Three picked for Designer Of The Year: Tan Kok Hiang, Peter Tay and Larry Peh

SINGAPORE - President Tony Tan presented the nation’s highest design honour - the Designer Of The Year - to three architects at the President Design Awards (PDA) ceremony held at the Istana earlier this evening: Tan Kok Hiang of Forum Architects, interior designer Peter Tay of Peter Tay Studios and creative director Larry Peh of design studio &Larry.

“The President’s Design Award is the most prestigious and coveted accolade given for design in Singapore. It goes to an exceptional group of designers whose works have made an impact on Singapore society and beyond. These design leaders and practitioners have demonstrated exemplary innovation and creativity in their works. The selected designs include a spectacle frame that incorporates a spring hinge for progressive lens users, a refrigerator which is highly intuitive and interactive, and a commercial development that considered materials and form to reduce energy consumption. The recipients showed that design is very much in our daily life and is about meeting users’ needs. We celebrate with the recipients who have pushed the boundaries of design and hope they will continue to be an inspiration to young designers,” said Mr Robert Tomlin, Chairman, President’s Design Award 2014 Steering Committee and Chairman, DesignSingapore Council.

Besides the three designers, 11 projects - ranging from everyday items such as the Ouyi Refridgerator by Electrolux to the Jurong Eco-Garden - also received the Design Of The Year award. All will have their works exhibited at the URA Centre from Thursday (Nov 27) to Jan 17 next year, before moving to the National Design Centre from Jan 20 to March 29.

We spoke to the three recipients about their win and how they’ve made their life’s work their mission.

IT’S ALL ABOUT MOTIVATION

Peter Tay has had a great run so far. Last October, he launched his self-titled monograph — a beautiful limited edition book of selected projects; in June this year, he showcased his installation, Reflection(s), at the Venice Biennale. He also picked up trophies at the Industry Design Excellence Awards and found the time to take on pro bono work for a church in Cambodia, a new church in Punggol and the rehabilitation wing of Abilities Beyond Limitations and Expectations Centre (ABLE) in the Agape Village in Toa Payoh. Did we also mention he’s the go-to interior designer for Asian celebs such as actress Zhang Ziyi and singer Wang Lee Hom?

Still the 43-year-old said he is not a “celebrity interior designer”. “I’m okay with it, I guess. But I feel it’s not important at all,” he said.

Instead, Tay is focused on what he calls the “next stage of his career” now that he’s been conferred the PDA. Namely, he hopes to raise the profile of homegrown interior designers and contribute to the narrative of the Singaporean interior design.

“We have a pool of world class architects and I feel our interior designers could command that sort of attention too. We can take the lead and become known abroad for our work,” he added.

Interestingly, Tay said he never thought of becoming a designer. He simply followed his brother into studying the subject in Australia before enrolling in the renowned Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. “Till today, I still can’t draw. I was the last student in Art in Dunman High,” he said.

Success came rather quickly following his return to Singapore until his horrific car accident in 2006 which put him in a coma for three days and left him with metal plates in his face. That didn’t slow him down and neither will he rest on his laurels. Tay said he still felt he needed to “work hard here” thinking about venturing abroad.

“My Chinese education (in Catholic High and Dunman High) has taught me one must always be grounded before taking the next step.”

DOING ONE’S CIVIC DUTY

Architect Tan Kok Hiang knows how the happiest person in the world feels: He experienced it when he got into the architecture course in National University of Singapore. Several highlights in his career have come close to that euphoric moment, including getting the PDA and exhibiting at the Venice Biennale in 2004.

“It’s very meaningful,” he said.

The jovial 54-year-old said that when he was a child, he was fascinated by design and the mechanics of objects such as watches and cars.

“There are so many aspects to these things. Buildings are similar but on a bigger scale. I like how every element comes together to serve a purpose,” he said.

That attraction to larger purposes was why Tan gravitated towards designing civic buildings, hoping to imbue his buildings with some soul that would move those who encounter it. He recalled how Just like how a visit to French architect’s Le Corbusier’s Villa La Roche in 1991 stirred him when he saw it.

“I remember I had tears in my eyes when I entered it. Since then, I felt architecture is truly meaningful and I want to continue doing it for as long as possible,” he revealed.

Some of the buildings bearing Tan’s stamp include the Assyafaah Mosque, which has been touted as the face of the modern Malay Muslim; as well as heritage buildings such as Maxwell Chambers.

To highlight the importance of public architecture, Tan cited an incident where he brought visiting architects from the United States to see Toa Payoh town centre and the HDB blocks that were first used to house athletes for the SEA Games in 1973.

“These American architects were astonished by how urban planning has succeeded in Singapore (compared to other cities),” he said. “As the architect for civic spaces, you’re almost like the custodian for the environment — it’s an opportunity to construct the future of what you feel it should represent. It’s a grave responsibility.”

THE SINGAPORE TOUCH

Never underestimate the power of magazines: Larry Peh first stumbled upon the term “creative director” in a magazine and decided that was what he was going to do.

“Back in secondary school, my best friend’s sister was a SQ stewardess and she would bring back magazines from overseas. I was simply quite drawn to the whole look, layout and typography of Harper’s Bazaar which was under legendary editor Liz Tilberis and creative director Fabien Baron then,” the 35-year-old explained.

“As a kid, I didn’t know how to describe that attraction but I thought, ‘oh maybe that’s what I want do.’”

Peh has managed to infuse many of his projects with a witty yet subtle Singaporean nod: A wooden dining table with yellow lines referencing the smoking zone; leather shoes titled “Courtesy My Foot” with a smiley face from the Courtesy Campaign debossed on the soles; benches made with wood salvaged from the old National Stadium.

Peh said he didn’t set out to deliberately add a Singaporean touch to these products. “I think these objects are also attractive to a foreigner. They are well made and designed, it’s just that slight ‘haha’ element that you get if you’re Singaporean,” he explained. “I suppose I just interpret the things which are familiar to me and this (being Singaporean) is part of who I am.”

Naturally, winning Singapore’s highest design honour is a momentous occasion for him. A big reason is that designer Theseus Chan (whom Peh called the person he most respects) also received the honour when the awards were first introduced back in 2006. Peh said he never felt quite ready to be nominated until Chan and another friend and fellow PDA winner in 2010, photographer, John Clang both told him it was time to try.

“I was pleasantly surprised. These two are giants in their own right and I told them I already felt like a winner to have their endorsement,” he said.

Like his bench he cheekily named ‘Benchmark Sat’, the PDA has definitely set a new benchmark for him. “I want to stay relevant to the design landscape. Even though &Larry is already 10 years old, I feel like it’s only (turned) one. There are so many things I want to do,” he said, adding that one could well be a men’s label.

As for the rest, you’ll just to watch this space.