CURRICULUM VITAE

Name: TAN Beng Kiang
Present Appointment: Associate Professor
Past Appointment: Joint appointment at Interactive and Digital Media Institute, NUS (2007 – 2011)

Contact Information

Department of Architecture
School of Design and Environment
National University of Singapore
4 Architecture Drive, Singapore 117566
Tel: (65) 65161357 Fax: (65) 7793078
Email: akitanbk@nus.edu.sg

Research Areas

  • Community Design (Community Participation, Community Development)
  • Housing
  • Sustainable design
  • Learning Environments

Teaching Areas

  • Architectural Design Studio (community and housing focus) for undergraduates and MArch; Architectural Practice; Participatory Community Planning and Design
  • MA(Arch), MArch and PhD thesis, dissertation supervision

Academic/Professional Qualifications

  • Doctor of Design, Harvard University, USA
  • M.Arch II (post-professional), University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), USA
  • B.Arch (Hons.), National University of Singapore
  • Registered Architect, Board of Architects Singapore

Awards/Honours

  • Pacific Rim Award for Excellence in Public Interest Design 2018
  • HDB Quality Partners Award (2014)
  • SDE Teaching Excellence Award (2011 – 2014)
  • SIA-Hunter Douglas Eco Friend Merit Award for Wallace Environmental Learning Lab (2010)
  • Best paper award, CAADRIA Conference (2010)
  • Research Fellowship, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University (2001)
  • Most Energy-Efficient Building in ASEAN Award for Revenue House (2000)
  • CIDB Merit Award for Best Buildable Design for Revenue House (1997)

Career History

  • Associate Professor (2018 till present)
  • Senior Lecturer, National University of Singapore (1999-2017)
  • Visiting Fellow, Changing Places/House_n group of MIT Media Lab, USA (2003)
  • Research member, Harvard Center for Design Informatics, USA (2002)
  • Research Fellow, Harvard University (2001)
  • Manager, Cyber Reach Pte Ltd (1996-1997)
  • Senior Architect, Public Works Department (1983-1996)

Administrative Leadership

  • Leader, BA(Arch), Year 4 (2013 – present)
  • Leader, Community and Housing Design Section (2013 – present)
  • Deputy Head (Admin and Finance) (2013 – 2015)
  • Deputy Head (Academic) (2010 – 2013)
  • Coordinator, Community Design Studio (2009 – 2013)
  • Chairperson, IT Committee (2007 – 2009)
  • Coordinator, Architectural Practice modules (2003 – present)
  • Leader, BA(Arch) Year 2 (2004 – 2008)

Professional/Consulting Activities

Practice

  • Council Member, Singapore Institute of Architects (2006-2011)
  • People’s Association Development Committee (2012 – present)
  • National Environment Agency Design Advisory Panel (2013 – 2015)
  • Consultant, SDE4 Net Zero Energy Building (2014 – 2016)
  • Consultant, Singapore Arts School (2004)
  • Educational Space and Technology Committee, University Town (2008 -2013)

Research

  • Co-principal investigator, Arts and Culture Nodes in the Heartlands of Singapore: Exploring Strategies, Spatial Opportunities and Impacts (Phase 2), National Arts Council (2016 – 2018)
  • Co-principal investigator, Study on the Impact of the Built Environment on Community Bonding, collaborator: HDB (2012 – 2014)
  • Team member, High Density Threshold Studies, Centre for Sustainable Asian Cities (2009 – 2012). MND funded.
  • Key team member, Post Occupancy Evaluation of Green Mark Rated Buildings in Singapore (2009 – 2012). MND funded.
  • Co-principal investigator, POEM (Place-Oriented Embodied Media), NRF funded (2008 – 2010)
  • Co-principal investigator, Pilot project Green Design of Schools (2007)
  • Principal investigator, Immersive visualization of tropical architecture – unbuilt & altered masterpieces of Geoffrey Bawa (June 2005 – Mar 2008)

Invited Presentations

  • Social Connex Series – Moving beyond good intentions: How can we do good and make impact for our youths and the communities we engage with? Singapore (2019)
  • Great Asian Street Symposium/Pacific Rim Community Design Network/Structure for Inclusion, Singapore (2018)
  • 2nd Architectural Educator Forum, Singapore (2016)
  • International Urban Housing Research Network Symposium, USA (2016)
  • Conference on Service-Learning in Chinese Societies, Hong Kong (2015)
  • Curriculum and Space Design in Supporting Learning Symposium, Singapore (2014)
  • International Conference on Community Service Through Higher Education, Indonesia (2013)
  • Asian Housing Workshop, Taiwan (2013)

Conferences/Workshops organised

Publications

Books

  • Tan, B. K., Kong, K. H. T., Tse, S. L., & Lim, C. K. (2014). Reimagine SDE3: Design Studio Futures
  • Tan, B K (2013). “Rail Ideas: Visions for the Rail Corridor”. Singapore: Centre of Advanced Studies in Architecture, 2013. 196pp (Book)
  • Tan, B K (2010). Building Lives: Designing Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm, Singapore: Centre of Advanced Studies in Architecture. 111pp (Book)
  • Tan, B K et al (2011). MacPherson 21st Century Estate, Singapore: CASA, 2011. 310 pp (Book)
  • Tan, B K (2010). Building Lives: A Community Project with Gawad Kalinga in Manila, Singapore: CASA, 2010. 190 pp (Book)
  • Wittkopf, S K and B K Tan (eds) (2007). Sun, Wind and Architecture: Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Passive Low Energy and Architecture 2007, Singapore: Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore, 2007. 867 pp.
  • Tan, B K & Casteels, R, (2006). Sound Journey from Architecture to Music, NUS Department of Architecture, 2006. 32 pp (Book)

Papers in Journal and Conference Proceedings

Design Education

  • Tan, B K (2016). “Building Lives: A case of academia’s involvement in the Community Development of Smile Village, Cambodia”, 10th Conference of The Pacific Rim Community Design Network: Agency and Resilience 2016, Hong Kong : 635 – 650.
  • Tan, B K (2013). “Community Projects at NUS”. In RUMAH50 Review of Urbanism, Modern Architecture & Housing, 182–188. Singapore: Singapore Institute of Architects.
  • Tan, B K (2007). “Experiential Journey through Sound”. Innovation, 7, no. 2 (Design Innovation) : 58 59. (Singapore). (Journal)
  • Tan, B K (ed) (2007). Singapore Architect. no. 241 Thinking the New LearningScapes, Singapore. (Journal)
  • Tan, B K (2006). “Breaking Out of the Box”. Singapore Architect, no. 236 (2006): 92-99. (Singapore). (Journal)
  • Tan, B K (2006). “From 1:100 to 1:1 A Collaborative Design Studio Experience with Digital Modeling and Full Scale Construction”. In Re Imaging Architectural Design Studios. Taipei: Archidata Co. Ltd. (Book Chapter)

Community and Housing

  • Tan, B.K., (2018). “Revitalising Ubin Kampung Life: One Structure at a Time” in Emerging Urbanism/Designing for Social Impact, Great Asian Street Symposium/Pacific Rim Community Design Network/Structure for Inclusion 2018 proceedings.
  • Trivic, Z., Tan, B. K., Padawangi, R., Mascarenhas, N. & Duong, Q. (2017). “Activating Urban Spaces and Communities through Arts and Culture: Boosting Local Identity and Social Bonding in Singapore’s Housing Neighbourhoods”. Presented at the UIA 2017 Seoul World Architects Congress: Soul of City, 3-10 September 2017, Seoul, Korea.
  • Tan, B K & Lee, A (2016). “Development of Neighbourhood Centres In Singapore A Comparative Study Of Public Spaces And Its Impact On Public Life”, In Crossroads: Asian Streets In The Dynamics of Change (pp. 93-108)
  • Tan, B K (2014). “Evolution of Public Housing Policy and Housing Design in Singapore”. Taiwan Architect, 2014/01, no. 469 (Housing in Asia) (2014). (Taiwan). (In Chinese).
  • Cho, I S, B K Tan, T DevasariI and M B R Noor (2014). “Measuring Community Bonding in Public Housing Estates in Singapore”. Proceedings of the 12th International Congress of Asian Planning Schools Association (2013). Taipei

Sustainable Design

  • R B Stamenovic, Kishnani, N, B K Tan, D Prasad and F Faizal (2016).“Assessment of awareness of Green Mark (GM) rating tool by occupants of GM Buildings and general public”. In Energy and Buildings Journal. (2016): 115, 55-62 (Journal)
  • Kishnani, N, B K Tan, R B Stamenovic, D Prasad and F Faizal (2014). “Post-Occupancy Evaluation of Green Mark-Rated Buildings in Singapore”. World Sustainable Building Conference 2014 (Barcelona, Spain)
  • Zhang, J., Heng, C. K., Malone-Lee, L. C., Hii, D. J. C., Janssen, P., Leung, K. S., & Tan, B. K. (2012). Evaluating environmental implications of density: A comparative case study on the relationship between density, urban block typology and sky exposure. Automation in Construction, 22, 90-101. doi:10.1016/j.autcon.2011.06.011
  • Nurul, A B S and B K Tan (2011). “GREEN SCHOOLS: Environmental Performance and Perception – A post occupancy evaluation of two Singapore schools”. Architecture & Sustainable Development, 27th International Conference on Passive & Low Energy Architecture Proceedings, ed. Bodart, Magali & Evrad, Arnaud (2011): 499–504. Louvain-la-Neuve: UCL Presses.
  • Tan, B K (2010). “A Tale of Two Office Buildings”. FuturArc, 16: 84-87. (Singapore). (Journal)
  • Tan, B. K., Cr, U. M., & Hong, S. (2007). Naturally ventilated tall office building in the tropics – Learning from Bawa. In Sun, Wind and Architecture – The Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, PLEA 2007 (pp. 245-251).
  • Wittkopf, S. K., & Tan, B. K. (eds) (2007). Sun, Wind and Architecture The Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture: PLEA2007, 22-24 November 2007, National University of Singapore, Singapore. Research Publishing Services.
  • Tan, B. K. (2007). Singapore’s Lost Pyramid:Re living Geoffrey Bawa’s Cloud Forest Centre. Singapore Architect, (238), 136-141. (journal)
  • Tan, B K (2006). “Bioclimatic Skyscraper Learning from Bawa”. Clever Design, Affordable Comfort – 23rd International Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture Proceedings, ed. Raphael Compagnon, Peter Haefeli And Willi Weber: I753–I757. Geneva: Universite de Geneve. (Paper)

Architecture and New Media

  • Rahaman, H and B K Tan (2015). “Interpreting Digital Heritage: A Conceptual Model of End-Users’ Perspective”. International Journal of Architectural Computing, 9, no. 1 (New Frontiers) (2011): 99–113. (United Kingdom) doi:10.1260/1478-0771.9.1.99
  • Tan, B K and J Yeom (2011). “Mirrored Message Wall: Bridging the Real and Virtual community”. Circuit Bending, Breaking and Mending: Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia, ed. C.M. Herr, N. Gu, S. Roudavski, M.A. Schnabel (2011): 311–320. Newcastle: CAADRIA
  • Nguyen, T L T and B K Tan (2011). “Shared Space at a Distance – A Model of Integrated Shared Space for Supporting Informal Interaction at a Distance”. Designing Together, Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design (CAAD Futures) 2011, ed. Leclercq, Pierre; Heylighen, Ann; Martin, Genevieve (2011): 41–54. Belgium: Les Editions de l’Universite de Liege.
  • Yeom, J. H., & Tan, B. K. (2010). Mirrored message wall: Sharing between real and virtual space. In Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems – Proceedings (pp. 4783-4788). doi:10.1145/1753846.1754231
  • Tan, B K and J H Yeom (2010). “Interactive message wall: a public display for collective sharing in public place”. New Frontiers Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia CAADRIA 2010, ed. B. Dave, A. I. Li, N. Gu, H. J. Park (2010): 487496. Hong Kong: CAADRIA (Paper).
  • Tan, B K and T Y S T E Lim (2010). “Place and Placelessness in 3D Online Virtual World”. New Frontiers Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia CAADRIA 2010, ed. B. Dave, A.I. Li, N. Gu & H.J. Park (2010): 103112. Hong Kong: CAADRIA (Paper).
  • Tan, B K and Z L Tan (2008). “Hybrid urban public space to enrich public life: Inspirations for seamless integration”. 5th Great Asian Streets Symposium: A Public Forum of Asian Urban Design Future Asian Space Proceedings, ed. Boontharm, Davisi et al (2008). Singapore: Centre for Advanced Studies in Architecture (CASA) (paper)
  • Tan, B K and J C Hii (2007). “Integrating advanced shader technology for realistic architectural virtual reality visualisation”. In Computer Aided Architectural Design Futures 2007, ed. Dong A, Moere A.V.and Gero J., 431–443. Netherlands: Springer, 2007. (Book Chapter)
  • Maynes-Aminzade, D., Tan, B. -K., Goulding, K., & Vaucelle, C. (2002). Hover: conveying remote presence.. In T. Appolloni (Ed.), SIGGRAPH Abstracts and Applications (pp. 194). ACM. doi:10.1145/1242073.1242207