* DESIGN OF
THE YEAR 2015

“My preferred notion of architecture,” says Jean-François Milou, managing director of Studio Milou Singapore Pte Ltd and the lead architect on the National Gallery Singapore project, “is one of landscape as a place where people can wander and think, dream and learn something about themselves in relation to where they are at that moment in time. The National Gallery reflects this approach.”

Indeed, over the years, Studio Milou has carved out an enviable reputation for its sensitive approach to the design and adaptive reuse of museums and theatres including the Cherbourg Maritime Museum in Normandy, and the Carreau du Temple in Paris. In that regard, Jean-François found in CPG Consultants Pte Ltd and its executive vice-president Lee Soo Khoong, the ideal collaborator; indeed, he has nothing but praise for CPG’s multi-disciplinary design capabilities and extensive experience in conservation and adaptive re-use projects. Under Soo Khoong’s direction, CPG brought to the collaboration an equally enviable track record, including many Singaporean landmarks and award-winning projects including the Asian Civilisations Museum, the Arts House at the Old Parliament, and the National Museum of Singapore.

In relation to Studio Milou’s general approach to architecture, Jean-François notes that the studio’s “projects in France and Singapore have always combined an elegant architectural gesture of great simplicity with a deep respect for conservation and the context of a site. I am not personally interested in architecture that competes with the surrounding buildings. Instead, I am always looking for an elegant solution to the problems raised”.

The architect also offers insights into the influence of life in Singapore on his design work. “As a designer, I have always been very cautious not to be overly influenced by factors external to the character and innate potential of the site or building we are working on, and my own intuition, however, working in Singapore and adapting to the extraordinary attentiveness of the Singaporean people to all that is done and said around them has taught me a lot about how to balance my manner of listening.”

Jean-François is particularly aware of the honour and responsibility that came with the appointment to lead the project. In moving to live in Singapore for the entire duration of the project, he felt welcomed and entirely supported by his Singaporean team and partners. Among them, the close day-to-day collaboration and guidance from CPG and the client were, of course, key. These gestures of welcome, he says, “had a real effect in terms of reinforcing our confidence and dedication to the project and to Singapore as our host and adoptive home.”

This inclusion – itself an apt metaphor for his unifying design for the National Gallery Singapore – is reflected in his appreciation for the President’s Design Award which he says can only serve to motivate designers and act as an engine for engaging more public interest in architecture.

“It is important that, at the highest level of governance, real respect of this kind is given to the discipline. Though architecture is not the easiest career path, it plays such a central role in how we all live day by day, and the degree of comfort, safety and well-being we enjoy.”

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