While many individuals initially struggle to find their ideal vocation, Claude Touikan has never been one of those people. For him, architecture was a calling from a young age. It offered the opportunity to leave an indelible mark on the future, to change the world for the better. Even in his university days, the co-founder and executive director of Lead8, one of Hong Kong’s most sought-after architectural firms, knew that he wanted to shape the societal fabric and skylines of cities.
“That’s the only thing I’ve ever done in my life. I’d like to be Billy Joel, but it’s impossible,” Touikan says with a laugh. “What drew me into architecture was a very strange story. I went to the University of Prince Edward Island in Canada. I was cleaning the library one day and I saw a book on architecture, and that’s how it started.”
Nowadays, that dream of building skyscrapers is very much a reality. Since its founding, Lead8 has been at the forefront of Asia’s ongoing building boom. The firm has left its creative fingerprints everywhere from state-of-the-art international airport terminals to ambitious mixed-use developments and shopping centres that merge sophisticated AI with fully realised entertainment complexes.
Denne historien er fra April - May 2021-utgaven av Property Report.
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Denne historien er fra April - May 2021-utgaven av Property Report.
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Singapore Starts To Swings
Generous stimulus has saved the Lion City’s economy from disaster, and a percolating post-pandemic boom looks set to send the residential sector into overdrive
Natural Highs
With people seeking safe ways of re-engaging with the outside world, the pandemic has steered investment in key ski markets back on-piste
It's In Hua Hin
A long-time favorite of Thai royalty and weekenders travelling from Bangkok, the famous beach town is adding some alluring new strings to its bow
Blues In The Blood
As China’s cities explode, its built heritage is often neglected. Hangzhou-based Bluetown Architects aims to redress that balance through its striking but functional work
Little Joy Soldiers
Real estate sales offices are reopening in Yangon, but banking problems, low confidence and oversupply mean a bleak outlook as the army seeks to entrench rule
Youth Movement
Young members of a storied family shift property development in Cebu forward with a smart, green commercial tower, rising tall above an heirloom estate
Gift From Above
Source Global is tapping into a renewable source— the sky—to supply drinking water to residential communities and commercial properties in Asia
Proptech Is Enhancing Efficiency And Human Experience
The pandemic has forced the real estate industry into a more meaningful embrace with technology after years of flirting with innovation
Legacy Of Handy, Individualistic Inventions
The global crisis has caused unprecedented pain, but its extraordinary nature has seen it spawn a legacy of handy, individualistic inventions
Wave Of Mutilation
Lockdown disruption, evolving working conditions and an exodus by offshore gaming operators have sent the vital office space sector in the Philippines into freefall
