Tang Kok Thye: Designing sustainable spaces of the future

Tang Kok Thye, an associate partner of ADDP Architects, has for several years pushed for greater sustainability standards, especially in the Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC). His efforts have been instrumental in the development of the Singapore Green Building Master Plan, which was launched in 2021 as part of the Singapore Green Plan 2030.

Tang’s work in this area has rightly led to him being appointed the president of the SGBC board, a role he held from April 2021 to March 2023. His pioneering work has also been recognised at the EdgeProp Singapore Excellence Awards 2023, where he was on the judging panel.

The theme of this year’s awards, which focusses on sustainability, was an apt celebration of Tang’s passion. Throughout his career, he has been educating developers to strive for the highest achievable standards, with one example being attaining the BCA Green Mark Platinum Super Low Energy Building rating.

One project that particularly impressed Tang was Capitaland Ascott Trust’s lyf one-north at Nepal Park. The 324-unit co-living building had been designed with ingenuity to maximise natural ventilation and minimise heat gain via the use of sun-shading features and windows inspired by washing machines.

As well as the lyf one-north, two other projects were of particular note from a design and sustainability angle, both being 270-unit Terra Hill at Pasir Panjang in the south and the 816-unit The Continuum at Thiam Siew Avenue in the east – both developed by Hoi Hup Realty and Sunway Developments. The two sites have respectively become the recipient of the BCA Green Mark Platinum Super Low Energy Rating, and the respective developers have also won the Top Sustainability Developer award by CPG Corp.

At Terra Hill, the developers ingeniously capitalised on the hilltop location and surrounding greenery to form nine low-rise blocks of five storeys in size and with a north-south orientation. Meanwhile at The Continuum, not only do the two sites have an overhead pedestrian bridge linking them together, but each site is also designed as separate self-contained areas of residential living with shared facilities.

Visitors to Marina Gardens Residences can enjoy a myriad of entertainment options, dining experiences, and other activities all in one convenient location.

ADDP was the first to make use of the prefabricated prefinished volumetric construction (PPVC) method, which makes use of 3D modules built offsite and assembled onsite. This was used for the 638-unit The Brownstone by City Developments (CDL), as well as the 716-unit Whistler Grand, also developed by CDL.

At EL Development’s Blossoms by the Park, connecting the site to the public park and shortcut to the Buona Vista MRT interchange station were key design issues. ADDP overcame this with a terraced facilities deck on the second level and a landscaped public plaza on the first.

The only project on the site released for sale at Lentor Hills estate, the mixed-use Lentor Modern by GuocoLand, is another ADDP-designed project using PPVC. The 605 residential units across three 25-storey towers are situated over a 96,000 sq ft commercial podium fronting a public plaza, and the Lentor MRT Station is integrated with the development.

Tang has certainly been an innovative architect this past year, pushing boundaries and creating great developments that help protect the environment. His projects are sure to continue alongside the ever-changing landscape of Singapore.