Construe and Construct 3

The third in this lecture and exhibition series will showcase the architectural works of tow young practices from South East Asia. This is a platform ofr the two partnership practices to discuss about their creative works and challenges operating in this sunny, humid, wet and culturally diverse context. “Construe & Construct” helps them frame their narratives, giving us a better insight to their process of making architecture and design.

STUDIO BIKIN

Farah Azizan a graduate from Nottingham University and the AA, co-founded Studio Bikin in 2011 with Adeda Askandar who received her architectural education in Cambridge University. Each of them has about a decade of practice experiences before setting up their partnership in KL, Malaysia. Their practice is diverse, extending beyond architecture and interior, dabbling into artistic installation and exhibition, “Kedai Bikin” is the brand of furniture that they have designed. They are also active in teaching and reviewing design in local architectural schools.

They have a manifesto that describes their commitment in the craft of design, their belief in making things with their hands and the notion that God is in the details. They are sensitive to the user’s needs and the context in which the architecture is set in. They are passionate about the idea that architecture is organic and the aging process is natural, inevitable and unavoidable, hence through good design even the spaces we use and live

LEKKER DESIGN

They are a Singapore-based pratice specializing in buildings and environments. Co-founders Ong Ker-Shing and Joshua Comaroff began working together as Lekker Design in 2002, after studying architecture and landscape at Harvard University.

Their approach combines the specific requirements of the client with a range of ongoing explorations in geometry, in material and detail and in architectural meanings and typologies. These do not result in a signature style so much as a way of thinking about how the elements of a building might go together. They work for a range of private individuals, firms, institutions and government agencies. Recent projects have included houses and landscapes, as well as master planning and furniture design. They remain interested in research and writing projects, and the intersection of academia and practice. They recently published “Horror on Architecture” a book of architectural history and theory. They have also published the book “A Different Class: Preschool Spaces Redefined”, a study commissioned by the Lien Foundation to imagine ten preschool buildings for unusual sites.