d+a | Issue 121 • 2021

61 surrounding Star Art Gallery is made up of reflection pools. At night, when the lights are turned on, they are mirrored in the water, almost as if mimicking the constellations in the sky. Seen from afar, the building takes on a jewel- like artefact, glowing in the dark. “The effect has turned out quite well and everybody loves it,” reveals Tan. “It is really straightforward and very simple; only the form is very interesting.” OF A DIFFERENT FORM Surprisingly, he confesses that Star Art Gallery is not characteristic of the architecture he practises. He does not believe in designing projects that are form-led, “I always think that is the least important aspect of a building, that it is always about the use of space. “In this case, we had a chance to deal with it as a form, a sculpture, so it was something different.” Tan shares how this was because he was trained in the idea of “the play of use versus the use of play” – the former focuses on functionality, while the latter tends towards the sculptural. “With this project, because the use was not defined, the form became more important.” Naturally, the arrival experience plays up on this. Mindful that the site has different contours, he designed it in a way that as visitors walked up the hill, they would have the impression that the building is of a single storey. As they get nearer, they will see that it flares upwards on both sides like a faceted gemstone. On the inside, this means different volumes of space can be found, depending on the shape of the roof profile. At the moment, the interiors have a lounge- like feel, as befitting a sales gallery but Tan says in due course, it can easily be converted into a home for art. After all that is said and done, this project does in fact live up to his description of being “simple” and “straightforward” – but that is precisely the beauty of it. 05-07. The interiors have a lounge-like feel at the moment, as befitting a sales gallery, but can easily be converted into a home for art eventually. 07 06