Lee Polisano and Tina Qiu speak to The Business Times Singapore
PLP Architecture President Lee Polisano and Director Tina Qiu, who leads the firm’s Singapore studio, were recently interviewed by The Business Times, Singapore’s leading business publication. The article highlights PLP’s growing presence in Asia and explores three projects that exemplify the practice’s approach to sustainable, contextually attuned design: Park Nova, Arbor and PLP’s own new studio fit-out in London.
In the interview, Lee and Tina discuss the architectural and environmental thinking behind Park Nova, a biophilic luxury residential tower in Singapore inspired by the form of a butterfly. With balconies that vary in depth and curvature, and planting integrated at every level, the building reinterprets Orchard Road’s ecological past while providing shade, privacy and natural cooling. “We wrapped a set of balconies around the building,” explained Lee, “and varied them from floor to floor so that they create light and shadow… It’s a very simple set of logical principles, and it’s just what we’ve applied in a beautiful way.”
Tina spoke to the evolving aspirations of the Orchard Boulevard area, and the opportunity for Park Nova to shape its future. “Introducing further office use will introduce a wider mix of profiles into the area,” she noted, “increasing the diversity of activities.”
The article also looks at PLP’s recently completed office tower Arbor – the first building to complete within London’s fossil fuel-free Bankside Yards development – and the practice’s own circular economy-led studio fit-out. Sustainable architecture, driven by research, sits at the core of Lee and Tina’s discussions – whether in discussing generous terraces and integrated planting, all-electric energy systems, or maximising the reuse of materials.
