Yew Kee Cheong (AIA International President) with Manon Koestoer (AIA SEA President), and speaker Angela Lee (FAIA, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Europe and Middle East & Partner, HKS)
A Year of Connection, Discovery, Collaboration & Design Leadership Across the Region
2025 has been an energising and meaningful year for the AIA Southeast Asia Section. Through conferences, building tours, office visits, cross-industry partnerships, and regional exchanges, our community strengthened its presence and impact across Southeast Asia. This year’s activities reflect our shared commitment to knowledge, wellbeing, and design excellence.
AIA International Spring Conference — 23 March
Our calendar began strongly with the AIA International Spring Conference, where Singapore speaker Angele Lee, FAIA, presented an insightful session on “Brain Health for Architects.”
Hosted by One Creation at the Shaw Contract showroom, the event highlighted mental resilience, creative performance, and cognitive wellbeing — a timely and relevant topic for designers navigating an increasingly complex world.
Office Visit to Andy Fisher Workshop — 25 April
Members were welcomed into the studio of Andy Fisher Workshop for an intimate and inspiring office visit. The session provided a rare behind-the-scenes look at the firm’s design philosophy, concept exploration, and crafted approach to architecture. Members engaged with the team, viewed ongoing work, and discovered how context and detail shape their practice.
Yusof Ishak House Building Tour at NUS — 3 May
Led by Erik L’Heureux, FAIA, this exclusive building explored the newly completed Yusof Ishak House at the National University of Singapore. Members learned about the building’s transformation from student-centred spatial planning and cultural narratives to sustainable strategies and material expression. The tour offered rich insights into adaptive campus architecture and evolving academic environments.
AIA Southeast Asia Annual Summer Symposium 2025
Nature + Technology and the Future, 12 September
The highlight of the year was our five-hour virtual AIA SEA Summer Symposium featuring five distinguished speakers from across Asia and the US. The symposium examined how nature-led strategies, digital technologies, AI, and environment-sensitive approaches are reshaping the future of architecture.
Key themes included:
Communication strategies for architects
Urban mobility & community-centered design
Biomimicry in regenerative design
Forms assembled in light
Principles of sensory-driven architecture
With enthusiastic participation and lively Q&A sessions, the Symposium reinforced AIA SEA’s role as a regional platform for forward-thinking design dialogue.
Design for the Senses: Acoustics & Wellbeing- Joint Event with Rockfon — 28 August
This sensory-focused seminar explored how acoustics influence comfort, learning, healing, and workplace performance. Through case studies and expert insights from Rockfon, members discovered strategies to enhance wellbeing through thoughtful material and acoustic design.
Looking ahead, we are excited to announce that a year-end gathering is being planned for our Singapore members, offering an opportunity to celebrate the year’s achievements, reconnect with colleagues, and look forward to the initiatives of 2026. More details will be shared soon — we hope to see many of you there!
Strengthening Member Engagement Across Southeast Asia
Throughout 2025, the Section expanded collaboration across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
We saw stronger participation from emerging professionals, forged new partnerships with institutions and industry bodies, and continued to build a vibrant, inclusive regional network.
This year also marked the introduction of Malaysia and Indonesia Representatives, adding fresh leadership and momentum to the Section.
Esti Savitri (Indonesia)
Phoo Aung (Malaysia)
Launch of Our New Website
A major milestone this year was the launch of our new website created to:
connect members more seamlessly across Southeast Asia,
centralise event updates and resources,
strengthen visibility for each country representative
serve as a long-term digital hub for our growing community.
The website marks an important step in building a unified and accessible AIA presence across the region.
AIA SEA Year-End Gathering – Singapore - 11 December
As we conclude the year, we look forward to our Year-End Member Gathering in Singapore — an opportunity to celebrate achievements, recognise contributors, and connect with our growing community.
Manon Sora Koestoer, AIA, IFBA
Country Representative I Singapore
