Big Picture

Tell us more about yourself and what you do for work!
I’m a Singaporean architect, and I’ve been in the industry for 4 years now, though I also do other design work like interior design and stuff on the sideline.

Interesting! How does ID work differ from your day to day architecture work?
Architecture is very busy—it really occupies my time. Architecture works on a bigger scale, whereas interior design is more detailed, on a smaller scale.

Which do you lean more towards?
I would say because I studied architecture, I love everything regarding construction and the art of it all, but of course, it is also more technical.

Would you say you’re more driven by logic or creativity?
Oh, the thing is, in architecture you need both form and function. Everything in design needs to practical, it cannot be just for aesthetics, so I would say I’m driven by both.

Do you think this translates into your personal life then? Perhaps in the way you dress, or in your daily routines?
Yes, yes! For me, I find that dressing up helps to brighten my mood, so fashion is the creativity, while the mood boosting is the logic (laughs).

As an architect, tell us about your favourite building in Singapore.
Oh, got a lot of them! I’ll just give a shoutout to the new Pan Pacific Hotel by WOHA Architects. I love to see these overseas clients exploring more unique designs, and fortunately there are a lot of nice buildings like this in Singapore.

Having been in the field for a while, what do you appreciate most about the architecture of this metropolitan city?
I appreciate how Singapore always tends towards biophilic designs. They input a lot of greens into the buildings, and also some negative spaces here and there so that it doesn’t just look like a block.

One last question: where (apart from your own home) do you feel the most at home?
It’s a bit hard to name a space in Singapore (laughs). Maybe somewhere relatively close by would be a cosy, architectural cafe in a chill open space in Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh. In Singapore, such places are quite restrictive because of space constraints, but elsewhere in our neighbouring cities, there are such unique cafes and spaces that can really lighten the mood!