Aedas Singapore always appears to work on a grand scale. Under the leadership of its managing director Tony Ang, the firm operates as the second largest Aedas office in the Group with more than 230 staff (behind Hong Kong, which has 600).

“We have 9 directors/principals running this office, which enables a smaller staff:director ratio,” says Ang on how they ensure that the quality standards of the firm are met.

Sentosa Boardwalk

Ang established the office in 1995 with Hong Kong’s LPT group, which later merged with UK entities in 2002 to become Aedas.

“The driving force behind this growth is the people behind this organisation,” says Ang, adding that everyone is “hands on and determined” to create “the best and largest practice internationally”.

Changi City

“Our group’s belief is to create a global design practice firmly rooted in the communities we serve while drawing on international design expertise and talent.

“We strongly believe that in an increasingly globalised marketplace Architecture should benefit from a contextualised response that recognises the cultural and environmental characteristics of its region,” says Ang.

Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort

While the firm’s memorable landmark projects are many, Ang points to the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort as being particularly significant for him.

“There were many challenges and obstacles from the design development to the statutory and construction phases, and building the right team for this project. The final product was satisfying.”

Esplanade MRT station

Currently, Aedas Singapore’s largest group of projects is for the MRT Circle Line, the Downtown Line, and the Thomson Line.

Dubai Metro

“To date we have up to 30 MRT stations/depots in our portfolio not to mention the entire Dubai Metro, which was designed out of Singapore,” says Ang.

The Sandcrawler

As to up-and-coming projects, Ang points to the Star Performance venue at Vista Xchange, Changi City, The Sandcrawler, and Waterway Terraces I & II as ones to watch for.

He also calls 2012 “a watershed year”.

“Besides the economic uncertainty globally, the recent measures to slow down the residential market may have significant impact here considering a large percentage of Singapore firms thrive on the residential market.

“Fortunately we are not dependent on housing and will focus more on infrastructure and commercial projects, and also masterplanning, which we’re doing for several of the Iskandar parcels in Johor,” Ang explains.

Dhoby Ghaut MRT station

313 Somerset

He adds that ‘sustainability’ and ‘user-friendly (universal) design’ are key trends here in Asia and Singapore. “It’s something which we have been getting awards for our projects and we will keep striving to be a leader in this field.”

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