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WOHA
WOHA is a Singaporean architectural and industrial design firm. Established in 1994 by Wong Mun Summ and Richard Hassell, its name is derived from the first two letters of the founders' surnames. Based in Singapore, the firm has designed and completed projects throughout the Asia-Pacific, including residential towers, public housing estates, mass transit stations, hotels and cultural institutions.
Their work incorporates sustainable design strategies as a response to climate change and widespread urbanization. They aim to integrate landscape, architecture and urbanism in high-rise buildings to improve quality of life for residents in high-density megacities. Their buildings are notable for their extensive use of natural vegetation as a building element.
In 2007, they came to international attention when their 1 Moulmein Rise condominium in Singapore was awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, establishing their reputation as designers of sustainable, naturally ventilated skyscrapers for an urban tropical context. In addition to architectural practice, WOHA have also taught at the National University of Singapore and both Hassell and Wong have lectured at universities around the world.
Wong and Hassell met while employed at Kerry Hill Architects in Singapore, and worked for five years before going on to found their own practice, WOHA, in 1994. Their practice began with designing private houses. Following their success in winning two open competitions for Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations in 2000 (Bras Basah MRT station and Stadium MRT station) and the success of the 1 Moulmein Rise condominium, the firm shifted its focus to public and commercial architecture.
According to the firm, a defining moment in the development of their design approach came with the entry for the Duxton Plain Public Housing International Competition held by Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority in 2001. Although WOHA's entry was not selected for construction, it was awarded the Merit Prize, and allowed them to experiment with design strategies for environmentally and socially sustainable high-density developments that would inform their later work. The ideas would later influence the design for the Skyville @ Dawson public housing estate.
WOHA subsequently completed a number of high-rise and large public buildings that were designed to be sustainable for tropical climates. These open, permeable designs encouraged natural ventilation to reduce reliance on mechanical cooling. They are also characterized by the extensive use of planting to cool the structure through transpiration, an approach that the firm has described as “breathing architecture”.
In 2007, WOHA completed Newton Suites, a condominium complex in Singapore with landscape covering an equivalent of 130% of the site area.
In 2009, the firm completed the School of the Arts campus in Singapore and The Met residential tower in Bangkok. The Met raised the international profile of the firm outside of South-East Asia, winning international awards such as the 2010 International Highrise Award and 2011 RIBA Lubetkin Award. The building was characterized as an example of sustainable high-density development for tropical megacities. The RIBA jury noted that the building offered an alternative to glazed skyscrapers common in temperate climates and made clear "that an alternative strategy to the sleek air-conditioned box can work in the tropics and has implications everywhere."
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WOHA
WOHA is a Singaporean architectural and industrial design firm. Established in 1994 by Wong Mun Summ and Richard Hassell, its name is derived from the first two letters of the founders' surnames. Based in Singapore, the firm has designed and completed projects throughout the Asia-Pacific, including residential towers, public housing estates, mass transit stations, hotels and cultural institutions.
Their work incorporates sustainable design strategies as a response to climate change and widespread urbanization. They aim to integrate landscape, architecture and urbanism in high-rise buildings to improve quality of life for residents in high-density megacities. Their buildings are notable for their extensive use of natural vegetation as a building element.
In 2007, they came to international attention when their 1 Moulmein Rise condominium in Singapore was awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, establishing their reputation as designers of sustainable, naturally ventilated skyscrapers for an urban tropical context. In addition to architectural practice, WOHA have also taught at the National University of Singapore and both Hassell and Wong have lectured at universities around the world.
Wong and Hassell met while employed at Kerry Hill Architects in Singapore, and worked for five years before going on to found their own practice, WOHA, in 1994. Their practice began with designing private houses. Following their success in winning two open competitions for Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations in 2000 (Bras Basah MRT station and Stadium MRT station) and the success of the 1 Moulmein Rise condominium, the firm shifted its focus to public and commercial architecture.
According to the firm, a defining moment in the development of their design approach came with the entry for the Duxton Plain Public Housing International Competition held by Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority in 2001. Although WOHA's entry was not selected for construction, it was awarded the Merit Prize, and allowed them to experiment with design strategies for environmentally and socially sustainable high-density developments that would inform their later work. The ideas would later influence the design for the Skyville @ Dawson public housing estate.
WOHA subsequently completed a number of high-rise and large public buildings that were designed to be sustainable for tropical climates. These open, permeable designs encouraged natural ventilation to reduce reliance on mechanical cooling. They are also characterized by the extensive use of planting to cool the structure through transpiration, an approach that the firm has described as “breathing architecture”.
In 2007, WOHA completed Newton Suites, a condominium complex in Singapore with landscape covering an equivalent of 130% of the site area.
In 2009, the firm completed the School of the Arts campus in Singapore and The Met residential tower in Bangkok. The Met raised the international profile of the firm outside of South-East Asia, winning international awards such as the 2010 International Highrise Award and 2011 RIBA Lubetkin Award. The building was characterized as an example of sustainable high-density development for tropical megacities. The RIBA jury noted that the building offered an alternative to glazed skyscrapers common in temperate climates and made clear "that an alternative strategy to the sleek air-conditioned box can work in the tropics and has implications everywhere."
