It was a mere five years after Wong Mun Summ graduated with honours from the National University of Singapore in 1989 that he co-founded Woha Architects, a practice that researches architectural and urban solutions to tackle the problems of the 21st century.

Known for its distinct approach employing biophilic design, Woha Architects has amassed a diverse oeuvre to date. These include Alila Villas Uluwatu in Bali, Taichung’s mixed‑use development Sky Green, housing development The Met in Bangkok, and Singapore’s Newton Suites and School of the Arts. The firm is also responsible for devising the master plan for the Punggol Digital District, a 50 ha development that will house the Singapore Institute of Technology’s new campus, a JTC business park as well as various community amenities, and is scheduled to open progressively from 2023. In May this year, Woha continues its mission of embracing nature in design with its recent development of the Pan Pacific Orchard, to become a hospitality destination that welcomes sustainability and eco-tourism.

As varied as these projects are, they all bear the hallmarks of Wong’s innovative and sustainable architectural approach. The firm has been awarded the President’s Design Award and Good Design Award several times, and has received accolades from the World Architecture Festival and more. Both Wong and his co-founding director Richard Hassell are vocal advocates of using design and architecture to tackle climate change, an idea they put forth in their book Garden City, Mega City: Rethinking Cities for the Age of Global Warming, published in 2016.