In conversation with Amanda Gunawan and Joel Wong
How a young Singaporean architect duo set up a successful transcontinental practice
When you belong to a family of seasoned architects with a thriving practice, it might seem like a natural choice for any aspiring architect to join the “family venture”. However, for Joel Wong, whose family founded ADDP Architects, one of the leading practices in Singapore, this would have been far too easy. Instead, the talented architect, along with fellow architect and compatriot, Amanda Gunawan, set up the Only Way Is Up (OWIU) – a multidisciplinary firm based in Singapore and Los Angeles.
Having read architecture at the well-known Southern California Institute of Architecture, and worked with Morphosis in Los Angeles, the duo struck out on their own and have been going from strength to strength. Ask them what’s their secret sauce and they will tell you that there isn’t a better formula than getting your hands dirty which in this case implies getting down to the minutest details including working on the plumbing and electrical systems themselves, not to mention a thorough understanding of the creative-business model. Creativity and commerce might sound like an odd juxtaposition but the OWIU co-founders seem to have figured out a successful equation with a detailed approach and a design-build model. This year, the firm was selected to design the feature pavilion at the SIA-LES Archifest 2020. Read our exclusive interview with Ms Gunawan and Mr Wong.
In other news this week, we featured an exhibition centre commissioned by China’s Ping An Real Estate and designed by Wutopia Lab – its aluminium perforated rooftop is inspired by its mountainous surroundings in the Guangdong province; a mixed-use property on a rather compact site in Ho Chi Minh City by H.a. Architects that showcases smart usage of spatial planning; a new Cubist movement-inspired luxury hotel and residential development in Tel Aviv by Ilan Pivko Architects; a luxury hotel in the Indian Himalayas by Studio Lotus; a new outpost of the Kimpton brand in Bangkok by P49Deesign; and a Tokyo house and coffeeshop that is designed around a staircase that runs from the ground floor to the rooftop in one sweeping curve.
Read all this and more on DE51GN. We care about our built environment and hope you do, too. Through this platform, we want to bring you impactful stories from across Asia, and raise awareness about important and common issues that communities around the world are facing such as liveability, inclusivity, and sustainability. If you liked reading any of the stories here, do write in with your comments and tell us about your favourite topics, and share them with others as that’s the best way for people to get to know about us.
We will be back next week with more insightful content. Until later!