Company Name

Company Founded in

Name of Founders

Founder Birth Year (Wendy)

Founder Birth Year (Gustavo)

B.Arts, National University of S'pore, Industrial Design (2007)  

Education (Wendy)

M.Arts, Open Design, Humboldt University of Berlin / University of Buenos Aires (current)

B.Arts, University of Buenos Aires, Industrial Design (2005)  

Education (Gustavo)

Adjunct Asst. Prof, National University of S'pore (2020 - 2021)

Previous Job (Wendy)

Adjunct Lecturer, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (2009 - 2020)

Co-founder, Creative Director / Outofstock design studio (2006 - 2015)

Design apprentice, Masayo Ave Creation, SED Lab, Berlin/Germany, (2012 - 2013)

Design Lecturer, Singapore Polytechnic Design School (2010 - 2012)

Design apprentice, Tomoko Azumi, TNA Design Studio, London (2008)

Design intern, Motorola Experience Design Studio, London (2008)

Adjunct Lecturer, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (2011 - 2019)

Previous Job (Gustavo)

Co-led Outofstock based in Buenos Aires (2008-2009)

Side Hustle (Both)

The Machinist (workshops, exhibitions, publication), (2015 - 2017)

1st Office

Team Size

Outofstock, 23 Hythe Road,  (2010 - 2015)

2nd Office

Forest & Whale, Hive Vanguard Campus Singapore 339263, (2017-2018)

3rd Office

Team Size 

Forest & Whale, Hive, 36 Carpenter Street, (2019-2021)

4th Office

5th Office

Participated in Speculative design award, encountering Outofstock partners

2005

Outofstock was founded as a 4-partner design studio

2006

Winning Elle Decoration Award 2009, Spain and Furniture Design Grand Award 2009, Singapore, after 3 years of exhibiting in Milan Design Week

2009

President’s Design Award 2010, Singapore, first local recognition

2010

2014

Achieved several award-winning furniture designs 

2015

Commissioned to design the inaugural showcase of the centennial exhibition of Sori Yanagi’s works

Wendy & Gustavo founded Forest & Whale, Outofstock was dissolved

2016

Started The Machinist to write and document crafts 

2017

Commissioned by Red Dot Museum to curate and design for the exhibitions 

2018

Museum curation, design and education work

2019

Curation and Mentorship of young emerging designers

2020

Design research of Reuse Lab in the circular economy

2020-2021

Showcased in Venice Biennale Architecture,

2021

Commissioned for installation works and workshops

Showcased curated works in Museum of Craft and Design, San Francisco

2022

Ongoing project of inclusive social design practices and community engagement

2021-2023

Selected for the Business of Design Programme (DSG) to expand networks in Europe

2022-2023

Forest & Whale, as the name suggests, is a studio that’s centred around sustainability, which encompasses values that its founders Gustavo Maggio and Wendy Chua hold close to their hearts. In fact, its establishment in 2015 is the husband-and-wife team’s commitment to align the design practice closely with their beliefs. Sustainability cuts into every facet of our daily lives - from climate, nature and the environment to wellbeing of communities. Every dot is connected and “you can’t quite look at one without looking at the other,” the couple points out. In the same spirit, the studio’s work is multidisciplinary, including spatial and furniture design, as well as bringing circular thinking to products and systems. The studio has been awarded the Red Dot Design Award, Japan’s Good Design Award and the President’s Design Award from Singapore.


Through the Lens of Design

Founders' Birthyear

Bachelor, Media, Edith Cowan University, Australia (1995)

Education (Mike)

Bachelor Business, Nanyang Technological University, 1995

Education (Eugene)

Master, Dux International Business, Melbourne University, Australia (2000)

Previous Job (Mike)

Eugene Yip Design (Now merged into Onlewo, 2007-Present)

Previous Job (Eugene)

2007

Participated in Singapore Inside Out (Tokyo)

Collaboration with Lingwu on Evening Clutch Bags

Collaboration with Soon Lee, The Dancing Kueh Collection

Collaboration with Lester Design, Lestari's Rattan Chair

Participated in International Furniture Fair Singapore

Showcased at Annual Orchid Show at New York Botanic Garden Shop

Showcased at 30th Anniversary ASEAN-Republic of Korea

Showcased at ASEAN Culture House: ASEAN-Korea Craft Market

Participated in STB-CU Singapore-Inspired Food

Showcased at Singapore Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai

Collaboration with Grafunkt, Limited Edition Stool and Ottoman

Otters and kuehs, HDB façade patterns and Peranakan tiles. These are just some of the unique and endearing characters of an ongoing local story, weaved together by Onlewo, or  安乐窝 (an le wo in Mandarin), which translates into ‘a peaceful nest’. Onlewo is a wallpaper and textile design company created in 2016. Sharing our local Singapore stories to the great big world beyond, through brands such as Patek Philippe, Bulgari & New York Botanical Garden, among some. It has also represented this sunny island at London 100% Design, Indigo Brussels, Singapore Design Now in New York and Singapore Inside Out (in Tokyo).

Stories Worth Telling

Name of Founder

Founder's Birthdate

B.A. (Hons), 2007, Business Studies, Nottingham University Business School

Education

Don't Mind If, Communications Design Industry Report Co-Founder, 2019-Present

Other Pursuits

The Design Society, Vice President. 2018 - 2021

Other Pursuits 

The Milton Tan Memorial Fund, Member. 2012 - Present

Location (Current)

Period of Occupancy (Current)

Space (Current)

No. of Staff (Current)

Location (3rd Office)

Period of Occupancy (3rd Office)

Space (3rd Office)

No. of Staff (3rd Office)

Location (2nd Office)

Period of Occupancy (2nd Office)

Space (2nd Office)

No. of Staff (2nd Office)

Location (1st Office)

Period of Occupancy (1st Office)

Space (1st Office)

No. of Staff (1st Office)

2012

Passion Made Possible Brand Launch, Singapore Tourism.

Millenia Walk Tidings of Tomorrow Christmas Tree

Archifest Festival Branding & Digital Experience

Shortlisted for the President*s Design Award (Singapore)

RJ ‘Good Intentions’ Calendar, 30th Anniversary Edition

Don’t Mind If Inaugural Communications Design Industry Report

OuterEdit, do they just design t-shirts? Or are they Christmas tree designers? What started in 2011 as a graphic t-shirt design online company, has since morphed into a creative agency, with international brands Beam Suntory, Formula1 Grand Prix, in its portfolio. Not forgetting its roots here at home in Singapore, OuterEdit has also impressed us with its alternative sense on branding for local communities in projects such as Street of Clans, organised by Design Singapore, the Arts House takeover project: Passion made Possible, XPLR, the world of esports, and familiar names like OCBC and NTUC. We speak to our guests Ryan Tan and his wife Shermeen, and gain some insight into the enigmatic world of strategic branding.

Through the Cat Flap

Name of Founder(s)

Founder Birth Year

Architectural Association (UK), Diploma, 1999

Education (Both)

Previous Job (Vic)

Previous Job (Jacq)

RSP Architects, Planners and Engineers (2002-05)

Previous Job (Both)

Studio Tutor, Glasgow School of Design (2019);

Other Pursuits (Jacq)

Part Time Lecturer, National University of Singapore (2021 to now)

Potter and Ceramist, Jacquepot (1995 to now)

Adjunct Assistant Professor, National University of Singapore (2020 to now); 

Other Pursuits (Vic)

Part Time Tutor, National University of Singapore (2006-10 and 2019-20)

Location (current)

Period of Occupancy (current)

Space (current)

Team Size (Current)

Team Size (2nd Office)

Team Size (1st Office)

1993

Graduated from Architecture Association of London

1999

2002

Awarded Lasalle-SIA College of the Arts 1st Prize (as part of RSP design team)

Editor for 6th International Architecture Biennale of Sao Paolo, Brazil (Jacq)

2008

Invited to participate in Venice Biennale 

HKDA Asia Design Awards : ‘J-Loft’ awarded Judges Choice and Silver Prize for Spatial Residential Category

Awarded “40 under 40” by Perspective Hong Kong for Architecture / Interiors Category

Awarded Waterway Point Mall Interiors 1st Prize 

Published in ‘Creative Cultures : The Singapore Showcase featuring 100 local creatives’ 

2013

Shortlisted as Top 3 finalists for Asian Civilisations Museum extension (with Surbana & WY-TO Architects)

Started working on High-rise Housing Projects in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Awarded Rainbow Centre 1st Prize (in collaboration with The Architects’ Circle)

Organised Forum & Inclusive Art Workshop for Archifest 2017

Started working on 450 units of Affordable Housing Project in Nairobi, Kenya

2018 

Invited Speaker at Archifest 2018 (Victor)

Spoke at SSFS6 Workshop on Architecture and Urbanism, Hong Kong 

Featured in “Small Firms, Big Ideas” Inaugural Exhibition at AUDE, URA Centre

Rainbow Centre shortlisted for President’s Design Award

Shortlisted as Top 3 finalists for C40 Reinventing Cities Competition for the Bukit Timah Firestation

Jacqueline Yeo and Victor Lee have a soft spot for civic projects that are less commercial in nature but reach a large audience. This may very much have to do with how the husband-and-wife founders of Plystudio Architects consider space – both ubiquitous and egalitarian. A tested methodology of basing an idea of modulated forms that can be aggregated and scaled up has allowed this small firm to work beyond perceived limitations of its size, with a body of works that range from a single house to schools and a large-scale housing project. Jacqueline says they would love to work on an overlooked and run-of-the-mill structure, which conventionally wouldn’t require an architect to design. Perhaps a bus-stop.

A Multi-Ply Approach in Design

Company Year Founded

Founders Birth Year 

Dip. Spec in Restauro dei Monumenti, Uni of Genova, Italy

Education (Ho Weng Hin)

Education (Tan Kar Lin)

Architectural Assistant, William Lim Associates (1998-99)

1st Job (Ho Weng Hin)

Research Writer, Our Modern Past, Singapore Heritage Society (2004-14)

Previous Job (Ho Weng Hin)

Architectural Assistant, Point Architects (1998-99) 

1st Job (Tan Kar Lin)

Previous Job (Tan Kar Lin)

Founding Chair, Docomomo Singapore Chapter

Other Pursuits (Ho Weng Hin)

Founding Director, ICOMOS Singapore National Committee 

Other Pursuits (cont)

Member, Heritage and Identity Partnership (HIP), Urban Redevelopment Authority

Founding Exco Member, Docomomo Singapore Chapter

Other Pursuits (Tan Kar Lin)

Associate Member, Singapore Institute of Architects 

Team Size (current)

Team Size (3rd Office)

Period of Occupancy (2nd Office) 

Ho Weng Hin worked as a Architectural Assistant at William Lim Associates 

1998

Ho Weng Hin & Tan Kar Lin graduated with B.A. (Arch Studies), NUS

Ho Weng Hin & Tan Kar Lin graduated with M.Arch, NUS

2001

Ho Weng Hin worked at NUS Centre for Advanced Studies in Architecture, as a  Research Assistant.

Studio Lapis has been a consummate storyteller of heritage and the historical past since it was established in 2009. As an architectural conservation specialist consultancy, husband-and-wife founders Ho Weng Hin and Tan Kar Lin peel away layer by layer of heritage structures to unravel the rich and colourful histories buried within. There are always many ways to tell a story. And to recreate the lost tales, Studio Lapis does not only apply multi-disciplinary knowledge, but also creativity and imagination, that persuades towards calls for preserving heritage. The path in conservation isn’t always easy but “there’s something reformative and quite existential”, says the couple, when dilapidated buildings are restored and given a new lease of life for the future generations. 