realness as smell does. That the vision
of home is an infinite permutation of
dimension, light and sense, is what
allows designers of space to wave the magical wand
of creation. Apartments designed as homes, carries
a logic similar to the individual distinctive chemical
molecular make-up of smells. Just as smells can be
identified by the different molecules and atoms that
are strung together, apartments are first designed from
same simple sets of programmatic parameters. These
functional requirements are then strung together, by the
sheer creativity of space designers, putting in place the
reactions of site and lifestyle of the client.
This 166m2 three-room apartment is no different.
Three simple rectilinear rooms supported by the typical
communal living, dining and kitchen, the apartment bears
little to distinguish itself. The key concern for relatively
young design firm Studio Wills + Architects was to
creatively extend the passage of movement through the
apartment. The original apartment was a mini fortress

spatial rhythm
by Chris Low | PhotograPhy by Beton Brut

Scrambled egg, gasoline. Youre smelling the smell, its filling your
mind with a vague, inchoate presence. And the instant he says the
words the smell snaps into concreteness, into realness, and the
smell of scrambled eggs with gasoline is precisely, bizarrely, the smell
filling you. The Emperor of Scent by Chandler Burr

of walls that blocked off natural light and ventilation

throughout. It relied on artificial lighting and left little
room for communication between spaces, across spaces.
The apartment had the natural advantage of overlooking
a stunning unblocked green skyline. Yet, this too, was
poorly celebrated as walls took privacy as precedent.
Like a three-dimensional puzzle block, the important
spatial pieces began to take anchor. The design intention
to reintroduce light and to re-connect the relationship
between spaces began to lead the formation of the

apartment design. With the focus of channelling natural

light into the apartment, it became clear, that with light
came the expanse of the panoramic green skyline. This
marked the first building block in the puzzle. By redefining the entrance foyer as a darkened vestibule, the
explosion of light and view became overtly expressed
as one passes through from the entrance into the living
space. This interplay of strong contradictions appears
heavy handed, if not for the scale of the apartment, which
is suitably smaller than a typical nine meter wide house.

old walls

renovAted ApArtment lAYout

SuperimpoSed with exiting plAn

conStellAtion of roomS

route

untitLeD #2
project apartment renovation
total floor area 166m2
architect StUDIo WILLS + architects
design team Wu Shan yat, Ng William

Such that whatever the imbalance in the employment of

dark and light, is quickly dispelled and the eye is quick
to embrace the open plan of the living room, with full
height glass door panels opening out to a timber clad
balcony that boasts a natural lush green landscape
beyond as backdrop.
The dining room sandwiches itself between the
open living plan and an open kitchen. This way, wedged
in between the two, lends ample reasoning for the last
building block of the puzzle piece to fall into place.
Recognising a rhythmic pattern of dark and light that now
strings the spaces together, the dining room took on a
naturally enclosed and dark approach. Marked overhead
by a heavy ceiling and terminating the space with a
full height library shelf in heavy dark tones, the dining

ventilAtion

room straddles between the light with weight and some

severity. The seriousness of the space, is amplified by
the floor to ceiling stacks of books, treasured personal
possessions of the client. The design direction for the
apartment is tactfully coupled with the clients lifestyle,
yielding the best form and space within.
The heavy dining space turns itself into a pivotal
design element, as it also forms the link with a third
space the master bedroom. Keeping to the rhythmic
pattern of dark and light, the master bedroom is
embraced in the welcomed contrast of air and light. With

dAYlight

simple furnishings almost minimalist, the clean palette of

white and off-whites is a 90-degree departure from the
dense dining.
Moving through the apartment, each pocket of
space follows the simple rhythmic logic, much like
the chemical molecular makeup for smells, which
shed some recognition of the space to come within the
apartment. Naturally, the final outcome is not something
that is immediately recognisable like a smell, rather,
that the realness and familiar is tinged with elements of
unexpectedness, is the spirit of design.

habitat
50

library in
residence
by Kenneth Cheong | Images by AdAptus

The function of L45 by Wong Wei Ping of

Tetawowe Atelier is unconventional, to say
the least. But then again, its location in the
bohemian enclave of Jalan Kurau/Tengiri/Bilis
in Taman Weng Lock, Bangsar, is anything but
conventional, with the office of Seksan Design
holding court amidst a collection of concrete
houses. Sitting on the end lot of a row of
1960s terrace houses, the monochromatic
concrete and steel L45, mimicking the
proportions of the original house, almost
seems to recede into the background.

ue to the height of the building,

we maintained the existing roof
profiles and roof height from the
front elevation. On the front facade,
a skin of recyclable wire mesh
screens over large internal openings for shading and
privacy, overwriting the conventional use of curtains in
residential buildings, says Wong. On the rear faade,
glazing seemingly arranged at random interjected
with galvanised iron security fencing boxes (to house
air conditioning condenser units) punctuates an offform concrete wall hinting of the convoluted platform
levels within.

bipolar program
The Client who wishes to remain anonymous entrusted
Tetawowe Atelier with a rough brief to convert a
double-storey corner terrace house into a civic space
for the local community with communal living space
a program on polar opposites, one very public and
the another very private. From this point of departure,
Tetawowe Atelier developed a program questioning
the notion of communal living within the public realm,

intertwining student housing into a public community

library. L45 is essentially a collection of eight loft rooms
with ensuite bathroom in three permutations sharing
a common kitchen with a generous dining area and
laundry area. The public library is an insertion into the
centre of the house.

interlocking spaces
The challenge of fitting a substantial number of rooms
and a sizable library space into the existing structural
frame of the original house (within a 20 x 60 ft footprint
with an additional 10 x 30 ft extension) meant that
Wong had to navigate the layout of each space in
three dimensions filling in all residual spaces. We
planned the spaces and programmes vertically along
with interesting interlocking pocket spaces...within the
existing frame under the original roof profile.
In section, the original two storey terrace house is
extrapolated into 4 storeys or 2 loft accommodation units
stacked on top of each the other. The accommodation
units are then compressed into mezzanine floors with
staircases winding up and down to link the various
platform levels interlocking all the accommodation

GrounD fLoor

ISomeTrIc fronT

BAcK

fIrST fLoor

eLevATIon BAcK
fIrST mezzAnIne

units. The multiple levels of planes suggest spatial

versatility which provides a variety of intimate corners
and interactions.

the library
Central to L45 is the Library, which becomes a fulcrum
to the house with the eight accommodation units
arranged around it. Naturally lit from a sky light, the
library becomes a vertical light shaft clad in galvanised
iron security fencing. Eight pieces of steel columns were
erected to support three levels of steel decks. The floor
decks are laid with mild steel grating to allow light to
filter through.
The bookshelf fashioned from galvanised iron
security fencing becomes a porous threshold between
the library and student accommodation. The bookshelves
are designed with three layers of security fencing to
support books slotted in between steel rods oscillating
between porosity and solidity as books are returned
and borrowed.
Books are slotted in between the rods which depicts
the analogy of how the library is slotted in between
corridors and how meaning is slotted in between words,

roof

according to Wong. With a seating capacity of only 18,

the double-storey height doors to the library and a side
room open the library to the garden furnished with
benches to encourage outdoor reading.

boundaries between public and private

The planning and circulation of this project required
distinctive separating paths that emphasize privacy;
private corridors for the students and public walkways
for library users so that they do not intertwine with each
other. The main access to the student accommodation

L45 At LoRong KuRAu, BAngsAR, KuALA LuMpuR

design firm Tetawowe atelier
designer in charge Wong Wei Ping
design team Wong Wei Ping, Tey Tat sing,
Ong shien Chii

is through a door on the original front faade. Being a

corner lot with the side facing the entry access to Taman
Weng Lock, the wider more prominent facade becomes
the entry to the Library.
The internal circulation to the loft units is via a
corridor wrapping the library. The lattice steel book shelf
becomes a threshold which affords visual connectivity
whilst offering physical separation. In the day, from the
library, the porous wall of bookshelves is animated with
students walking in and out of their accommodation
and at night, the library shaft becomes a light well to
the corridors. This duality is further highlighted by the
contrast in materiality. The rooms are constructed in
heavy concrete and white blocks that projects solidity
and privacy, while the lightness of the steel structure of
the library portrays lightness of knowledge.
In the accommodation units, concrete is folded into
niches for study tables and extended as shelving from

SecTIon A

SecTIon B

SecTIon c

SecTIon D

54

The rooms are constructed in

heavy concrete and white blocks
that projects solidity and privacy,
while the lightness of the steel
structure of the library portrays
lightness of knowledge.

the polished concrete floors. Cabinetry in honey-hued

plywood adds warmth to the monochromatic colour
scheme. In this project, we reduced material wastage
by demolishing only the back section of the house.
The finishing of the new materials are kept to a bare
minimum; aerated light cement block, white calcium
silicate brick and concrete walls are left untreated.

spatial democracy
Monolithic and monochromatic, L45 has the distinction
of sitting at the junction of the main access leading to the
Taman Weng Lock neighbourhood, its presence is rather
prominent, despite its colourless presence, said Wong -

perhaps a homage to its elusive and anonymous owner.

Sitting on prime real estate and rented out at extremely
reasonable rates for its choice location in an upper
class neighbourhood, L45 is clearly not a conventional
commercial enterprise. Egalitarian in intention, L45 is
perhaps a very expensive experiment in the creation of
spatial democracy.

Clearly
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community
56

engaging and open

by Wu Yen Yen | Images courtesy The ArTling

Jointly organised by The Artling, an online gallery and art advisory,

and Singapore Institute of Architects, The OUE Artling Archipavilion
Competition, first launched in Oct 2014, called for a pavilion to
house Contemporary Asian Art exhibits and invited young Singaporeincorporate architectural practices to submit their ideas. Key criteria
required the pavilion to be iconic in design and able to be taken apart
and re-constructed at different locations in the city. The entries were
judged based on the transportability, innovative use of materials and its
sustainable qualities. Lekker Architects Soft Machine was announced
as the winner on Feb 24, by the jury (Theodore Chan, President of the
Singapore Institute of Architects; Talenia Phua Gajardo, Founder & CEO
of The Artling; Chris Lee, Founder and Creative Director of Asylum; Irene
Meta, Senior Vice President of Projects at OUE; Jane Owen, Editor of
FT House & Home, and a Yale Poynter Fellow 2015; and Dr Wong Yunn
Chii, Head, Department of Architecture at the National University of
Singapore), with British architect DAVID ADJAYE (OBE) as Lead Advisory
Judge. Finding some resonance in his own architectural principles,
Adjaye shares with WU YEN YEN, in an interview about what he feels
is the importance of and meaning behind this competition, the urban
aspects of a pavilion in a city and his thoughts as judge.

David Adjaye, speaking at the awards presentation

ceremony on Feb 24 at National Design Centre
(photo by Wee Leong Lai, courtesy SENATUS)

the competition
The OUE Artling Archipavilion Competition
brief called for a 8,000ft2 pavilion space
for Contemporary Asian Art exhibits. It
is designed for ease of transportability,
materials and sustainability. What do you
find interesting about this brief?

(left to right) Talenia Phua Gajardo Founder & CEO of The Artling, Joshua Comaroff
Director, Lekker Architects, and David Ajaye (photo by Wee Leong Lai, courtesy SENATUS)

For me, the making of a pavilion, apart from the brief, is

about young architects. It is not about mature established
offices. It gives young architects an incredible opportunity
to exercise their skills, not necessarily in fulfilling the
brief but in exploring ideas.
Because really a pavilion, because of its temporary
nature, it is not a real building. For me, it is like a sketch
[..that] is more relaxed. So you dont have to be a fullfledged, operational architect with insurance [etc] but
your creativity can be absolutely allowed to fly. I think
that is an important model for encouraging young firms
not to wait till their 50s before they get big projects, but
to train them in their 30s when they are entrepreneurial,
to have small scale tests that are still full of ideas.
It was like that for me. I made pavilions at the
beginning of my office and it was instrumental for me so
I wanted to give back in this one.

The winning entry Soft Machine by lekker

architects, an adaptable system showing
three configurations: ...Our scheme
does not propose a single building, but
a system that adapts to changes of
size, location, and use. Like an Erector
Set, it is a kit of parts truss sections,
polycarbonate panels, composite decks
and counterweights that could build a
myriad of alternate Artling-OUE pavilions
on a host of sites...This proposal is derived
from the Power Truss System, a method
for truss-building invented in 1974. A series
of steel S-forms are attached to chords
of different lengths, creating a thin but
strong element that can be assembled
with few welds. Aesthetically, our concept
reflects the composition of our team, a
joint venture between architects, structural
engineers and fabrication specialists. It is
a hybrid, an architecture that foregrounds
all those. elements that an architect would
rather forget. What results is a malleable or
soft technical frame, a curatorial device
that exists to shape the experience of art.
When built, however, the system acquires
a visual identity of its own. Framing
members are thin (and equally sized), and
the surfaces translucent. This gives the
building a sense of strength and lightness,
a power that comes from the joining of the
many. One reads this in long cantilevers
and spans, as well as in more compact,
muscular envelopes. At the same time, our
building suggests volume without mass
it appears to have been dematerialized,
impregnated by a light that is both literal
and metaphorical.

a pavilion and its place in the city

and architecturally, do pavilions have

What is the role of an iconic pavilion that is

a place in society and relevant in place

placed specifically in Singapore?

making of cities?

It has to engage with the specific climate of Singapore,

which is beautiful and precise; a tropical garden
landscape. There has to be a response. It has to
understand the cultural sensitivity, which the artists
being shown have responded to. So the architecture also
has to respond to that modernity and what that means to
be a Singaporean modernity. It also has to have the voice
of emerging talent.

I think it does. Pavilions always have a place, but more so

in the way we interpret them in the 20th and 21st century,
[which] is that its temporality is a magical thing. There was
temporality in the old days, but it was to do with what I call,
lightweight architecture; tent architecture. We have much
more material and technological resource so we can make
pavilions look like facsimiles of real buildings but they are
not quite. We have more material disposition.
[So now] we can invite the public in ways that at
other times we could not. We could make forms that
create collective engagement, collective awareness
about something. The architecture can bring an idea to
the fore, that putting in another building might [not].
For example, people might not be interested in going

More and more these days, we see the

concept of guerrilla stores, pop-up stores
and pavilions. Pavilions are seen as iconic
objects, society symbols, like public art
activating civic spaces. Programmatically

to a museum. But if this pavilion is in a market place, and

they go to the market everyday, they might walk past
this thing and say, Hey thats interesting to me, I want
to engage with it. That is the power of the pavilion: its
ability to be site specific, it can move to wherever, the
economic heart, the cultural heart and reactivate that
and bring a topic directly to the people in a strong way. It
is a part of architecture that is important.
Some people think that architecture is an elite
thing sometimes but architecture is everywhere and it
is what gives information to people about what the state
of their lives are like. The quality of the environment tells
you, when you start to buy a certain kind of sofa, [...]
that you feel better about your place. The physicalizing
of your space informs you about your state of being.
So architecture and pavilions can play a role in public
edification; to edify, inform and inspire the public.

Can that only happen if the pavilion travels?

58

Not travels but is responsive. In our societies, the place

where say, the young might be and where you want to
capture the young, is very transitory. One place may
trendy one time, then another place could be trendy. So
you might build a big major building in one place but the
information this building provides might not be relevant
again to this transitory group. So this idea of using
a pavilion can target specifically and say, This is only
here for a month, this is the spot to be, you have got to
be here.

in it something comes, hopefully something to give you

some fun, pleasure and information. It is [not] the content
of the pavilion that is doing the work. We have a lot of
content information everywhere, but people do not have
access to it and do not necessarily go find it. The content
is still there, it might be in a government building, it may
be somewhere else but to remove that content and place
it in a container that reactivates people, [that] is not to
be underestimated. There is a great message given.
Retailers know it very well and they use it all the time.

do with their cultural perception, whether [they are

against] religious, social or generational backgrounds.
Understanding these things is critical because you may
think putting up a glass wall in Europe says one thing
but in this area (Singapore) it would say a different
thing. Knowing what to do and how it affects people is
important and that is what I mean by cultural sensitivity.

the winning entry: soft machine by

lekker architects
How do you think the winning entry has

You said earlier that the pavilion has to

displayed cultural sensitivity?

Has this got to do with what the content is

engage climate and be cultural sensitive.

because the pavilion is a vehicle for that?

Cultural-tropes, cultural signifiers and signals are

important for designers to understand and to learn about
when working in a place. Every culture understands
an edge, a seat, a wall slightly differently. [It has] to

The winning entry has a great sense of the room without

enclosure. [The design] is a system, which extends to the
landscape and the landscape is invited in, but it does not
have an enclosure. It was one of the few [entries] that did
not define it. The barrier is permeable. And that is one of

What is then the role of the pavilion per se?

The pavilion is the attractor, like the Trojan Horse. It is

the object which is a marvel, creates interest and then

The Artling-OUE Pavilion is expected to

travel to a range of unknown sites. Our team
wanted to ensure that these would not only be
green-field areas, but might also be integrated
into the everyday spaces of Singapore. This
might include operating in place of a mundane
infrastructural element. To demonstrate this,
we show a version of the pavilion that might
substitute as one of the many temporary
overhead pedestrian bridges used by LTA in
the expansion of the MRT system. Here, the
experience of the art gallery merges with that
of a circulation corridor, bringing art to spaces
and visitors who may not normally seek it out.
In this version, two masts contain stairs
and temporary lifts (similar to those used in
universally-accessible temporary site offices).
The bridge meets LTA clearance standards,
at a height of 5.6 meters. The structure is
anchored in one of two ways: either with a
600mm concrete mat at the base of the masts,
as in the LTA bridges themselves, or with
multiple counterweights sitting above ground,
within the masts themselves.

We are also excited by the possibility

that the gallery might be taken to
relatively compact urban sites. These
include voids in existing fabric, at URA
parking lots, or on un-built land where
many condominium show-flats are
found. For this, we have designed a
tower formation: a compact, fourstorey gallery that is approximately 1/4
the size of the Marina Bay scheme.
In this configuration, galleries are
cantilevered around a central mast,
anchored as in the bridge scheme. A
multipurpose space (gallery and other
programs) is located at the ground.
The second and third floors are used
for painting and photography, and
limited display of sculpture. The
upper floor is a currently shown
as a caf with a balcony.

because it is not about the national boundary (which is

one thing), but it is about the particularity of the planet. I
think things should work within their context.
How does the pavilion outwardly respond to
the immediacy of the city and its context?

the great qualities of a garden city. The permeability and

that inside-outside relationship is a tropical thing.
The cultural signal does not have to be what you
know. It has to provoke you. As they develop it, the
engagement of this system will give you those cultural
signals. They are trying to create an image in the future
one that does not exist yet. We have to support and
encourage that exploration and experimentation. That
exploration is what will give you the edge for the next
20 years.
The winning entry shows three different
scenarios that it can be configured in a city.

All the other [entries] proposed re-configuring the shape

of the pavilion. This one is the only one that considered
the Singaporean landscape. For example, there are these
highways that small communities are close to and you
might use the pavilion to create a way of moving [across]
a road. This is very intelligent because it talks about
infrastructure, community, fragility and how architecture

can intervene. This is a smart designer that has showed

us something we did not think about. [They] understand
the notion of infill sites in cities where things are being
destroyed and made. There was an intelligence about it,
we felt, that rose above the rest.

The engagement of the form is really articulated here. [The

winning design has] no formal entry. It is a very dissolved
pavilion. All the others have a doorway or a system that
you come through, like a standard small building. I think
this project resisted that and that resistance showed an
intelligence about the engagement of and relationship to
the city. The answer is in that project.
It is not solved. They now have six months to develop
them, work with the Client to make [the design] efficient,
deal with sustainability issues, to have specialists now
work with them, to get it to a point that when they build
it, it is a fine piece of work.

How does one create an intimate connection

How do we see the interiority of the Pavilions

between the individual with the city through

chosen program, which is an art gallery, in

the enclosure of the pavilion?

relation to the city?

The frame of the architecture is the intimacy and

understanding its power. For me, that intimacy, in the
scheme that we chose, used one device as their primary
move. That was the roof in the primary state. That is the
critical device of intimacy because the sky is the infinity
and they used the roof as a way to make the measure of
human scale and got it really quickly. Once they set that
datum, people can come underneath and feel like it is
something about them. Very intelligent.
This would work in any tropical landscape. That is
what I like about work that is geographically responsive

The pavilion is not necessarily answering a question

about the uniqueness of the museum world. It is
making a public space for display, in a looser term. [The
designers] do not know the collection yet nor engaged
the artwork. But they have created enough of a frame
and added more [such as] a dissolved volume [that
has] interior moments and moments of inside-outside
display, so that the display could be happening on the
forms that are supporting the roof. So they can be
just always there, less like a room, more like a form in
the city.

60

singapore architectural design

How do you feel about the entries submitted
in this competition? Is there a collective
trend here?

I feel that it is really good and that there is a healthy,

thinking culture here. The architectural community here
[in Singapore] is sophisticated and can create young
practices that can produce a range of things that we do
not expect to see and more. I was impressed. There are
good projects and there are some that are not so good;
there is the normal stuff and there is some copying. But
that is all healthy; at least you are looking at things.
There is an interest in something that is representative
of this region.

Second prize entry by 23.5 Degree G-Architects Pte Ltd,

Reconfiguring the pART to Whole: The Artling Pavilion
is ...designed as a multi-use and highly flexible structure
which may serve the needs of the institution both in its
operation during exhibitions and thereafter. The concept
begins with the creation of a completely neutral and
minimal platform, enclosed and conditioned to provide
an empty hull for which a figural architectural object will
reside. This hull space, fabricated from a simple and
modular construction system, is constructed of ready
made standardized industrial elements, is not dissimilar
to those used for outdoor events and stage set ups for
performances. The figural object will be fragmented in
such a way that it may operate both in its closed and
open form providing two fixed arrangements for the
consumption of art and a myriad of possibilities through its
open configurability.
In its closed orientation, it provides for a highly
intimate and completely interiorized space for private
showing and an unobstructed zone within the platforms

limits for open receptions or performances. While in its

open orientation, the highly articulated objects breaks
apart into a number of semi-autonomous pieces which
both more than doubles the amount of display surface for
larger art showings but also creates privatized pockets
of space for the possibility of other programmatic needs.
It will be fabricated using digital tools of design and
fabrication to minimize material waste and maximize
efficiency in construction.
Zones of various scales such as the VIP dining
room, the small auction room, a champagne bar, etc can
all be easily implemented and fine tuned in their absolute
dimensions, adjusting to needs of its inhabitants at any
given time. The figural objects are situated on light tracks
with wheels on the floor to enable the transformation
process from their open to closed stats. The architecture
is reimagined, logistically speaking, almost similar to large
scale pieces of urban furniture. The tabula rasa of the
empty pavilion hull is thus rendered as a dynamic space;
the discrete parts which create the figural object can be
recomposed ad infinitum, reconfiguring the use of the
space and creating smaller compartments for other uses.
Additionally, the fractured pieced may also be used
before and after the final installation in Marina Bay, working
as small kiosks or coffee shops or information centres
throughout the city in any of Singapores bustling young
neighbourhoods, or simply used as a marketing tool to
promote the Artling organization and raise awareness of its
presence in the city. Conceptually, the project relies on this
notion of flexibility and adaptability to provide a burgeoning
new art institution the mobility it needs.
A new generation of art, art production, and art
consumption demands an institution which can revitalize
its trajectory, aiming to synthesize the dialogue of
creation and exhibition while simultaneously redefining
its architecture in itself as a work of art. A temporary,
movable, and reconfigurable structure possesses the
possibility of resolving the adaptive needs of this new
understanding of art today.

community
62

c u lt u r a l
significance
by Yvonne Xu | Images courtesy RobeRt GReG Shand aRchitectS

The Indian Heritage Centre in Singapores

Little India conservation district is a layered,
multi-faceted contemporary solution that
sensitively addresses context, culture, history,
and ideas of urban place making.

he Indian and South Asian communitys

is a multiple, diverse, and complex
culture and history, so when an
institution such as an Indian Heritage
Centre (IHC) was proposed to be built in
Singapore, it was clear that even if the building had to
be emblematic as a cultural and community institution,
its architectural expression could not easily appropriate
any one formal specificity, and nor should it. Through a
design competition organized jointly with the Singapore
Institute of Architects, the National Heritage Board
therefore made a call for ideas for a modern building
an innovative and contemporary architectural design
that is representative and respectful of Indian heritage,
as Mr R Jayachandran, Chairman of the IHC Design and
Construction Sub-Committee put it.

IHC would feature small-scale museum facilities as

well as community and educational spaces and would be
located on a tight triangular shaped site, nestled amongst
the shop houses of the colourful, bustling Little India
conservation district. The space requirement was for two
large galleries housing the centres permanent collection,
a special exhibition gallery for changing exhibitions, and
an activity space for smaller groups that could be closed
off when in use or opened up to complement the special
exhibition gallery. The challenge was to maximise gallery
and activity space, while keeping ancillary and back-ofhouse areas to a functionally minimum size. The building
should also achieve a minimum Greenmark Gold rating,
while meeting environmental control requirements in
terms of gallery temperatures and relative humidity.
In Robert Greg Shand Architects and URBNarcs
winning design proposal, the form of the building is a
direct response to the site. It maximizes site use, and
opens a facade facing the pedestrianized Campbell
Lane for connection with the streetscape. A covered
pedestrian corridor aligns with and extends the adjacent
shophouses five foot way.
The overall building form and architectural finishes
form a backdrop of rational utilitarianism against which
the centres programme, and other design detailing
provide counterbalance. The palette is mainly concrete,
granite, glass, steel, with teak (carved) and travertine
(book matched). The galleries are conceptualised as
repositories of calm and reflection, a respite that is
juxtaposed with the intensity of the surrounding Little
India. These internal spaces have the sense of being

Faade staircase: One of the key strategies in

saving energy is the not to use air conditioning
for the main circulation space between the
galleries facing the street. A pressure difference
is created from top to bottom by extracting
air at the top of the space and drawing in air
in from below. This is enhanced by the stack
effect of hot air rising, through metal mesh, in
this confined vertical space. Fans fitted within
the space also increase air velocity.

the dark, the deep, and the enclosed, which generated

opposing opportunities for openness and externality. One
is the externalisation of the vertical circulation by way of
faade staircases, on the side facing Campbell Lane.
To maximise efficiency within a small site footprint,
the building is serviced by a single lift. This lift functions
both as a service lift for exhibits (accessed from the
loading bay at the ground level) and as a passenger lift
for visitors. Visitors are taken up to the fourth level in the
lift and move down to the third and second level galleries
via facade staircases.

Transparency in building:
The original design scheme
had proposed glass mosaics
to be used to compose
the faade, so the building
would be iridescent in the
sunlight, and clear at night
when backlit. The idea
was scrapped as it had
turned out to be technically
unfeasible. Additionally, there
was a desire for the building
to have greater transparency
and a stronger connection
with the street.

64

e L e vaT I o n 1

e L e vaT I o n 3

e L e vaT I o n 2

e L e vaT I o n 4

indian heRitaGe centRe, SinGaPoRe

land area
built-in GFa
architect
design team
urban design &
general advisory consultant
main contractor
gallery fitout design
project management
c&s
faade consultant
m&e
quantity surveyor
lighting consultant
landscape consultant

1,033.8m2
3,089.68m2
robert greg shand architects
robert greg shand, Luther maynard sim,
avy Janda, anna Dayan
urbNarc Pte Ltd
yong Xing construction Pte Ltd
gsmprjct creation Pte Ltd
sIPm consultants Pte Ltd
surbana International consultants Pte Ltd
Passage Projects
mott macdonald singapore Pte Ltd
Franklin + andrews Pte Ltd
ong + ong Pte Ltd
robert greg shand architects

1ST STorey pLan

2nd STorey pLan

SeCTIon - a

A key design reference for staircase is the Indian

step well specifically, the famous Chand Baori in India.
The baori was a water catchment for the Abhaneri village
in eastern Rajasthan. That it was also a community
hub for the Abhaneri locals sets up the baori as an apt
reference for the heritage centre. The cavernous well
narrows towards its bottom, with steps built into the sides
leading down to the water. The criss-crossing patterning
of the double flights of steps became the main inspiration
for IHCs facade staircase.
The steel structure of the curtain wall glazing
echoes the staircases behind, creating a unique and
recognizable motif for the building. The composition of
the curtain wall glazing and staircases form a threedimensional jali, the traditional Indian lattice screen, to
modulate light, air, and views between the streetscape
and the galleries. The baori motif is further seen in other
design details, such as the counter and columns, and
the patterning on the pedestrian street in Campbell Lane.

SeCTIon - B

3rd STorey pLan

Lower roof pLan

4TH STorey pLan

upper roof pLan

66

Main lobby and ticketing counter

Also central to the design is the mural concept,

which turns the external side of gallery wall into a large
canvas. Together with the movement of people on the
facade staircases, the mural energizes the building by
way of creating a living wall (at night, lights on the mural
wall are dimmed while colour-changing LED lights fitted
across the curtain wall light up in programmed patterns).
Integrated, the mural and facade create an immediate
dialogue with the street and community. It may also be
interesting to note how mural art (as opposed to artefacts
in the galleries) further build on the idea of private and
public, and enclosure and externalization. It is such
layering and integration that keeps the design effective,
as the hard functionalism required of the building and site,
the softer socio-cultural aspirations of the community, as
well as the beauty of decoration come together to push
the building towards a kind of Vitruvian ideal.
The centre officially opens in May 2015

(foreground) Tribune
staircase at main entrance

The entry portal forms a significant architectural element

of the building at street level. The portal is intricately
carved in granite to give a tactile quality, in contrast to
the utilitarian bare off-form finish of the other columns.
A carved 5m high teak door tucks inside the portal,
providing a further layer of richness and invites visitors
to approach and touch the building. In traditional Indian
architecture, such entry portals would be grand and
majestic feature. For IHC, it is scaled to the urban site.
(Photos of artisans workshop in Mahabalipuram)

TEKA SINGAPORE PTE LTD

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community
68

play and read

Story and imageS courteSy Olivier Ottevaere and JOhn lin

This small village library in China, with a roof that

doubles as a playground, took the inaugural prize for
Small Project of the Year at the World Architecture
Festival 2014 (Marina Bay Sands, Singapore). In this
project, architects John Lin and Olivier Ottevaere
worked with a team of students at the University
of Hong Kong to design and build a library and
community centre in the earthquake-damaged
village of Shuanghe in Yunnan Province.

he Pinch is a library and community

centre in Shuanghe Village, Yunnan
Province, China. The project is part
of a government-led reconstruction
effort after an earthquake in Sept
2012. The majority of village houses were destroyed,
leaving the residents living in tents for up to one year.
After the earthquake, the government has sponsored
new concrete and brick houses and a large central plaza.
During the first site visit, the houses remained incomplete
and the plaza was a large empty site.
The University of Hong Kong decided to sponsor

the design and implementation of a new library building.

Located in the new but empty public plaza, it would
serve to activate the community and provide a physical
memorial for the event. The site of the library is against
a 4m high retaining wall. The design spans across this
level difference and acts as a bridge between the rebuilt
village and the new memorial plaza. Emphasizing its
location in a remote mountain valley, the design responds
visually to the space of the valley, offering stunning views
across a dramatic double curved roof. The structure
itself rises to a peak, a monument to the earthquake and
rebuilding effort.

As a Knowledge Exchange Project, the construction

involves collaboration with a local timber manufacturing
factory. The process resulted in the development of a
surprisingly diverse form through simple means. A series
of trusses is anchored between the upper road level
and lower plaza level. The form of each truss changes
to create both a gradual incline (to bring people down)
and then a sharp upward pitch (to elevate the roof). The
trusses were covered in an aluminium waterproofing
layer and timber decking. On the interior, the trusses
extend downward to support a floating bookshelf. Simple
traditional school benches are used as chairs. The
polycarbonate doors can open to create a completely
open space extending out to the plaza
Rather than submitting to the abandonment of wood
construction (as with the houses after the earthquake),
the project reasserts the ability to build contemporary
timber structures in remote areas of China.

stay
70

defined by flux
by T Y Au | Images courtesy K2LD ArchiTecTs

The all-new hotel G @ Kelawei, like its predecessor the G @ Gurney,

raises the bar for hospitality projects in Penang and perhaps foretell
of a new approach towards architecture here in years to come.

lthough he may loathe to admit it, the

island of Penang was a significant
platform for Ko Shiou Hee, principal
and founder of K2LD Architects, to
elevate his architecture and interior
design career. His first public project, the G Hotel in
Penang, renamed as G @ Gurney, was completed in 2007
and provided him with a canvas to explore his philosophy
of sense and sensibility in the use of material, colour and
lighting. Although K2Ld was mainly responsible for the
interior re-planning and design, the project pushed and
raised the design envelope and expectations in Penang,
winning international accolades and awards. A sister hotel,
G @ Kelawei, situated just a stone throws away, has
recently been completed. In this latter project, K2LD was
totally responsible for both the architecture and interiors,
collaborating with local Penang firm, Architect T Y Au.
G @ Kelawei is conveniently situated next to Gurney
Plaza and Paragon Mall, Penangs main shopping attractions
even as the building is dwarfed by its neighbours due to the
floor area ratio restrictions. Its wave-like ledges, placement
of sun screens and vertical trellises, as well as choice of
colour in starkly contrasting black and white, make the
building stand out. The building consists of a four-storey
podium, a 20-storey tower block and a two-storey basement
carpark. The public areas at the podium are limited to the
ground, first and second floors.
The F&B outlets are the all-day dining cafe Spoon
which has an alfresco area, the 2PM lounge on the ground
floor also with alfresco seating, and Gravity skybar on the
23rd floor where the infinity pool is. Spoon is strategically
located at the second floor where diners get picturesque
views out over the tops of Angsana trees along the streets
and to the hills beyond. The interior takes inspiration from
Penangs colonial past and rich Peranakan influence,
simplified and abstracted with a modern sensibility.

While Kos philosophy of sense and sensibility was

clearly evident in the first hotel G @ Gurney, his exploration
for G @ Kelawai is focused on the concept of flux a
contemporary mindset and state of living and existence.
According to Ko, flux is a condition of the digital world and
information society we live in. All the design geometries and
patterns consistently reflect this idea of flux in changing
and criss-crossing states the modular wall panels, carpet,
facade, and screens throughout the entire building.

72

Lobby, reception and concierge

G hOTeL KeLAWAi, PeNANG

client
project manager
architect
design architect/interior design
design team
c&s engineer
m&e engineer
cost consultant
graphic design
lighting consultant
kitchen consultant
landscape designer

gHotel sdn bhd

altinum Pmc sdn bhd
architect t y au
K2LD architects
Ko shiou Hee, David Lee, KJ Phua,
melissa yie, Ning Xian Lin, oh york bin,
may rattanachai, calvin chua
KNK consult sdn bhd
Jurutera Perunding Valdun sdn bhd
Limited edition (m) sdn bhd
Duet Design Pte Ltd
the Lightbox Pte Ltd
amglo consult sdn bhd
Watermount gardens Pte Ltd

2PM Lounge (the name is derived from the

address of the hotel, 2 Persiaran Maktab)

Spoon all-day dining cafe

For the faade, the core idea for the buildings distinct
look was to create a faade using minimum material, thus
helping in reducing material consumption. Only 21% of the
surface area is white expanded mesh. As expanded mesh
material efficiency is 50%, thus only 10% of the elevation
surface area is used to create 100% of the facade language.
The repetitive modules of the standard-size double-glazed
windows used also reduces production and construction error,
besides improving the heat insulation property of the building
and lowering the energy consumption.
Inside is a photographers delight! The furniture, soft
furnishings through to the signages throughout the entire
hotel, have all been carefully thought out and positioned, such
that there is a frame at every view or glance. Surprises and
visual delight abound in the compact space. The contrast in
materials and the carefully composed lighting invite one to
touch and feel the elements in the building.

74

Ground floor

level 1

level 2

Guestrooms

TyPical floorPlan

level 23

Executive Lounge

Rooftop pool and Gravity skybar

The lobby is enveloped in a luxurious gold-coloured

trellis, akin to a golden bird cage, and is accentuated by soft
lighting and dark panelling. In the rooms, lighter shades are
chosen for the walls, offset by simple dark panelling and
furniture, accentuated by a bright lamp, a carefully selected
and positioned table and a Yves Behar Sayl chair made by
Herman Miller. The rooms have a cosmopolitan chic feel
to them. Bathrooms are lined with selected and matching
Venus White marble with light coloured, solid surface
counter tops.
In the evening, the building appears like a lantern
when its exterior sun screens and vertical white trellises
lit up atmospherically. The small compact site is lined
with selected foliage, and the outdoor dining at the
ground floor is carefully screened off from the road with
manicured landscaping.

practice

each project
is an experiment

76

by Rebecca Lo | Images and project descrIptIons courtesy Luk Studio

A citizen of the world, Christina Luk grew up in Hong Kong and was educated
in London and Toronto. The University of Toronto-trained architect got her feet
wet working for B+H, one of Canadas busiest multidisciplinary firms, before
relocating to one of its branch offices in Shanghai. She moved onto Neri & Hu
Design and Research Office as a senior project manager working on hospitality
jobs all over the country for several years before establishing Luk Studio
in 2011 in Shanghai. The boutique firm has a portfolio that includes urban
planning, heritage conservation, mix-use architectural complexes, institutional
and hospitality interiors, and gallery exhibits. She talks to REBECCA LO
about the path that led her to running a practise in mainland Chinas most
international city, and how she remains grounded and true to herself.
Christina Luk, Founder and Director of Shanghai-based
practice, Luk Studio: ... I like the idea of discovery and
surprise, so I do try to create these moments to enhance
a spatial experience. Lighting is the soul of a space and I
spend a lot of time trying to make sure we get that right.

Growing up in Hong Kong, what sparked your

interest in architecture?

Having discovered my love for drawing and doodling,

my mother enrolled me into drawing classes when I was
probably around four years old. It was not a fancy place,
and there were kids from all ages packed into a small
studio. Sometimes we would even get to make porcelain
dolls or paper sculptures. These few fun hours of my
weekend were invaluable to my aesthetic development.
I was fascinated by the idea of creating, and that led me
to appreciate the beautiful designs around me.
Why did you study in the UK? What were some
of the important lessons that you learned
when you lived there?

To study abroad was a bit of a trend back then; maybe

it still is. As a slightly rebellious teenager, I had always
dreamt of seeing the rest of the world or, more
accurately at that point, the Western world. My dad was
working in a company run by the Brits and naturally
he was convinced that the British education system
was the right choice. In the end, I picked and got into
a boarding school with an impressive art department.
Little did I know that this beautiful posh school was
located in a small town with a predominantly senior
population! You can imagine the shock I experienced as
a teenager coming from a metropolis like Hong Kong.
I was so much happier when I moved closer to London

for my art foundation study year. I suppose one important

realisation was how much I loved being in cities. Though
nowadays I do occasionally get away from the hustle and
bustle, I am an urban-dweller by nature.
What was the environment like at University
of Torontos architecture programme? What
were some of the challenges and rewards of
living in Toronto?

Jumping from an art college in London to U of T was

another cultural shock for me. It was quite a competitive
environment; I remember feeling inadequate during most
of my university years. We would devote all our energies

to studio projects and pulling an all-nighter was a

common thing to brag about among peers. Thinking back
now, I am grateful for the rigorous and comprehensive
curriculum at university. Our professors taught us to
appreciate context, tectonics, details, and question ideas
out loud. It was also the time when we would draft with
ink on mylar, build contour models out of millboard or
basswood, and present a project in sections and models
rather than renderings.
Living in Toronto, a multi-cultural city, allowed me
to learn more about other ethnicities while embracing
my own. Sunny summers in Ontario were glorious; I do
miss outdoor sports and camping a lot. However, the long

Yan Ling Lane Creative Hub is a

renovation project to rehabilitate two
mid-rise towers and one heritage
building in Nanjing. Culture & Creativity
are accumulated through time. If we
were to visualize this process, perhaps
it would take shape as stacked written
records. With this massing in mind,
we then subtract volumes from the
existing, closely packed building
blocks. The method not only improves
daylighting and privacy between
tenants, but also creates a welcoming
open public area on the ground level.

and frigid winters can be challenging. Fortunately, I enjoy

skiing, so at least there was always something to look
forward to.
How did you end up working at B+H and its
Shanghai office? What did working at B+H
and Neri & Hu teach you about the business?

I think in my heart, I knew that I wanted to eventually

work in Asia. However, I was not ready to leave Toronto
yet right after graduation. When I knew that B+H was
hiring, I was attracted by the fact that they have an
established office in Shanghai. I thought that maybe one
day I could work there. I was very lucky that this idea
actually became reality.
As for design and architecture, we will forever
be driven by deadlines. I think the difference between
business models is in what the company heads choose

as priorities. Having worked at different offices and now

that I am running my own studio, Ive come to realise
that there are simply no rules in this organic business
because everything changes all the times. The truth is
that those who are passionate about what they do will
strive to make things work. And when there are a few
people working together who love what they do, they can
make magic.
What was Shanghai like when you first moved
there compared to how the city is today, from
a design perspective?

To be honest, there is still so much I dont know about

this city. The busy core has been expanding. Every now
and then, I would pass by an area or a building that I
have never seen before. When I first arrived here, I was
fascinated about how diverse this city was, from intact-

78

looking historic li-long (laneway neighbourhood) and

1930s Art Deco buildings to record-breaking skyscrapers.
I also loved its urban scale that makes walking and biking
such pleasant activities.
I suppose one obvious and unfortunate change has
been the sprawl of shopping malls all over the city, as
most of them happen at the expense of the older urban
fabric. Although in some way we benefit from Shanghais
development because more design opportunities arise,
I do hope this gentrification would slow down, better
integrate the past and provide more public and cultural
programmes. A vibrant city needs much more than shiny
giant venues for mass consumption. We do have new art
galleries like Power Station of Art and a few others along
the West Bund, I just wish they could be more central.
Why did you make Shanghai your base,
instead of returning to Canada or Hong Kong?

Life happens. I met my husband; we renovated an old

apartment and called it our home. Then I managed to

Apt 7: The apartment is located on the top floor of an old four-storey midrise in
central Shanghai that was originally constructed for and occupied by one family
in the 1930s. While the rest of the street has been developed into residential
compounds and offices, this little remnant of the past has retained the charm
of old Shanghai, while enjoying all the conveniences of a quickly developing
neighbourhood. Apartment 7 brings a freshness to the street faade by nestling
a glass box into the existing structure. Through some clever space planning, the
85m 2 apartment has been completely transformed into two main areas, a public
and a private zone. The living, dining and kitchen area is a generous and open
social space for the owners who love to entertain. The private area consisting of
a small study and two bedrooms is tucked away behind...

The Platform, a design for Baker One, is located in downtown Shanghai near the busy
Nanjing Pedestrian Zone. The previous multi-coloured storefront was lost amongst the
chaotic signage of an intersection corner where vehicle and pedestrian traffic levels
are immense. To filter the visual chaos, the facelift begins by introducing grey cement
cladding as a buffer zone. Interior views are then framed by large openings along
the faade. While the hustle and bustle of the streetscape takes form as a series of
screenplays in the relaxed interior, the hearty display of baked goods welcomes passersby to flow through the store and grab a bite. The display counter is a continuation of
a wooden datum that connects interior to exterior. This platform of reclaimed wooden
planks marks the corner and stages all in- and out-fluxes. In contrast to the grounded
platform, floating baking pans of various molding patterns compose a feature ceiling
throughout the bakery. Whisks are modified into pendant fixtures and rolling pins
are celebrated as door handles. All elements amalgamate in a visual identity that
complements the smell of the artisanal bakery.

80

gather other designers and we have enough work to

stay busy. I think its more like Shanghai has chosen me.
Maybe life will move me again in the future, but right
now this city is an exciting hub bringing in the rest of
the world.
How would you describe your creative style?
Do you have a signature look?

This is really a question for others; I would not be the

best person to answer it. My intention is to treat each
project as a unique challenge, so I dont think that I have
a particular style. I suppose I have developed a certain
routine when I approach a project. For example, I like the
idea of discovery and surprise, so I do try to create these
moments to enhance a spatial experience. Lighting is the

Coquille Seafood Bistro: Located among franchise restaurants and cafs on Mengzi
Road in Shanghais Huangpu district, Coquille aims to bring a different dining
experience to the surrounding middle-class community. The restaurant takes up two
bays of a commercial strip, the mundane brick and glazing envelope of which could
not be significantly altered. To introduce a French seafood bistro into this context,
we decided to create our own site. We extend the street level into the original sunken
restaurant and create a picturesque new faade inspired by French bistro storefronts
with shuttered openings. Double-glazed doors allow the original faade to open up
completely and patio seating to spread outside during the warmer season. This blurred
boundary between inside and out not only softens the transition from the banal street to
the lush interior, but also sets the mood of the restaurant...

A Gift Box: Aim Ptisserie, a new brand entering the Shanghai market,
has positioned its flagship store in an elevated retail strip on Huai Hai
Road. The chosen site is flanked by familiar coffee and donut franchises,
and fronted by a city bus-stop. Across the street is the recently opened
shopping mall flaunting an array of luxury brands. The design challenge
of the store is to stand out from its immediate chaos and appeal to the
clientele from the close-by gentrified neighbourhood. Our strategy is to
dress this newcomer up as a white present. The unwrapping experience of
the Aim gift box is translated into the physical store. The idea of layering
appears when we lift one semicircular translucent paper after another to
discover the colourful macaroons within. This opening sequence gives
form to the overhead storefront design, while the window display made of
four translucent layers attracts passers-by to explore inside the store.
Beyond the 4.5m retail storefront lies a turning L-shape layout divided
into two zones: the foyer with bar seating and the display counter at the
back. With a lower ceiling, the former compresses views of the latter, yet
frames the illuminated feature wall to capture the curious minds. Every
step forward heightens the discovery of the playful interior where the 9m
long counter showcasing macaroons and other goodies in perfect order.
The illuminated feature wall composed of stacked gift boxes at
various states of opening draws ones eyes up to the ceiling were the
whimsical pattern continues. The versatile modular system allows for
necessary wall display shelves, and ceiling openings for spotlights,
speakers, and security devices.
In light of the neutral palette evoking a gallery ambience, the branding
wall is created with an artistic approach where aluminium bands are
twirled and bent to cast calligraphic shadow. A visit to this white gift box
should be a delight to the eyes as much as to the sweet tooth.

82

Lab Whisky & Cocktail Bar in Jing An District, Shanghai: The idea is to create
a bar that celebrates the essence of drinking: the people, the bottles and their
stories. When one asks what makes the best memory in a bar, the answers
surround three inter-related ingredients: the companionship, the ambience and
definitely the drinks. While we rely on our client on the third element, we aim
to create a cosy atmosphere where strangers become friends, friends become
soulmates, and soulmates become lovers.
We think of the many scenarios while we shape the spaces of different
intimacy: whisky connoisseurs exchange notes with the bartender and his
neighbours at the feature bar, strangers eyes meet and start chit-chat on either
sides of the wooden wall; friends share secrets on the mezzanine; loner enjoys
her solitude yet flaunts herself along the catwalk bar. While the elevated floor
design subtly marks the various areas, the blur between the public and the
private brings out the playful and voyeuristic minds. Every visit to LAB should be
a uniquely social experiment...

soul of a space and I spend a lot of time trying to make

sure we get that right.

from massing to details. With this underlying story, all

the decisions can be solved easily with a basis. For
example, when it came to selecting a material and colour
palette for our office around a tree, we instantaneously
picked white walls and light grey concrete flooring. Not
so much because it provides better natural lighting, but
more about increasing the chances of foliage shadows
captured within the interiors.
What are some of the advantages and

Do you prefer working on small scale interior

disadvantages of working in Shanghai?

projects rather than large buildings or sites?

Pros and cons are usually two sides of the same ball.
Everything can be custom made, but sometimes when
you want to pick something from a standard catalog,
there might not be one. The experience and capability
of contractors and consultants vary, and they dont
necessarily follow any standard procedures. Therefore,
the resulting work has more to do with how much the
designers push and how much time the client allows for
the project. The whole design community in Shanghai
is relatively young, so when they get to be involved

No, I dont have a preference. Our studio welcomes

design challenges at all scales. Having said that, I think
smaller projects are great training exercises. They help
prepare us for more complex projects in the future.
How important are an underlying concept and
reinforcing that concept through materials in
your projects?

I have learned that a concept drives everything in a project,

in a project from the beginning until the end, within a

short time frame, everyone gets excited and works very
hard to finish within these unreasonable fast deadlines.
Sometimes I do miss having someone senior and
experienced in the office such as a specifications writer,
who I can ask about any precautions on some details or
the quality of a specific insulation product. In that sense,
each project is an experiment. We are accumulating
knowledge through our mistakes and trying not to make
them again.
What are your goals for Luk Studio?

Currently, our studio is run like a family business and

everyone is helping out where they can. I hope that as
we keep growing, we can form a more mature office and
team structure, yet maintain our simple and cosy working
atmosphere. I do hope that we get to work on public or
cultural projects as well as commercial ones. It would be
my dream if we get to work on architectural projects such
as schools, kindergartens, galleries, theatres or maybe
public housing.

Luke Studio, an Office Around a Tree: Valued moments in architecture

are manifested through the synthesis of the exterior with the interior. In an
urban context, these moments are often public and ephemeral, noticed only
through the interplay of dappling sunrays, shifting shadows and passing
breeze as one strolls down the street. However, sometimes, our encounter
of nature can be more intimate and permanent. In this project of our design
studio, that moment of permanence came rooted in a forgotten courtyard. It
is an old tree, the chimonanthus tree, known also as wintersweet. We were
immediately charmed and so naturally, our design efforts became focused on
restoring the dignity of this abandoned tree.
The site is located in a li long a typical late 19th century Shanghai
neighbourhood characterized by the laneways that connect the history,
buildings, inhabitants and gossips within. Over the years, this Wintersweet
witnessed the passage of time while surviving numerous abuses and a lack
of maintenance. We want it to be our secret, but more importantly, we want
to protect it. Thus, we create a buffer to the laneways, starting with a large
glazed door framed in a stainless steel lined porch, followed by a series of
spaces that includes a foyer gallery, utility rooms and pantry.
We then surround our tree with the spaces we would spend most of our
time in, namely the conference room and our working area. A floor-to-ceiling
double-glazing enclosure allows our tree to be omnipresent. Additionally, we
devised a way to physically bring the tree inside by capturing its shadows. A
light colour palette was decided for all interior surfaces, including fixtures and
furniture, transforming the interiors into a projection screen and presenting a
shadow show composed by the tree, its foliage and sunlight. Thus, this tree
is always in sight, always a part of the interiors.
Contrasting with the rooted nature of our Wintersweet, desks in the
main working area cantilever off the wall. The unobstructed legroom, most
appreciated by our playful dogs, is ensured by a wall storage unit for all
computer stations and a multi-functional cable tray system composed of
stackable stationery holders. In line with the airy approach, walls are clad
with white pegboard where different items can be hung: a flexible system
providing more functional surface area for creative use.
To witness how this abandoned lane house transformed into our studio
space has been a fruitful learning experience. The Wintersweet now regains
its purpose to integrate nature with man-made interiors and we enjoy it as a
moment of architecture in our everyday.

What do you do to recharge and re-inspire

yourself?

On a daily basis, I relax when I spend time with my

two dogs and hang out with my husband. On a weekly
basis, I meet up with good friends over a great meal.
And every year, I travel and explore new destinations.
Recently, I have discovered Vipassana meditation and I
am fascinated by its power in balancing the mind and the
body. I do hope I can keep up practicing this technique
and continue the path of Dhamma in my life.

The Luk Sudio team (Christina Luk, seated at front row centre)

dfusion
84

om Dixon unravels his long legs from

a chair in his suite at The Upper House
in Hong Kong to get up and shake
hands. He immediately apologises for
the last minute venue change from his
eponymous shop in PMQ to his hotel room, explaining
that some of his designs arrived late from Shanghai and
are still being unpacked in the store. As part of a multicity blitz that includes Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong
and Macau, his China tour promotes lifestyle products
available through Lane Crawford, a retailer that he has
worked with for the past seven years. At its Pacific Place
Home store, a pop up concept of six shops in shop called
Market Place features a Scent Lab, a Golden Study and
a Club.
It is a joy to work with Lane Crawford, says
Dixon. They are slick at selling, and we have six spaces
in all of their stores. Their commitment is robust. The
Market Place concept allows a broad collection, such as
fragrance and tableware. Its nice to be able to separate
them out.
Born in Tunisia in 1959, Dixon spent his early
childhood moving around North Africa before his family
settled in England in 1963. I dont have a lot of African
heritage, he admits. I lived in Morocco, Egypt and
Tunisia, but I have no Islamic blood. Its interesting,
though, because people see traces of Africa in my work,
even though its not intentional; a sort of expressive
minimalism. Different people will read different
influences. We travelled so much that I was imprinted
with a different perspective at a young age.

from candles
to interiors
by Rebecca Lo | Images courtesy Tom Dixon

Prolific British designer Tom Dixon unveils his

latest collaboration with Lane Crawford: a pop
up concept that immerses customers within his
singular universe. He talks about how the best
parties are yet to come with REBECCA LO.

5
3

Dixon famously dropped out of Chelsea School of

Art to play bass in Funkapolitan during Londons late
70s hopping music scene. He began welding while on
tour, teaching himself how to work with metal and a blow
torch. Back then, you got by with attitude. It was never
my intention to be a designer at all. I started making
things; I was interested in sculpture and art. One night,
we hosted a welding demo during a gig. People who
came to the nightclubs I played needed stuff they were
fashion people or photographers. It was evolutionary.
I didnt have any mentors or teachers; I was doing it all
by myself. Night clubs were party organisations; I worked
Thursday and Friday nights, with weekends and days
free. I was making several hundred pounds a week just
working those nights. I became very productive at making
furniture on my days off, without depending on it for my
income. And there was no one telling me what to do.
By the 80s, Dixon was working with the likes
of Cappellini on his now iconic S chair. Through his
company Eurolounge, he designed and produced Jack,
a polypropylene stool that doubles as a lamp and is also

Tom Dixon

COG stationery

COG collection

Mass bookshelf
and coat stand,
height 200cms

Gem mirror

Cube and Tool

stationery

Trove boxes

86

10

Scent Elements
diffusers and
candles

Melt lamp
(showcasing at
Designjunction
Milan 2015)

10 Lens lamp
(showcasing at
Designjunction
Milan 2015)

stackable. While most designers of his generation tend

to design for large companies, Dixon likes to control
all aspects of a product, from concept to production. I
didnt have a good secondary school experience. I like
being my own boss.
In 1998, Dixon joined Habitat as its head of design,
and moved onto become its creative director until 2008.
I showed up for my interview in a helmet after arriving
on motorcycle, he laughs. The receptionist thought that
I was a courier and I sat for 40 minutes before someone

realised. I joined Habitat because it was an opportunity

to do stuff beyond my current knowledge base. I had
done chairs and lamps before. Habitat taught me about
scale, commerce, branding and steering a company in a
creative direction. I was trying to move so many different
parts. I didnt design for 10 years! It was the other end of
the spectrum. We had products from affordable to high
end, and we shared a factory with IKEA. I learned how to
get things to market.
Dixon was honoured with an OBE in 2001 for his
lifes work, though he is humble about its implications.
I dont wear it often, he deadpans. One time, a friend
was over and wanted to see it. I couldnt find it, as my
cleaning lady had put it in a box with the Christmas
decorations. Thats as much use as it gets. Its nice to
be recognised; its rare in the design world. And its nice
to visit the palace. Its a nice bit of metal. But its not of
huge practical use.
After setting up his Tom Dixon brand in 2002, Dixon

12

11

13

14

11

Wingback dining
chair (showcasing
at Designjunction
Milan 2015)

12

BEAT series

13&14

Mondrian Hotel
London

has a truly global reach and is represented in greater

China, Singapore, South Korea and Japan. Branching out
to interior design through the Design Research Studio
arm of his company further gives a wider audience
access to his designs. Along with Shoreditch House for
Soho House Group, now an entrenched part of Londons
social scene, he designed Tazmanian Ballroom in Hong
Kong for nightclub guru Gilbert Yeung. A pool hall with
retractable tables and a funky, industrial vibe, it featured
Dixons signature pieces. It was a fun project. Gilbert is
a super expert at clubs and he was very specific about
what he needed. It was a great way to showcase what
we do. The club goes back to my roots. His interior
projects include the new Mondrian, a 360-room hotel at

Sea Containers House on the banks of the Thames, and

Jamie Olivers restaurant Barbecoa, in London.
Despite his prolific output, Dixon feels that he is just
hitting his stride. I dont want to think about my legacy.
Im just an up and coming designer. Im still young.
Tom Dixon is presenting The Cinema, an interactive entertainment
show highlighting his latest designs through a series of installations,
in an abandoned 400m 2 theatre located in the Casa dellOpera
Nazionale Balilla, a former 1930s school building that spans
10,000ft 2 over three floors. The show is part of Designjunction
Milan, a satellite edition of the flagship London show that will be
held during Milan Design Week 2015 (April 14 to 19), featuring a
curated selection of 30 leading global design brands, pop-up shops,
installations and a caf. Dixons series of new products, including
wingback chairs and hallucinogenic globular lamps, will be available
for purchase on site.

dfusion

distinguished
pieces

88

Story and imageS courteSy Space Furniture

Bespoke furniture developed for the prestigious projects

by the interiors arm of multi-disciplinary practice SCDA
Architects, renowned multi-award winning firm headed
by founding principal and design director Chan Soo
Khian, is now in the Soo Chan Collection produced by
Poliform, available exclusively at Space Furniture. It is
a collection tailored for discerning homeowners who
appreciate the refinement of luxury living.
SCDA founding principal and
design director Chan Soo Khian

he Soo Chan collection for Poliform

comprises the Java bed, Java bedside
complement, Soori coffee table and the
latest Soori Highline armchair. These
pieces were developed specifically for
some of SCDAs most successful architectural projects
in recent years, such as the Soori Highline in New York,
the Alila Villas Soori in Bali, and the Park Hyatt Maldives.
Soo Chan and Poliform is a match made in
heaven. The Poliform brand has a long heritage of
design excellence, embodying the best of Italian design
underpinned by an uncompromising commitment to
quality. Technological innovation coupled with a strong

Java bed and night complements

Soori coffee table

network of artisanal connections, Poliform is equipped

with the know-how to manufacture Soo Chans designs
to the exacting standards of quality, uncompromising on
the finest of details.
Partnering with Space for the Poliform launch is
the perfect opportunity to reach audiences with a refined
palette for contemporary furniture and fine craftsmanship.
The store celebrates cutting-edge furniture and interior
design, and I am grateful to be a part of this esteemed
collection, said Chan.
Soo Chans designs speak of an understated
elegance which fits into our Poliform collection perfectly,
and yet are able to offer discerning clients something
unique. We are excited about the collections potential
especially in the Asian markets that are of growing
importance to us, said Marco Longoni, export division
manager of Poliform and Varenna by Poliform.
The successful partnership between Soo Chan and
Poliform is testament that Asian design has matured in
its level of sophistication and has arrived on the world
stage with confidence and aplomb. In the pipeline, as
gladly anticipated, are more designs to be added to
the collection.

Soori Highline armchair

shop
90

hen Pan Yi Cheng, the creative

director at multidisciplinary
design studio PRODUCE
was tasked to insert a new
program into the atrium space
of the award-winning School of the Arts (SOTA) designed
by WOHA, he felt the pressure of creating an appropriate
design to suit the eminent host. The programs consisted
of two different, yet affiliated shops that had first opened
in Ann Siang Hill in 2009 the popular Kki Sweets bakery
that serves Japanese-inspired French mousse cakes as
well as a curated selection of home wares, and The Little
Drm Store, which sells whimsical knick-knacks and
design items.
In response, Pan looked to American literary critic
Harold Blooms Anxiety of Influence for inspiration.
In Blooms text, he offers six methods of creative
misprision to help young poets overcome the paralysing
anguish, doubt and self-consciousness that young poets
inevitably feel from the older masters.
Pan applied two of these strategies into the
interior design: Demonisation (or Counter-Sublime) and
Apophrades (or return from the dead). The former taps
into the daemonic power that informed the precursor,
which is a source equal to or greater than the precursor.
The latter (Apophrades originates from the Athenian
dismal or unlucky days upon which the dead returns to
re-inhabit the houses in which they lived) refers to the
conscious effort in engaging the work of the precursor.
In this case, it is the deep structure of SOTA that Pan
actively seeks out, analyses and abstracts into its most
essential diagram a datum plane and the volume
it segregates.

a good engagement
by Luo Jingmei | Images courtesy PRoDuCe | PhotograPhy by eDwaRD HenDRiCks

PRODUCE creates well-defined identities and enchanting encounters

in the design of Kki Sweets and The Little Drm Store.

This datum plane refers to the middle of a triplelayered parti of SOTAs architecture of which below is a
base of performance auditoriums, and above, classrooms.
The middle lifted ground segment is an open mezzanine
looking down at the auditorium foyers in which students
can engage with the public in a secured environment.
In the case of our proposed design, the datum plane
lowers the habitable space [in the shop], making the space
more intimate. The plane is designed as a porous trellis
so that the entire diagram [of SOTA] can be observed and
experienced from within. Volumes above the plane hints
at the imaginary while the volumes below are adapted
to practical requirements of eating and merchandising,
forming tables and shelves, intimate interiors and close-

knitted exteriors, explains Pan. The open datum trellis also

has the visual effect of connection with the SOTA structure
and yet reads as an independent program.
The open trellis datum plane is the unifying element
for the two stores but takes on different characters in
each. With the idea of the plane linking the two shops
at a higher level, the shops are actually conceived as
a separate and independent entities on ground. While
the trellis forms voids when intersecting volumes at
Kki Sweets, the trellis fills up the volume at The Little
Drm Store, forming the base of a treehouse [a motif]
that encapsulates [the owners] attitude to living and
existence, says Pan, referring to a structure comprising
a ladder leading up to a volume that hangs from the

ceiling. Cut-outs in the floating volumes also make

them read like windows that, together with the trellis
and potted plants placed above, creates an enchanting,
abstracted indoor-outdoor experience.
The rest of the interior design also embraces this
dual-identity, where Kki Sweets wanted to present an
image that is simple and clean yet pristine and refined,
reflecting their cakes, which has simple geometric shapes
but are complex in detail and construction. They wanted an
intimate environment for conversations to happenThe
Little Drm Store, on the other hand, is candid, forthright,
and at times eccentric and whimsical like a dream, Pan
shares. (Drom means dream in Swedish).
And so one enters into a street separating the

S E C T i O n A - A

SECTiOn b-b

two shops. On the left, Kki Sweets is a maze of shelvingcum-divider structures in light maple-veneered plywood
that loosely weaves through the space. The spatial
experience intended is that of a series of houses
dispersed across the open space, forming interstitial
streets, says Pan, the envelope of the houses has
built-in tables, allowing for conversations to happen
between the exterior and interior, painting a villagelike community.
In the process, a myriad of seating options are also
created raised platforms for sitting cross-legged; a bar
counter flips down from the wall; low benches in the
open space for versatile arrangements while the home
ware display, designed throughout into the walls of the
houses, diffuse the boundary between the functions of

eating and shopping. Well thought-out details ensure the

sense of lightness conceived by the timber volumes, Pan
points out. For instance, steel hollow section framework
within and supports to the ground disguised as table
legs and doorframes help to achieve the lifted effect.
Matched with the pine wood trellis above and
white walls, Kki Sweets exudes a somewhat calm,
Scandinavian vibe. The structure is like a blank canvas
on which the two shops can fill with colours from the
variety of products, says Pan on the selected palette.
The light tones also stands out against the darker, brown
shades of the SOTA atrium outside.
Against this neutrality, The Little Drm Store is given
a dose of shades of aqua and sunflower-yellow. The
bright colours are a suitable reference to their colourful,

cheerful products, which line the walls like in a curiosity

shop, piled from top to bottom. They wanted a space where
they could almost endlessly pack and display their products
and collections, as a significant number of items on display
are actually not for sale but from their private collection,
Pan shares. To form maximum flexible shelving units, display
cases wrap around existing glass fins.
Spatially, there is the similar approach of encouraging
meandering like at Kki Sweets but in a more liberal manner.
Pop-up kiosk counters and pushcarts under the treehouse

forms an imaginary living condition that [the clients]

wanted to portray, says Pan. The abstracted treehouse
adds a narrative touch to the spatial experience while
practically disguising a column in the centre of the space.
A clear 19.3m long and 3.6m high glass frontage from
the atrium exposes Pans design ideas clearly. Through this,
the daily mise en scene of activity within interacts openly
with exterior happenings, and vice versa. An interesting
detail is in how the interior architecture sits flushed with the
glass faade at parts as if in a section drawing. The large
glass surface allows the shop to participate in performance
space instead of being outside of it. Hence, the design of
the shops are expressed as a cross section with the glass
faade forming the cutting plane, Pan explains.
Through the design, engagement in many senses
of the word with the urban context, with the physical
architecture, with the customers, the students and the
products, is created. Also, it is a rarity that one can find
in the blas retail and F&B landscape an encounter so
heartfelt and warm. The design of Kki Sweets and The Little
Drm Store achieves that.

pulse
94

space crafts
by Yvonne Xu | Images courtesy Art PlurAl GAllerY

Art Plural Gallerys From Earth and Metal:

Contemporary Sculpture is a group exhibition
that asks us to look at sculpture in relation to
space from spaces they enclose and surface
peripheries to the liminal and beyond.

iewing the works of Armen Agop, Yves

Dana, Jedd Novatt, Pablo Reinoso,
and Bernar Venet in the context
of the exhibition, From Earth and
Metal: Contemporary Sculpture, is to
consider the object of art, but also, as it were, that which
surrounds it.
This particular way of viewing the collection of
sculptures is a prompted one directed by the curatorial
premise that this is a group show that celebrates the
power of sculpture to re-define our environment.
Such a statement enjoins us to shift our gaze we
move from looking at objects to seeing how they interact
with space. We are encouraged to locate meanings of
the works in their relations to space space that may be
physical space, as in the immediate setting of an object;
or in the wider context, metaspace the social, cultural,
political matrix in which art is embedded.
Jedd Novatts are towers that remind us to not to
pass over negative space. Indeed, it is the inverse (of
material, of form) that he frames for us to see. To see in
inversion is to see that these are towers that are stacked
yet tumbling, in states of balance and collapse; to see
that these are structures that are enclosed yet freed; it
is also to realize that the cubic form that Novatt employs
has all its fundamental characteristics (of stability, of
perfection) basically disordered. Novatt has wrought

Jedd Novatt, Chaos

Frenetico, 2014,
bronze, black patina,
182 x 107 x 130 cm

Pablo Reinoso, The 8 Bench, 2011,

bronze, silver patina, 160 x 37 x 25 cm

Bernar Venet, 83.5 Arc x 9,

2007, rolled steel with patina,
117cm tall, on base plate
measuring 62 x 39 cm

Pablo Reinoso, Doble Firulete, 2013,

wood, 123 x 123 x 34.5 cm

Bernar Venet, 218.5 Arc x 13, 2008, rolled steel, height 32 cm,
diameter 41 cm, on a base plate 50 x 50 cm

rigidity (of material, of form, of our viewing) into freedom;

it is space that he creates, if not a spaciousness in
which to engage with sculpture.
With Pablo Reinosos The 8 Bench, whose bronze
ribbons swoop and loop the bench into a kind of formal
distension, we may ask: how and when can a bench
be considered as art? Is this a piece of furniture, or
architecture, for the matter? The work recalls to us
the common defining signifiers we reach for such
as location (what kind of space is the object in?) and
scale (how much space?) and show us how they are
suspect. Where and how do we, as it were, draw the line?
At the centre of the work, where the ribbons criss-cross
(they tie yet separate), is the question: is this one or two

96

Armen Agop, Untitled 115, 2012, bronze, 55 x 55 x 23 cm

Armen Agop, Untitled 111, 2012, black granite,

110 x 9.5 x 110 cm

Armen Agop, Untitled 109, 2010, black granite, 136 x 35.5 x 20 cm

Armen Agop, Untitled 117, 2013, bronze, 95 x 25 x 24 cm

benches? If a benchs characteristic, defined from other

forms of seating, is that it is one to be shared, we may
see Reinosos as one that is offered as an object-space,
both formal and symbolic, for furniture, architecture, and
art to come together.
Reinosos Doble Firulete is another display of
conceptual conflation. In the wooden entwining, he gives
us the twist: that which is contained is also that which
contains, not to mention there is a literal bursting out of
frames. Frames and boundaries are interesting tropes,
not only because they are notional boundaries to be
tested and they present opportunities for re-framing
ideas, but also because they are in themselves a kind of
peripheral space. We are reminded of the capacities of the

Yves Dana, Offrande, 2006, Pierre de Lunel, 5 x 52 x 6 cm

peripheral or marginal space, as valued by many artists

as the no mans land, outside of the institutionalized,
where the complex and the unsettled have a place.
In thinking of the periphery, we may consider Bernar
Venets work, whose arcs, as segments of the circle, and
therefore of circumferential and boundary character,
are posed as centres of power. The circle frustrates the
idea of there being beginnings or ends (start points and
terminal points being, again, marks of boundary). As
fragments, the arcs have the potential of projections. This
is perhaps more significant in the artists larger public
sculptures, where the curved steel forms project from
earth towards sky in heroic trajectories, perhaps pointed
to outer space, or, perhaps, as a kind of extension of
indeterminate lines (Venets earlier series, preceding
the Arc sculptures), to nowhere.
Transporting us to yet further realms, beyond bounds
and peripheries, are the works Armen Agop and Yves
Dana. With Dana, who sees a completed work as never
anything more than a starting point, and with Agop, who
is interested in the Transcontemporary (a term Agop
used as title for his solo exhibition), we transcend the
world of the material to come to the dimension of space-

Yves Dana, Stele, 2003, bronze, 25 x 40 x 9 cm

time. At once ancient and futuristic, both artists works

are a-historical, bearing qualities of objects from another
time. The steles and the offrandes (offerings) hold in
them a mystical power, bringing us back to mull over the
premise of the exhibition the power of sculpture to redefine our environment.

pulse
98

Bugis Map, Bugis

nautical chart of
Southeast Asia c.
1820, Collection
of the Utrecht
University Library
(Kaart: VIII.C.a.2)

mapping a blank space

by SuSie Wong | Images courtesy national library, Singapore

GEO|GRAPHIC: CELEBRATING MAPS AND THEIR STORIES (National Library,

Singapore, Jan 16 to July 19) is an extensive exhibition of maps, curated by
Tan Huism. Divided into two main exhibition galleries, it offers historical insights of
Singapore and the region. It provokes critical readings in terms of what is fact versus
myth in times of an unknown frontier, of maps that date across many centuries.
Further extending the practice and definition of mapmaking, contemporary art from
four artists is also included within the ambits of Geo|Graphic.

o believe that the Orient was created

or as I call it, Orientalised
and to believe that such things
happen simply as a necessity of the
imagination, is to be disingenuous.
Edward Said, Orientalism
In their articulation of the Orient, old European maps
of 15th to early 19th centuries, project the imaginative
fantasies of the mapmakers. Under the main event
exhibition Geo|Graphic, a separate segment titled Land
of Gold and Spices: Early Maps of Southeast Asia and
Singapore, is a mammoth collection of old and rare maps.
This section hosts about 120 maps, out of which 15 were

borrowed1, and the rest from the National Library Boards

own archives.
The title of this segment already clues us in to
the reasons for the early cartographic works. Gold and
Spices are the raison detre of the remarkable drawings
(engravings, ink on vellum, hand-coloured drawings)
maps that allow voyages seeking untold treasures
beyond the edge of the known. BY and large, the maps
provide navigational help in the discovery of the far
Orient, or indicate demarcation of land colonies among
the sea nations of Europe at the time.
Walking through the exhibition, which starting point
was a 1482 Ulm edition of Ptolemys (circa 90-168 CE)

Ptolemy (Buckink)
1478, Tabula Asiae
XI, Arnold Buckinck,
1478, Collection
of National Library,
Singapore

map, Geography, the maps began to tell a fascinating

tale; it is a tale told of lands that emerged out of the
blank space, recalling Conrads cry: It was not a blank
space anymore! It had got filled...with river and lakes
and names.2
Ptolemy first led us to this blank space, what he
called India beyond the Ganges or as inscribed India
extra Gangem (beyond the Ganges river), full of riches of
gold, silver and other new and strange materials. In his
map, the ocean south of India is enclosed by land, and
smaller than what we know of it today.
From this point onwards, the tale unfolds. Or, one
can agree with Farish Noor as he says: ...a map of Asia
does not really discover Asia, but really invents Asia as
it goes along.3
This inventiveness is a curious feature of mapmaking,
if we consider that our common understanding of
cartography is to chart spatial territories as objectively as
possible in the measurement of distances, of landmarks,
coastal lines, locations of land masses and oceans. To
some extent there were attempts to insert and repeat
navigational landmarks such as Pedro or Pedra Banca
that sits somewhere east of Singapore, key to a journey,
across seas of Asia to the Far East.
In other words, the maps detail the fantastical
Other in the minds of the cartographers. These appear
time and again in the maps, drawings and prints, as we
have already seen in Ptolemys Geography. Asia (or more
appropriately the idea of Asia4) with the land India extra
Gangem is depicted in the 17th century as the winged
horse in Greek mythology, Pegasus (Heinrich Bnting,
German woodcut).
In general, common topographical symbols needed
in mapmaking for physical geography are landmarks
that are bound with features such as mountains, or the
sea or body of water, or trees even (collectively, many

Ortelius 1579, Indiae orientalis, insularumque adiacientium typus,

Abraham Ortelius, 1579, Collection of National Library, Singapore

trees equal a forest or vegetation). We recognise them as

belonging to a universal code in some general form. But
imagine, when seabearers (and perhaps in extrapolating,
in future centuries, astronauts or space travellers) return
with stories of hitherto unknown peoples or animals,
in an era when photo documentation is non-existent,
and only oral descriptions exist as rough sketches based
on memories.
The allowance and liberty that mapmakers take for
the embellishments (based on nothing more than folklore
and legends) is the feature that resurrects the maps
into life. They form the more fascinating little details

like child-like or the innocently awkward illustrations we

may find in childrens storybooks. Farish Noor refers to
these, as he finds in German cartographer Mnsters
1540 map of the region, as curious vignettes of strange
and wonderful creatures that were said to roam the
countryside of Asia5, as indeed they are. In that one,
in his private collection, strange creatures include a
curious-looking lion, with beard and mane, and roosterlike creatures with combs. As inventive the creatures that
roam, the land beyond the Indian Ganges remains a blank;
this map reiterates Ptolemys India extra gangem, as land
as part of India, not yet recorded except as an idea.

100

De Bry 1607, Contrafactur des Scharmutz els der

Hollander wider die Portigesen in dem Flus Balusabar,
Theodore de Bry, Collection of National Library, Singapore

This recalls Henri Rosseaus late 19th century

paintings of such exotic creatures and jungle. The
famous tiger of Tiger in a Tropical Storm is likely to be
based on a taxidermy specimen found in a museum
or from caged wild animals belonging to carnivals that
travel; the tiger depicted a little awkwardly (earning the
description nave art), getting ready for a leap, out of the
jungle of unidentifiable, tropical plants.
More curious, mermaids appear in cartographers
landscapes. Somewhere in what we know today as the
Pacific Ocean, then named Ocean Orientalis, between
Japan and the Philippines, two (obviously female)
mermaids are seen preening and grooming themselves
in the sea, holding up a mirror or objects. On the same
map by Flemish Ortelius (1579), inserted above these
two oblivious creatures, is a whale with two spouts,
and a row of jagged fins along its back. The whale was
drawn in the act of colliding into a ship. Mermaids were
a common feature, they also appear in the Pegasus map.
The exotic imagination! More lugubrious tales
follow of what the inhabitants had been given expression
in cannibals and dog-headed figures. Based on stories
written by Marco Polo, cannibals who inhabited
the mountains of Java Minor, or what is thought to
be Sumatra, were also included in the map India
Orientalis by Lorenz Fries (1535). This map was the
first to demarcate the region as a cartographic unit. The
illustration reveals the cartographers own unsettling
contributions to representations of the peoples of the
country. The figures, two women and a man, wear robes
and headgear likely familiar to his own culture. One
bears off the dismembered hand in a plate. In another
map of Mnster (1552), human figures (anatomically
recognisable as such) have either what appears to be a

Munster 1552, Tabula Asiae VIII, Sebastian Mnster, 1552,

Collection of National Library, Singapore

Munster 1540, India Extrema XIX nova tabula, Sebastian Mnster,

1540, Collection of National Library, Singapore

dogs head, or come headless with faces embedded in

their chests instead.
Rejecting the imagination, this fantastical Other is
a construction of the West, a construction borne of the
Wests own ambitions. This Orient, says Edward Said, is
its cultural contestant, and one of its deepest and most
recurring images of the Other. In addition the Orient has
helped to define Europe (or the West) as its contrasting
image, idea, personality, experience. Yet none of this
Orient is merely imaginative. The Orient is an integral
part of European material civilisation and culture.6
In the middle of this lore of the exotic, which

merely fills only the margins of the exhibition, the maps

foreground the natter of riches that are to be mined, or
cropped and harvested, or taken as a matter of privilege
under the guise of guns from these lands. Maps are to
be read, not only looked at, says Farish Noor. By reading
maps, I mean that the map is never simply a chart or
a plan of territory, but also a statement [of intent or
ambition] that can be interpreted and understood.7
More as signs of power, of territorialisation, in
illustrations that feed this as statements of ambition, are
the ships that sail the seas, full sails billowing. A fort,
with the Dutch flag flying (a clear marker of territorial

Fries 1535 Tabu. Moder. Indiae Lorenz Fries, Lyon,

1535 Collection of National Library, Singapore

Houckgeest 1787, hand-drawn chart of the southern portion of the Malay Peninsula A.E.van Braam
van Houckgeest, c. 1787, Collection of Leiden University Library, COLLBN 006-14-015

ownership), represents all that is Malacca along the coast

as shown in the Dutch map by Houckgeest (c. 1787).
Having a graphic illustration of a sea battle in a map
adds to the historical glamour of events that took place. It
also asserts how the region had been carved up among the
European sea powers, for rich pickings. An engraving by
Dutch Theodore de Bry (1607) records the confrontation
between Dutch, along with its allies in the Johor fleet,
and the Portuguese armada, ordered there to protect
their commercial ships from piracy and looting spurred
by a 1603 incident with Dutch and Johoreans as the
aggressors and a richly laden Portuguese ship as victim.
At the same time, in this map, we also begin to recognise

the coastlines, the Straits between Singapore and Johore,

and the hapless island of Ubin, driving home the reminder
that 400 years ago, these frigates were positioned in these
waters as a warning to its colonial competitor.
The collection of maps in this section has one main
objective: to tell of the historical emergence, in the minds
of the West, of the region and in particular, Singapore,
conveyed through shifting names (Cinca Pula, Cingatola,
Sincapura8), shifting land mass, and shifting locations.
Singapore grows in definition, in size and closer to
exactness alongside its growing economic importance to
the colonisers.
Apt interjections are the odd maps by the Bugis

(Markasser pirates to the Dutch), or Malay or Philippine

or Vietnamese navigators, and even the inclusion of
cosmological maps; these wrench the centre away from
the Eurocentricity of the major exhibits. Regarded as
an indigenous map, The Malay map (Fakymolano, circa
1775) shows a region now known as a part of Mindanao,
Philippines, with names inscribed in Jawi script, and then
later added to by Capt Forrest in romanised letters. Along
with the Bugis nautical map (circa 1820), the maps show
the maritime prowess of the Bugis in the Malay world at
this time in history.
Working with NUS Museum, Geo|Graphic has taken
a year to actualise. It is an exhibition of well over 140
maps at the National Library, covering several exhibitions
autonomous in each its own right, though they skirt the
sole objective of revealing how the region and Singapore
were looked at through these maps. The exhibition
segments are Land of Gold and Spices; and Island of
Stories: Singapore Maps. Engendering a conversation
with the main display of maps, contemporary artists
exhibit their works under two sections: Sea State 8
Sea book: An Art Project by Charles Lim; and Mind the
Gap: Mapping the Other that show the works of Jeremy
Sharma, Michael Lee and Sherman Ong.
As such, mapmaking as a practice breaks free
of conventional cartography, and what we can learn
from them is far more than the mere fact, no longer
convincing. Tan Huism, the NLB curator, prefers to
think about maps as mental maps, and as one that
tells stories. She says, mapping is the process, though
we cant see the process. To achieve this reading,
the exhibition marries the curator, the artist and the
librarian, not bound by disciplinary fields. Maps are not
just historical documents.
Maps are, in a sense, merely the tracings of what
had been seen, measured, conveyed, and today, more
importantly, experienced.

2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Borrowed from Leiden University library, Utrecht University

Library, and The National Archives, UK; British Library, National
Museum of Singapore, and private collection of Associate
Professor Farish Noor
The Heart of Darkness, Conrad, 33
Maps as Statement of Power and Domination, Biblioasia, Vol 10
issue 4, Jan-Mar 2015
Farish Noor, 15
Farish Noor, 12
From Orientalism, New York: Vintage, 1979
Noor, 11
Not verified but speculative. Tan Huism, Geo|Graphic,
Biblioasia, 5

pulse
102

SIMRYN GILL:
HUGGING THE SHORE
Mar 27 to June 14
NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore
Block 43 Malan Road, Gillman Barracks

TU Centre for Contemporary Art

Singapore presents Hugging the Shore,
Simryn Gills first major solo exhibition
in Southeast Asia, whose artistic
practice which carries a sensitivity
towards the everyday and unpacks the complexities of
our world from various angles and subjectivities. Much
of her work results from a process of sifting through
and exploring her immediate surroundings in acts of
collecting, writing, reading, archiving or photographing.
The exhibition brings together a series of large body of
works that reveal the artists specific attitude towards
ways of seeing and understanding the world around us.
The photograph series are all the result of a durational
process, of hours and hours of looking, wandering and
collecting translated into hundreds of photographs. The
metaphor of Hugging the Shore, a reference to John
Updikes 1983 collection of essays and reviews, can be
conceived as a way of seeing and approaching the world
that traverses throughout Gills large group of works.
It is an act of stepping back, as a way to allow ourselves
be absorbed into the overall picture. The exhibition is
curated by Ute Meta Bauer, Founding Director, and Anca
Rujoiu, Curator, Exhibitions of NTU CCA Singapore.

about the artist

Simryn Gill was born in Singapore and presently lives in
Port Dickson, Malaysia and Sydney, Australia. Her work
has been seen in several solo and group exhibitions
including the Australian Pavilion, 55th Venice Biennale
(2013), Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York
(2014); Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
(2013); 5th Moscow Biennale (2013); dOCUMENTA 13,
Kassel (2012); 12th Istanbul Biennale, (2011); Australian
Centre for Photography, Melbourne (2009); Museum
of Contemporary Art, Sydney (2008), dOCUMENTA 12,
Kassel (2007) among others.

The photograph series

Dalam (2001) comprises 260
photographs of living rooms
taken across West Malaysia over
a three month period. Dalam,
which means indoors in Malay,
looks into the production of
interior space as a portrayal of
ourselves but also the fragile
relation between host and guest,
the conventions and boundaries
that define the delicate realm
of hospitality.
Standing Still (2000-2003) captures a large number of ambitious building projects
across Malaysia abandoned before completion, in the wake of the Asian financial
crisis in the late 1990s, instigating a reflection on modern ruins and historical
layers that define our landscape.

May 2006 (2006) is

an ambitious body of
work consisting of 800
photographs that traces a
one-month journey by foot
in the artists neighbourhood
in Sydney. The work is
paradigmatic of Simryn Gills
approach in understanding
the place as a verb rather
than as a noun, which exists
in our doings: walking,
talking, living.

catalogue

catalogue
104

SPACE FURNITURE
77 Bencoolen St
Singapore 189653
t: +65 6415 0000
info@spacefurniture.com.sg
Lot 3-12 Intermark Mall
The Intermark
348 Jalan Tun Razak
50400 Kuala Lumpur
t: +603 2166 2212
info@spacefurniture.com.my
www.spacefurniture.asia
Roll & Hill Modo by Jason Miller

Let there be More Light

With the biennial Euroluce happening this April in Milan
as part of the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, Space
joins in the lighting buzz by adding more exciting designs
from American brand Roll & Hill to the showroom display.

Roll & Hill Modo table

by Jason Miller

Roll & Hill collaborates with some of the most exciting

independent designers working today, harnessing their
talents to create a collection of beautiful and unique lighting
fixtures. Their designs draw from a rich materials palette
that includes brass, bronze, leather, wood, hand-knotted
rope and mouth-blown glass.

Roll & Hill Rudi by Lukas Peet

The Modo chandelier by Jason Miller was inspired by off-theshelf parts like those found at inexpensive lighting stores.
Unlike off-the-shelf parts, however, Modo is painstakingly
engineered and custom CNC-milled from solid aluminium.
As such, this spoke-and-hub system allows for dozens of
configurations, making Modo as versatile as it is beautiful.
Whats more, the Rudi series of loop pendant lamps
designed by Lukas Peet has been named after Peets father,
who is a jeweller. Rudi is made from bent metal tubes that
hold handmade cold cathode lamps. The fixtures hang from
their cords, which are hand-knotted around metal tubes.

Roll & Hill Agnes by Lindsey Adelman

Roll & Hill Gridlock by Philippe Malouin

Raw and unpretentious, Gridlock by Philippe Malouin is a

series of lamps in the style of the Brutalist movement. Gridlock
feels industrial in its straightforward, platonic forms and the
repetitive efficiency of the grid; however, it is assembled
entirely by hand from thousands of tiny brass parts. Philippe
Malouins tribute to the industry-inspired, labour-saving
dreams of modernism is paid for in toil.
On the other hand, Excel by Rich Brilliant Willing is a family
of fixtures made from simple, elegant structures with
illuminated shades. Whats interesting is that the design is
inspired by the colourful lines and charts of the software
programme by the same name.
Agnes by Lindsey Adelman is a modular metal structure
with articulated joints that allow the bulbs to be rotated and
arranged in a multitude of ways. Its glowing glass tubes
were inspired by the lights origins as a candelabrum.
Visit Space to view lighting designs from leading brands
including Flos, Moooi, Kartell and Verpan, contextualised in
living environments.

Roll & Hill Excel floor lamp

by Rich Brilliant Willing

catalogue
106

KHL MarKeting
asia Pacific
P t e Lt d
55 Mohamed Sultan Road #01-03
Singapore 238995
t: +65 6284 6776
e: info@khlmktg.com
www.subzerowolf.com.sg

Kitchen Aids by Kitchen culture

Leading luxury cooking appliances manufacturer Wolf
Appliance, Inc. presents its one-of-a-kind E Series
Black Glass Oven as well as the soon to arrive improved
Sub-Zero Wine Storage.
Available in 30 standard or flush inset application, the
Black Glass model comes adorned with a tubular handle
and cobalt blue interior. In addition to the oven, Wolf
also offers black glass trim kits for Warming Drawers
and 30 Convection and Standard Microwaves.
Equipped with dual convection technology, the E Series
Black Glass Oven distributes heat evenly around
the interior cavity, ensuring precise, even cooking.
Additionally, the oven is outfitted with dual halogen
lighting, three adjustable oven racks, a temperature
probe and broiler pan. Undoubtedly, the E Series Black
Glass Oven is a great addition to any kitchen.

enhanced sub-Zero Wine storage

The Sub-Zero wine storage now includes updated
performance features that target and fight the four
enemies of wine which are temperature, ultraviolet light,
humidity and vibration. Precise temperature control
maintains temperatures in up to two zones of the unit
(one for red, one for white) within one degree of its set
point. This control ensures wine stays cool at its ideal
serving temperature.
On the other hand, UV-resistant glass, soft LED lighting
and an even darker interior than before protect wine from
light. Dual-evaporators maintain the appropriate level of
humidity, eliminating the chance of corks drying out or
becoming too moist, which results in damaged wine. Fullextension interior racks are covered with a coating that
not only gives owners full access to every bottle of wine,
but also cradles each bottle to prevent vibration. Doors
also feature hinges that allow for soft open and close.

In addition to wine preservation features, SubZeros integrated wine storage also incorporates
design features including three new widths
46 cm (18), 61 cm (24) and 76 cm (30) sizes
have been added to the original 67 cm (27)
integrated option. It is now easier to mix and match
new integrated wine with the latest integrated
refrigeration. Unit height and handles match
perfectly, ensuring a cohesive look throughout
the kitchen.
About sub-Zero and Wolf
A third-generation, family-owned company, SubZero, Inc., acquired Wolf in 2000. Sub-Zero and
Wolf appliances are manufactured in the United
States using only premium-quality materials that
are proven to stand the test of time. Zero and Wolf
products are available throughout the United States
and internationally.

catalogue
108

Bravat Marketing
P t e Lt d
1 Commonwealth Lane
#01-10/17 One Commonwealth
Singapore 149544
t: +65 6659 1868
f: +65 6659 1968
e: gallery@bravat.biz

DiamonDs are Forever

There is no doubt that diamonds represent top luxury
and this is exactly what you will get from the Diamond
Series from Bravat.
To bring you a strong visual experience, diamond
cutting has been used in the material to evoke
elegance and vogue in the gentlest way. In this
exquisite series that include a W.C, faucet and
bathtub, subtle intersections of lines replicate the sixsided surface of diamonds. Presenting high fashion
and luxury, the Diamond Suite endows the bathroom
with noble characteristic.
Additionally, the irregular vertical and horizontal
surfaces create a delicate visual statement that
establishes a stylish relaxation space.

catalogue

C A S A ( S ) P T E LT D
15 Kian Teck Crescent
Singapore 628884
t: +65 6268 0066
www.casaholdings.com.sg
www.rubine.it

Bow By RuBine
The new Bow series of electric instant water heater
from Rubine is developed with the concept of making
the heater aesthetically versatile in blending and
matching with any bathroom dcor. Available in
both black and white, the slim and elegant heater
is equipped with UL-approved high-quality heating
element and 120mm water saving hand shower.
An easy installation shower kit plus flexible height
mounting bracket (adjustable between 500mm to
600mm) is also included. With a safe, efficient and
reliable Rubine water heater installed in the home,
everyone in the family can be assured of a pleasant,
refreshing and comfortable showering experience.
Other key features of the Bow series include splashproof protection, built-in auto water flow switch and a
3-in-1 compact stop flow and filter valve.
Known for its contemporary design, functionality and
quality, Rubine continues to develop products which
will not only embellish customers homes but will also
offer practical benefits.

109

catalogue
110

Home NicHe
S i N g a p o r e p t e Lt d
1 Kaki Bukit Road 1
#01-06 Enterprise One
Singapore 415934
t: +65 6273 8005
f: +65 6273 8115
e: sales@homeniche.com

Brizo SotriatM - Where Soft

ConteMporary DeSign MeetS
MiDCentury Style
Brizo, the luxury faucets and fittings brand from
Delta Faucet Company is pleased to introduce SotriaTM
product suite of faucets, fittings and accessories for
the bath, influenced by soft contemporary design
sensibilities that echo midcentury style.
Lead by industrial designer Celine Garland, the
collection features unique triangular design with
streamlined architecture, inspired by her jet-setting
lifestyle while growing up in Singapore.
Celine Garland who is born and raised in Singapore
states, The Sotria collection was inspired by the
sleek, streamlined silhouette of airplanes and my
love for basic geometric shapes. The triangular
spout architecture combined with a range of sublime
configurations and features, makes the entire
collection an excellent choice for contemporary,
modern and transitional baths.
With a distinctive, triangular silhouette, the SotriaTM
collection is comprised of single-handle and
widespread lavatory faucets featuring channel or
closed spouts, a wall mount lavatory faucet, as well

as a freestanding tub filler, roman tub faucets and a

bidet. Both the closed and channel spout options on
the lavatory faucets provide an elegant and beautiful
water flow for discerning homeowners seeking standout features.
features & accessories
Custom shower options include a medium flow
TempAssure thermostatic shower, as well as
a Sensori high-flow thermostatic shower. Both
showers can be paired with a variety of showering
components, including a 5-function showerhead
featuring H2Okinetic Technology that provides a
luxurious shower experience that blankets the body
while using less water; and a Hydrati 2|1 showerhead
design with a convenient integrated hand-shower.

A full line of accessories, including robe hooks, towel

bars, drawer hardware and more, further extend
the jet-like appearance of the collection to create a
striking look for the bathroom.
The collection is available in a variety of finishes,
including Polished Chrome, Brilliance Polished Nickel
and Matte Black, as well as the brands new Brilliance
Luxe Nickel, a textured finish with cooler undertones.
In Singapore, selected products from the SotriaTM
collection are available through Delta Faucets local
dealers including Home Niche.
about the Brizo Brand
Rooted in the fashion and design communities, the
Brizo brand is the primary sponsor of fashion designer
Jason Wus fashion shows, and is the first national
sponsor of the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway.
Named for a Greek goddess who appeared in the
dreams of mariners, Brizo products are available
exclusively at Brizo Impressions Showrooms. Brizo
products are offered by Delta Faucet Company, which
is a WaterSense manufacturing partner of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. Visit www.brizo.com
or call 877-345-BRIZO (2749) for more information
and to locate a Brizo Impressions Showroom.

catalogue

TEKA SINGAPORE
P T E LT D
83 Clemenceau Avenue
#01-33/34 UE Square
Singapore 239920
t: +65 6734 2415
f: +65 6734 6881
www.teka.com.sg

Get Squeaky Clean with

teka hydroClean
With 90 years of experience in providing quality kitchen
systems, TEkA continues to dominate the market with
new and technologically-advanced products.

the TEkA Hydroclean enamel, make grease and other

dirt on the oven walls easily removable, when the oven
is cooled. After the dirt is cleaned off, the oven wall
becomes absolutely clean, with no need for the use of
any anti-grease product.

TEkAs new HL series of ovens feature the Hydroclean

function that makes cleaning a breeze. Taking a
shorter time span of 24 minutes, as compared with
the old way pyro-system which can take up to three
hours, the Hydroclean function utilises less energy, as
the oven does not need to heat up to 480C but only
at max 60C. The basis of how this function works lie
in the micro-structure of the ovens enamel surface
called the Lotus Effect, which is developed based on
the structure found on leaves of lotus plants. In the
Lotus Effect, water forms droplets on the tips of the
epidermal protrusions and collects pollutants, dirt and
small insects as it rolls off the leaf.

teka hydroclean hl890 Multifunction

turbo oven
The HL890 oven is unlike any oven youve seen.
Designed with fingerprint proof stainless steel with
a capacity of 65 litres, the multifunction oven comes
complete with 15 cooking functions, double grill,
two telescopic tray guides, triple glazed door, double
touch control graphic text display and even a personal
cooker assistant with 17 programmed recipes!

In the TEkA Hydroclean function, water evaporates from

the oven soil and is condensed on the cold cavity walls.
Water steams, together with the excellent properties of

Other key features of this winner include the children

safety block, automatic door disconnection, express
preheating automatic function, deep tray and baking
try with TEkA Hydroclean enamel and reinforced grid
and TEkA Hydroclean cavity.
Visit www.teka.com.sg for more information.

111

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Arteor

THE POWER OF NEW IDEAS

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8 DIFFERENT
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A smart homeowner like you deserves an equally intelligent home.
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a system, the Arteor range combines comfort and design with a
responsible lifestyle keeping your energy consumption within control.
One smart system. One smart owner. The smarter combination.

* Available in black
and white colour

Legrand Singapore
17 Neythal Road Singapore 628582
Tel: [65] 6416 1550 Fax: [65] 6416 1580
Email: customerhub.sg@legrand.com.sg
www.legrand.com.sg

Bringing
ideas to life
PROJECT
VICTORIA CONCERT HALL
REFURBISHMENT, 2014
ARCHITECT
W ARCHITECTS

Harmony:
Where Design & Execution Resonate
Bringing timber expertise and craftsmanship to every solution. Rejuvenating this heritage concert
hall required the coming together of design, creativity and a deep expertise in wood. Our partnership
with W Architects resulted in the perfect balance of preservation and complementary modernity.
Original wood from the concert hall, coupled with our rich IPE Walnut from South America, was
used in the refurbishment of this heritage building.

www.perswood.com

SPECIES
IPE WALNUT
SOUTH AMERICA