What is the philosophy that guides your design?

Rene Tan: In a way, I think it’s important not to have a ‘philosophy’. At least, not at this point in my career. I feel having a Philosophy – note the capital ‘p’ – inhibits and closes the mind because it presupposes an answer before the question is even asked. That prevents the creative part of us from discovering new things. I prefer the word ‘belief’. As architects, we must return architecture to creating beautiful spaces, whether on an intimate, domestic scale, or on an urban environmental level. The accessorial aspects of architecture should not distract us. And so I encourage the designers in my office to think about spatial experiences and approach design in a counter-intuitive manner. Of course, we have core values that guide our work – specifically, proportion, scale and hierarchy. These are based on the Vitruvian principles of firmitas, utilitas and venustas which, loosely translated, means every design must be sold, useful and beautiful.

What are three defining projects of your career?

Rene: The Watten House was my own house. On an exploratory level, it was an experiment in tropical architecture without its typical accessories like screens, planting and greenery. It was a simple project where shapes and sculptural forms were invoked to provide an environment that was also a comfortable domestic setting. But because it was for my family, it was also very challenging, especially when the brief came from two women of different generations: my wife and daughter. Instead of the usual courtyard form, the house was ‘bent’ to bring in natural light, movement of air, natural ventilation and views. And in place of typical tropical natural materials like timber, plants and stone, we used synthetics like homogenous tiles, aluminum and glass to create a house that required minimal maintenance.Rene: The Watten House was my own house. On an exploratory level, it was an experiment in tropical architecture without its typical accessories like screens, planting and greenery. It was a simple project where shapes and sculptural forms were invoked to provide an environment that was also a comfortable domestic setting. But because it was for my family, it was also very challenging, especially when the brief came from two women of different generations: my wife and daughter. Instead of the usual courtyard form, the house was ‘bent’ to bring in natural light, movement of air, natural ventilation and views. And in place of typical tropical natural materials like timber, plants and stone, we used synthetics like homogenous tiles, aluminum and glass to create a house that required minimal maintenance.

The House with Bridges made me realise that architecture is actually harder than I thought. Set on an impossibly steep slope. it defied drawing board architecture, and required a hands-on working process where on-site changes and adjustments were constant challenges. It made me rethink the vertical relationships of spaces. I became aware of the importance of the relationship between site and building. It was truly a project that transcended presumptions about architecture. By the time it was completed, I had learnt to appreciate the passion, diligence and perseverance of the project team in overcoming the death-defying degree of difficulty.

The Capers in Kuala Lumpur was my first high-rise building. It was a challenge as we needed to translate our ideas into a much larger urban scale. We designed everything from concept to details to signage. Comprising two residential towers and two low-rise blocks composed around a piazza, the meandering forms were composed as a counterpoint to the adjacent residential towers. Visible from afar, it has since become an urban and social landmark, drawing comments from laymen like “drunken and wobbly architecture”, and from taxi drivers: “the crooked building”!

How has your approach to design evolved?

Rene: When I first started out, I would immediately start drawing plans just like other architects. But I soon realised that it wasn’t enough. I realised it is important to identify the concept before executing the details. This inside came to me as I studied Chopin’s 24 Études for Piano .

Each piece literally studies a different aspect of music, be it arpeggios, octaves, thirds and so on. Each intimate piece has a point to make. When combined, they create the whole piece. This is why, today, right at the very start of any project, we don’t do anything till we have identified the challenges that need to be overcome. This could be anything: the light, the terrain, the fenestration, the topography and so on. Every project must challenge some aspect of the making of architecture. So, even if there’s no obvious challenge, we create one. This gives our work a purpose, an intention so that we don’t design for the sake of designing. In other words, it is not the big idea that comes first.

What kind of space makes you happy?

Rene: I believe that beautifully defined spaces, whether large or small, urban or domestic, can affect our emotions and resonate with our senses. I am most happy when I find myself in quit spaces like a library or a gallery – where my mind is at ease and where my thoughts can roam. The dual phenomenon of space and silence is powerful.

Which city or space best expresses your idea of the perfect urban space or architecture?

Rene: At the top of my list is Louis Kahn’s great courtyard of the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California. It’s a stunning space in its simplicity of materials, comfort in proportions, and orientation towards the Pacific Ocean. Its scale is, at once, intimate and dramatic; its proportions humane, yet urban. It’s a space of contemplation and reflection. It induces an emotional catharsis. For me, it is perfect architecture in an ironic sense – in its nothingness and emptiness, it is architecture without architecture.

What inspires you?

Rene: Lots of things. Besides music, the good work done by my peers in other offices inspires me It is a great thing to be practicing amongst such great talents. I believe we can all learn from one another. My colleagues at RT+Q also inspire me. With passion, ambition, spirit and diligence, each plays an important role, always staying focused on achieving great results for the project in question. In this regard, I am always reminded by something my daughter Lara once said: “The real beauty of architecture is not in how it looks, but rather it is in the heart and character of every building.” That thought continues to inspire me too.

Which social gap would you like to address with design? How would you do it?

Rene: I’ve been thinking about this question for a long time now. I’ve always wondered what architecture is like for people who cannot see. I think it would be interesting to design a facility for the visually handicapped. That would really test a few fundamental presumption we have of architecture, particularly because it is a visual discipline. It’s really not, and it cannot be that architecture is just for people who can see. What if we were to take away the visual aspect in our design and focus in stead on the other senses of touch, smell, hearing and so on, so that we create an environment that is even more dramatic and sensorial? This raises interesting questions about what architecture has been, and what it could be.

What is the philosophy that guides your design?

In a way, I think it’s important not to have a ‘philosophy’. At least, not at this point in my career. I feel having a Philosophy – note the capital ‘P’ – inhibits and closes the mind because it presupposes an answer before the question is even asked. That prevents the creative part of us from discovering new things. I prefer the word ‘belief’. As architects, we must return architecture to creating beautiful spaces, whether on an intimate, domestic scale, or on an urban environmental level. The accessorial aspects of architecture should not distract us. And so I encourage the designers in my office to think about spatial experiences and approach design in a counter-intuitive manner. Of course, we have core values that guide our work – specifically, proportion, scale and hierarchy. These are based on the Vitruvian principles of