Jalan Merah Saga a home away from home for Belinda Huang

Who: Ms Belinda Huang, 58, is the award-winning architect behind some of Singapore's biggest architectural projects, such as public landmark Pinnacle@ housing Duxton, alongside her husband, Mr Khoo Peng Beng. The couple co-founded Arc Studio Architecture + Urbanism in 1998.

- Chantal Sajan

They have mentored generations of students. Ms Huang is also a student well-being adviser at the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Department of Architecture, while Mr Khoo serves as head of pillar, architecture and sustainable design at the Singapore University of Technology and Design.

Their practice reflects both professional excellence and a commitment to human well-being.

The firm's projects include a secondary school in Cambodia that was completed in 2012, and a Catholic retreat centre in TimorLeste, designed with a deep respect for local culture and spiritual needs, which will open at the end of 2025.

Arc Studio's design for a large retreat and conference centre for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore is now under development.

The firm has also been commissioned to design a major rehousing project in Mumbai, India. More than 3,000 slum-dwellers will be relocated to more dignified, high-rise living spaces.

"I usually find it very hard to talk about myself, but for this series, I'm glad to be able to share my thoughts about a row of cafes tucked along Jalan Merah Saga, near Holland Village, that is close to my heart.

Here, in this small but lively corner, I find both community and solitude - a balance I treasure deeply.

I have always loved being around people. There is something life-giving about being in a place where you can see others, sense their energy and yet still enjoy the quiet privacy of your own thoughts.

Jalan Merah Saga offers exactly that. The scale of the street is warm and human - lined with cafes that spill into the neighbourhood and surrounded by homes that make it feel like a true community hub.