In September, there was a palpable sense of excitement in Singapore with the opening of the much-anticipated Louis Vuitton Island Maison at Marina Bay Sands, and little wonder. The crystal pavilion, with nautical-inspired interiors by the illustrious Peter Marino, is not only the first Louis Vuitton Maison in Southeast Asia, but also the first on water.

Louis Vuitton

Toyo Ito was also in Singapore to announce his latest Market Street office tower project in the country’s prime business district that when completed in 2014, will feature greenery on every floor and a Sky Forest on the roof.

Toyo Ito

Market Street

In Hong Kong, Hotel ICON captured our attention as a powerhouse collaborative effort between local and international names in design – including acclaimed Rocco Yim of Rocco Design Architects, renowned designer Freeman Lau, and respected British firm Conran & Partners.

Hotel ICON

Further afield, we looked at MAD architects’ stunning Ordos Museum in Inner Mongolia and went on a ’tour’ via a web-exclusive video clip, before heading back to Singapore to visit the Ministry of Design studio.

Ordos Museum

Ministry of Design studio

We also reviewed the recently ended Good Design Expo in Japan, which served as the launch pad for the Area Aid Design Project, a programme designed to help the areas most deeply affected by the devastating events in March.

Good Design Expo

In more news, Ken Nah, the director of Seoul’s International Design Trend Center shared insights on Korean design; Seah Chee Huang, the chairman of Singapore’s annual ArchiFest, told us how the 3-week-long architectural festival aims to reach out to the man on the street; and Derek MacKenzie of Designphase DBA shared how design could be used as a business tool.

Ken Nah

Derek MacKenzie

Unilever by Designphase DBA

Seah Chee Huang

ArchiFest – 158 Cecil Street

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