M.Arch GradShow 2026 Explores Architecture Beyond Form And Function
At the M.Arch Gradshow, Master of Architecture graduate projects pushed architecture beyond form and function, opening up questions of labour, memory, ritual, and the futures we imagine through the built environment.
OFFICIAL RIBBON CUTTING AT THE EXHIBITION OPENING (FROM LEFT): MS ALISON LIEW (EXHIBITION DIRECTOR), ASSOC PROF TSUTO SAKAMOTO (NUS M.ARCH PROGRAMME DIRECTOR), AR. LAY BEE YAP (URA GROUP DIRECTOR OF ARCHITECTURE & URBAN DESIGN), AR. CHAN KOK WAY (PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS SINGAPORE), AND PROF JEFFREY HOU (NUS HEAD OF DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE)
In their opening addresses on 17 July 2026, Guest of Honour Ar. Chan Kok Way, President of the Board of Architects Singapore (BOA), welcomed graduates into the profession while Prof Jeffrey Hou, Head of Department of Architecture, reflected on how students are willing to take on the challenge of working through today’s pressing issues with thoughtfulness and experimentation, even when the process is not easy or smooth. Assoc Prof Tsuto Sakamoto, M.Arch Programme Director (AY25/26), framed the exhibition theme, IDEK – Impermanence, Dilemma, Existence, and Kinetic – as tensions that animated students’ works, noting that these projects “are not conclusions”, but rather, “remain in motion”.
Tokens of appreciation were also presented to the venue sponsor, represented by Lay Bee Yap from the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore (URA), as well as to Gold Sponsors — Foster + Partners, Mitsubishi Jisho Design Asia, Aedas, GuocoLand Group, WOHA Architects — and Silver Sponsors — DP Architects, OMG Atelier, and Swan & Maclaren Group.
Some project highlights include:
TERRAINS OF GUILT BY BRYAN LEE JIA EN, VALEDICTORIAN OF THE CLASS OF 2026
TERRAINS OF GUILT BY BRYAN LEE JIA EN, VALEDICTORIAN OF THE CLASS OF 2026
Terrains of Guilt by Bryan Lee Jia En examines mining's afterlife in East Kalimantan, where abandoned pits sit beside Nusantara's development, and proposes small infrastructures that support repair, livelihoods, and collective life. Rooted in fieldwork, the project translates complex lived realities into architecture without oversimplifying them.
THREE STICKS OF INCENSE BY JOLENE SIM
THREE STICKS OF INCENSE BY JOLENE SIM
Jolene Sim's Three Sticks of Incense reimagines the Hungry Ghost Festival as an atmospheric hotel for both ghosts and humans, creating an unassuming building with immersive interiors and hidden spaces that respond to ghostly behaviour and ritual. The project balances cultural adaptation, curiosity, and regulatory constraints while keeping the tradition legible in contemporary Singapore.
"KOPI PANGALENGAN" TAKES COMMAND BY WEI KANG AW
"KOPI PANGALENGAN" TAKES COMMAND BY WEI KANG AW
"Kopi Pangalengan" Takes Command by Wei Kang Aw rethinks coffee production in Pangalengan, West Java, by revealing the labour and unequal value chains behind each cup. Through a mountain trail supported by six small coffee infrastructures, the project imagines a new rhythm where infrastructure can support processing during harvest, alternative income during the off-season, and greater public recognition of coffee producers.
Together, the projects in this year’s gradshow reflect architecture that is attentive, questioning, and deeply engaged with the worlds it inhabits.
Unable to attend in person? Explore our students’ work virtually: bit.ly/nusdoa_march2026virtual
The M.Arch 2026 Gradbook is now available for viewing online: bit.ly/nusdoa_march2026gradbook
Reposted from CDE July 2026 Newsletter Highlights
