COVER STORY
André Fu
It’s really about celebrating my relationship with the hotel,” says interior architect André Fu about the penthouse suite that bears his name, which occupies a privileged spot on the 8th AEoor of Dressed in the unassuming ensemble of open-neck shirt, chinos and loafers that seems to be a personal signature, Fu chooses his words carefully and deliberately. ¹1t was a radical move by Swire,º he says. ¹1 had a team of Rust three, with no hospitality experience. 1’d imagine 1 was pretty much a blank canvas, though 1 was Yuite confident and felt 1 was ready for any challenge . . . but then again, the more you know, the less you know · it’s always like that. So 1 guess it was a steep learning curve at the time. But that said, 1 think the experience also allowed me to express my own belief in hospitality. And nobody could have imagined then how 1t was probably no accident that his first large-scale commission involved the hospitality industry, as Fu was fascinated by hotels even in childhood. ¹1 always loved drawing,º he says, ¹and 1’ve always loved hotels. ¹One day, my mother and 1 were sitting in a hotel and she said something like, »Andru, imagine in the future if you became an architect and you wouldn’t only be designing the building but you could also be designing super-micro details, such as the towels and even the plates that were going into the hotel.’ 1 still vividly remember her saying that to me.’” Although his family had no particular background in design, they evidently placed few obstacles in the way of him pursuing his creative passions. As a teenager he was sent off to school in England, where he Yuickly became exposed to history, culture and art. ¹Going to the South Bank in 4ondon and walking along to the Design Museum, and then down to “One day, my mother said something like, ‘André, imagine in the future if you became an architect and you wouldn’t only be designing the building but you could also be designing super-micro details, such as the towels and even the plates’” Fu says that by the time he’d reached the age of 1 he’d decided he wanted to go into architecture, a discipline that he admits would please his family. ¹My parents had a more traditional Chinese mentality in that they wanted their kids to pursue a profession. But 1’m very pleased that 1 did, because the university that 1 went to is heavily rooted in the history of architecture and the theory of architecture, so 1 gained knowledge and exposure · an in-depth insight · into pretty much everything ° that whole spectrum of understanding the cultural context and how architecture relates to the period. Aou know, the reasons for Brutalism, the reasons behind the rise of Post-Modernism, the reasons behind people like Jean Prouvu and why the social context created the backdrop for the architecture and the design language. And how materiality has radically changed the way architecture has evolved.” ¹Contextº is a word that crops up often when Fu talks about the way he approaches his work, in all of which he strives for relevance and authenticity. ¹1t’s about understanding the notion of authenticity and the core of what it takes to create things that are relevant to the cultural context we’re living in,º he says. ¹And it’s only by knowing and understanding · or being rooted in · that notion of authenticity that we’ll be able to evolve and learn and respond.º ?hen asked about inAEuences, he cites ¹that sense of Rourney and discovery as you go up the rampº at 4e Corbusier’s >illa Savoye, outside of Paris# Alvar Aalto’s home, office and workshop near 0elsinki# and the privilege of ¹being exposed to these types and this Yuality of architecture at first hand and at that ageº. 1f he was relatively unknown when he was approached by Swire to work on St :egis · while hospitality proRects overseas include the Fullerton Bay and Andaz hotels in Singapore, Bangkok’s ?aldorf Astoria, the Shangri-4a Patrick Mc3illen, a man whom Fu describes as inspirational. Of his four 0ong 3ong properties, he says that ¹it would already be a rare opportunity to have one hotel here. But the fact that 1’ve had four complete hotel creations, all within close proximity of the harbourfront, and each one offering a very different side of my aesthetic · and Rust being able to communicate what defines me, my take on a certain persona, and that idea of storytelling and having a uniYue narrative for each proRect, even though they’re within the same city · 1 think that’s important.º Although Fu’s aesthetic is clearly evolving – and he says he’d design a space in a 0ong 3ong luxury property Yuite differently from a similarly sized one in, say, 4ondon · what’s remains a constant to all his work is an air of comfort. ¹And that’s easier said than done. Even now, even this morning, 1 was with my team and we were going through a new hotel proRect that we’re doing. And 1 was talking them through imagining that there’s a person walking in, and how they’d walk into the room. ?hat would they do' ?here would they place that bag' ?here would they sit' ?hat would they be looking at when they do that' ?here would they hang that towel and what’s in proximity to that? ¹1t’s all about imagining the person who’s using the space. 1 mean, there’s no formula, it’s Rust having that intrinsic idea of the experience · 1 call it the essence of the experience, what Yuintessentially captures your feeling when you’re in a space. And the moment you feel that the designer has thought of all these things for you, then ° 1 mean, the word wellbeing could be about going into a room that’s very tranYuil and Yuiet. But actually it’s more than that, it’s about the feeling you’re being taken care of. So it could be a very richly designed space, but one where you feel that whatever you need, it’s reachable, it’s adaptable, it’s approachable, so there’s that notion of wellbeing, because you feel right. 1t seems so obvious, but perhaps because of social media, because of the pace of things, these are things that can easily be overlooked, because everyone’s striving for that image that’s so powerful and captivating. But for me, the Roy of doing what 1 do is seeing someone sitting there, feeling good and having a good time. And 1 think that’s the soul of hospitality.º ¹?e came up with the idea of creating a multi-category collection that reaches beyond furniture, so there’s also lighting, there are carpets, there’s bedding, table accessories and portable 4ED lights · and everything built around the notion of living. ¹ Fu evidently takes Roy from what he does, not only from the end result but the entire process, and that’s partly to do with the people he works with. ¹1 remember when 1 worked on >illa 4acoste, which was also for Paddy CMc3illenE. ¹ “The joy of doing what I do is seeing someone sitting there, feeling good and having a good time. And I think that’s the soul of hospitality”