Woha's top honchos are Designers of the Year
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December 2, 2008 Tuesday
Woha's top honchos are Designers of the Year
Founding directors hailed for vast body of cutting-edge works
By Tay Suan Chiang
LOCAL architecture firm Woha is on a roll. Its founding directors, Messrs Wong Mun Summ and Richard Hassell, have been named Designers of the Year at this year's President's Design Award.
This is the third straight year the duo have won an award at the annual ceremony since the DesignSingapore Council and Urban Redevelopment Authority started it in 2006.
Their first win as Designers of the Year in the architecture and urban design category recognises their vast body of cutting-edge, yet sustainable, works. These include the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Changi Airport Terminal 3, the Gilstead Brooks residential project and the upcoming Bras Basah MRT station, which will have a water-covered glass roof.
President S R Nathan handed out this year's awards at the Lasalle College of the Arts last night.
Messrs Wong and Hassell had won in the Design of the Year category for the past two years.
At the award ceremony, Dr Lee Boon Yang, the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, said DesignSingapore would earmark $10 million over the next two years to help the design sector ride through the downturn.
The money will be used to help designers, design practices and design industry associations by providing grants and co-funding for mentorship, overseas promotion, participation in competitions, and awards, scholarships and other capability development schemes.
The design sector has been growing well and contributes 1.2 per cent to gross domestic product, he said.
The President's Design Award recognises innovative local designs across all disciplines that have contributed to Singapore's economy, environment and culture.
The other two Designers of the Year this year are industrial designer Nathan Yong of Air Division and graphic designer Edmund Wee of Epigram.
Woha's Mr Wong said there was 'no extra pressure' on him and Mr Hassell to continue their winning streak, but they would 'keep trying to be innovative'.
Mr Yong's Air Division furniture design firm, started in 1999, is known for its quirky ideas, such as the Break stool, which looks broken at the centre.
As for those who dismiss annual corporate reports as boring literature, Epigram's Mr Wee begs to differ. His 18-year-old company is known for producing creative annual reports.
President Nathan also handed out awards for Design of the Year.
This year's winners include a house at Jalan Elok off Mount Elizabeth, the Lasalle College of the Arts, the National Museum of Singapore, Naumi Hotel in Seah Street and the front lawn of the New Majestic Hotel in Bukit Pasoh Road.
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