Dr Stéphane Lasserre is the design principal and senior designer of B+H Architects (Singapore) Pte Ltd, who is no stranger to building something from scratch. Instrumental in establishing the B+H Singapore studio, he set up shop in his own living room with one assistant and the rest, as they say, is history.
Once well on track to become an engineer, Dr Stéphane Lasserre can recall the pivotal moment that encouraged him to step away from engineering and pursue a career in architecture instead. He was in Bordeaux at the time and was truly inspired by a simple installation at an Art Brut exhibition—a perfect stack of charcoal in the middle of a warehouse. It was then that he realised he wanted to be involved in the creation of structures that generate tension and emotion in people through strategic spaces.
Lasserre joined B+H in 2005 and worked in the B+H Toronto and Shanghai offices, prior to taking on his role in Singapore. Throughout his career spanning more than 20 years, he has led architecture and interior design projects throughout France, Canada, India and Asia. His global experience in mixed-use, institutional, commercial, residential, healthcare and hospitality developments has allowed him to take a fresh perspective on projects by considering how different cultures and social fabrics work and infusing his work with these varied views.
Tell us about your guiding approach to design and in managing clients’ expectations.
Clients always come to us with a puzzle to solve. During the early design stages, it is important to establish open communication that allows exploring, experimenting and progressively validating various components of the project to progress into design development. To manage the client’s expectations, it is essential to understand and explore complementary ways to leverage both parties’ experience. Having delivered projects in many cities with diverse sociocultural contexts, I also like to bring on previous experiences to new projects and urge clients to re-examine issues in their own field from different perspectives. I approach design by thinking how architecture, landscape and interior spaces fuse together as a collective sphere of entity on its own rather than considering each discipline as an isolated, independent one that does not represent the full dynamics—it is different from the traditional way of resolving design challenges in a linear sequence.
Could you give an example of a successful project that you have led from inception to completion?
Quill City Mall in Kuala Lumpur was an interesting project that started with a 20-year-old abandoned concrete shell. On top of creating an architectural statement along a major road, the larger focus was to revitalise the sleepy neighbourhood by transforming a dumb box into a 100,000-square-metre bustling, multidimensional retail experience.
The design objective was to create a lively and habitable façade with indoor and outdoor spaces that allow for the extension of mall operating hours. One of the solutions was the creation of a food and beverage veneer along the main façade that is made accessible to the public even after the regular mall hours. Lined with cascading terraces under a majestic skylight canopy, it is accompanied with a kaleidoscopic installation of lights after dark. This multicoloured glass ‘cloud’ shelters diners from the natural elements and connects customers to a dramatic perspective, enhanced by the elevated railway and streetscape.
Due to site pre-constraints, we altered the existing structure by carving, rationalising floor plates, adding floors to maximise the leasable areas and optimise the retail planning. The project was delivered successfully with a great team of collaborators and consultants who took pride in upholding the DNA of the design at every stage. Our client also provided trust and support for our work by involving us in their internal strategic meetings together with all consultants on board.
What do you think are the major strengths of your design studio and how have you personally contributed towards its success?
Backed by a 60-year Canadian legacy with an international practice, our vision at B+H is to design bold and inspiring spaces for people. We always work closely with our clients by supporting projects with local teams and resources during the entire scope of work. Supported by an integrated resource system, we leverage global knowledge and expertise available in all studios by collaborating across time zones. In other words, each studio has different resources that may not be available in another, so our teams communicate daily to support one another efficiently in delivering project needs located in different markets.
On the other hand, B+H has always leveraged project opportunities to nurture new centres of excellence. In Singapore, we have been successful with hospital projects, hence a strong healthcare team of experts that includes medical planners, interior designers and healthcare architects.
As a designer and a principal of the firm, I focus on understanding our client’s vision with open communication and closer interaction. In certain cultures and localities, some clients may not be direct in their aspirations so I spend effort in building trust and local awareness in order to identify the actual needs before transforming them into physical spaces. Working experience in the Toronto, Shanghai and Singapore studios for many years has provided me with the intuitive understanding of local cultures and market sensitivity to bridge those client communication gaps in these markets. That translates to accurate and effective feedback for our support team to deliver projects and client needs more efficiently.
Could you give an example of a creative and practical design concept that you have conceived and delivered?
Using the case of the National University Centre for Oral Health, Singapore (NUCOHS), I sought to challenge and remodel the existing patient experience in the waiting areas. In many local public hospitals, it is not uncommon for visitors to be seated in singular rows facing a queue number notification system. We reassembled the seating layout into hexagonal clusters connected like a network of deoxyribonucleic acid molecules resembling a double helix. Each cluster forms a mini-community that is intended to reduce the feeling of isolation by promoting interaction amongst visitors. The seats are modular elements that allow easy re-layout and future proofing of the space. While the overall design in the waiting area incorporates guiding principles of elderly friendliness, good accessibility, infection control with low-maintenance materials and interfaces, the unprecedented setup adds a new social dimension to the patient experience in the hospital.
Could you highlight an instance where a climate-responsive design was implemented and how sustainable design principles were incorporated for a project in Singapore?
In line with the government guidelines on local public hospitals and project brief furnished by the client, NUCOHS was designed to achieve ‘platinum’ level on the Green Mark system certified by Building and Construction Authority (BCA)—the highest certification level for benchmarking of environmentally friendly buildings. The design of the building leverages passive and active measures to improve energy saving, water conservation and Green ratio. Prime spaces such as patient, teaching and research areas are located in the longest wing facing the best north-south orientation. Efficient glazing, slab overhangs and horizontal shading devices were added to reduce the solar gain and glaring effect. At the east sector where the best view is, we located the patient and visitor waiting areas behind vertical thins, which are oriented according to the sun path analysis. The west sector is more solid with cores, corridors and spaces since the daylighting here would be less intensive. Additionally, we maximised the inclusion of naturally ventilated public spaces such as main entrance, distribution corridors and courtyard for gatherings. In those areas, walls openings, overhangs and enclosures were designed to increase the wind velocity and optimise the amount of shading to all building users. The climate in Southeast Asia is not pedestrian-friendly due to all-year round of heavy sun and frequent showers.
However, thoughtful design via a climate-responsive approach allows users to be weatherproof and yet be able to maintain close connection to nature, which is a luxury for anyone in the urban tropics wanting to escape from staying indoors with air-conditioning all the time!
What do you think are the major challenges faced in managing the studio and by the design industry in Singapore in general?
Project delivery is increasingly demanding, and meeting client expectations with aggressive timelines in a global state of evolving technology can be stressful. Adding on to that layer of complexity is the rapid shift of project opportunities according to market changes, on top of varying project demand from different sectors. This often results in project staffing and resource allocation challenges as we tailor different strategies and approaches to every project delivery.
To stay highly competitive, I believe that talent acquisition and retention is most essential. We are always on the lookout for the right talents to deliver. On top of external hires, we practise promoting good talents from within by tapping on our global network to provide varied career experiences and open up pathways for our people. Relocation to another studio as long-term or short term arrangements to provide better project support for our clients is common amongst our staff. In Singapore, however, stricter measures in foreign labour policies for the last few years have tremendously affected working permit approvals, which makes project staffing extremely challenging.
I also believe in the importance of giving ownership throughout the design process, while still providing guidance and encouraging collaborative discussions within the team. Continuous learning—such as skills training to keep up with the industry’s best practices and team sharing of our best design projects—is also something that we try to inculcate in every studio.
What are the main objectives that you try to meet in every design?
Beside ensuring a smooth collaboration with our clients and satisfying their requirements, I always keep in mind that we are actually building for people and our work may have impact on the urban fabric for decades, affecting generations to come. There are times when client motivations and social responsibilities may be conflicting, but as an architect, I feel that we have an obligation to find a balance and give back to the community.
What principles are fundamental to your work ethos and culture?
Personally, the most important principle in any project is to produce the best solution while addressing all site and sociocultural concerns. There can be many possible answers but the outcome should always be derived from a cooperative process between the clients and other stakeholders, including the various teams and agencies involved in the project. It is more important to create a sense of identity for the project than to seek a trendy solution that may not have a lasting impact. As a French, I grew up in a country where arts and culture made up of diverse ethnic communities are the core DNA of our daily lives. So I always try to go deeper into the specific spatial and sociocultural context of every project to find ways to revive and even create awareness of its true soul identity through architectural work. To do that, I would derive inspiration from various sources such as cinema, literature, art installations and local cultural scenes, which in turn shapes concepts for massing, lighting design, landscape and interior tensions. Quill City Mall in Kuala Lumpur, for example, is an architectural interpretation of a pulsing city in motion with an after-dark theatrical experience. Hotel Pullman Oceanview Sanya Bay Resort & Spa on Hainan Island drew inspiration from the picturesque Yangshuo landscape expressed in traditional Chinese water ink paintings. The façade grain for Taiyuan Lakeside Tower in Northern China was in fact inspired by Yang Yongliang’s artworks, which blends Chinese traditional landscapes with modern cityscapes using digital techniques. Huai’an Twin Towers in Jiangsu reflected inspiration based on the Chinese calligraphy of Xiong Di, which means brothers.
What are some of the major accolades that you have won and how have they motivated you?
Working in creative industries is a lifestyle that requires daily commitments and sometimes sacrifices. Industry awards are always gratifying, but design is like an adventure—I find both excitement and satisfaction in overcoming real issues and turning solutions into reality. Once the chapter ends, I look forward to the next design journey. Client recognition makes it more worthwhile and rewarding because that also makes our daily commitment relevant.
What are your upcoming plans for 2017?
We find that markets in Asia are generally volatile, with individuals constantly craving for new thrills and experiences. It is really less about creating new iconic designs and more about curating experiences to match the expectations of more savvy communities today. In more urbanised cities in particular, an increasingly contemporary lifestyle points to a significant convergence of work, live and play where proximity of functions, ease of accessibility and convenience rank high. Spatially, that translates to the importance of designing creative spaces that demand fluidity, adaptability, multi-use and multi-function. Many developers come to us with a generic idea that requires deeper concept exploration and programme strategising before embarking on design. Hence, my larger focus this year is to better synthesise the design experiences accumulated over the years through retrospective lens and incorporate new insights at work. Specifically, that also boils down to engaging in more strategic planning and programming discussions with clients and key stakeholders at the early stage of every new project.