Writer: Justin Zhuang
What are some challenges in running a mega architecture practice today?
The practice of architecture is significantly different from what it was 30 years ago. Negotiating the shifts in the building industry requires resolve and full buy-in if we want everyone to move forward in the same direction. For a large size firm, it can be a challenge to reach consensus swiftly. The larger the firm, the more factors there are to overcome to achieve consistency which is important to maintain a competitive edge.
How is the traditional way of running the practice no longer relevant?
In the past, the architectural design takes precedence and the architect is the key decision maker. This is not always the case today with competitive real estate conditions, advancements in construction technologies and preferences for building models that focus on efficient execution, for example, design-and-build. Architects have to approach design as a part of an integrated service, even from the early stages. The profession will also have to integrate technology in every aspect of the work process. We must also play multiple roles: going beyond the traditional scope of design and project management, and developing knowledge in related disciplines.
Sunway Woodcraft Construction Headquarters. Photo credit: DP Architects
How is DPA rejuvenating itself?
In the last couple of years, we have begun focusing on research as a key driver in architecture. Today, we have 10 typology research groups to investigate new trends, developments and technologies. Our explorations in the hospitality typology led to the development of an app that can generate hotel quantum with simple data entry on our mobile devices.
We have also started a Design Intelligence Unit to further integrate new technology into our work process. A few months ago, the unit and our specialist office, DP Sustainable Design, created NimbleSIM, an application that facilitates automatic model preparation. It is able to gather and process data from different software platforms. Through automatic simulation, it tests the sustainability performance of our designs and the results also contain multiple design options with a corresponding performance index. This equips our designers with the right analyses to make informed decisions quicker.
Wisma Atria after the 2012 redesign. Image credit: DP Architects
Any advice for other architecture practices?
Constantly reinforcing the core corporate values or culture is critical to the success of any business. Our culture of collaboration, collective-over-individual, emphasis of being a big family is something that we hold dear. For a creative profession like architecture, the biggest asset of any practice is the people. It is important to develop, manage and retain talent by creating the right working environment that drives them to do their best.
What are some challenges in design education today?
One of the key dilemmas is deciding between a curriculum that leans towards developing specialists in a design domain or one that trains generalists who can successfully negotiate across different design disciplines. I believe that design education can no longer produce “industry-ready” graduates as many of their skillsets start getting obsolete as soon as they enter the workforce. Therefore, developing the mental and emotional aptitudes of a designer is as important, if not more so, than emphasising on the craft of design. Producing designers with creativity, empathy, resilience, adaptability and a growth mindset is key to future-proofing them.
In Spotted Nyonya (2011), one of Hans' works. Photo credit: Hans Tan Studio
Why is the traditional mode of educating designers no longer relevant?
The “master and apprentice” studio model of design education is perhaps outdated. Although the authentic, problem-based learning of studio projects are still very beneficial to design education, the manner in which they are run — with students bringing in work weekly to consult with the studio master — does not offer the most enriching learning experience. The studio experience can benefit from a different typology of programming and complementary engagements with the use of digital technology and social media.
On the other hand, the advent of digital tools and an overall downsizing of workshop areas for design students has compromised learning through hands-on making and experimentation. The over-emphasis on the creative role of human-centred design, where good ideas stem from good user research, has also contributed to the decline of prototyping as an important design skill. This has led to an unbalanced preference for thinking with data instead of with one’s hands. Studies have shown that we solve both analytical and creative problems with an increased success when we use our hands to work out the solution, regardless of one’s cognitive abilities.
Striped Ming (2013). Photo credit: Hans Tan Studio
How are you rethinking the education of a designer?
The concept of “Thinking by Making” forms a big part of the design studios I lead. There is a big difference in superficially focussing on the hand-made — which detracts from my intentions — and making (with one’s hands) as a crucial mode of thinking for a designer. My design briefs compel students to build up their intuition of hands-on thinking by practising iterative making. They learn to “play around” and negate planning first. Conversely, if you plan something to make, you are certainly not “playing around”. Learning to play is such a contradiction. My two sons, aged 3 and 6, don't have to be told how to play. They will do crazy things with whatever they set their hands on.
With the revamp of the Design Fundamentals studio for the Division’s first-year students, I am also leading a short, 6-week studio. “Fascinating Flour” gets students to arrive at a fascinating piece of cooked flour by intervening in the material (flour) and process (steaming). Having a penchant for cooking, I discovered that edible materials and culinary processes provide the best premise to learn hands-on experimentation.
Your advice to design educators?
I quote philosopher Martin Heidegger: “The hand’s essence can never be determined, or explained, by its being an organ which can grasp… Every motion of the hand in every one of its works carries itself through the element of thinking, every bearing of the hand bears itself in that element…”
What are some challenges in the social sector today?
Our ongoing projects touch on various universal issues. One example is mental health, which has a stigma that makes it difficult for people to talk about as well as support patients and their families. Another topic is ageing, which we are helping to reframe as a positive life stage and an opportunity for growth rather than a much-feared period of decline. We are also exploring new models of day hospice care as well as end-of-life care settings and spaces and conversation tools.
Image credit: fuelfor
How has the role of design in social care changed?
Designers have not been as active in social care as compared to the healthcare sector where they feature prominently in medical technology product innovation, designing healthcare spaces and, more recently, improving processes and patient experiences. The healthcare industry is increasingly embracing design thinking as a human-centred approach to innovation and designers have more opportunities to generate new concepts to test and launch in the market. However, there are bigger questions that are fundamental to care that call for a new frame of thinking.
How are you rejuvenating the role of design in the social sector?
We are setting up The Care Lab to build on our work in the healthcare sector and look at the landscape of “care” as a whole. This helps us better identify and address the systemic issues that exist between institutions and sectors. Care is a topic that will shape new ways of living, learning, working, ageing and dying.
What projects of yours exemplify this new way of thinking?
Our latest projects are in some ways spin offs from Who Cares?. One project in Singapore is working with the non-profit organisation Equal Ark to provide equine-assisted therapy to persons with disabilities and their caregivers. We are also partnering with medical device players and public hospital partners in Spain and Portugal to design new products, services, programmes and platforms to support caregivers of people with chronic disease.
Any advice for designers in the social sector?
There is not enough of us here! Industries and governments are recognising the value that design can bring to business and innovation. Now, we need to demonstrate what design can do. It’s important to consider the why as well as the what. This requires designers to have a more conscious and considered approach. We have to design more compassionate and sustainable societies, systems and solutions where people can play a role in shaping their world. Not every designer is ready for this, but more are daring to think more about their role beyond profit and towards social purposes. It is a great moment to be a designer :-)
How is the traditional approach to urban infrastructure no longer relevant?
Historically, architects and planners have seen their role as one of revitalising and rejuvenating certain parts of the city, for example in confronting urban decay in the inner city. This can be expanded in today’s context to encompass the transformation of hostile, uninhabitable and unproductive urban environments into healthy, pleasant and environmentally-friendly spaces. We advocate for a more holistic view that takes into consideration environmental, climatic and qualitative experiences of living in the city.
How are you rethinking urban infrastructure design?
Urban infrastructure projects are typically engineering oriented and highly functional. What we did was to bring a humanistic touch and an imaginative approach to this domain. We see the role of urban infrastructure as having a social significance that extends beyond just aesthetics. This is something we tried to achieve in the Fuzhou Jin Niu Shan Trans-Urban Connector (Fudao). The project has attracted many visitors from the surrounding region and has become a destination. The project has been recognised by the P*DA, the Chicago Athenaeum International Award and the Design for Asia Grand Award, who have all highlighted the social and sustainable dimensions of the project as key to its success.
Fudao. Photo credit: Zhou Yue Dong
What new projects of yours exemplify this?
We have been invited to design other innovative pedestrian connectivity systems within highly eco-sensitive spaces like Jiuzhaigou and complex urban centres like Xiamen where we continue to explore designs that are aesthetically pleasing, functional and also responsive to the local culture. Like Fudao, such systems play an important role to providing a pedestrian friendly route for urban dwellers. They make areas accessible via a network of pathways and help to stitch up certain important nodes making the city more vibrant and dynamic.
A section of the elevated walkways that make up Fudao. Photo credit: Zhou Yue Dong
Any advice for designers of urban infrastructure?
To be sensitive to different cultures and places and to deploy both innovative design and appropriate technologies. To be a good learner as our built environment demands more than just good architecture alone but also a greater understanding of in-between spaces and a more sensitive approach to the relationship between greenery and built spaces.