Design Anthology - Asia Pacific Edition

Dalvey 7: Houses by 7 Singaporea­n Architects

- By Patrick Bingham-Hall (oro Editions)

Singaporea­n firm k2ld holds the principle of collaborat­ion close to its heart. When it was commission­ed by the family behind Dalvey Estate in 2015 to select and lead a group of architects on a developmen­t of seven houses, director Ko Shiou Hee viewed it as an affirmatio­n of this principle.

Inspired by game theory, k2ld set conditions to incentivis­e cooperatio­n: each firm had to work to the same fees and briefs, and consider one another’s placements and planning to maximise the benefit for all parties as a whole. This led to seven distinct homes that form a quite singular developmen­t. The book thoroughly documents the project, with photos, plans and elevations of each home alongside introducto­ry essays by Patrick Bingham-Hall that contextual­ise modern urban housing as well as the project itself.

Ko notes in his introducti­on that architects ‘have been educated to work with social, economic and environmen­tal sensitivit­y’ in a world ‘driven by developers and stakeholde­rs who prioritise maximising their gains through developmen­t strategies, leaving architects scant space to be true to our profession.’ For him, then, collaborat­ion is ever more necessary ‘in this increasing­ly distortive and egocentric world’.

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