DP Architects
Encyclopedia
DP Architects Pte Ltd is one of the largest architectural practices in Singapore.
The firm was founded with a deep concern for the built environment and the need to create architecture of excellence that enriches the human experience and spirit. Established as one of the seminal firms responsible for the urban landscape of Singapore, DP Architects has made its mark as one of the leading architectural firms in Asia, winning international recognition for completing mega-scale multi-billion dollar projects such as The Dubai Mall.
The firm has a long and esteemed history as the architect of Singapore’s most notable landmarks - the People’s Park Complex in the 1960s, Suntec City
in the 1980s, and, more recently, the multiple award-winning Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
, Republic Polytechnic
and Resorts World Sentosa. Instrumental in the master planning and transformation of the Orchard Road
shopping belt, the development of Marina Centre
, as well as residential projects such as The Trillium and Southbank, DP Architects continues to play a key role in transforming Singapore into a world-class cityscape.
DP Architects’ success is firmly tied to a well-managed process that engages the right creative minds. The firm’s holistic approach pairs design-consciousness with sensitive, innovative solutions to climate, site and context. Constantly evolving and aware, DP Architects has made ‘green-thinking’ and ‘sustainability’ integral parts of its design efforts. DP Architects is committed to constantly pursuing architectural excellence and, in doing so, shape a inhabitable and sustainable world for future generations.
DP Architects’ diverse portfolio spans a wide variety of project types: retail, hotel, resort, commercial office, residential, convention centre, technology parks, medical, religious, educational and civic institutions, and airport and aviation-related support facilities.
The DP group - comprising DP Architects, DP Consultants, DP Design, DP Engineers and DP Green - provides a comprehensive range of services from architecture, urban planning, interior design, project management, sustainable design, landscape architecture, to engineering. It has over 1000 staff with 12 offices worldwide.
, Tay Kheng Soon, and Koh Seow Chuan
when they left the Malayan Architects Co-Partnership and founded Design Partnership after its dissolution to start their own firm with an initial staff strength of 18. In 1972, Gan Eng Oon joined and became a partner followed by Chan Sui Him in 1973 and became a partner subsequently in 1974.
In 1974, Tay Kheng Soon retired and establish his own practice and a year later in 1975, Design Partnership was dissolved and reformed as DP Architects Pte (DPA). William Lim retired in 1981 and established his own practice.
The company expanded in 1982 with the establishment of subsidiary companies, 2 DP Design and DP Consultants. DP Architects was registered formerly as a privated limited with the strenght of 200 people in Singapore. Leading the firm since its inception, Chan Sui Him was succeeded by Francis Lee Seng Wee in 2004 as the CEO while he was promoted to Chairman of the firm.
, and Golden Mile Complex
.
Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas
said at a press conference when he visited Singapore in 2005: ‘These buildings (Golden Mile Complex and People’s Park Complex) were not intended to be landmarks, but became landmarks.’
The firm is also known for its work on the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
,
Mumbai Airport
The Dubai Mall
,
Resorts World Sentosa
, and Singapore Sports Hub
.
)
Corporate Profile
DP Architects started as Design Partnership in 1967, incorporated as a private limited company in 1993, and evolved to the present as the heart of the DP group of companies – a multi-disciplinary design consultancy.The firm was founded with a deep concern for the built environment and the need to create architecture of excellence that enriches the human experience and spirit. Established as one of the seminal firms responsible for the urban landscape of Singapore, DP Architects has made its mark as one of the leading architectural firms in Asia, winning international recognition for completing mega-scale multi-billion dollar projects such as The Dubai Mall.
The firm has a long and esteemed history as the architect of Singapore’s most notable landmarks - the People’s Park Complex in the 1960s, Suntec City
Suntec City
Suntec City is a major multi-use development located in Marina Centre, a subzone of the Downtown Core Planning Area in Singapore.- Design :Suntec City was designed by Tsao & McKown Architects with emphasis on Chinese geomancy . The five buildings and the convention center are arranged so that they...
in the 1980s, and, more recently, the multiple award-winning Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay is a waterside building located on six hectares of waterfront land alongside Marina Bay near the mouth of the Singapore River, purpose-built to be the centre for performing arts for the island nation of Singapore...
, Republic Polytechnic
Republic Polytechnic
Republic Polytechnic , commonly abbreviated to RP, is a tertiary institution located in Singapore. It was the first school system in Singapore to use Problem-based learning pedagogy for all its diplomas....
and Resorts World Sentosa. Instrumental in the master planning and transformation of the Orchard Road
Orchard Road
Orchard Road is a road in Singapore that is the retail and entertainment hub of the city-state. It is regularly frequented by the local population as well as being a major tourist attraction...
shopping belt, the development of Marina Centre
Marina Centre
Marina Centre is a zone of reclaimed land within the Downtown Core in the southern part of Singapore. Together with the Marina South area, it encloses the sheltered Marina Bay....
, as well as residential projects such as The Trillium and Southbank, DP Architects continues to play a key role in transforming Singapore into a world-class cityscape.
DP Architects’ success is firmly tied to a well-managed process that engages the right creative minds. The firm’s holistic approach pairs design-consciousness with sensitive, innovative solutions to climate, site and context. Constantly evolving and aware, DP Architects has made ‘green-thinking’ and ‘sustainability’ integral parts of its design efforts. DP Architects is committed to constantly pursuing architectural excellence and, in doing so, shape a inhabitable and sustainable world for future generations.
DP Architects’ diverse portfolio spans a wide variety of project types: retail, hotel, resort, commercial office, residential, convention centre, technology parks, medical, religious, educational and civic institutions, and airport and aviation-related support facilities.
The DP group - comprising DP Architects, DP Consultants, DP Design, DP Engineers and DP Green - provides a comprehensive range of services from architecture, urban planning, interior design, project management, sustainable design, landscape architecture, to engineering. It has over 1000 staff with 12 offices worldwide.
History
The firm was started in 1967 with William Lim Siew WaiWilliam S.W. Lim
William S.W. Lim, born in Hong Kong in 1932, is an architect. He graduated from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London and continued his graduate studies at Harvard University. Lim was a Fulbright Fellow in the Department of City and Regional Planning at Harvard University....
, Tay Kheng Soon, and Koh Seow Chuan
Koh Seow Chuan
Koh Seow Chuan is a founder of DP Architects, a philatelist, and philanthropist.-Education and Career:Koh graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Melbourne in 1963....
when they left the Malayan Architects Co-Partnership and founded Design Partnership after its dissolution to start their own firm with an initial staff strength of 18. In 1972, Gan Eng Oon joined and became a partner followed by Chan Sui Him in 1973 and became a partner subsequently in 1974.
In 1974, Tay Kheng Soon retired and establish his own practice and a year later in 1975, Design Partnership was dissolved and reformed as DP Architects Pte (DPA). William Lim retired in 1981 and established his own practice.
The company expanded in 1982 with the establishment of subsidiary companies, 2 DP Design and DP Consultants. DP Architects was registered formerly as a privated limited with the strenght of 200 people in Singapore. Leading the firm since its inception, Chan Sui Him was succeeded by Francis Lee Seng Wee in 2004 as the CEO while he was promoted to Chairman of the firm.
Notable Awards
- 1999 FIABCI Prix d'Excellence in Architecture Awards Commercial/Retail Category & Overall Winner for Suntec City
- 2005 Royal Institute of British Architects(RIBA) Worldwide Award for Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
- 2006 URA Architectural Heritage Award for St Andrew's Village
- 2006 URA Architectural Heritage Award for New Majestic Hotel
- 2006 President's Design Award for New Majestic Hotel
- 2006 President's Design Award for Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
- 2006 Schindler Design Award for Mobility in Buildings for Square 2
- 2008 URA Architectural Heritage Award for 82 Jellicoe Road(Citylights)
- 2008 SIA-NParks Skyrise Greenery Award for Vivocity
- 2008 Land Transport Excellence Award - Best Design (Project) (Land Transport Integration) for The Central
- 2009 Singapore Green Mark Platinum award for Republic Polytechnic
- 2009 BCA Universal Design Silver Award for Vivocity
- 2009 URA Architectural Heritage Award for 1 The Knolls, Sentosa Island(Capella Singapore)
- 2009 President's Design Award for Republic Polytechnic
- 2009 SIA-NParks Skyrise Greenery Awards First Prize for Orchard Central
- 2009 BCI-Asia Top 10 Green Design Award for Republic Polytechnic
- 2010 FIABCI Prix d'Excellence Award Winner for Central
- 2010 International Council of Shopping Centres - Asia Shopping Centre Awards Gold for The Dubai Mall
- 2011 International Council of Shopping Centres 2011 - Best of the Best - VIVA Award Honoree for The Dubai Mall
- 2011 URA Architectural Heritage Award for The Fullerton Bay Heritage
- 2011 URA Architectural Heritage Award for Hotel Fort Canning
- 2011 URA Architectural Heritage Award for WanderLust
- 2011 SIA-NParks Skyrise Greenery Awards Third Prize MyVillage
- 2011 SIA-NParks Skyrise Greenery Awards Merit for Universal Studios Singapore
- DP Architects has been listed in the BCI Asia Top Ten Awards since 2006.
Notable projects
DPA is best known in Singapore for several iconic architectural works of the late 1960s and early 1970s such as People's Park ComplexPeople's Park Complex
People's Park Complex is a high-rise commercial and residential building on Eu Tong Sen Street in Outram, within the Chinatown of Singapore.-History:...
, and Golden Mile Complex
Golden Mile Complex
Golden Mile Complex is a high-rise commercial and residential building on Beach Road in Kallang, Singapore. The building was formerly known as Woh Hup Complex...
.
Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas
Rem Koolhaas
Remment Lucas Koolhaas is a Dutch architect, architectural theorist, urbanist and "Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design" at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, USA. Koolhaas studied at the Netherlands Film and Television Academy in Amsterdam, at the Architectural...
said at a press conference when he visited Singapore in 2005: ‘These buildings (Golden Mile Complex and People’s Park Complex) were not intended to be landmarks, but became landmarks.’
The firm is also known for its work on the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay is a waterside building located on six hectares of waterfront land alongside Marina Bay near the mouth of the Singapore River, purpose-built to be the centre for performing arts for the island nation of Singapore...
,
Mumbai Airport
The Dubai Mall
,
Resorts World Sentosa
, and Singapore Sports Hub
Singapore Sports Hub
The Singapore Sports Hub is a proposed sports complex located in Kallang, Singapore to be built on the present site of the National Stadium, which was officially closed on 30 June 2007 and demolition started on 29 September 2010...
.
Singapore
- People's Park ComplexPeople's Park ComplexPeople's Park Complex is a high-rise commercial and residential building on Eu Tong Sen Street in Outram, within the Chinatown of Singapore.-History:...
- Golden Mile ComplexGolden Mile ComplexGolden Mile Complex is a high-rise commercial and residential building on Beach Road in Kallang, Singapore. The building was formerly known as Woh Hup Complex...
- Marina CentreMarina CentreMarina Centre is a zone of reclaimed land within the Downtown Core in the southern part of Singapore. Together with the Marina South area, it encloses the sheltered Marina Bay....
(in collaboration with John Portman & Associates) which comprises Marina SquareMarina SquareMarina Square is a shopping mall in Singapore which opened in the late 1980s. It is part of the first building complex built on the reclaimed land at Marina Centre, and was the largest shopping mall in the country at the time...
, Marina Mandarin SingaporeMarina Mandarin SingaporeThe Marina Mandarin Singapore is 575-room, five-star hotel located at 6 Raffles Boulevard in Marina Centre, Singapore. Built as part of the Marina Square commercial complex and opened in 1987, it was closed and underwent a major upgrading programme from 15 May 2005 to 31 August 2005 and at a cost...
, Mandarin Oriental Singapore, and The Pan Pacific SingaporeThe Pan Pacific SingaporePan Pacific Singapore is a hotel located in Marina Centre, Singapore and operated by the Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts. It has 37 floors, the tallest among the three hotels which are part of the Marina Square development, the other two being the Marina Mandarin Singapore and The Oriental Singapore... - Millenia Singapore (in collaboration with Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and AssociatesRoche-DinkelooRoche-Dinkeloo, otherwise known as Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates LLC , is an architectural firm based in Hamden, Connecticut founded in 1966....
, and Johnson/Burgee Architects) comprising Millenia TowerMillenia TowerMillenia Tower is a , 41 storey skyscraper at Marina Centre in Singapore. The building is located in Millenia Singapore, and is the centrepiece of the development, less than 20 minutes from Changi International Airport...
, Centennial Tower, Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore, and Millenia WalkMillenia WalkMillenia Walk is a shopping centre in Singapore, located within the Marina Centre subzone of the Downtown Core Planning Area.Millenia Walk is a premier lifestyle shopping centre defined by a refreshing burst of colour and an invitingly wide and spacious interior... - Suntec CitySuntec CitySuntec City is a major multi-use development located in Marina Centre, a subzone of the Downtown Core Planning Area in Singapore.- Design :Suntec City was designed by Tsao & McKown Architects with emphasis on Chinese geomancy . The five buildings and the convention center are arranged so that they...
(in collaboration with Tsao & McKown (Singapore) Pte Ltd) - Esplanade - Theatres on the BayEsplanade - Theatres on the BayEsplanade – Theatres on the Bay is a waterside building located on six hectares of waterfront land alongside Marina Bay near the mouth of the Singapore River, purpose-built to be the centre for performing arts for the island nation of Singapore...
(initial concept was designed in collaboration with Michael Wilford & PartnersMichael WilfordMichael Wilford CBE is an English architect from Hartfield, East Sussex. Wilford studied at the Northern Polytechnic School of Architecture, London, from 1955 to 1962, and at the Regent Street Polytechnic Planning School, London, in 1967...
but MWP left the project in May 1995) - VivocityVivoCityVivoCity is the largest shopping mall in Singapore. Located in the HarbourFront precinct, it was designed by the Japanese architect Toyo Ito. Its name is derived from the word vivacity...
(in collaboration with Toyo Ito Associates & ArchitectsToyo Itois a Japanese architect known for creating conceptual architecture, in which he seeks to simultaneously express the physical and virtual worlds. He is a leading exponent of architecture that addresses the contemporary notion of a "simulated" city, and has been called "one of the world's most...
) - Resorts World Sentosa (in collaboration with Michael Graves & AssociatesMichael GravesMichael Graves is an American architect. Identified as one of The New York Five, Graves has become a household name with his designs for domestic products sold at Target stores in the United States....
) - Republic PolytechnicRepublic PolytechnicRepublic Polytechnic , commonly abbreviated to RP, is a tertiary institution located in Singapore. It was the first school system in Singapore to use Problem-based learning pedagogy for all its diplomas....
(in collaboration with Maki and AssociatesFumihiko Makiis a Japanese architect and currently teaching at Keio University SFC.- Biography :After studying at the University of Tokyo he moved to the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and then to Harvard Graduate School of Design. In 1956, he took a post as assistant professor of...
) - The Singapore Flyer (in collaboration with Kisho Kurokawa Architects & Associates)
- Singapore Sports HubSingapore Sports HubThe Singapore Sports Hub is a proposed sports complex located in Kallang, Singapore to be built on the present site of the National Stadium, which was officially closed on 30 June 2007 and demolition started on 29 September 2010...
(in collaboration with Arup SportArupArup is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the...
)
India
- Mumbai Airport
- Crossroads Mall and CR2 (in collaboration with Kapadia & Associates
)