MIC

A (

P)

00

8/1

0/2

01

1ww

w.dp

a.co

m.sg

NUS UTOWN LIVE, LEARN AND PLAY

ITE COLLEGE WESTA STUDENT BUSINESS TOWN

SUTDDESIGNING FOR NEW EDUCATIONAL DOCTRINES

IN DETAIL

UPDATESDP ANNOUNCES NEW DIRECTOR AND OTHER KEY APPOINTMENTS

IN DEPTHVOLUME 2NUMBER 4

2011SINGAPORE

LEARNING ISSUE

CONTENTS

The latest happenings in DP

DP Announces New Director

Full Day Job-Shadowing

Short takes on new & notable projects01 Mediapolis@one-north02 Freemasons’ Hall03 Four Acres Singapore04 Ngee Ann Polytechnic Campus Extension05 Tanglin Trust School Extension06 euHabitat07 Ista Hotel & G Corp Mall08 West Chateau

Featured projects NUS UTown Master PlanSingapore University of Technology and Design

Design solutionsITE College West

Awards & events

New MediaCorp Headquarters Breaks Ground

Skyrise Greenery Awards

SIA Seminar

ArchiTours 2011

International Green Building Conference

DP personalities

Interview with Dadi Surya

Celebration of past projects

St Andrew’s Junior College, 1981

Volume 2 Number 4, 2011, Singapore

Letter from the Guest EditorDear Readers, He who seeks, finds: Knowledge from within is the epitome of civility - Lao Tzu

The development of places for higher learning has reached a zenith in Singapore. As we trace DP Architects’ commissions for polytechnics and universities from early projects to those more recent, we find that our firm’s rite of passage is similar to that of the nation’s educational models.

An environment conducive to learning is a basic prerequisite for the pursuit of knowledge. Provision of such a place evolves in part through the moulding of physical spaces which are planned, designed and assembled to form meaningful enclosures that present users with opportunities to expound, extoll, exalt and exchange thoughts and beliefs.

We’ve all been channelled through corridors, seated within classrooms, assembled in halls, strengthened our kinships at canteens, competed in fields and recorded thoughts in libraries. We’ve all learned what it means to learn.

As hubs for the broadening of minds, places of learning must stimulate, excite, nurture, embrace, propel and promote excellence. Our challenge as architects is to define, orchestrate and provide a platform that stimulates and conducts the practices of transforming thoughts cogently into texts, deeds and accomplished experiments.

DP Architects has been remarkably fortunate to have partaken in the building of such a wide spectrum of institutions over the years. The firm has completed 14 primary and secondary schools, 3 aviation schools, 5 Junior Colleges, 14 vocational institutes, 5 polytechnics, 4 universities and counting. We have helped to shape an educational environment in Singapore that moulds minds.

Learning is a life-long endeavour, and DP Architects is living by this canon through its continuous learning and development programmes.

Chin Thoe Chong, Director, DP Architects Pte Ltd

Cover photo: Cinnamon & Tembusu Residential Colleges, NUS UTown, SingaporeDESIGN IN PRINT TEAM Additional contributors: Jackie Poh, Woo Jie Kai

Chan Hui Min

Ed

itoria

l

Writ

ing

Heng Chin HongNartano Lim

Kyle FultonToh Bee Ping

Collin Anderson

Gra

phi

cs

Lek NoonchooLoh Yew Cheng

Fu Tingting

| The latest happenings in DP

Thirty junior-high students from National Junior College spent a day shadowing DP’s young architects. The day began with a walking tour of the firm’s projects in Marina Bay, including Esplanade–Theatres On the Bay, Millenia Walk, Singapore Flyer, Suntec City, The Fullerton Bay Hotel and One Marina Boulevard. The students were led by Alvin Arre, Collin Anderson, Low Chin Win, Nassar Zain and Widari Bahrin. Many of the office’s new architecture graduates also shared their final-year design proposals to give the students a taste of university studio-based design work.

FULL DAY JOB-SHADOWINGFor NJC students

| Short takes on new & notable projects

MediaCorp’s new 1.5 ha headquarters at Mediapolis@one-north will replace

the company’s campus at Caldecott Hill, where it has been located since

1966. The project is being designed by DP Architects in partnership with

Maki and Associates, Japan. It emphasises the collaborative nature of

creative content production with features including a 1,600-seat theatre,

two large production studios and an expansive open-workspace volume. A

reflective exterior cladding expresses the media’s role as a lens for viewing

the world and, in an effort to engage the public, the design integrates tour

spaces that showcase the media-production sequence.

Mediapolis@one-north Singapore01

mix

ed d

evel

op

men

tin

stitu

tiona

l

Freemasons’ Hall Singapore02

Built in 1879, the Freemasons’ Hall on Coleman Street is the meeting

place for Freemasons in Singapore. The design of this A&A project intends

to facilitate better understanding of Masonic culture and to encourage

interaction among members and non-members through the use of new

facilities. The conserved two-storey colonial building will welcome a new

three-storey rear extension with basement; the two structures will be

connected via a link-bridge on the second storey and through a new

extended basement. The project is scheduled for completion in 2012.

DP 03

DP Architects announces the appointment of Mr Dadi Surya as the firm’s newest director with effect from 1 January 2012. Mr Surya joined DP Architects in 1990 upon receiving his Master of Architecture degree from the University of Wisconsin. Rising through the ranks, he has played a critical role in many of the firm’s notable projects including The Bayshore, The Trillium, Wisma Atria Shopping Centre, The Dubai Mall and Zhongshan Park mixed-use development. Mr Surya was instrumental in the firm’s successful expansion into Indonesia, leading the design direction for projects like Senayan City, The Peak residences, Central Park and Ciputra World Surabaya.

Read the In Person feature on Dadi Surya on page 18.

DP ANNOUNCES NEW DIRECTOR

DP welcomes on board Mr Kris Shotam as Chief Information Officer and Mr Lee Boon Woei as Head of Environmentally Sustainable Design department. Mr Shotam brings to the firm over 30 years of experience in Information and Communications Technology. Prior to joining DP, Mr Lee was Head of Sustainable Design Technologies and Vice President of M&E Engineering at Surbana International Consultants.

Other Key Appointments

| Short takes on new & notable projects

Four Acres Singapore is a new world-class training and leadership

development centre at Nepal Hill, a business park component of

the one-north master plan. The development occupies a site area

of 22,750 sqm. It consists of a 6,000 sqm training centre and ten

conserved black-and-white bungalows to be utilised as in-campus

participant accommodations.

Located in a tree conservation area, the design and materials of

the new training centre incorporate the colours of the conserved

bungalows. The training centre’s dynamic, green roof reduces heat

gain and its form responds to the undulating contours of Nepal

Hill. The centre is expected to commence programmes in the first

quarter of 2013.

Four Acres SingaporeSingapore03

inst

itutio

nal

institutional

Ngee Ann Polytechnic will be transformed with building expansions

and two interventions implemented for urban connectivity – the

Student Village and the Agora student park.

The Student Village and Agora will reinvent the campus core where a

number of covered pedestrian thoroughfares converge. The park and

new commercial hub will generate student and staff interaction.

In Block 51, naturally ventilated cores will support the ‘floating’ form

programmed with new lecture theatres and faculty facilities. Block 58

will be an especially permeable structure: view corridors, a central

atrium and internal-external green decks will integrate the building with

its surroundings.

Ngee Ann Polytechnic Campus ExpansionSingapore

04

inst

itutio

nal

The new extension of Tanglin Trust School includes a five-storey senior school

annex. It comprises canteen facilities on the first storey, learning spaces on

the second, third and fourth storeys and a column-free examination hall on

the fifth storey. A passenger lift serves every storey, and a new link-bridge

connects the adjacent junior school block. The annex is equipped with a

specialised chemical and computer laboratory, a music rehearsal room and a

music recording and performance studio.

In response to the materials of the existing school building, the annex has a

brick façade with white windows. On the fifth storey, the façade is recessed

with planters and full-height glass panels. Green building cladding elements

include light shelves and a green wall.

Tanglin Trust School ExtensionSingapore05

hote

l & r

etai

l

DP 05

euHabitat launched a unique combination of four

residential options inspired by different aspects of

nature, all within one community: the Townhouse,

the Condo, the Suites and the SOHO

apartments. Each is designed to address the

diverse lifestyle needs of families and individuals.

The Townhouse features two-storey terrace

homes with four bedrooms and a private roof

pavilion. Lush landscaping and pools facilitate

ambient cooling and garden living. The Condo

offers a range of one-bedroom to four-bedroom

units surrounded by greenery. Large balconies

West Chateau is a 20 ha site located at the foothill of Baiwang

Shan in the western suburbs of Beijing, a region historically

recognised as a retreat for imperial visitors. With site coverage of

20 percent and green coverage of 35 percent, the design mantra

for this luxury residential development is ‘Mansions in the Park’.

The architecture combines Chinese and Western elements.

Building form is divided into three parts – base, body and top

– expressed by a distinctive horizontal capping at the fascia.

Shallow-pitch roofs with large overhangs and cantilevered

balconies work to create a low, horizontal line that blends the

buildings with the landscape. The project comprises 400,000

sqm of construction area and offers 1,000 apartments ranging in

size from 180 sqm to 400 sqm.

euHabitatSingapore

West ChateauChina

06

08

Ista Hotel & G Corp Mall India07

The development is located adjacent to the Aga Khan Palace, in close

proximity to the Pune International Airport. The design capitalises on the

site’s extensive frontage: the façade along Nagar Road, a main artery

leading into the city of Pune, is comprised of richly-grained granite; the

west façade contains a coloured-glass mural which corresponds with the

adjacent Aga Khan Palace.

The Ista is a 215-key business hotel. Its grand drop-off is carved from

the building to invite visitors into the main lobby. Internal landscaped

courtyards at the second storey open to the sky and a pool with an

intricately landscaped deck.

The mall has four storeys of retail programme and a curved, single-circuit

atrium. The dynamic, meandering form of the atrium offers shoppers an

exploratory experience.

resi

dent

ial

residential

welcome nature into the homes. These towers

are orientated north-south, with full-height

windows providing maximum daylight and

cross-ventilation. The Suites are spacious

single-bedroom units designed boldly to reflect

the individuality and chic lifestyles of young

families. They are designed with a number of

lifestyle pavilions and two lap pools to establish

community. The voluminous SOHO apartments

are light-filled and naturally ventilated units with

floor-to-ceiling heights of 3.4 m; these spaces

can be creatively adapted to maximise the

flexibility of the living and working environment.

| Featured projects

Master Plan designed

in collaboration with

Skidmore, Owings &

Merrill LLP, USA.

CREATE facility

designed in

collaboration with

Perkins + Will, USA.

A NEW CAMPUS VILLAGE WILL HOST ACADEMIC, RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL SPACES TO REINVENT THE COLLEGE EXPERIENCE

The National University of Singapore Town

Master Plan (NUS UTown) project redevelops

a golf course into a modern international

campus and town centre planned along a green

corridor. The design celebrates the pedestrian

experience by redirecting vehicular roads to the

site perimeter and transforming the land into

a network of walkways that responds to the

existing topography, hydrology and vegetation.

The project explores the planning of live-in

places within educational spaces. It seeks an

integrated and multidisciplinary approach to

the residential college system in an effort to

maximise interchange among an increasingly

diverse student population. The master plan

and architectural design project will be fully

completed in 2013.

MASTER PLAN

To establish an intimate campus environment,

the master plan situates high-rise residential

towers along an outer ‘ring road’ with low-rise

buildings at the site’s interior, along the central

pedestrian green. Building location and massing

adapt to the landscape: the internal green

NUS UTOWNMASTER PLAN

By Collin Anderson

corridor accentuates the site’s varied topography

with buildings positioned sequentially, and a

town centre is located atop the highest contour.

Academic, recreational and social anchors are

strung along the length of the green, drawing

users to specific destinations and filtering noises

from the surrounding highway. Structures are

connected by variously-scaled pockets of open

greenery that also serve as collection points for

passive and active interaction; these lawns are

overlaid by a network of circulation paths. All

UTown programmes will assimilate with those of

the adjacent NUS Kent Ridge main campus.

Live, Learn and Play

CINNAMON & TEMBUSU RESIDENTIAL COLLEGES

CAMPUS MASTER PLAN

VEHICULAR RING ROAD GREEN CORRIDOR

+= +

PEDESTRIAN PATH NETWORK

2

5

4

3

1

6

7

8

YEAR: 2013 | AREA: 247,800 SQM | SINGAPORE

DP 07

1. Khaya & Angsana Residential Colleges 2. Future Development3. Cinnamon & Tembusu Residential Colleges4. Education Resource Centre5. Graduate Residence6. Town Green7. EduSports Complex8. CREATE

A STUDENT-FACULTY RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE SYSTEM

IS DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE SOCIAL AND ACADEMIC

DYNAMICS

| Featured projects

Top: NUS UTown Master PlanMiddle: Cinnamon & Tembusu Residential CollegesBottom: EduSports Complex

RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE SYSTEM

UTown seeks to establish a uniquely Singaporean

interpretation of the residential college system. Though

NUS already supports on-campus living with a number

of existing dormitory halls, this expansion seeks a more

integrated and multidisciplinary approach. With an

increasingly diverse student population, the residential

college system encourages flexibility to maximise social and

cultural interchange for a holistic educational experience. An

exploration of campuses around the world was completed

to strategise this new planning arrangement.

The UTown residential college system is an organisational

pattern of university living that increases academic activity

within a community setting of students and faculty – such

as spaces for shared meals and group collaborative

activities – and each college is headed by a faculty team,

including a Master, faculty fellows and graduate tutors.

Eight residential colleges are designed to bring together

students and faculty in support of a holistic educational

experience. The traditional dormitory is replaced by a group-

living plan with six-bedroom apartment suites centred on a

common living room and ensuite bathroom. Each college

contains 600 living units for students on the upper levels

supplemented by seminar rooms, theme rooms, a multi-

purpose hall and a dining hall on the lower levels.

The colleges are sited on the northern end of the campus,

offset from the high-frequency town plan, planned on a

north-south orientation to avoid direct solar heat gain and

DP 09

Top: CREATEMiddle left: Khaya & Angsana Residential CollegesMiddle right: CREATE

Project Team (First row from left): Kumar Krishnaraj, Arthur Loh, Olivia Tay, Huang Jia Hui, Asep Ajabar, Darlou Cabral, Alexis Chan, Chin Thoe Chong, Desire Aime Bonotan Sitchon

(Second row from left): Emmanuel Sabido, Jessmin Mariano, Chue Kit Han, Chua Sian Keng, Hanafi Kasnan, Monica Boenawan, Rizal Hamdani, Christian Galan, Hoo Chuen Piew, Jasmine Lim

designed as naturally conditioned to embrace

the outdoors. Each tower is designed with a

degree of architectural autonomy and identity –

articulated windows with protruding sunshades

adorn the facades of Cinnamon and Tembusu

residential colleges, for instance. Cinnamon and

Tembusu were the first two residential colleges to

be developed, and are planned adjacent to one

another with shared dining facilities. As a measure

of structural efficiency, large-span spaces like the

multi-purpose hall and dining hall are designed

as stand-alone buildings, freed from having to

support tower loads from above. Faculty offices,

seminar and theme rooms are organised along the

main pedestrian thoroughfare as pavilions. Primary

entrances to the colleges are located along the

campus’ internal pedestrian thoroughfare, while

vehicular drop-offs and service access points are

planned along the external ring road.

ACADEMICS

With a strong research agenda, UTown will

host the National Research Foundation’s

Campus for Research Excellence and

Technological Enterprise (CREATE) – an

environmentally-sustainable and energy-

efficient international research campus and

innovation hub. CREATE hosts interdisciplinary

research centres from top universities and

corporate laboratories, such as the Singapore-

MIT Alliance for Research and Technology

(SMART), the SAP Singapore Research Centre,

as well as technology incubators and start-ups.

UTown is also site to an EduSports complex

which combines education, sports and

performing arts spaces.

(Third row from left): Yap Shiow Hwa, Carlito Sosito, Jeffrey Miranda, Bonifacio Dela Cruz, Joanner Valderma Catiis, Ramir Rosario Poyaoan, Eugene Del Mundo Dizon, Ang Chien Tee

(Fourth row from left): Cheryl Koh, Yong Foong Mei, Desera Puti, Anissa Santoso, Hazel Valenzuela Aguilar, Jorisza Favis Calasahan, Michelle Antonette Bebida Decena

Other Members:Angela Ng, Amit Pathak,

Chrisa Goh, Clement Kho,Gan Xing Yun, Jason Bertuben Manalo, Jonathan Ong,Lam Lee Chuen, Rejendran Vembalagu, Theresia Widyasari,Wendy Tan, William Wong, Wong Soon Tuan,Yeo Bee Lay

A PRIMARY NODES - Campus Center - Auditorium - International Design Center - Student Life Center - Library

B SECONDARY NODES - MRT Egress - Elevated Plaza - Linkway to Student Housing - Traditional Chinese Structures

C TERTIARY NODES - MRT Stations - Changi Business Park

| Featured projects

SUTDSINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN

Designing for New Educational Doctrines

A

B

BC

1

6

7

48

2

3

5

1URBAN ATTRACTORS

1 Campus Center2 Student Life Center3 Student Housing4 Elevated Plaza5 Future Node6 Changi Business Park7 MRT Station (East West Line)8 Future Development/MRT Station (Downtown Line)

A PRIMARY NODE Main Entrance Drop-off Campus Centre

B SECONDARY NODES Traditional Chinese Structures Link to Student Housing

C TIERTIARY NODES MRT Stations Changi Business Park

By Collin Anderson

Designed in

collaboration with

UNStudio, Amsterdam

Innovation is contingent upon connectivity and flexibility. As a platform for innovative thinking, the architecture of the new campus for Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) takes shape as a highly connected network with the capacity to facilitate cross-disciplinary communication and collaboration. It is in-built with the flexibility to adapt to changing educational needs.

SUTD is a publicly-funded university established in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology of the United States, and Zhejiang University of China. The university’s curriculum is structured into four academic pillars: Architecture and Sustainable Design; Engineering Product Development; Engineering Systems and Design; and Information Systems Technology and Design. The campus is planned such that boundaries are blurred and hierarchies diminished among the four pillars. Design strategies blend massing and circulation paths to enhance the potential for

Project Team

(Front row from left):

Cheah Kok Yew,

Woon Chung Yen,

Jeremy Tan,

Goh Yong Hui,

Pinson Lim,

Yong Chin Hwei,

(Back row from left):

Vungh Khen Mung,

Dwi Hadi Susanto,

Wee Eng Chang,

SUTD’S OPEN-SOURCE DESIGN ENCOURAGES

DISCOURSE, INTER-ACTIVITY AND

COLLABORATION AMONG STUDENTS

AND FACULTY

DP 11

YEAR: 2014 | AREA: 100,000 SQM (PHASE 1) | SINGAPORE

chance encounters among students, faculty and different disciplines.

Campus orientation and organisation emerge from two primary thoroughfares of activity: the living and learning spines, set on north-south and east-west axes respectively, intersect at an open forum space where student and faculty activities converge. This node becomes a location for informal gatherings and exchange, bringing people together, and, conversely, as a point of dissemination leading to the four academic schools.

The architecture of SUTD is designed as nonlinear. Meeting spaces, classrooms and laboratories have the capacity to support different arrangements and functions; they adjust to the evolving requirements of the school’s always-developing curriculum. The campus plan performs as a catalyst for dynamism, the starting point for any successful learning environment.

Teoh Siew Hong,

Villy Tampi,

Mosa Abidharma,

Lionel Leow Teck Lee,

Mirza Shahrani,

Foo Li Ching,

Timothy De Guzman,

Wang Kai,

Teo Sheng Leong,

Aditya Pratama,

Luke Xie Deshao,

Ong Shen Sien

A Student Business TownPHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY OF ITE COLLEGE WEST

ITE College WestA service-industry college, ITE College West is designed with functioning restaurants, shops, a hotel and a convention centre for student hands-on training

By Kyle Fulton

| Design solutions

The physical density of urbanisation demands the exploration of

educational programmes housed within multi-use spaces. Training

institutes have evolved into vibrant extensions of community places. The

ITE West campus is planned and designed as a specialised vocational

training centre that reaches out to the public.

The project, completed in 2010, occupies an area of 9.5 ha and is part

of the Institute of Technical Education’s (ITE) master plan to consolidate

all fifteen existing ITE campuses into three mega-colleges. The first,

College East, was completed in 2005. College Central is targeted for

completion in 2013.

ITE College West is considered to be a College of Excellence for Service

Quality offering a wide range of attractive niche courses in service,

hospitality and retail, in addition to core Engineering, ICT and Business

programmes. With a focus on service-industry education, ITE College

YEAR: 2010 | AREA: 115,000 SQM | SINGAPORE

DP 13

West is hallmarked as a ‘business town’ implemented to replace

conventional classrooms. The business town facilities promote hands-

on, experiential learning and include functioning restaurants, shops, a

hotel and a convention centre for student training.

Additional state-of-the-art educational facilities include: a 700-seat

auditorium; a centre for music and the arts with a DJ room, black box

and dance studios; and a wine cellar.

In line with ITE’s ‘Hands-on, Minds-On and Hearts-On’ education, the

ITE West complex, which is open to the public, works to establish

interaction between the academic institution, commercial businesses

and the local community. When designing the campus, the architects

carefully planned circulation routes and dynamic spaces to facilitate

communication among these different user groups.

1

1. Sports Field2. Multi-purpose Hall3. Workshops and Laboratories4. Lecture Theatres5. Sunken Courtyard6. Innovation Walkway7. Events Plaza8. Convention Centre9. Administrative Block

10. North Plaza

2

3

4

6

7

8

9

10

5

5

3

3

The campus’ curvilinear arrangement is built around a central circulation spine and the Events Plaza

| Design solutions

1. Sports Field

2. Multi-Purpose Hall

3. Workshops and

Laboratories

4. Lecture Theatres

5. Thematic Gardens

6. Innovation Walkway

7. Events Plaza

8. Convention Centre

9. Administrative Block

10. North Plaza

Project Team

(Front row from left):

Juliana Chan,

Carol Lee,

Tan Sok Tuan,

Alexandra Zech,

Virginia Arboleda

(Back row from left):

Lai Wai Heng,

Dino Canlas,

Mohd Amin,

Harry Tadina

Middle: View of Events

Plaza and Innovation

Walkway

Bottom: Garden with

view towards Sports

Field

DP 15

The complex blends academic institution, commercial businesses and

the local community

To this end, the buildings are organised along an ‘Innovation

Walkway’ – the campus’ circulation spine. This curvilinear,

elevated path joins the individual academic blocks and links

all students to the central sky plaza. This organisation has a

twofold effect: it promotes cross-disciplinary interaction, and it

invites the students to view the interior workings of the gallery-

style learning environments through glazed façades.

Below, the ground-floor circulation spaces are designed in a

more free-plan manner, allowing students and the public alike to

explore the many facilities and shops on offer. The architecture

and landscape are, like the Innovation Walkway, guided by

gentle curves along which are many pocket-spaces for one to

relax, unwind and study.

Curvatures in plan result in three-dimensional undulating

walls that are accentuated with strong horizontal elements

designed in elevation. Intermittent covered plazas punctuate the

spaces and work as transition zones marrying the indoors and

outdoors. The undoubted programmatic highlight is the central

Events Plaza covered by a 3,000 sqm tensile-Teflon roof that

regulates environmental factors and provides a comfortable

outdoor space. This space is well used by faculty staff, students

and the public day and night.

Since its opening, ITE College West has proven a successful

education, business and recreation campus that brings people

together in a spirit of community.

DP Architects Director Mr Chin Thoe

Chong was one of four speakers at

a seminar titled ‘Creativity – Beyond

Planning Norms’, organised by the

Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA)

on 23 September 2011. Addressing an

audience of architecture professionals,

Mr Chin spoke on methods of

overcoming code, planning and time

constraints. Using Resorts World

Sentosa as a case study, he focused

on local urban design and planning

guidelines, the negotiation of possible

solutions and the challenges of working

on a large-scale development.

DP Architects was honored with two Skyrise Greenery Awards at a ceremony held on 3 October 2011.

DP Green, an associate company of DP Architects, was awarded third prize for myVillage

at Serangoon Garden. Designed as a gardenesque shopping paradise, the project merges

landscape and mall environments.

DP Architects also received a merit award for Universal Studios Singapore (USS). The USS green

roof was designed as ‘meadows’ with swathes of different plant types creating an informal pattern

that allows the development of its own eco-system.

Jointly organised by the Singapore Institute of Architects and National Parks Board, the award aims

to promote green efforts in urban developments and recognises architects leading green design.

MediaCorp held a groundbreaking ceremony

for its new headquarters at Mediapolis@

one-north, a complex designed by DP

Architects in collaboration with Maki and

Associates, Japan.

The ceremony, held on 11 November

2011, was attended by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim,

Minister for Information, Communications

and the Arts. Slated for completion in 2015,

the development will replace MediaCorp’s

current Caldecott Hill campus and transform

the nature of the company’s facilities – a new

‘fenceless’ design, for instance, will replace

the ‘closed campus’ feel of the current

facility by offering numerous opportunities

for public engagement with an open plaza

and public touring spaces. The complex will

host large, collaborative workspaces to unify

MediaCorp’s numerous media outlets under

a single roof.

| Awards & events

11-11-11

New MediaCorp Headquarters

Breaks Ground

Creativity – Beyond Planning Norms

SIA Seminar

DP Green wins third prize at

Skyrise Greenery Awards

myVillage at Serangoon GardenUniversal Studios Singapore

The Building and Construction Authority invited DP

Architects to showcase the green concept of its award-

winning residential project, 36 BTrd, at the International

Green Building Conference (IGBC). Associate Ms

Jaye Tan, architect of the project, led the tour of the

private house. Developed as a new typology for a

single household in Singapore that can achieve self-

sufficiency with minimal depletion of natural resources

for building, the project is the first private house to

achieve Green Mark Platinum status in the country. The

conference was held from 13 to 16 September 2011.

36 BTrd site tour

International Green Building Conference

ArchiFest – Common Spaces

ArchiTours 2011DP Architects led guided

tours of NUS UTown and 36

BTrd as part of the annual

ArchiTours. NUS UTown

is comprised of research

centres, residential colleges

and an EduSports complex

that combines education,

sports and performing arts

spaces. 36 BTrd is an award-

winning environmentally-

sustainable house.

Held on weekends through

October, ArchiTours is one

of the most popular events

of ArchiFest. The festival is

organised by the Singapore

Institute of Architects and this

year’s theme was Common

Spaces. DP Green also

opened its doors to the public

for the Architects Open Offices,

another ArchiFest programme.

The festival is chaired by SIA

council member Mr Seah Chee

Huang, an Associate Director

at DP Architects.

Far left: Angelene Chan, DP Architects; Fumihiko Maki and Gary Kamemoto, Maki and Associates; Francis Lee, DP Architects; and Winston Hauw, Rider Levett Bucknall

Left: MediaCorp Guests of Honour (from left): Aubeck Kam, CEO of MDA; Teo Ming Kian, Chairman of MediaCorp; Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, MICA; Cedric Foo, Chairman of JTC Corporation; and Shaun Seow, CEO of MediaCorp

Left: MediaCorp personalities Phua Chu Kang and Zoe Tay join guests viewing the MediaCorp presentation model

DP Green

Photos courtesy of ArchiFest 36 BTrd

DP 17

Dadi SuryaAn interview with

| DP personalities

A member of the DP family since 1990, Mr Dadi Surya has been appointed DP Architects’ tenth director with effect from 1 January 2012. Design in Print marks this milestone with an interview with the newest member of the executive leadership. Over the course of three hours at his regular watering hole, Dadi shares his experiences, his most memorable projects and the challenges as the firm progresses into its 45th year.

“Design allows you to explore and express ideas through simple sketches and transform them into three dimensional forms and spaces.”

Interview by Toh Bee Ping

Displaying a penchant for design at a young age, Dadi fondly recounted the boat he made out of pomelo peel, ice cream sticks and rubber bands during a flood in Jakarta when he was six years old. This boat sparked a creative streak that would be nurtured and developed over the next four decades.

Thanks to a supportive mother who believed in a sound education for all her children, Dadi came to Singapore when he was nine. He later moved to Canada to complete his high school education and attended university in the United States. After graduating with a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1990, Dadi received a job offer to work in Chicago, but his heart and mind were already bound for Singapore.

Despite several other offers to advance his architectural career, Dadi easily selected DP Architects. “I would have the opportunity to be a part of the team to build the tallest, most iconic building in Indonesia,” Dadi explains. The Wisma 46 tower in Jakarta, which he developed with Directors Koh Seow Chuan and Vikas M Gore, is still one of the tallest buildings in Indonesia.

Many notable projects followed. “The PSA Vista competition that I worked on with Directors Gan Eng Oon and Chin Thoe Chong was memorable because the scheme we proposed was totally different from what the brief called for. We took a big gamble with our design idea and it paid off.”

For a brief period, Dadi was based in Jakarta to oversee DP’s operations in Indonesia. However, the operations ceased during the Indonesian crisis in the late 90s and he was recalled back to Singapore. Shortly after came Senayan City, the firm’s first big Indonesian project since Dadi’s return. It was a welcomed sign that his birth city had recovered from the crisis. Since then, Dadi, together with Director Wu Tzu Chiang, has been instrumental in the firm’s successful expansion into Indonesia. He led the design for many of the firm’s projects there, including The City Tower, Central Park and Ciputra World Surabaya. The City Tower project held special meaning for Dadi as he would pass the site daily when he was young. To be able to reshape the landscape of his childhood was a very gratifying experience. With Central Park, the challenge

was passing the high bar in design standards set by Director Wu Tzu Chiang. Completed in 2010, Central Park went on to win many awards including the Asia Pacific Property Awards and was a finalist in the prestigious World Architecture Festival awards.

Dadi now heads DP Architects’ Design Department which he helped to set up. He owes his strong foundation in design to the Design Morphology class he took in college, a popular course which required a two-semester advanced booking. “It changed me. It grounded my understanding of how to approach architecture design,” he recollects.

A reserved person by his own admission, Dadi is happy to shun the limelight and let his designs speak for him instead. He explains: “Design allows you to explore and express ideas through simple sketches and transform them into three dimensional forms and spaces.”

The creative process of transforming a design brief into a design proposal and eventually into an actual building is a very rewarding experience. The challenge of constantly seeking design solutions within a given set of boundaries

All Rights Reserved. No material may be reproduced without prior permission. DP Architects accepts no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions or resultant consequences including any loss or damage

arising from reliance on information in Design in Print. Any opinions in Design in Print are solely those of the named authors of the article in which they appear. Unless named as author, DP Architects, Editorial

Panel and other Contributors do not endorse any such views and disclaim all liability from their publication. Copyright © DP Architects Pte Ltd

Printed by A&D Printhub Pte Ltd L025/02/2010

MICA (P) 008/10/2011

Published by DP Architects Pte Ltd6 Raffles Boulevard, #04-100 Marina Square, Singapore 039594

T: +65 6338 3988 F: +65 6337 9989 E: ask_corpcomm@dpa.com.sg W: www.dpa.com.sg

Photo Contributors: Jeremy San, Loh Yew Cheng, Rida Sobana, Rory Daniel, Yan Son and Yong Hock Seng. All photos are credited to the mentioned photographers unless otherwise stated.

DP 19

“The creative process of transforming a design brief into an actual building is a very

rewarding experience.”

As a new director who rose through the ranks, Dadi is the bridge between the current and future leadership

Nig

ht

of

the

Sta

rs D

inne

r &

Dan

ce 2

011

DP Architects Dinner and Dance 2011 was held at

Nirwana Gardens, Bintan, Indonesia on 7 October

2011. 650 DPians decked-out in their best to party

under the stars.

Besides the mouth-watering buffet spread, DPians

were entertained by in-house live performances

and games. Nine groups performed, vying for the

title of DP Superstar and a grand prize of $1,000.

The firm’s young directors were invited to perform

a song-and-dance number.

The highlight of the evening was the release of

giant balloons into the sky, signifying ‘the sky is the

limit’. The dinner was followed by a lucky draw with

prizes sponsored by the management team, and

an after-party that continued into the wee hours of

the morning.

DP Architects would like to give special thanks

to its Recreation Club and Dinner-and-Dance

committee for organising a sensational celebration.

in a fast changing environment also keeps things exciting.

A prominent source of inspiration for his creativity is music. His love for music grew out of his high school years in Canada. Dadi recalls: “Music helped me to internalise and attach meaning to what was going on around me.” His favourite

musician is Marvin Gaye; but he listens to all kinds of music depending on his mood.

Music also lets his imagination run free. “Music helps to open up my mind for ideas to come. My mind is free to travel. It’s almost like I’m part of another world. I use music as a way to arouse my subconscious ideas.”

Stepping into his role as one of ten directors of the firm, Dadi is ready to take on the many challenges he will face, of which one of the biggest is the looming economic uncertainty. He will also be expected to identify and mentor the next generation of young leaders for a seamless succession in time to come. As a new director who rose through the ranks, Dadi is the bridge between the current and future leadership. His acknowledged management style of building an effective and cohesive working team while always meeting the company’s objectives will stand him in good stead. Design in Print wishes him every success in his new role.

1981

The old St Andrew’s Junior College was located on a 6 ha site bordered on two sides by a

landscape of trees and low-rise colonial buildings. The school was designed to promote informal

social interaction among the 1,200 students and 80 full-time staff members. A central paved-

brick plaza served as an open-air assembly area and programmatic focal point for the college.

The building’s form responded to land contours, and its modernist architectural composition

was designed to reveal an array of internal functions.

Project Team: Chan Sui Him, William S W Lim, Arthur Loh and Toy Nitisophon

St Andrew’s Junior College