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Interview with Siong Vui Choong |
Home > Designer Interviews > Siong Vui Choong |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Siong Vui Choong (SVC) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Siong Vui Choong by clicking here.
FS: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
SVC: I wanted to be an architect since I was in high school where I find some urban spaces were horribly designed and I saw the faults of it. I have also been intrigued by the relationship between traditional and contemporary. In some parts of Asia where I grew up, I saw traditional architecture being abandoned and replaced by contemporary, a huge disparity between the old and new.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
SVC: I was a freelance designer and I worked on a project basis with A.Lead Architects. A. Lead Architects is a local Hong Kong practice with a lot of out of the ordinary projects in Hong Kong, such as Civil/ Infrastructural work, bridges, recycling facilities, flight training centers and etc. Essentially these are the projects you don’t normally pay much attention to, but we make it more pleasant and visible. Our task was to make civil structure work and attractive. Within my own practice, I always strive to make the site, historical and patron experience relevant.
FS: What is "design" for you?
SVC: To me, Design is about making historical, site and project context work with client expectations. Along with problem-solving of constraints of all sorts and program; Design is not only about appearance, but it is also about form, function, and context – at the end, they are used by occupiers. Good design must also come with a simple but convincing story that relates to form, context, human experience, and resolution of prevailing issues.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
SVC: Generally, architecture and urban design work. The more the site issues or constraints, the better they are. The heavier the cultural contents, the better they are. I find residential, cultural and public architecture interesting.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
SVC: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater is my all-time favorite in Architecture. The program and the concept are extraordinary for its time; the building sat above a waterfall’; revolutionary use of material and relationship with traditional and contemporary and etc.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
SVC: A 350 sqm single story house on a large plot in New Zealand.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
SVC: Timber, Bamboo, bricks, the more sustainable or recyclable the better. Locally available abundant material that speaks the context or uniqueness of the site; the genius loci.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
SVC: When I have the least distraction from people, when I am driving, commuting, showering or at night or early in the morning.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
SVC: The overall idea or concept that is relevant to the program, context, and site.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
SVC: I felt somewhat restless when I have not found the right concept or solutions to the problem, but will constantly think about how to solve it.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
SVC: I feel energetic and lively when if the concept works, the Eureka moment. I then become very eager to put it down on the paper.
FS: What makes a design successful?
SVC: The resolution of four major elements in a project: Site, Client, Brief and budget.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
SVC: The resolution of the program or brief: whether the concept behind it matches the brief.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
SVC: As designers, the architect has an important role and should be held responsible to the society and environment. Architects should be addressing the site and historical context well, so they are not soulless buildings. Architects should not just be a slave of the developers, but it should have a much bigger role in the design process of buildings. Wherever possible, architects should encourage the client to incorporate sustainable technology and sensible delivery methods to help protect the environment and construction inefficiency and wastage.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
SVC: In the future, we will rely more and more on Artificial intelligence, but designers and architects should use them for making the production process more efficient. However, the overall ideas and resolution of the program should still be done by designers.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
SVC: Some of my work was exhibited by the company I worked for in the past, but the last time my personal work was exhibited was during my years at the university. I am planning to have my work exhibited once I am ready in the near future.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
SVC: My inspiration often comes from the site, the surroundings, the neighborhood or the historical context of the site. Sometimes I have also wanted to explore what others have not done – the form or materiality. However, I have also generated ideas when I want to make a provocative statement about political, cultural, environmental and other issues.
FS: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
SVC: My design style often has an obvious big picture idea, followed a stylized uniform language and cultural elements attached to it. Every architectural design should have consistency in design language, pattern and etc. Ideally, the building exterior should relate inside out.
FS: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
SVC: I was born in Malaysia, but I have spent a much longer time away. I have also lived in New Zealand, Australia and now in China. Culturally I was brought up by the Chinese culture; I have also adopted Western culture and studied Japanese culture during my teenage years. I understand well the differences between the East and the West. I am highly attracted by cultural ideas and also very flexible about it. When designing for a specific country, we should be more aware of what constitutes a taboo.
FS: How do you work with companies?
SVC: I listened to their needs and brief. And communicate with them wherever possible. We have to beware some clients will overpower designers. We need to make a clear delineation of our role as an architect and their unreasonable demands. We don’t over service clients by pretending we know it all – market analysis, engineering advice and etc.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
SVC: Designers who have clear design directions and an out of the box idea are good indicators of good designers. Those who are not afraid of challenging the norm, which helped to push the limit or boundaries. Designers that have a strong sense of social responsibility and environmental awareness are good indicators. Designers that have good past project reference and experience also helps.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
SVC: Seek out client’s needs; understanding of the project and context; research about the cultural aspect or refer to projects by other architects; generate design concept and testing out the design ideas until I am convinced about the outcome and brief the client about it.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
SVC: Cabinets, bookshelf, the bed, tea set, and utensil. Things that I use closely and I choose them wisely. Something that suits my taste and style.
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
SVC: Awake around 6 am, dropped my kids to school, commute, arrived at the office, dealing with offshore office, clients, meetings. Have lunch, meetings, design meetings, Dinner, sometimes attending seminars, exercise, do quite a bit of architectural reading and thinking before sleep, plan the next day or think about the design of the project I am working on. As someone who is aimed to be successful, one should refrain from counter-productive activities such as games and excessive social media. Best use of time and constant self-improvement is vital for a designer to become successful.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
SVC: Explore your own styles and your thinking in design. Be outspoken and be daring about your design. Make your work stand out, market yourself and do lots of networking. Build a personal brand.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
SVC: The positive aspect of being a designer is we get to create something that represents our personal brand, we also get to express our thinking through our design. The negative thing about being a designer is that others think we can generate a design and the outcome effortlessly within a short time. Another problem also is that it depends on culture, some cultures do not value designers greatly and think we can do it for free.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
SVC: There is no golden rule for design, it is very open-ended. If the concept matches the brief, expectation of the clients and context, then it is good design. Better still, if it meets or exceeds the user’s expectation. That the user also feels proud of being in the building.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
SVC: The overall understanding of the design process and the latest trend and knowledge about a specific field are important for a designer. An architect should also be able to undertake a project from concept to completion. If we can come up with a design system, that guide us through the process that is also quite valuable as a designer.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
SVC: I research about a particular subject or ideas first and then sketch them out on tracing papers. I will then test the ideas on SketchUp or Rhino depending on complexity. Documentations are done on Revit. Final renders are done by others on Lumion, 3D Studio Max or VRay.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
SVC: I often refer to an established guideline and design management system on what program to which graphics extend we have to produce in order to meet the expectation of a particular phase. This is so we have a set expectation and not wasting time to overdo things.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
SVC: For architecture during a conceptual phase, ideas will come up within a week or two. It is all subject to refinement and testing. However, it takes months to get it up to the design development stage when all the regulations and codes were satisfied. Typically a building from concept to completion could take from 1 to several years.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
SVC: How did you come up with that brilliant idea or solution?
FS: What was your most important job experience?
SVC: Not long after my graduation, I joined RTA Studio in Auckland, New Zealand as a graduate. The firm had a profound influence and shaped my thinking as to what an architect does. The expectation, outcome, and resolution of a project were extraordinary. At RTA Studio, the Directors were so skillful that they are good at the concept from the big picture level, all the way down to a very fine detail level. They are also multi-skilled taking a project from concept to completion. With bigger firms, the staffs’ skills are often departmentalized.
FS: Who are some of your clients?
SVC: Hong Kong, Macau and mainland Chinese developers, Engineering Consultant firms, Education Institutions, Facilities operator, Major architectural companies (alliance).
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
SVC: I really enjoy working on cultural projects or any project that requires me to carry out cultural studies and understanding of different cultures. Or projects that relate to dwelling (residence) where it is personally tailored to the client or the user group. Also, projects that interface with nature.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
SVC: I am hoping to do a Doctor of Philosophy course to test out and further refine my ideas and directions through research.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
SVC: I work in an individual manner to generate design concepts by testing it out on sketches. The sketches will then be passed onto my colleagues to further develop on digital models. Sometimes I will even be building digital models myself. The design will be reviewed again and again and modified on the computer again and again within a team environment.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
SVC: Not at this moment as I am focusing more on Design Management, Business development, and Studio Management. I am hoping to jump back into designing again once the dust settled down.
FS: How can people contact you?
SVC: I am contactable via my personal email borneo1012@gmail.com or my mobile number +852 9136 5677.
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
SVC: All covered.
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A’ Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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