Loh Kong Liang, Mervin MA Architecture - Royal College of Art (UK) BA Archtecture (hons) - University of Westminster (UK) Dip Interior Architecture and Design - Temasek Polytechnic (SG) Curriculum vitae + Portfolio
Information Loh Kong Liang, Mervin n 10 10 1988 dob mervinloh@gmail.com e +44 0747 3404 669 uk +65 8125 0249 sg
Work Experience FARM (sg) +2018 Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands (uk) +2016 ONG&ONG (sg) +2014 TOPOS Design (sg) +2011 Andy Fisher Workshop (sg) +2007 Hassell (cn) +2007
Software Skills Autodesk CAD Google Sketchup Rhino3D Adobe Photoshop Adobe Illustrator Adobe inDesign Microsoft Office
Tools Concept and Design development Research and analysis Design execution Project and site management Model making
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Built/Interior Projects Residence Museum House Orange Grove Apartmnet Trillum Apartment House by the sea
Singapore Singapore Singapore Sri Lanka
Office SMRT Headquarters Singapore Mapletree co-working Singapore 201 Kallang Bahru Essilor Singapore Citygate Church Singapore Formul8 Singapore NUS CDTL Singapore QatarGas Lobby Qatar SKA Energy Dubai Commerical Xi'an Shopping Mall OCBC Upper Thomson Road OCBC Sixth Avenue Bank of Singapore Private Bank
Singapore Singapore Singapore Singapore
Hospitality Sanya Resort China Middle Road Hotel Singapore Yantai Crowne Plaza China
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Mervin Loh is a graduate from the Royal College of Art with a Master in Architecture (M.Arch. RIBA Part II), and currently based in Singapore. Prior to the completion of his masters in the United Kingdom, he has been in practice since 2008 in Singapore. He was awarded Bachelor in Architecture (B.Arch. RIBA Part I) from the University of Westminster with ‘First Class Honours’ in 2016, and have spent 2 years with FARM; a local design and architecture studio, which he has been involved in various institutional and commercial projects including his first architecturally built house in Singapore. Over the years Mervin has been running projects spanning from residential, commercial and public projects that involved collective engagement. He has built a repertoire of both design and project management in his years of practice. As of now he is pursuing his academic research interest in the architectural approach of domestic spaces as part of the larger production of the city-living - that uses ‘Smell’ as the design generator for architectural design discourse.
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top: Glass and Resin models that were part of the spatial exploration through sculpture
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Museum House Built Project
What makes Museum House categorically unique to other houses is its floor plan, almost entirely free from walls beyond the functional separation of wet and dry areas. Instead of solid walls, collections of objects gathered over time by the inhabitants form the language that defines boundaries between spatial use. To maximise the land use of this ancestral site, grids were used to define and portion out the various spatial requirements of the family. The house was then sequentially crafted through the segregation of activities. Envisioned as a ‘house within a house’, each bedroom is curated as an individualistic space, interconnected by thresholds separating private areas from the communal portions of the house. The gradual build-up in volume and height seen from the front elevation signals the importance of spaces within the house, with the communal cluster culminating in a towering prayer hall. High external walls shield the house from eyeline of surrounding residences and help to consolidate external courtyards as part of the house rather than simply boundary spaces. Clad in fair-faced bricks, Museum House’s exterior exudes monolithism and monumentality, while the interior suggests a certain softness by connecting spaces via thresholds and views, rather than separations. Internal courtyards carved out from bedroom spaces are reminiscent of gardens within Chinese houses; these courtyards also act as light wells, drawing natural light into the rooms. While Museum House is designed to be largely contained, great expanses of glass doors and windows allow the eastern sun in during the early day, while the hotter western sun is repelled by the high external walls. These openings create visual connections between various spaces, their opacities curated through the placement of the family’s collections. Introducing these openings to the central internal courtyard visually links the threshold spaces, creating opportunities for the family to be aware of each other’s presence, signaling movement between the communal and private spaces. The result of these spatial maneuvers is a house that explores the notion of articulated monumentality, referenced from traditional Chinese architecture. Museum House rethinks the ideas of enclosure, spatial hierarchy and partition to create a home that while volumetrically large, still feels intimate. FARM, Singapore (2018) Housing, Landed (Singapore) 1,420sqm Project cost: SGD $1.2mil
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opposite: Feature pond set within the Museum House
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top: Collage section of the Museum House left: The 4 'feng shui' rules
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opposite: Build up of the Museum House (collage of construction)
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The quiet facade (series of rustic fair-face bricks)
Into the internal courtyard
View towards the tallest spatial importance
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top: Applying the 'feng shui' rules as volumetric spaces opposite: Floorplan of the Museum House
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Serenity within the study room
Lobby transition overlooking the central pond
Cabinetry of owner's collection as the design element
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Delectable smell in-the-air
A physical manifesto of eating and not doing anything else together Delectable smell in-the-air is a physical manifesto for the common people within the residential estate in Singapore, Toa Payoh. Occupying a singular large space of 80m by 90m, it could hold up to 1000 people eating and not doing anything else together. Within the city-state where daily routine is highly structured and unproductivity is criticised upon, the delectable is a new plinth within the estate that allows for individualist self-expression without restraint. As the expectation of society piles up on young Singaporeans, the social affirmation cracks as the city’s typologies mould them into established routines – while they lack and struggle to seek after a non-prescribed / non-regimental space for relief within the everyday life. The sense of unrestraint expression within the estate allows for counter-routine through profaning the spaces of familiarity. The familiarities of the domestic spaces extend out to the estate in which the ‘Hawker Centre’ is integral to it, a public space in a form of an infrastructure for the common eating. The ‘Hawker Centre’ is an omnipresent typology within the everyday life of Singaporean, absent in idealisation but still operates within the city’s pandered reproduction. It is an infrastructure that lubricates the city’s operation which is based on efficiency and productivity, by providing a space of casual setting and affordable food to the labour force of the city. These infrastructures integrate different cultural food under one roof, while taking no references from any cultural elements instead created a new urban typology itself. Taking what is Singaporean like the casual food that we consume and the common estate that we all live in, the projects look at the intricacies of the city and spatialised it to intensify the cultural aspects of being Singaporean. The Delectable is a playground of sensorial perceptions that works between the physiological, atmospheric and gastronomic senses of people. To emphasis on its seemly weird sense of familiarity within the estate, the direction of entry, sequence of observation and creation of smell composition within the architecture are chosen according to different impacts we would want Singaporean to experience – perceiving the hawker as a familiar setting interfacing with the estate. In order to retain the familiarity of the ‘Hawker Centres’, the ground level becomes the continuation of these hawker productions that allows for residents to enter from any side of the building - situated on the same plane as the rest of estate. The architecture then creates conditions that allows for the concentration of different air composition from the smells produced by the hawker centre. The smells then travel up through the columns that support the first level into the walls of the domes, which then releases the air composition through emitters that allows intense concentration within the chambers of the domes – across different fields of the architecture. The roof then shows the design language of the architecture as a series of domes, spreading across the plinth as a field of smell emitting machines. As the domes segment changes with different height and size the different containment of air composition changes and so does physiological transformation in the occupants do. That will allow for different types of expression, activities, collectiveness, socialising and eventually not doing anything else at all across the field of the architecture. Royal College of Art, ADS9 (2020) Public Infrastructure (Singapore) 7,240sqm Speculative Project
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opposite: Delectable smell in-the-air, where smells drives the expression of senses which generates phenomena architecture
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top: Layers that construct the Delectable machine left: Delectable architecture against the normative estate
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opposite: Into the emotive machine, domes of the architecture
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Triptych section through the Delectable architecture
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top: Precise digital simulation of smells within the dome, and the layers it builts up through the emitters left: Exploration of the different domes entity
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opposite: Into the physiological changing machine, combining different sets of domes as a cluster
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2 4 What if we are able to draw smell as an architectural piece
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The Silver Tower
A vertical factory for collective hedonism and production The silver tower is a spectacular vertical element of openness, right in the middle of an emerging urban-scape – Singapore. The tower is 160m tall, with a potential occupancy of 30,000 people at one time. The Silver Tower seeks to redefine the typology of the contemporary Warholian Factory on urban commune and the creation of the immateriality and material production of art in Singapore. The act of creativity is an autonomous act in Singapore, where the government regulates the idea of heteronomy by the state thus the silver tower constructs spaces for creative working, collective production and communal hedonism within a new archetype of space. The counterculture definition within the project allows for the establishment of opposite hierarchical norm – and acquisitioning of distinctive traits like originality, creativity, spontaneity, pleasure and play all within the usage of the tower which become the infrastructure in establishing production. By having a small footprint, the tower is sunken and disconnected from the urban street as a design response in maintaining its autonomous act of creativity within the commercial district. A tower without core breaks away from the typical typology of a tower, very much like the typology of the Warholian Factory and the production of serial experimentation and art as an urban commune. As the architecture elements move vertically, the proportion of the design language increases. Smaller scale represents a much more condensed individualistic space, where a more intimate production of work takes place. Medium scale represents a much collective space, where different types of production and interaction could collectively happen at the same time. The people that are involved creates network of nomadic lifestyle of working where owning a space within the tower instead of a permanent space in a spot within the tower. Larger scale represents much more open spaces, where the collective becomes the celebration of hedonism of the production and creativity. The spaces are connected through a series of fragmented floorplates and voids which enable people to look through these production spaces and engage in visual celebration of different types of work. The porosity of the tower using architecture language encourages unobstructed views within and through the tower from the urban context. Views out to the city can be seen horizontally across the floorplates and on the street level and the surrounding urban context, views into the production can be observed clearly. To emphasise the porosity of the tower, certain volumes are crafted out to allow visual accessibility through different parts of the building. This visual accessibility is encouraged with reflections and refractions creating views on different parts of the building. People are able to look at different productions that are going on from the urban context through the refractions of different spaces. The urban context can be seen deep within the building utilising these reflections and refractions, while certain areas are block out using massing strategy for specific atmosphere of production that is required. The spaces are connected through a series of fragmented floorplates and voids which enable people to look through these production spaces and engage in visual celebration of different types of work. The silver tower then becomes an infrastructure that houses not only the people involved in the production of the spectacular, but to showcase these people as the icon. A celebration of the people who are living vicariously through the production of series of music and performances – as the hedonism and living of a specific culture. The spectacular creations stems not from the final product but the constant production that are exhibited through the lens of the architecture infrastructure. The Silver tower will become a new typology of tower, which introduce a new way of production within spaces and office spaces against the normal towers which subdivides us. As there are no permanent or temporary spaces for individual production, the different levels in the tower instead create different conditions that surround the requirement of production for different work. The vertical field then starts to collapse together as the floorplates becomes visually connected throughout the tower through the transparency of the architecture. That becomes the collective form of immaterial production where people are engaged within a 3-dimensional spatial condition inside the tower. Royal College of Art, ADS9 (2019) Public Infrastructure (Singapore) 40,000sqm Speculative Project
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opposite: The Silver Tower, a vertical spectacular that showcase the production and lightshows
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top: Floorplan of the Collective level, a space for impromptu collaboration and connection left: Lightshow through the model
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opposite: Sectional perspective of the vertical spectacular
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top: Model that test the mirror lighting in reality right: Realising the vertical field of connection opposite: The vertical lightshow plane during night
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3 2 Faceted elevational planes becomes the core of the tower structure
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Art-napping on the 'Galerieinsel'
Redefining the architecture typology of an ‘Utopian’ island
The proposal is a conservation gallery which includes restoration workshops and studios for all types of ‘Contested’ art. The principle aim of the ‘Galerieinsel’ is to promote the ideology of cultural treasures that have long been debated on the validity of ownership and authenticity of it's items, assembled for public edification classified under the term ‘contested art’. The proposal starts off with the master plan around the National Gallery, defining the boundaries that will establish the notion of a ‘Galerieinsel’ within the City of London, Westminster. Zooming into the replication of the National Gallery façade that forms the perimeter of the exhibition warehouse – a large exhibition space that is highly modular exhibiting architectural spatial qualities that envelope the art pieces which was meant to be in context. From then, an inner ‘Galerieinsel’ is propose to house the contested art which will be validated and restoration works will be carried out if needed – together with the replication of the art pieces, a form of continuous archiving of these technique will be recorded. These process will be documented by the public through an open visual connection between the compounds of the art pieces and the public spaces – although visually connected, these spaces are physically separated due to security and humidity control needed for the art pieces. The design of the ‘Galerieinsel’ revolves around 3 key spaces which defines the new architecture typology of an ‘Utopian’ island for contested art – The Public Atrium – Main circulation space that brings in visitors from Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square. The public atrium is a massive space that serves as a main connection throughout the whole ‘Galerieinsel’ – from the exhibition warehouse to the mechanical storage racks for art (The art gallery sell house) and the ramps that serves all levels in the ‘Galerieinsel’ to the archive library. The ‘Galerieinsel’ – The main function of the space will contest the idea where there is one ‘original work’ accompanied by various different variations of the works before the completion of the one. These variations are considered archive of the original work showing the technique, idea, composition and skill which the artist used in progress to the finished works. These variations will be part of the exhibits that showcase with the original and the process, enabling a discourse of what is much more valuable to the understanding of art in the eyes of the public – the finished or the archives. Exhibition Warehouse – The exhibition on Massacio’s Holy Trinity, brought in the technique on ‘stealing in appropriation’ via the replication the Santa Maria Novella with the Holy Trinity fresco. The temporary highlight includes the contextual display of the art work within the spatial language surrounding the building. A continuous usage of the space can be used to curate various different site specific exhibitions, which require the usage of the large space. The narrative technique on ‘Stealing’ The proposal will demonstrate a radical extension of the archival and display of these trajectories across the building, which will serve as a continuous discourse of how archival research, replication of the original, restoration of the art piece and public display of these art and archives within the same compound. Hence it will benefit the public in a form of collective art institute that promotes public display and education of these artworks, with the collective sharing of techniques and skills used by the artist in the restoration and replication of these art pieces. University of Westminster, D3.3 (2016) Public Infrastructure (London) 5,120sqm Speculative Project
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opposite: Ground floorplan of the 'Galerieinsel'
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top: The 'Galerieinsel' boundary, a section across the site opposite: The replicated painting as a narrative technique of 'Stealing' right: Construction of the public insituition
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top: Into the Conservation Workshop opposite top: The public's open Atrium
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opposite: The Church, the Crypt Vault and the Tuscan landscape
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top: The long section during 'Spring' period opposite: Using the soft 'Winter' light to repair and replicate the damaged artworks right: constructing the suspended and transparent workshop
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4 2 Into the Conservation Workshop
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SMRT Headquarters Built Project
The design of the SMRT office was inspired by initial visits to the company’s various spaces to understand how it operates. These included the station back of house, offices, primary control rooms, depots and maintenance facilities. Once we got a better understanding, we interpreted some of what we saw, like the tunnel view of the train driver, the space occupied by the maintenance man, and the work environment of the control room. In the new office, as visitors and staff members enter, they are greeted by the curves of the tunnels, with tracks guiding them to the various workspaces. The xchange pantry is also created with the depot in mind and has an industrial touch, while the meeting areas and workspaces have a curvaceous element to them. FARM, Singapore (2019) Office, co-working (Singapore) 6,000sqm Project cost: SGD $2.8mil
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opposite: Main lobby of the Headquarters
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Private meeting room
Details of the terrace-ed reception
Details of the terrace-ed reception
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top: Featuring the old history of SMRT right: demarcation between the office and the circulation opposite: Floorplan of the Headquarters
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The open guild hall of the headquarters
Timber stairs that connect all 3 levels of the headquarters
Circulation and furniture
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Corridor into the different stations (meeting rooms)
Detail of the tracks on the carpets
Custom made lines
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Facade of the OCBC Bank at Upper Thomson
OCBC 181 Upper Thomson Road
Built Project
Design for a Major Commercial Bank Client who wanted a convert an old double volume space,on the 2nd level, into a Premier Banking hall. The direction given was to approach it as a fresh new concept, deviates from the usual Premier Banking style that exist in all the other Bank’s Branches. The idea of turning the space into a New Yorker’s Loft type was started partly due to the high volume of space exist in the building, as well as the wide space available in the 2nd level of the building. Aspects of the New Yorker’s loft was introduce within the space like a full height brick wall, concrete screed feature walls, designer pieces and a library wall filled with books of all sorts. Walking out from the lift, you’re greeted with a concrete screed wall which holds the Premier Banking signage on it. Illuminating the wall are the throw lights coming from the timber trellis above and a string of cove light shining out from the side of the wall. The cove light not only brightens up the darker part of the space, it also helps in illuminating and highlighting the brick wall which is at the side of the concrete screed wall. ONG&ONG, Singapore (2013) Bank, Commercial (Singapore) 1,200sqm Project cost: SGD $1.5mil
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Facade detail
A new york loft for the Private Banking
The loft space reception
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Into the giant mop
HUB to HUB Installation Project
Hub to Hub is a fringe event part of Archifest, as part of this event we imagined an installation engaged in a public space. Our multiculturalism giant mop was showcased at sam@8Q. The hanging green strands of soft rubber tubes engage the public both physically and intellectually and these represent the different cultures present in Singapore – how they are all joined together and interact with each other. The different lengths of tubes create waves depicting the cultural differences that work in harmony. TOPOS, Singapore (2011) Art Installation, Public (Singapore) 5m x 5m Project cost: Sponsored
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Multiculturism merging into a giant wave of green mop
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The living space
The Trillium Apartment Interior Project
The design mood for this clean minimalist apartment was based on a painting genre and colour palette. Creating a symbiosis between the current state of the interior space and the one we are introducing to further complementing the space – to provide depth and to give the client space their own character and soul. The look is clean and modern yet offers warmth for this young couple and their cats. Hidden storage spaces can be found throughout the property behind secret doors. The fabric wall panels and veneer add a touch of luxury to this simply beautiful space. TOPOS, Singapore (2011) Housing, Interior (Singapore) 120sqm Project cost: SGD $45,000
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Bespoke dining table reflected into a spatial mirror
Private retreat into the master bedroom
The study
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The living space
Orange Grove Apartment
Interior Project
The unique points of this apartment are the uneven granite-tiled feature wall when you first step in, and smooth reconstructed marble top in the dining area. Upon understanding the client’s need for an open space for entertaining clients and friends, we created these spaces and added niche design areas that would add a spark of personality to the layout. TOPOS, Singapore (2010) Housing, Interior (Singapore) 105sqm Project cost: SGD $55,000
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Lift lobby detail
Bespoke master bedroom
An open kitchen
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The raw reception lobby
formul8 Interior Project
The design concept for Formul8’s offices focused on the desire for strong corporate branding with a restricted budget. This led to an intriguing design of simple yet bold colours and materials that reflected Formul8’s brand colours and company mission to be the ‘farthest thing from average.’ As a marketing and branding company, the client knew the importance of a strong design but also the need for a functional and efficient workspace. Using the company’s corporate palette of red, grey and white, materials such as bare faced concrete, bright red carpet and crisp white modular furniture were chosen to keep within the budget. The main feature of the reception is the bold Formul8 signage incorporating the company’s colour scheme. TOPOS, Singapore (2010) Office, Interior (Singapore) 350sqm Project cost: SGD $40,000
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Strong branding red band across the office
Into the office space
A center piece for the conference room
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Mixture of selective marble welcome into the reception lobby
Bank of Singapore Interior Project
This project has achieved an office space that has a luxurious and traditional Asian feel whilst fulfilling its functionality as a private bank and caters for large corporate and client functions. The bank’s spatial identity is warm, inviting and functional. It does not appear as a typical business office but one that is worthy of its exclusive clientele and that would set a new standard for private banking. The subtle combination of materials from the white and grey marbles, various hand-stitched leathers, specially commissioned wallpapers, artisan timber floorings and specially designed hand tufted broadloom carpets coalesce to create a haute couture space worthy for the esteemed Bank of Singapore client. TOPOS, Singapore (2010) Bank, Commercial (Singapore) 1,150sqm Project cost: SGD $1.5mil
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the recycled live edge timber serve as the reception desk
Transition between the welcome and the private
The corridor space opens up into concealed meeting rooms
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