How To Be An Honest Architect

Robert Cheng of Brewin Design Office believes that good work hinges not just on what, but also why we design.

- Luo Jingmei

The first time I met Robert Cheng was when Brewin Design Office was established, located in a quaint modernist block at Tiong Bahru, Singapore. He had recently completed the Screened House, whose aluminum skin enabled dialog with the tropical and street context. But it was the inside – parapets morphed into circulation, the structure into sculpture, graphic blocks of light and space — that resonated.

That was seven years ago. Cheng now works with a staff of 15 from a larger office in the Henderson industrial estate. Here, large, framed paintings enliven bare white walls, revealing his passion for art. He has built an impressive, handsome work portfolio starring material dexterity and rich, layered scenography over the years. Amongst them are Blossom (a Chinese restaurant whose symphony of bulbous alcoves line Marina Bay Sands’ foyer), the National Art Gallery’s dignified Museum Library, and an array of achingly elegant residential interiors, such as the Ardmore Penthouse and show unit of Eden condominium designed by British architect Thomas Heatherwick.

Cheng is a rarity in the local design scene. His preoccupation with designing every joint and every surface reflects an artisanal approach, not unlike a jewelry or watch designer. “I don’t think there is a partition between design scales and typologies. It’s much more a vocation of being able to design a project without compromise,” he says.

The 43-year-old hesitates to use the word ‘craft’ in describing his method. In recent times, the word has been so loosely employed that its poignancy is now diluted. True craft, Cheng ruminates and stems from being aware of how space feels and not just how it looks on paper. It should align with the user’s personality so that he or she feels an affinity with it.