Award-winning architect has fond memories of airport

In this series, The Straits Times speaks to designers and residents about urban spaces that inspire them

- Chantal Sajan

Who: Mr Jonathan Christian Chin, 34, is a Singapore-registered architect who has amassed an award-winning portfolio that includes public, residential, mixed-use and civic space design through his local and international stints.

He graduated from the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Department of Architecture in 2017 with a master's degree in architecture. During his time there, he garnered honors such as the Lee Kip Lin Medal for Best Graduation Dissertation in History and Theory of Architecture, and the Aedas Medal and Prize in Architectural Design.

After graduating, he worked at acclaimed architectural practices such as DP Architects (DPA) in Singapore and Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) in Copenhagen.

In 2021, outside of work, he co-created a place-making installation, called Park Yourself, with his wife Pearlyn Chang, who is 31 and a landscape architect.

Their design of an Instagrammable, pandemic-resilient playground—which was shown at indoor and outdoor spaces around Singapore—won the URA-Redas Spark Challenge award in 2021. It also received the Singapore Good Design Award in 2023, attesting to Mr Chin's commitment to inclusive, community-focused design.

In 2022, he joined BIG, headquartered in Denmark's capital, to expand his perspective on sustainability and radical innovation.

In Copenhagen, he collaborated with some of the brightest minds in the industry and worked on architectural projects across Europe and Asia, gaining insights into differing design methodologies and cultures.

Based in Singapore, Mr Chin works independently while giving back to the architectural community by mentoring students as a guest reviewer at NUS. He also serves as a council member at the Singapore Institute of Architects, where he champions young architects and fosters a culture of appreciation for good design in Singapore.