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For melding old structures with modern ideas, his firm was recently lauded in New York, but what really drives architect Lim Koon Park is creating work that’s meaningful to him, writes Melissa Gail Sing.
Many great architects grew up sketching buildings and had childhood dreams of seeing their visual fantasies come to life. But not Lim Koon Park. One might say that architecture grew on him. “It was only later in life that I was intrigued by the thought of a career in the legal field. That was one possible path. And the other was architecture,” he shares.
Combining the analytical skills, creativity, logical thinking ability, research skills and interpersonal skills that would make a fine lawyer with his deep appreciation for objects of beauty and art, he chose architecture. In 1999, he founded his own firm, Park + Associates, and over the past 16 years, he has overseen some 200 projects in architecture and interior design spanning various typologies.
Today, we find ourselves in one of these. Walking beneath a barrel-vaulted ceiling, with cement floor under our feet and light filtering in through dusty window panes, we can almost hear a train rolling in. But this is no train station. Moving upstairs, we’re transported into an elegant reading room, then a chic bar, and a glass house. The last thing that comes to mind as we weave through the various spaces is work, but this old school library hall along Kim Yam Road has been fertile ground for producing innovative designs for the Park + Associates team over the past 18 months. For the unconventional design of its office space, the firm bagged top honours in the Designer’s Own Office Category of Interior Design Magazine’s Best of Year Awards in the capital of design, New York, last December.
“Challenging conventions about office space design, we took an anti-office approach, carving out different spaces to create a series of sensory experiences as you walk through. We also wanted to play up the character of the original architecture. To do so, we had to stop the landlord’s contractors from painting the vault and cleaning the windows because they felt obliged to do so,” says Koon Park who has been in the industry for about 25 years.
This same ethos of going against the flow and creating experiences has guided the team through other notable projects like 1919—The Black and White Residence, another stunning perambulation of time and space, the Puss in Boots ride at Universal Studios Singapore, as well as current projects such as the Hwa Chong International School, Nanyang Girls’ High School and the Ritz-Carlton in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.
Receiving awards like the one from Interior Design Magazine and others from the Singapore Institute of Architects and New York-based Contract Magazine has thrust the firm into the international limelight. Talk to Koon Park about creating the next most iconic building or becoming the starchitect of the moment, however, and he says, “Awards are a recognition for our work and give us confidence to forge ahead. Eventually, what motivates me is and my team is doing what we think is good architecture and design.”
Looking around his office, which resembles a gentlemen’s lair with its dark interiors, mood lighting and a sophisticated Le Corbusier chaise lounge, one can be certain that this man’s appreciation for exquisite design rolls over into his personal life. Beautifully made objects, touches of luxury and handcrafted artefacts inspire the collector of watches and pens.
He says, “The craftsmanship and the deep thought that goes into the details and choice of materials, plus that element of surprise fascinate me. Architecture is my hobby, and when I interview young designers, I seek out like-minded individuals who see architecture not just as a job but as a way of life.”
