Wong Mun Summ

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-hectare development set to house the Singapore Institute of Technology’s new campus, a JTC business park as well as various community amenities, scheduled to open progressively from the tail end of 2024.

In the same year, Woha Architects was recognised for its work on the 21 Carpenter Hotel in Singapore, bringing home an award for Best Adaptive Reuse at the Tatler Homes Design Awards 2024 as well as Design of the Year at the Architectural Design Awards by the Singapore Institute of Architects. The firm has also been awarded the President’s Design Award and Good Design Award several times over the years and has received accolades from the World Architecture Festival and more.

As varied as his projects are, they all bear the hallmarks of Wong’s innovative and sustainable architectural approach. 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.

In 2025, Woha’s Pan Pacific Orchard project was certified gold under the Landscape Excellence Assessment Framework (LEAF) by Singapore's National Parks Board.