Voon Wong was born in Singapore in 1963. He attended the National University of Singapore as a student in the Department of Architecture, and the Architectural Association in London. He has worked with some of the United Kingdom’s leading architectural practices, and tutored at the University of North London. He has also gained significant commercial experience working in Singapore. Now, he is the creative director of multidisciplinary design outfit Viewport Studio. He were tasked to outfit the interiors of the world’s first commercial spaceport.

Voon Wong, who had worked with Zaha Hadid Architects in the 90s, has chalked up an impressive list of accolades over the course of his career, including the Oxo Peugeot Design Award for lighting, for a series of lamps fitted with electro-luminescent wire he co-designed with Malaysian designer Benson Saw; the Loop lamp that they designed for Fontana Arte in 2002 that was nominated for the prestigious Compasso D’Oro awards; and the Designer of the Year Award at the President’s Design Awards Singapore 2012.

He said: "Importantly, Singaporean designers are now a feature of the global design conversation. Singapore is also using design to define itself and its specific character as a global city alongside its unique Southeast Asian identity.”

At Spaceport, The furniture is designed specifically for comfort but at the same time, the striking way the large plywood banquettes appear to hover in the space creates a lightness of touch as well as portraying elements of flight. The low cradle sofas in the window areas reflect the contours of the sand dunes. The barista island is the heart of the space and is designed to reflect the desert strata of the eroded sandstone monuments with a large translucent onyx top that echoes the idea of a water oasis in the desert.

The material choices are all natural in colour – terracotta and greens, and the rich rusted corten style finish to the table tops – and are intended to reflect the warm desert environment surrounding the Spaceport. The slatted elements of the rear walls work as a soundproofing element in the large open space area – which accommodates the restaurant area and the operation rooms on the open floors above – and are in natural wood, which attenuate as they rise up though the building to a thinner white painted finish.

Source: cnaluxury.channelnewsasia.com