CDE GIVING
Giving to help aspiring architects realise their dreams
Ar. Edward D’Silva came from a humble background and had a well-established history of voluntary service to the community.
An architect by profession, the 73-year-old graduated from NUS in 1975. Now a Senior Advisor at SAA Architects Pte Ltd, he continues to serve.
“I find it important to be in touch and giving back to my alma mater is one way of doing so.” He served on the NUS Board of Trustees and the NUS Alumni Advisory Board for more than a decade, collaborating with NUS senior management to build and enhance relationships with alumni and friends of NUS. He is also a former President of the Singapore Institute of Architects and Public Service Commission Board member.
He also established the Edward D’Silva Awards for the NUS Department of Architecture. Students from the final year of the Master of Architecture programme with a thesis topic located overseas can apply for the award. Each award recipient will receive a base stipend to support their travel and research expenses.
“As the benefactor (of the award), I have seen how the student recipients benefited from it. I will continue to support the cause because I see architecture as more than a ‘physical structure’ product. It is also about being exposed to different environments, cultures and values. The design should manifest social and human spaces for living, working, and enjoyment.”
As many as 13 Master of Architecture students have benefited from the Award since it was first disbursed in 2011.
In AY 2023/2024, one of the three Master of Architecture students who were the award recipients shared how inspired she was by the few conversations she had had with Mr D’Silva. Ms Lee Si Jia spoke with her benefactor before and after the trip to Mang Thit, Vietnam where she researched for her thesis.
Mr D’Silva’s sharing prompted Si Jia to reflect deeply on the purpose and intent of her thesis project. “Being reflective helped enrich my thesis, contributing to how I want to grow as a designer and future architect.”
Through the Edward D’Silva Award, she had the incredible opportunity to travel to Mang Thit despite its remoteness. The only way to get there was by boat from a town near Ho Chi Minh City.
Si Jia said: “The award could cover my travel expenses, so I extended my stay to make the most of my thesis research trip. I even hired a translator, making it easier for me to communicate with the locals.”
An architect by profession, Ar. D’Silva is a former President of the Singapore Institute of Architects. He was also a Public Service Commission Board member and a past Chairman of the Public Hygiene Council in which he advocated personal responsibility and civic mindedness for a truly clean Singapore.
Mr D’Silva recently received the Meritorious Service Medal at Singapore's National Day Awards, an honour that recognises individuals for their exceptionally long service to the country. As former Chairman of the Public Hygiene Council in which he advocated personal responsibility and civic mindedness for a truly clean Singapore, He was became known for selflessly championing nation-wide public hygiene and cleanliness.
Read another profile on Mr D Silva at https://news.nus.edu.sg/do-it-from-the-heart-former-nus-board-member-edward-dsilva/
A little help goes a long way
The award is only given to Master of Architecture students and is established for the Department of Architecture of the College of Design and Engineering, NUS. Each award recipient will receive a base stipend to support their travel and research expenses.
Eligibility & Application Details:
Current students enrolled in the final year of the Master of Architecture programme at NUS.
Students with a thesis topic located overseas that requires an in-depth empirical study of the country and/or thesis topic.
Number of Awards:
A selection committee will decide on the number of awardees and the quantum of the award.
Three Master of Architecture students, Naomi Chan, Kylyn Lee, and Lee Si Jia had a little help in completing their thesis project before graduating.
The trio received the Edward D’Silva Award, which paid for their travel expenses, allowing them to go on-site to conduct their research. The on-site fieldwork they carried out both enriched their graduate thesis and influenced their design perspectives.
Recognising community-centric design
Naomi’s graduate thesis took her to Indonesia, specifically the remote Pulau Sumba, where she lived at Rumah Anak Indonesia (RAI).
Naomi was grateful for the Edward D’Silva Award without which she couldn’t have flown there, nor saw how the involvement of locals could be valuable to her design.
“From living with the community and participating in their daily rituals, I saw the potential for community involvement in the construction process.
In the drawing workshops organised for the RAI children, we discovered telling details – like how important fences and stairs are to their school, as these were seen in nearly every child’s drawing. While the fences reflected the widespread issue of animal theft and their desire to protect their school, the stairs symbolised affluence. The experience of living among the locals has deepened my understanding of community-centric architectural design and influenced my perspective on design.
I learnt that to create meaningful, lasting change, it is important to listen to and empower, the local voices, and to address the basic needs of users.”
Appreciating tradition and modernity
The Edward D’Silva Award took Kylyn to Yogyakarta, Indonesia, where the traditional batik industry thrives.
She shares: “Thanks to the award, I took an on-site research trip to Yogyakarta, where I studied batik production firsthand and engaged with local artisans. The direct experience gave me valuable insights into the community’s cultural and economic challenges, which secondary research alone could not have offered.
I also met with experts like Dr Laretna Trisnantari Adishakti. Through them, I understood batik more deeply, along with its traditional and contemporary significance. This understanding helped to enrich my thesis project – I saw how to bridge traditional craftsmanship with modern urban planning.
The award has influenced my thesis from the perspective of cultural heritage and urban design.”
Benefiting fully from the award
Shared Si Jia, “For my thesis project, I was interested in exploring Mang Thit, a small village in the rural area of Southern Vietnam. It was essential to therefore immerse myself in the villagers’ way of life and culture.
The Edward D’Silva Award offered me the incredible opportunity to travel to Mang Thit. Being remote, the only way to get there was by car from Ho Chi Minh City and then by boat from a nearby town.
The award could cover my travel expenses, so I extended my stay to make the most of my thesis research trip. I even hired a translator, making it easier for me to communicate with the locals.
The conversations I had with Mr Edward D’Silva before and after the trip to Vietnam were particularly insightful. They prompted me to reflect deeply on the purpose and intent of my thesis project.
Being reflective helped enrich my thesis, contributing to my growth as a designer and future architect.”
Benefactor Campus Experience
Over 100 donors and guests enjoyed a different Benefactor Campus Experience (BCE), comprising three Masterclasses and a campus tour with a visit to the newly transformed SDE 1, 3 and 4. Highlights included a sharing on sustainability research through the NUS Green Energy Programme and Centre for Hydrogen Innovations and the development of cutting-edge immune-engineering tools by the Department of Biomedical Engineering. The BCE was held on 31 August 2024.
Read more at: https://nus.edu.sg/nusgiving/news-article/2024/09/12/benefactor-campus-experience-2024
