ARCHITECT OF DREAMS

BELGIAN ARCHITECT-DESIGNER AND PRINCIPAL OF VISIONARY FIRM DENNISTON, JEAN-MICHEL GATHY EXPLAINS HIS CREATIVE-THINKING PROCESS AND HOW HE KICKSTARTED HIS CAREER

-  AMOS CHIN

BORN IN BRUSSELS and raised in Liège, Jean-Michel Gathy has always been passionate about travel and geography. While most young adults were struggling to find their niche, Gathy had his future mapped out: to pursue an architectural diploma and open an architecture firm. It may seem like an ambitious dream, but nothing's too big for Gathy to handle as proven by his track record.

Since the establishment of his architecture office, Denniston, more than two decades ago, Gathy has garnered the likes of One&Only, Park Hyatt, St. Regis, Cheval Blanc, Armani, Mandarin Oriental, Banyan Tree, Fairmont, Raffles and Aman Resorts, to name a few. Most notably, the Belgian architect is also the man behind the famed rooftop infinity pool overlooking Singapore at Marina Bay Sands. Denniston and Gathy have succeeded in setting themselves up as the reference point in the hotel sector; these projects are widely published around the world bearing witness to the reliability and quality of their work. Accompanied by multiple elusive accolades, the jury member of the International Design Awards is undoubtedly a market leader and legend in the realm of hospitality design.

What prompted you to kickstart a career in design and architecture?

I was tasked to organise a trip to Italy for my family when I was nine. During that time, obviously, there were no GPS and Google Maps; we could only rely on physical maps. As the event organiser, I had to read and cross-reference road maps, planning the itinerary and studying the different cathedrals, historical monuments, museums, and monasteries we had planned on visiting - which ignited my fondness for architecture, design and travelling.

How did Denniston come about?

I started my company in Hong Kong in 1983 with the name, The Agency, L'Agence, which means studio in French.