Singapore Polytechnic Diploma in Architecture

29/09/2024

RIP Alfred Wong.

Alfred Wong Hong Kwok (1930 -2024)

Alfred Wong Hong Kwok, one of Singapore’s most prolific first generation post-war overseas educated architects, passed away yesterday. He was 94.

Born in Hong Kong, Alfred Wong moved to Singapore with his family at a young age and later graduated from the University of Melbourne with an honours degree in architecture in 1953.

Upon completing his studies, Alfred Wong returned to Singapore and joined Swan and McLaren, staying with the firm till 1956 when he obtained his associateship with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Thereafter he ventured off on his own and founded Alfred Wong Partnership. During his time at Swan and Maclaren, Alfred Wong would most certainly have met another young Singaporean architect by the name of Victor Chew, who too joined the firm upon completing his overseas studies. Whereas Victor Chew only lasted months at Swan and Maclaren, Alfred Wong managed to stay for four years.

Today, both Alfred Wong and Victor Chew are recognised as local pioneers of architecture in Singapore, the latter having gone on to start Kumpulan Akitek.

Alfred Wong is perhaps most well known as the architect of the National Theatre (1963). The iconic building had its life cut short by the fact that it was semi open air and therefore had no air-conditioning and that the government was to tunnel an entire expressway under it. Built in 1963, the National Theatre was demolished in 1986, less than 25 years after it was erected.

What is lesser known is that Alfred Wong was also the architect for several Catholic churches in Singapore like the Church of St. Bernadette (pictured top left), the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, the Church of St. Francis Xavier, the Church of the Holy Spirit and the St. Ignatious Church. Of these, the former three are still standing in some form.

In 1968, Alfred Wong completed one of the largest hospitality projects in Singapore of its time - the Hotel Malaysia at the junction of Grange and Tanglin Roads. The hotel was renamed Hotel Marco Polo in 1973 and was extensively renovated in the early 1980s by Alfred Wong Partnership as well. In 1999, Marco Polo Hotel was demolished and on its site today sits Grange Residences.

In 1979, the Alfred Wong designed Singapore Polytechnic campus at Dover Road opened. Even though the campus has been extensively renovated over the years with many buildings added, you can still find large hints of Alfred Wong’s original designs like the fibreglass shaded walkways (pictured bottom left).

In 2018, I had the honour and pleasure of meeting Alfred Wong at his home along Bin Tong Park where I was on assignment to photograph his home for Singapore Architect the magazine. Alfred was initially reluctant for me to photograph his home, saying that he already had many photos of it and that I should just sit and have tea with him and Jiat-Hwee whom I had gone to the house with.

Upon chatting more with Alfred, I realised that he was concerned I would be photographing his house with an Ultra-Wide Angle lens like what many who profess to be architecture photographers seem to only do these days. He was quite aghast at the idea that the proportions of his house may be distorted (both figuratively and literally) should I just put on an Ultra-Wide Angle lens to do the shoot.

In the end, I promised Alfred I would use no wider a lens than my 24mm tilt shift and showed him some of the images I was making (right top and bottom). I got my stamp of approval and he managed to keep the representation of his home distortion-free.

It was also at this point that Alfred shared with us he personally made many of the images of his projects in the earlier days and now that I am writing this, I do hope that AWP has kept proper archives of all of Alfred’s photographic works.

Speaking of AWP, the firm is still very much active today and is run by Alfred Wong’s younger brother Edward Wong. As part of AWP, Edward was responsible for many of the later icons in our CBD such as Peninsula Plaza (who happens to adorn the cover of our book Everyday Modernism), Peninsula Hotel and Excelsior Hotel.

Rest In Peace, Alfred Wong, thank you for gifting us the many buildings you have designed, including those you have outlived.

21/02/2024

01/01/2024

P&T Consultants Pte Ltd is seeking candidates to be employed for the position of Architectural Assistant.

Roles and Responsibilities:
1. Production of Architectural Drawings for Client Meetings, Authority submissions and Construction in AutoCad and BIM (Knowledge in BIM is preferred)
2. Production of Presentation / Concept Development Drawings / Renderings (strong capabilities in SKP Modelling, Enscape Rendering or comparable software, Photoshop touching up, Preparation of Presentation Decks in PPT / Indesign is preferred)
3. Good working attitude to work independently (knowledge of local building codes and authority requirements is preferred)

07/12/2023

46 of our SP School of ABE students volunteered their time to be Crit Room Managers, Welcome Hosts, Festival and Main Stage Supports during the 2023 edition of World Architecture Festival held at MBS Convention Centre in Singapore. Over the 3 festival days, student volunteers from DArch, DLA, DID had front row seats to the intense competition where shortlisted global practices presented their proposals live for judging, while performing their tasks with rigor, ensuring smooth running of the event. The students had a great experience and were happy to be part of this international event.

Thank you WAF for getting us to be part of the festival, and congratulations to all award winners!

07/12/2023

Another submission down. A rare chance to catch almost all of the Year 3s in one place. Well done everyone! 1 more term to go, have a good break and run the final lap with all you have when you return!

24/11/2023

SP took part in URA Challenge for the Urban & the Built Environment 2023 competition from the 20th to 24th Nov 2023. TeamSP comprises of 08 students from DARCH Year 1 programme. Over just 5 days, they put together an impressive proposal of the former Jurong Bird Park site. We are so proud of TeamSP’s achievement!

01/11/2023

Privileged to have our alumni Saul Kim come back to share with us his stories at SCI-Arc and Harvard GSD after graduating from SP 7 years ago. The sharing was truly inspiring, unpacking his thoughts and growth in a smooth and seamless presentation. It’s a small group but nevertheless, we had a great time!

03/10/2023

Atelier Design Architects is looking for a Full-time Architectural Assistant.

Please send details (CV & Portfolio) to [email protected]

Requirements:
Diploma Holder
No working experience required but preferred
Auto-Cad, Sketch up, Photoshop and Archicad
Singaporean/ Permanent Residents & Malaysians
Other Info:
Salary 3K to 3.5k
Working hours 9 am to 6 pm
Office at Vertex Ubi.

29/09/2023

1:1 2mm thick Twist Plwood Vault @ Archifest 2023. Planting our ABE flag for a national event. Thanks to the DARCH Archifest exhibition team, tutors collaborators and all our dedicated students involved in the BE9009 Computational Design class.
The vault was structurally optimised with Grasshopper Plugin, Kangaroo 2. If we scale the vault down to the size of a chicken egg, the surface of the vault will be 6 times thinner than the thickness of a chicken egg shell. It has stood up to numerous bouts of tropical monsoon rain and it still stands.

08/09/2023

Today marks the conclusion of an incredible journey at the Built Environment Expo Asia 2023, and what a journey it has been! We've had the privilege of rubbing shoulders with a diverse array of industry partners, government agencies, manufacturers, and contractors, making this experience truly eye-opening.

The overwhelming response and interest in the concept of the microfactory and autonomous construction have left us inspired and invigorated. It's clear that these innovative ideas are shaping the future of the built environment.

We're thrilled to announce that numerous companies and agencies have expressed keen interest, and we're looking forward to getting in touch with them very shortly.

We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the BEX Asia organizers, sponsors and SP Industry and Partners (InP). 🙏 This event wouldn't have been possible without the dedication and support of our incredible team, including the staffs from SP School of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering (MAE) and School of Architecture and the Built Environment (ABE).

A special shoutout to the Year 3 architecture students who tirelessly operated the robotic arms, maintained the exhibition booth, and assisted with preparations throughout the past three days. Your efforts have been invaluable.

Our journey doesn't end here; in fact, it's just the beginning. We're eagerly looking ahead to further developing our project and continuing to engage with industry partners, manufacturers, contractors, startups, and educators. Together, we will delve deeper into the world of microfactory autonomous construction.

We firmly believe that by prototyping robotic systems, we can significantly advance our understanding of how autonomous construction can revolutionize the built environment.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates as we embark on this transformative journey! 🚀

12/08/2023

ABE design and engineering students proudly unveiled their final product from the fabSTUDIO 3D printing elective. During the course of the module, students experimented with ways to print works of Le Corbusier with best quality and shortest time. This year, the students were also provided with the chance to experiment with desktop robotic arms and engage in the process of programming automation, resulting in a truly enjoyable and enriching experience.