“We tend to think of nature as being here to provide for us. But we need to ask what we can do for nature, because we rely on it to survive,” shares Poh on how he began to design with nature in the forefront. “In an increasingly urbanised world, many cities are now realising this. They are seeking ways to include nature in their environments so they can become more liveable.” 

Beyond the little red dot, Poh has also gone on to dream up incredible biophilic design concepts across the globe. This includes his work with Ramboll Studio Dreiseitl-Singapore and Henning Larsen to formulate the Lijiao CBD masterplan that aims to transform the urban environment with lush greenery in Guangzhou.

A celebrated Singaporean architect with nearly four decades of experience, Tan Kay Ngee is the man behind numerous groundbreaking projects in Asia and beyond with his eponymous design practice. After graduating from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in 1984, Tan sharpened his trade at Studio Tomassini in Italy and then at Arup Associates in London. He then established his global architectural studio while living abroad in London in 1990, which has since expanded with another firm in Istanbul and a dedicated main design office in Singapore.

Catching the attention of the local and international crowd, the principal designer of Kay Ngee Tan Architects has since worked on various residential and commercial endeavours that have made a significant impact. Grounded by a design approach that blends his understanding and sensibilities of architectural history, cultures, and typologies, each project he has undertaken offers unique features, structures, and programming. “The more I got into the subject, the more I realised the range of possibilities and dimensions for interpretation in architecture,” shares Tan. “When [something] is built, architecture also represents a moment in time and continues influencing its surroundings and people who engage with it.” 

This unwavering sense of curiosity and interest in exploratory research, which stems from his passions for literature and philosophy, is noticeable in the buildings and spaces he has created across the globe. On a local scale, he designed the beloved flagship Kinokuniya bookstore in Ngee Ann City, was part of the Bukit Timah Railway Station restoration project, and designed the new Gallop extension at Singapore Botanic Gardens, to name a few. Most notably, Tan is also one of 12 architects who teamed up on Commune by the Great Wall, a luxury hospitality project under the Unbound Collection by Hyatt. The project features 36 contemporary-style villas that offer a one-of-a-kind stay for tourists looking for a comfortable stay along the forested slopes of the valley.

Beyond his journey as an architect and how he has represented Singapore in his design pursuits, Tan continues to make a rich impact as a council member of the National Arts Council Singapore. He is also a prolific writer on the arts, architecture, and cities.

In the heart of Singapore’s financial district, the CapitaSpring Tower is a now a landmark. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) in collaboration with Carlo Ratti Associati and RSP Architects, Planners, and Engineers, the 280-metre-tall structure is a sight to behold and marries Singapore’s reputation as a garden city since it houses over 80,000 tropical plants throughout its modern, urban architecture.

The 51-storey, mixed-use tower offers a masterful design with layers of ‘live, work, and play’ spaces. These include office spaces, serviced apartments, food and beverage establishments, and a hawker centre. Beyond these facilities, there are also ample public-accessible vertical gardens that are vast and take advantage of the unique architecture of the CapitaSpring tower. A highlight of this is the Green Oasis, which includes a 35m-tall open-air garden, a rooftop sky garden, and spiral staircases that showcases 360-degree panoramas of the city skyline. Beyond this dedicated green space, there is even a Sky Garden on the topmost level.

“I think the opening of the green spaces for the public to enjoy is a generous gesture, it increases the green spaces in the densely built-up CBD,” says Nina Loo, director at RSP Architects Planners and Engineers. “You normally need to pay to go up tall buildings to enjoy the views. But what you have at CapitaSpring is a free observatory to see the CBD and the surrounding cityscape.”

Not only is the Green Mark-certified building impressive for its communal mixed-use and pockets of verdant spaces, but the architectural design is visually striking as a whole. From the pedestrian-friendly design program of the ground entrance to the aluminium exterior that meshes gentle curves and fluid lines that are cohesive throughout the structure. In addition to this, CapitaSpring is constructed with technological innovations like the double-skin façade, which provides natural cooling, and an innovative vertical transportation system that reduces energy consumption.

Home design may not be as straightforward when building a home to suit the needs of dementia. In efforts to normalise and bring awareness of what a dementia-friendly home could look like, the book and toolkit project titled Hack Care: Tips and Tricks for a Dementia-Friendly Home is just the type of platform needed especially in Singapore “where one in 10 people above the age of 60 years are living with the condition.”

Designed by the Singapore-based practices Lekker Architects and Lanzavecchia + Wai, the collaboration derives informative home solutions playfully by looking to Swedish furniture giants Ikea as the main inspiration. The studios worked alongside the commissioned creative brief given by the Lien Foundation, a homegrown philanthropic organisation that aims to “inspire social change and improve the lives of seniors, children with special needs, and those born into low-income homes.”

What makes this collaboration genius is how the designers impart their knowledge and share helpful tips to caregivers on what could fulfill the individual needs of the person with dementia. On top of this, sharing new stylish yet innovative hacks to create a liveable yet cosy environment for the whole family. “With this guide, we acknowledge that there are these forms of design and creativity happening organically,” shares Joshua Comaroff, design consultant of Lekker Architects. “As designers, we can draw them out, [discuss] why they work, and situate them. It is really design at its best: mediating spheres that don’t normally talk to each other.”

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Inspired by the beauty of human restoration, Hans Tan of the eponymous design studio alongside the DesignSingapore Council sought to create an exhibition that advocates and celebrates this notion of circular design. “The emotional connection between a person and an object is one of the biggest sustainable gestures one can think of,” states Tan. “If an object becomes part of someone, then there is very little room for them to think of it as waste—as something to throw away. R for Repair builds on this idea, and I hope that the visitors to the exhibition think about the meaning of the objects they own and buy.” 

For this endeavour, R for Repair taps on the creative talents of 10 Singaporean designers to transform and give new life to broken, faulty, and worn-out objects. Celebrating these sustainable notions of recycling and design, home objects from porcelain cups to a watch are reimagined with new original forms and structures that make them usable again and for time to come.

“Sustainable design is not just about using less material and being responsible with how you make an object; it’s also about establishing an emotional connection between objects and people,” elaborates Tan.

Not only did the exhibition concept come to Tan during the pandemic, but the R for Repair exhibition has bore resonance with the local community and has empowered students to use design to enhance the life of “broken” objects and memories. In addition to this, the exhibition was also a success overseas at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Designed by Woha, the Singapore Pavilion designed for the Expo 2020 is the essence of national pride. Its biophilic design is upholstered by technological innovations and the built environment, making it a beautiful testimony to Singapore’s position as a sustainable green city. Not only that, but the pavilion is a tangible representation of the endless possibilities of how progressive cities can integrate eco-conscious structures and sustainable designs into their built surroundings.

“If every building and city is designed responsibly like the pavilion, we can reach all our targets [be it] net-zero energy [or] zero-waste,” states Wong Mun Summ, founding drector of Woha Architects. “The pavilion shows design strategies that can be scalable and duplicated in neighbourhoods and districts, and in doing so, we will make a meaningful impact towards tackling the climatic and ecological crisis we face as a global society.”

This project titled Nature, Nurture, Future portrays Singapore’s vision of becoming a “city in nature” and how it has adapted to the effects of climate change. “Rather than simply occupying space and taking up resources, buildings, and cities can give back and contribute to where they are,” shares Phua Hong Wei, director of Woha.

With this in mind, the Singapore Pavilion has become a self-contained and self-efficient structure crafted with multiple layers of tropical greenery that enhances the look while acting as a beneficial ecosystem that “regulates temperature, filters pollution, and sequesters carbon.” The structure is also entirely powered by photo-voltaic panels to meet a net-zero energy target and has innovative systems in place to manage water consumption for the six months of operation.

Located in the heart of Chinatown, the State Courts Towers is a modern architectural landmark with its unique industrial-style design that contrasts its heritage neighbourhood yet draws playful references from the surrounding shophouses. Fun fact: this government building is the tallest in Singapore with a height of 178m and is also one of tallest courthouses in the world.

Designed by CPG Consultants in collaboration with Serie + Multiply Consultants, the State Courts Towers as a structure has a clear architectural layout that recognises the complexities of spatial programming and circulation of a court complex. “Any public or civic building should serve the community. As architects specialising in institutional and civic building typology, we design and plan with people at heart,” shares Colin Wu, lead architect of the State Courts Towers project and senior vice president (architecture) of CPG Consultants. “The approach should be true to its function, while also responding sensitively to the context and site.

This 35-storey skyscraper has two towers, the Court Tower and the Office Tower, that connects via link bridges for easy accessibility. These towers offer a modern courthouse fitted with 53 courtrooms and 54 hearing chambers that offer digitised features such as Assistive Listening Systems for court attendees in all its courtrooms and digital way-finding apps. The towers also house working spaces managed by the Singapore Academy of Law for lawyers and IT companies and public facilities such as a business centre, heritage gallery, library, and Help Centre.

Beyond serving its main purpose for law practitioners and the wider public alike, the State Courts Towers has a range of smart building features such as tech-enabled facial recognition and automation of various building management processes related to both security and mechanical and electrical systems. The State Courts Towers also has as an innovative design with solar panels and water recovery systems which has been accredited with the BCA Green Mark Platinum award.

As part of a public park revitalisation program in South Jakarta, the Singapore-based Siura Studio was tapped upon to transform the landscape with user-friendly urban design elements while retaining the serenity of its natural surroundings. In 15 months, the once neglected and degraded 7-hectare site became a tranquil park that is now received well by the local community.

The Tebet Eco Park fits plenty of new features like a Wetland Boardwalk, Plaza, Children’s Playground, and even an Infinity Link Bridge nestled among the tree canopies giving visitors breathtaking views of the natural surroundings.“When your design can be enjoyed by thousands of people and bring happiness to them, it feels like your hard work has paid off,” says Anton Siura, founder and principal of Siura Studio. “The bonus is we were also able to show Jakarta the impact of adopting an ecological approach to designing parks.”

Tebet Eco Park by Siura Studio has also garnered recognition from other cities across Indonesia for its positive impact. The landscape architecture and urban design of Tebet Eco Park will set a precedent for future parks in the country that lean towards a more sustainable and regenerative design approach that celebrates the rich green surroundings.

“Since the project’s completion, government officials from other cities in Indonesia have expressed an interest in adopting a similar approach for their parks,” quips Siura. “This will hopefully create more opportunities for designers.” 

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