This award-winning architect from Singapore almost quit the industry due to burnout

Melvin Keng only started his practice five years ago but emerged the top choice for the inaugural SIA-Young Architects Award among 24 nominees. The prize was given out by the Singapore Institute of Architects on May 16 at the annual SIA Architectural Design Awards, held at SIA’s annual dinner at Marina Bay Sands as part of the three-day Archifest event. Opened to registered architects with the Board of Architects of Singapore (BOA), it was conceived to recognise and honour emerging architectural talent, and acknowledge their achievements, leadership and contribution to the industry.

Out of 18 prizes given out this year, the founder of Kaizen Architecture also took home two other SIA Design Awards in the categories of Overseas Commercial Projects and Overseas Interior Architecture Projects for a shophouse conservation and adaptive reuse project, Rumah Kechik.

“I feel very humbled and honestly, very surprised, to be the winner of the new award because the top 10 nominees are all very inspiring young architects who have done excellent in the various segments of the industry they are operating in. But I have to say, winning this award is important to me; it’s a huge boost and encouragement to know that the hard work, late nights, the toiling over challenges and details, and the opportunity costs all mean something. It gives me assurance that I am on the right path; I now have new wind to push forward," Keng shared.

He feels that this new award is timely and important in an industry where projects take a long time to complete, and most architects only achieve their best works in their later years. The only other local award to recognise the contribution of young architects is Urban Redevelopment Authority’s 20 under 45.

In the awarding of larger-scale projects, most government procurement packages favour companies with track records, which limits the opportunities for younger practices or individuals. “Younger practices that may have interesting ideas may never get the chance to contribute to our built landscape, beyond small-scale commissions or interior projects. I hope the prize opens doors for the youth, and that we – as in those in the industry – can also appreciate emerging talents and look forward to the future of our profession,” he remarked.

Keng shares that his parents were not from the creative industry – his father supplied shower screens to architecture and interior fit-out projects, and his mother owned a hairstyling business – but he was always playing with Lego blocks and drawing “skyscrapers and city skylines” as a child.

In secondary school, the Victoria School alumni enrolled in the Art Elective Programme (AEP) and submitted an interior design project for his ‘O’ level examinations. “I think it was around that time that I knew I wanted to do something related to spatial design. So, when it came to applying for college, only architecture school fit the bill,” he shared.

Like many success stories, Keng’s journey was met with kinks in the road. He applied for the course at the National University of Singapore (NUS) while in he was in his first year of National Service but was not accepted. The dogged Keng reapplied the following year against his parents’ wishes. This time, he got in.

Post-graduation, Keng had a stint at international architecture firm Aedas. He left six months later to join RT+Q Architects in 2009. The award-winning firm, founded by Tse Kwang Quek and Rene Tan, is known for its inventive house designs. It celebrated its 20th anniversary last year and released a monograph with Thames & Hudson, in which two projects Keng worked on are featured.

The nine years Keng spent at the firm were instrumental to his growth as an architect. Even after leaving in 2019, he still considers Tan one of his biggest role models. “Rene has imparted good career and life lessons to me. He was a generous mentor, passionate about architectural history and its great architects, instilled in me the rigour and tenacity to create beautiful spaces, and have fun while at it,” Keng shared.

"He's a talented and enterprising young leader – responsible, with a good eye for detail and teachable," commented Tan in return. 

Some of these ‘greats’ that he continues to be inspired by are Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. “Le Corbusier and Mies Van der Rohe’s approach toward form, composition and the organisation of layouts continues to fascinate me; a lot of what they do are still very relevant in today’s context,” shared Keng, who also admires contemporary firms like Neri&Hu Design and Research Office as well as Vector Architects – both based in China and whose works meld modernity and tradition.

He left RT+Q Architects for a sabbatical after being burnt out from working in the gruelling profession. “During that time, I questioned if I could continue to sustain myself in this profession. I thought of leaving architecture to pursue something else,” Keng recalled.

His trajectory pivoted when he met with a close friend and co-founder of branding agency Acre Design, Jason Song. The latter was looking for someone to work with the agency on the spatial aspects of projects. “The approach to interior design from a branding perspective was very refreshing and intrigued me a lot. I wasn’t confident that the lessons I learnt from designing houses could be applied to other types of spaces, but I felt an inclination to try,” said Keng.

Several collaborations later, he decided to start Kaizen Architecture. Kaizen means ‘improvement’ in Japanese. It refers to a concept first devised by Toyota for their company and operations. “In Kaizen Architecture, we always aim to use architecture and design to improve the status quo, to improve our clients’ lives,” stated Keng. Some of the firm’s more prominent projects include Terrace Flat – his own HDB apartment where he completely rejigged the layout into a continuous loop – Ally Singapore and Rumah Kechik.

In Ally Singapore, he questioned the future of fitness. “Our team saw that gyms were becoming more holistic and wellness-centric, instead of just focusing on the activities,” Keng commented. This resulted in a hospitality-inspired waiting lounge and changing rooms. A variety of lighting conditions aimed at bettering the way gym goers feel in the different spaces.

On the other hand, in Rumah Kechik, Keng had to be sensitive to both the existing building and cultural identity. The team was tasked to add an extension to an existing hotel development called Baba House, Melaka, which is owned by Singapore hotel chain Hotel Royal Group. The first phase of the project, incorporating a restaurant, function rooms and a gym, was completed in January 2024. The next phase will add 50 new suites to the extension.

The client, Zach Lee, is a second-generation leader of the family business. “He first approached us in 2020 to help with a bar project for one of his Bangkok hotels. Unfortunately, the pandemic hit, and we didn’t proceed with that commission. A few years later, we were fortunate that he remembered us and approached us again, but this time with this larger commission,” shared Keng. In the same spirit of adaptive reuse, he went on to convince several other clients to do A&A (additions and alterations) to their houses instead of rebuilding entirely.

From homes and cafes to gyms and hotels, the architect is keen to design all kinds of buildings; a school for young children is one of his dream projects. In the meantime, he is kept busy not only with current commissions but fraternity involvements – in 2015, he joined the Young Architect’s League to help support young architects and students in their journeys, and in 2020, he became a SIA council member after meeting the then-new and energetic team while participating in a SIA-led research to improve the design of workers’ dormitories.

Keng observes that while Singapore’s architecture and design scene has reached high standards, and there are commendable initiatives like Singapore’s 2030 Green Plan, there is still much work to be done for the industry. For example, he hopes that more Singapore-based and local practices will be considered in place of foreign architects to design prominent architectural projects.

Another challenge is retaining architects in the field, which Keng suggests can be ameliorated if government agencies partner with trade associations like SIA to mandate aspects of the practice, such as introducing a fee guide or salary guide.