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| DP personalities An interview with David San Son & IN PERSON celebrates the firm’s diversity by profiling members of the DP family. The interview is conducted as a casual conversation between individuals. Meet associate directors David Liauw and Ng San Son, respective designers of Resorts World Sentosa West Zone which includes the Marine Life Park, and river-themed wildlife attraction River Safari. They tell Design in Print about designing theme parks. Interview by Toh Bee Ping Where do you draw your theme park design inspirations? D: We made a study trip to Cancun, Mexico to visit several theme parks by Grupo Via Delphi where we got a lot of ideas for natural landscaping and designing within a natural marine environment. I had my first swim with dolphins there. Designing a theme park is basically telling a story, and that needs time to develop. Fortunately, West Zone was the last in Resorts World Sentosa to be built, after Central Zone and Universal Studios, so we had a good amount of time for design development. Many highly-talented people like Kevin Barbee and Steve Ryan, who are both very experienced in this field and have worked on Universal Studios Singapore, put in the ‘magic’ in terms of creating a story as well as the fancy theming; we helped to bring the story to life in its built forms. SS: We discarded all pre-conceived notions about theme park design and let the environment inform the design. I remember visiting the forested site before the design process began; the sun was setting and there were beautiful golden sparkles on the reservoir. The team stood mesmerised by the landscape, and looked towards where the entrance plaza would be and visualised in our minds what that would look like. There were dead trees in the water that, to us, formed beautiful sculptures and indirectly inspired the look of the entrance plaza. The twisting and tilted structure supporting the entrance plaza appears to emerge from the undergrowth. The entrance plaza is the most important design element in a nature park as it is the start and end of the journey. “For Marine Life Park, the process of working with sea life was a steep learning curve. There were a lot of firsts, for example, designing hotel suites that offer underwater views of the world’s largest aquarium from within.” - David How different was the experience of designing theme parks? D: Especially for Marine Life Park, the process of working with sea life was a steep learning curve. Before this, the office had not designed an integrated theme park of this scale and complexity. There were a lot of firsts, for example, designing hotel suites that offer underwater views of the world’s largest aquarium from within. Like any development, theme parks must meet building codes and comply with public safety regulations. In the case of Marine Life Park, another dimension in the form of international standards and certification to ensure the well-being of the sea life, such as water quality, must be engaged. Working with Aquatic Environmental Systems (AES) based in Queensland, Australia, who is in charge of the Life Support System, was also an eye-opening experience.
Additionally the Resorts World development is overseen by the government-appointed Integrated Resort Working Group which has a strong hand in controlling what we could or could not do. SS: To be honest, it was a struggle initially. I found myself asking, how is this architecture design? Very often, theme parks are about iconographic designs and ostentatious theming. I found it an interesting juggle, working with the theming consultant and balancing the simulated visuals with pure architectural intent. If you compare with, say, designing a mall where it is about the culture of constant consumption, we design for people to be integrated in the experience. Zoo exhibits, even in the most naturalistic environment, are essentially separated. When designing River Safari, we had to create an immersive experience while keeping people and animals separate. For the non-exhibit spaces, such as the entrance plaza and the boardwalk of the panda enclosure, we provided the architectural experience via structures, architectonics and detailing. Another crucial element was the circulation planning to provide a seamless journey. We worked closely with curators to orchestrate the visitor’s journey to create vivid serial visions and drama. The other challenge was to integrate the wildlife park with the landscape of Upper Seletar Reservoir. We left the rest to the theming consultant to wow visitors with the thematic visuals. What do you do for fun? D: I collect things. I have a good collection of porcelain produced during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, from 1966-76. I hope to one day donate the collection to an art museum. This way I enable the future generations to enjoy these pieces and learn about the history of the period. I also collect stamps from the same era. I collect watches too. SS: I enjoy running. It calms me and helps me think better. When I’m running, I think of problems. Things get clearer after a run and I find better solutions. Another fun activity is having supper with my students. I teach part-time at NUS and many of my students are now my friends. It’s refreshing to hear their perspectives and sometimes naïve points of view. Plus I feel young when I hang out with them! Tell us something about yourself that few people know about. D: I cried when I watched Ah Boys to Men Part 2. I’m not a Singaporean and hence was never in the army; but the movie hit many right notes, underlining a lot of the values that I hold dear including love of country, loyalty and friendship. SS: People think that I socialise and talk a lot, but I’m actually a shy person. I dislike talking for the sake of talking. I’m emotionally involved with people I work with; it affects me personally when they feel unhappy. Also, I cannot sleep for more than seven hours a day. If I do, I get a bad headache and backache. “For the non-exhibit spaces of River Safari such as the entrance plaza and the panda enclosure boardwalk, we provided the architectural experience via structures, architectonics and detailing.” - San Son All Rights Reserved. No material may be reproduced without prior permission. DP Architects accepts no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions or resultant consequences including any loss or damage arising from reliance on information in Design in Print. Any opinions in Design in Print are solely those of the named authors of the article in which they appear. Unless named as author, DP Architects, Editorial Panel and other Contributors do not endorse any such views and disclaim all liability from their publication. Copyright © DP Architects Pte Ltd MICA (P) 012/10/2012 Printed by SC (Sang Choy) International Pte Ltd L028/03/2012 Published by DP Architects Pte Ltd 6 Raffles Boulevard #04-100 Marina Square Singapore 039594 T: +65 6338 3988 F: +65 6337 9989 E: ask_corpcomm@dpa.com.sg W: www.dpa.com.sg Photo Contributors: Chan Min Kang, Dessy Budhianto, Jeremy San, Loh Hai Yew, Loh Yew Cheng, Pocholo Mauricio, Rory Daniel, Sai Phone Htoo, Sean Lee and Wellington Kuswanto. All photos are credited to the mentioned photographers unless otherwise stated. DP 29
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Page 29: DPA wins 12 BCA Awards 2013 DP Arch

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