The Crazy Rich Asians Guide to Design and Architecture in Singapore
A Crazy Rich Asians inspired introduction to the design and architecture of Singapore.
Singapore’s art and culture has never been in so big a spotlight.
Crazy Rich Asians, a movie based on a book by Singaporean author Kevin Kwan, has topped the US box office two weekends in a row and is set to make history this summer. The movie takes place in Singapore and depicts a glamorous city with mansions, exotic foods and well-heeled Asians in fashionable clothes. (Coming from a Singaporean, let me tell you: Singapore is not all like that, although you can choose to only see the rich aspects of the city if you want to.)
What the movie does well, though, is shed light on our unique design culture. A short history lesson: we were a Malay village first, then a British colony, and we were occupied by the Japanese during World War II, returned to British hands at the end of the war, merged with Malaya to form Malaysia, separated from Malaysia, and finally became our own independent state in 1965. Such a whirlwind history makes for an interesting hodgepodge of food, languages and design, some of which is depicted in the movie. Singapore’s also very modern, going from third world to first in just three decades, and our architecture spans a wide range from traditional Peranakan shophouse to modern skyscraper.
Here’a a design guide to the Crazy Rich Asians movie and an introduction to the design scene in Singapore.
Peranakan Shophouses
Photo: Sanja Bucko / Courte...
Singapore’s art and culture has never been in so big a spotlight.
Crazy Rich Asians, a movie based on a book by Singaporean author Kevin Kwan, has topped the US box office two weekends in a row and is set to make history this summer. The movie takes place in Singapore and depicts a glamorous city with mansions, exotic foods and well-heeled Asians in fashionable clothes. (Coming from a Singaporean, let me tell you: Singapore is not all like that, although you can choose to only see the rich aspects of the city if you want to.)
What the movie does well, though, is shed light on our unique design culture. A short history lesson: we were a Malay village first, then a British colony, and we were occupied by the Japanese during World War II, returned to British hands at the end of the war, merged with Malaya to form Malaysia, separated from Malaysia, and finally became our own independent state in 1965. Such a whirlwind history makes for an interesting hodgepodge of food, languages and design, some of which is depicted in the movie. Singapore’s also very modern, going from third world to first in just three decades, and our architecture spans a wide range from traditional Peranakan shophouse to modern skyscraper.
Here’a a design guide to the Crazy Rich Asians movie and an introduction to the design scene in Singapore.
Peranakan Shophouses
Photo: Sanja Bucko / Courte...
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