SINGAPORE — Three architects were honoured at the 10th edition of the President’s Design Award (PDA) today (Dec 11).

Mr Franklin Po, Mr Siew Man Kok and Dr Colin K Okashimo, who were named as Designers Of The Year, received their awards from President Tony Tan Keng Yam at the Istana today.

Along with the architects, there were 13 winners for the Design Of The Year. These included a table designed by Mr Hans Tan, using a construction method inspired by the making of kueh lapis sagu; a magazine by family art-collective Holycrap.sg; the world’s first Air+Smart mask by Innosparks (a subsidiary of ST Engineering) and STUCK Design, which comes with a micro-ventilator and a built-in smart valve that allows for humid air trapped within the mask to escape easily; and art space Deck located at Prinsep Street, which was designed by LAUD Architects.

Noting how the 10th edition of the PDA coincided with Singapore’s 50th birthday, Mr Robert Tomlin, chairman of the PDA 2015 Steering Committee and DesignSingapore Council, praised the high standards and highlighted the number of award winners. 

“Our nation has progressed in all sectors of society and the economy in the last 50 years,” he said. 

“The design sector has also made phenomenal inroads in pushing the boundaries of design and contributed to the country’s development. We are pleased to commend a record number of excellent designs for PDA 2015. 

“This is a clear testimony that design is pervasive and surrounds our daily lives,” Mr Tomlin added. 

The PDA 2015 received 111 eligible nominations, which were assessed by a panel of 14 jurors that included both homegrown and internationally renowned names, such as Mr Chan Soo Khian of SCDA Architects, and Mr Richard Rogers (who designed the Centre Pompidou along with Renzo Piano. The panel eventually whittled down the list to the 16 winners.

An exhibition of the winners of the PDA 2015 will be held at the National Gallery Singapore from Dec 14 to Jan 3. After that, it will move to the URA Centre from Jan 5 to 31; and to the National Design Centre from Feb 2 to 29. Admission is free.There will also be satellite exhibitions held at Woodlands Regional Library from Dec 14 to Jan 3, Library@Orchard from Jan 5 to 31 and Westgate from Feb 1 to 29.