Special Report: Singapore

Making room for growth

10 Design recently relocated its Singapore studio to 41 Duxton Hill, needing a larger, permanent office to accommodate a growing team and business demands in Southeast Asia

Photography: Courtesy of 10 Design

November 3, 2022
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Project teams sit together in the open studio

In just one year since it was established, 10 Design’s Singapore studio has achieved significant growth, which Ross Milne, CEO of 10 Design, describes as “remarkable” given the challenging global economic climate.

Led by partners Peter Barrett (partner, master planning) and José Cláudio Silva (design partner), the Singapore studio released its first major project, Hon Thom Island earlier this year, a 303,700 sq-m integrated resort and hospitality destination for Sun Group in Phu Quoc, Vietnam. Other new projects are ongoing in major cities across the region, including Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Binh Thuan, Phnom Penh, Jakarta, Cebu and more. In addition, the studio has extended their portfolio internationally with a current project in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. “The relocation further marks a major milestone of 10 Design’s presence in the region,” says Milne.

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The aim was to build a permanent home for 10 Design’s staff, as well as a branded, professional environment in which to welcome clients

Barry Shapiro, managing partner — Southeast Asia of 10 Design, explains that by leveraging their extensive experience and market knowledge within the region, Barrett and Silva have built on 10 Design’s strong portfolio in southeast Asia. “Some of our ongoing projects in the region are moving into detail design or beginning to progress on site,” he adds. “We look forward to seeing these projects move forward including major developments in Vietnam such as the Narra Residences in Ho Chi Minh City and Landmark 55 in Hanoi.”

10 Design’s Singapore team has expanded steadily over the past year, driving the need to “build a permanent home for our staff, and a branded, professional environment to welcome our clients,” says Silva. “We are particularly excited for this location that carries the history and culture of the city, as we wish to create a sense of belonging for our staff who are also from diverse backgrounds.”

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10 Design’s new Singapore office spans three floors across two conservation shop houses representative of southeast Asia’s rich architectural and built heritage

Located in Singapore’s Tanjong Pagar area on the historic Duxton Hill, the new studio spans three floors across two conservation shop houses representative of southeast Asia’s rich architectural and built heritage.

“At the outset, we wanted our studio to reflect 10 Design’s culture,” says Barrett. “Project teams sit together in the open studio, with breakout areas, open library and workshop spaces designed for collaboration among our architects and designers. This new studio gives us an ideal base to launch our design work throughout the region.”

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The interiors are deliberately kept sleek and clean with a bright white palette

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Breakout areas, an open library and workshop spaces have been specifically designed for collaboration