Architect Liu Thai Ker, Singapore's first master planner, dies at 87

The architect who shaped the landscape of modern Singapore, Dr Liu Thai Ker, has died at the age of 87.

- David Sun Correspondent

His son, Mr Daniel Liu Keyuan, confirmed the death with The Straits Times on Jan 18, saying his father had developed complications after a fall about a week before.

Dr Liu was surrounded by his family and loved ones when he died on the morning of Jan 18.

He would have turned 88 in February.

Widely known as Singapore's first master planner and the father of urban planning here, he oversaw the development of about half of the more than one million public housing apartments, helping plan 20 of the 24 HDB towns.

Dr Liu joined the Housing Board as head of the design and research unit in 1969 before becoming chief executive and planner of the Urban Redevelopment Authority in 1989.

He left public service in 1992 after 24 years but continued his work, doing city planning for more than 50 cities and designing several notable projects including the Marina Bay Cruise Centre.

He founded Morrow Architects and Planners in 2017 when he was 79.

Born in Muar, Johor, in 1938, Dr Liu first came to Singapore in 1944 when he was six.

He obtained a scholarship and enrolled at the University of New South Wales in Australia, where he graduated with a first-class honours degree in architecture.

He went on to study at Yale University and graduated with a master's degree in city planning before working in the New York office of architect I.M. Pei and then returning to Singapore in 1969.