Rainnie

Design is not jus what is seen. It is also a story unfolding. With every step, a story unfolds in Philip Johnson's Glass House. This architect's residence is surrounded by clear glass panels which reflect surrounding trees and promenading people. The story goes on and on with the ever changing layers of images created by the glass. Johnson said the views of the landscape are his "wallpaper". (I have very expensive wallpaper)

This is exactly the kind of home I dream of creating. Every corner, every space in the indoors to the very scents of the garden would have it's story. Our memories may fade with age and time, and the only way to truly memorialize them is to realize our memories into tangible, realistic design. If you want to come visit, please bring food to share. I become moody when people don't share food.

Gen Wei

I don’t know anything about judo. So when I say I admire Yasuhiro Yamashita, I’m not talking about the said sport competitor. Yamashita, the architect, builds interesting shaped buildings that stands out from it’s surrounding. His interiors are clean and can be pretty minimalist.

It would be pretty challenging, but I hope to one day work on designing a deconstructive building. I love how iconic they are and how they seem to oppose the laws of this world. It could be extra-terrestrial architecture for all you know. A pet peeve? Sarcasm. Can’t work with people who are sarcastic.

William

Hats off to those of us who put fun back into architecture.

BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) constantly overcomes traditional constraints and produces such innovative and practical designs. My favourite is their 2010 Shanghai Expo Denmark Pavilion. Why can’t we be a cycling city as well?

On the other hand, we have designs like the Walt Disney Concert Hall (Frank Gehry) that I feel could be more (more) sympathetic to its environment. Although its fluid façade image is exciting, it’s surface reflects heat to the neighbours.

Would love to reimagine a tropical version that’s more sensitive to it’s neighbours and surrounding environment.

Nicole

When he was a child, Hayao Miyazaki created his Nasicaä of the Valley of the Wind animation. It’s an impressive work of art. Miyazaki is a legendary multi-tasker; he is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, screenwriter, author and manga artist. I love his animations, hand drawn illustrations and music. I’ve seen his museum of Studio Gibli in his home town of Mitaka; it was amazing.

If I could build anything, it would be a detachable modular tiny house. They are so practical. I cannot stand people asking me for “small” favors that actually require massive amounts of my time and effort just because they think that graphic design is a cup of tea for us and we use magic wands to wave designs into being.

Carmelita

There is something about people who became successful despite difficult circumstances. Oprah Winfrey is my favourite. Despite her childhood background and being a woman of color, she prevailed and became a powerful, successful and influential woman. I truly admire her courage, determination and hard work.

If I could build anything, it would be my dream house…somewhere in Europe. I get truly frustrated when people clip their nails in the work place. It is unsanitary. Sheeesh, we have a toilet for a reason.

June

I’m an independent woman and know that with determination, I can go anywhere. Look at Zaha Hadid. 1st woman to receive the Pritzker Archicture Prize, and the only woman to be awarded the Royal Gold Medal from RIBA. Such is her reputation that she’s known as the queen of curves. Women seem to be credited with details, but she isn’t. Rather, she puts her mind to the broader picture. Her work is amazing because she is always pushing boundaries.

If I could build anything, it would be a loft studio gallery. You would find me in a very irksome mood when I’m with people who constantly say, “I don’t know.”

Seing Nie

I have always fancied myself a designer of communal spaces. Shuhei Aoyama of B.L.U.E Architecture Studio is a key inspiration in this area. He has this amazing ability of merging architecture and the interior to reflect the idea of “sharing”. “I” spaces are transformed to “We” environments. His work truly shows that Aoyama is a family/community person.

If I could build anything, it would be nice waterfront retail experience shops that blends well with it’s landscape and is linked to several communal spaces. My own office would have tons of snacks to satisfy my endless appetite and the perfect balance of sunlight for a well-lit room.

Judy

“Be kind to one another”. To be able to say, and live, that every single day is what inspires me about Ellen Degeneres. Everyone needs kindness and I hope, for the people I meet, that I am the one who gives a little of that.

Don’t get me wrong though. I’m not all about others. I’d love to treat myself to a tour of the world. What better way to experience life than to experience all the different faces of it? My world tour will be perfect as long as I don’t meet anyone bad-mannered or rude.

Francis

Zaha Hadid never fails to blow my mind away. She is my superhero in the world of architecture, achieving seemingly impossible feats of shape bending. My generation gained a lot from this extraordinary person and her influence was truly far-reaching.

I am, however, a homey person and do imagine, if I could build anything, it would be a utopian multi-generational communal living complex. It would be a pleasant and uncongested place. Congestion irks me, and some people make it worse by driving slow on the fast lane. Come on man, there are rules and the road belongs to everyone.

Galvin

The mother art is architecture. I believe in that with all I am. I have to, seeing as it was spoken by the greatest American architect. Frank Lloyd Wright was ambitious, a visionary and a ground breaking pioneer who helped mold American architecture in the 20th century. We wouldn’t be where we are today without him.

By using Wright’s imagination, I want to build my very own waterfall house. It will be glorious. Somehow, the sound of rushing water soothes me. The sound of people yelling into the phone does not. Thankfully, there are none around me at this time.

Sarah

I love stories. No one has captured me with his writing as much as C.S. Lewis with the Narnia series. I wanted to be one of the characters, even if it was just one of the monkeys, to physically be in the world that he created. It was because of him that I learnt that the written word has power. Words can be crafted in such a way that the story has a message that has a message.

If I could write anything, it would be a series of novels about a gardener, his large squabbling family and his secret mission. Squabbles are despicable, though without them life can sometimes be a little of a bore.

Kenneth

Louis I Kahn famously once asked “What does a brick want to be?” I thought that meant most architects eventually become crazy due to overworking. But the question essentially became a driving inspiration because it actually deals with the simplest of materials and strives to reveal its true purpose and inner beauty.

There’s also Oscar Niemeyer who lived past a 100 years old. He gives hope to the younger generation that the brilliant ones don’t necessarily die young. That in itself is good proof in the pudding that has already been eaten. He is also the opposite of Louis Kahn in that he provokes and tampers with the nature of the simplest material to expose its latent potential.

I’d really love the challenge of building a really good and workable “toilet” within a tropical environment in service of a wholistic learning environment. I’m generally impatient with people who have misplaced common sense. That includes my wife at times.