* DESIGN OF
THE YEAR 2016

What 'problem' does this design solve?

Chan Soo Khian: The intention was to create an inspirational series of spaces for design-focused thinking. It was especially important that the spaces throughout the centre were flexible. Which explains features such as folding panel walls in the Atrium and retractable seating in the lecture theatre. And in the Atrium, hidden behind the folding wall panel, is a series of gallery boxes that can be rolled out and opened up to provide additional surfaces for events and exhibitions.

What challenges did you encounter during the design or construction process? How did you resolve them?

Soo Khian: Being a conservation project, it was important to strike a balance between the old and new. Original features and ornamentation were retained, restored and integrated holistically with the new architecture and interiors. A new wing in the courtyard was conceived as a ‘floating’ steel structure that is suspended on all sides and detached from the original building façade so that it creates a three-storey public gallery space on level two.

The use of a lightweight aluminum mesh to clad and house the new spaces and services in the new lecture theatre ensured minimal structural intervention to the existing building. This mesh provides spaces with privacy, while ensuring the maximum of natural light flows from the courtyard atrium into the communal spaces.

This light approach respects the existing conserved building while inserting bold new elements that enhance and rejuvenate the space in a thoroughly modern way.

How did the end-user experience motivate you when you were designing the Centre?

Soo Khian: The National Design Centre strives to be the core for all things design. Since completion, the building has become a key venue for designers and businesses to congregate and exchange ideas, conduct business, use its facilities and obtain assistance from the national agency for design, the DesignSingapore Council, and to actively increase public awareness of the design industry in Singapore.

Today, the multi-functional centre attracts visitors through a series of design-related events, as well as through various communal spaces for interactions and meetings, including a retail shop and an F&B outlet. The centre provides a place for design firms and their potential clients and business partners to interact, as well as educational opportunities for those interested, or are already working, in the design industry.

Singapore was designated UNESCO Creative City of Design in 2015. How do you think design – specifically, the design for the Centre might contribute to this creativity?

Soo Khian: In any society, design plays an important role in the country’s economic, social, cultural and environmental development. It is especially important in the Singaporean context. We need a platform for design to engage the community and encourage participation. Collaborative spaces such as the National Design Centre foster creative talent and allow for greater depth and progression in the creative industries. Encouraging the use of these spaces to nurture creativity requires the implementation of a progressive system of management. Equally, it is important that the creative industry continues to evolve and diversify to broaden the public’s interest.

What existing design do you think has a positive impact on society?

Soo Khian: In terms of rejuvenative impact, the High Line green corridor in New York City. This started as a community driven initiative, and it has helped to revitalise the entire district of West Chelsea.