President’s Design Award: Engineer among three Star of the Year winners

SINGAPORE: For the first time because the President’s Design Award was started in 2006, an engineer, Dr Hossein Rezai, was one of the three winners of this prestigious Designer of the Year honor.

The awards have been passed out by President Tony Tan Keng Yam on Friday (Dec 9) at a ceremony at the Istana, DesignSingapore Council and the Urban Redevelopment Authority stated in a joint statement.

Dr Rezai, director of Web Structures and also a chartered engineer in structural and civil engineering, has also been engaged in the design and realisation of jobs like Assyafaah Mosque,  that employs a reinforced concrete masonry framework to create a column-free prayer hall on the floor level and to encourage three storeys of classrooms as well as other ancillary spaces.

(Photo:  Web design)

The arched framework helped to free up more space on the floor, as well as lower construction costs by 6.5 percent. The complete cost of building the building was US$43 million.

Dr Rezai told Channel NewsAsia that good design and cost efficiency were not mutually exclusive. “With our structural layouts we believe there’s no reason why people ought to use any more material than is absolutely necessary. You won’t gain anything by spending more or using more material once it has to do with construction. Therefore, we minimise the carbon footprint of our construction by utilizing the usage of material.”

The engineer’s other projects in Singapore include Mediacorp’s brand new 12-storey, 800,000sqft campus at Stars Avenue as well as Tokio Marine Centre and the Ardmore Residence.  

(Photo: Web design)

Along with Dr Rezai the Designer of the Year award was also awarded to architects Rene Tan and Raymond Woo.

Cited among the most recognized and well-respected characters from Singapore’s architectural industry, Mr Woo was supporting Singapore landmarks like the aged Science Centre in Addition to Ngee Ann City around Orchard Road.

(Clockwise, from top) Singapore Science Centre, B747 Hangar and Ngee Ann City. (Photos: RWAA & Max Ooi)

10 jobs won the Style of the Year award. They include three architectural jobs, as well a medical device to extract blood safely, easily and with minimal pain; a ultrasound scanner made to assess pregnancy dangers early; as well as a washing machine that lets users add things mid-cycle.

A record amount of 140 nominations were received this past year. An exhibition of this President’s Design Award 2016 will be kept at the National Design Centre in Dec 10 to Jan 6, 2017 and at the URA Centre by Jan 9 to 27, 2017. Admission is absolutely free.

Raymond Woo & Associates Architects

Layout of the Year
Bynd Artisan

Wong Mun Summ & Richard Hassell and Team

HP OfficeJet Pro 8720 All-in-One Printer
HP Inc..

Samsung Electronics Pte Ltd

Wong Mun Summ & Richard Hassell and Team

Chemistry Type Pte Ltd & GE Healthcare

Bassam Jabry, Karin Aue & Abhay Nihalani and Team

Wah Son @ Seletar Aerospace

source http://www.artingerdesigns.com/presidents-design-award-engineer-among-three-star-of-the-year-winners/