Timothy Seow

Timothy Seow (b. 1938 – d. 4 September 2019) was a prolific Singapore architect. He designed some of the earliest and most iconic high-rise condominiums of the nation-building years, including Maxima (today’s The Belmont) (1973), Beverly Mai (1974) and Futura (1976). Seow introduced the architectural concept of “bungalows in the air”, which called for the creation of apartment units that provide the comparable amount of privacy and space found in landed properties.¹

Early life and education
Seow was the youngest of three siblings to parents Seow Peck Leng and Chua Seng Kim.² The elder Seow was a lay preacher, while Chua was a well-known educator, social worker and women’s rights activist. She was the Singapore People’s Alliance Member of Parliament for Mountbatten in the Legislative Assembly from 1959 to 1963, and the founding President of Singapore Women's Association (SWA) from 1954 to 1991.³

During the Japanese Occupation, the Seow family moved to the Bahau settlement in Negeri Sembilan, Malaya. The Japanese had set up the agricultural settlement under the self-sufficiency scheme to ease the food supply problem in Singapore. Like all settlers there, the Seow family faced extreme hardship in Bahau.⁴

After the Japanese surrendered, Seow and his family returned to Singapore. He completed his pre-tertiary education at Beatty Secondary School in 1957.⁵ Later in the same year, he entered the Oxford School of Architecture (today’s Oxford Brookes University) in the United Kingdom to study architecture. Seow graduated in 1963 with a diploma in architecture. He credited his mother for his decision to take up architecture. He had wanted to be a lawyer, but his mother convinced him to be an architect instead.⁶

Architecture career
Early years (1963–69)
After completing his studies, Seow began his architectural career in Oxford. He then joined Thomas Berwick & Pratt in Vancouver, Canada in 1964, where he headed the design and supervision team for the extension of the British Colombia University. In 1966, Seow returned to Singapore to join Iversen & van Sitteren before moving on to Archynamics Architects.⁷

E. J. Seow (1969–74)
In 1969, Seow joined pioneer architect Seow Eu Jin’s firm, E. J. Seow. The firm later became Seow, Lee and Heah Partners (or SLH Partners) in 1970. By then, Seow had become a partner. After Seow Eu Jin retired in 1974, Seow reorganised the firm, establishing it as Timothy Seow & Partners.⁸

Timothy Seow & Partners (1974–85)
After its establishment, Timothy Seow & Partners quickly became a pioneer in designing high-rise condominiums in Singapore with projects such as the 12-storey Maxima on Belmont Road (1973), the 28-storey Beverly Mai on Tomlinson Road (1974), the 25-storey Westwood on Orchard Boulevard (1974), and the 27-storey Futura on Leonie Road (1976). These were not only some of the earliest condominiums in Singapore, but also residential projects where Seow introduced the “bungalows in the air” architectural concept, which provides apartments with the same spaciousness, privacy and prestige found in landed properties.⁹

In addition to designing high-rise condominiums, Seow’s firm also took on low-rise condominium projects, such as the Tanglin Hill Condominium on Tanglin Road (1982), which has 52 units in three four-storey blocks; Balmoral Park Maisonettes on Balmoral Park (1982), which only has 16 units in two four-storey blocks; and Belle Vue on Oxley Rise (1983), which has 96 units in five four-storey blocks.¹⁰

Seow’s firm also worked on a wide range of commercial projects, such as office towers, shopping complexes, hotels, recreational facilities, club buildings, institutional projects, embassies and infrastructure. Some notable projects include the 19-storey Tong Building on Orchard Road (1978), the 14-storey Telecoms Central Exchange building on Hill Street (1979), the tower-cum-podium 22-storey Wisma Atria on Orchard Road (1984), the Indonesian Embassy complex on Chatsworth Road (1984), the Big Splash in East Coast Park (1977), and the Mitukoshi Gardens in Jurong (1978).¹¹

Despite the success of these projects, Seow left the firm in 1985. Timothy Seow & Partners was subsequently renamed TSP Architects and was led by Teh Weng Kuang.¹²

From Timothy Seow Group Architects to International Design Studio (1993–2019)
After leaving Timothy Seow & Partners, Seow established a small practice in Vancouver, Canada, before returning to Singapore in 1993 to start Timothy Seow Group Architects. In 2003, he joined CPG Consultants and set up Timothy Seow Studio as a division within the company, where he worked until 2008. He then founded International Design Studio and headed the firm until his death in 2019.¹³

Among the projects Seow worked on during this period was the St Martin Residence condominium (2000) on St Martin’s Drive. The project incorporated Balinese elements and Indonesian motifs into its Asian tropical resort theme and won the Singapore Institute of Architects’ Architectural Award in 2001.¹⁴ Seow also designed the Raffles Town Club, a neo-classical cream structure on the corner of Dunearn and Whitley roads completed in 2000.¹⁵ Seow designed the Nanyang Technological University’s School of Arts, Design and Media Building together with Lee Cheng Wee. Completed in July 2006, the building is known for its lush foliage at the rooftop and reflective pond in the central courtyard.¹⁶

Architectural contributions
Bungalows in the air
Seow is best known for introducing the “bungalows in the air” concept in his condominium designs. This was achieved through various floor and unit layout configurations, such as having only one unit on each floor or split-level maisonettes that segregated living spaces within a unit.¹⁷

Seow created the concept to increase the appeal of apartment living for higher income groups. When it was conceived in the early 1970s, apartment living in Singapore had low prestige because of the proliferation of low-cost apartment blocks by Housing Development Board (HDB) on the island. As a result, the emerging affluent class preferred to own landed property instead.¹⁸

To make high-rise living more appealing, Seow drew inspiration from contemporary English architects, particularly Denys Lasdun who designed the Keeling House maisonettes at Bethnal Green in East London, England. Completed in 1958, Keeling House was a 16-storey residential building featuring a cluster of four blocks of maisonettes arranged around a central service tower.¹⁹

Seow tested this concept on Maxima, which he developed on his parents’ property. Completed in 1973, Maxima had only one unit on each floor, offering unprecedented exclusivity and luxury in city living to its occupants. It is widely credited as being the first condominium in Singapore, incorporating shared facilities, maisonettes, and units that did not share walls with a neighbouring one.²⁰

Following Maxima, Seow applied his “bungalows in the air” concept to other residential projects like Beverly Mai and Futura, with variations in form and layout. For instance, Beverly Mai, completed in 1974, is regarded as the first private residential project to incorporate maisonettes in apartment blocks. Each unit in Beverly Mai also had a large balcony that functioned as a garden in the sky. Futura, on the other hand, had private lift lobbies and huge windows for panoramic views. Its elliptical-shaped concrete balconies, circular cores and bronze-tinted curtain walls gave the building a futuristic appearance.²¹

Shared facilities
Seow also pioneered the practice of shared facilities in condominiums, such as swimming pools, landscaped gardens, children’s playgrounds, and barbeque pits, which are now common in today’s condominiums. Beverly Mai is the first condominium development completed in Singapore.²² In other projects, such as Futura and Draycott Tower, Seow not only included recreational spaces but also designed them on the top of sheltered multistorey carparks to save space. The saved space allowed for green landscaped common areas and recreational facilities for residents, fostering a sense of community.²³

Seow’s condominiums helped usher in a whole genre of residential buildings that were a novelty in the 1970s but are now as commonplace as HDB blocks. In recognition of his contributions to the architectural scene, Seow was conferred an honorary Doctorate by his alma mater, Oxford Brookes University, in 1998.²⁴

Later Years
Since the mid-2000s, many of the condominiums such as Beverly Mai, Belle Vue, Futura, Westwood and Landmark Tower that Seow designed have been sold and replaced by new ones.²⁵ Some of Seow’s non-residential buildings were also demolished including the former Telecom Exchange Building on Hill Street.²⁶

Although Seow likened the loss of his buildings to the loss of a loved one, he noted it was part of the urban renewal process, especially considering that some of the condominiums were nearly 40 years old at the time they were being replaced. However, he wished that his buildings, especially those that set trends for present-day condominiums, were given a chance to be upgraded rather than being demolished.²⁷

Death
On 4 September 2019, Seow passed away at 81. He left behind his wife, five children and nine grandchildren.²⁸

Selected architectural projects in Singapore²⁹
1973: Maxima
1974: Beverly Mai
1974: Westwood
1976: Futura
1977: Big Splash
1978: Mitsukoshi Garden
1978: Draycott Tower
1978: Tong Building
1979: Telecoms Central Exchange
1979: Indonesia Embassy
1982: Tanglin Hill Condominium
1982: Balmoral Park Maisonettes
1983: Beverly Hill
1983: Belle Vue
1983: Robinson Centre
1984: Landmark Tower
1984: Wisma Atria
2000: St Martin Residence
2001: Raffles Town Club
2002: Amara Hotel
2006: School of Arts, Design and Media Building at Nanyang Technological University



Author
Lim Ting Seng



References
1. D. Naidu, “An Interview With Timothy Seow,” The Singapore Architect no. 236 (December–January 2007): 49 (Call no. RSING 720.5 SA); “Timothy Seow,” Obituaries.sg Facebook, 4 September 2019, https://www.facebook.com/obituaries.sg/photos/a.2828767567203494/2835078353239082/?type=3.
2. “Seow Peck Leng,” Straits Times, 28 February 1996, 40. (From NewspaperSG)
3. “Mr Seow Peck Leng (Seated) Takes a Bow,” Straits Times, 9 March 1986, 13 (From NewspaperSG); “Tribute to Mrs Seow Peck Leng,” Singapore’s Women Association, accessed 15 May 2023,   https://singaporewomenassociation.org/about/founding-president/.
4. Seow Peck Leng, oral history interview by Irene Lim Ai Lin, 20 March 1987, transcript and MP3 audio, 30:55, National Archives of Singapore (accession no. 000721), 11–13; Seow Peck Leng, oral history interview by Irene Lim Ai Lin, 20 March 1987, transcript and MP3 audio, 32:08, National Archives of Singapore (accession no. 000721), 14–23.
5. “The Cambridge Exam Results,” Straits Times, 9 March 1957, 8. (From NewspaperSG)
6. “He’s Off to Oxford,” Straits Times, 21 July 1957, 8; Catherine Ong, “Back Where He Belongs,” Business Times, 11 July 1998, 20 (From NewspaperSG); Naidu, “Interview With Timothy Seow,” 43.
7. Timothy Seow & Partners, The Architecture of Timothy Seow + Partners (Singapore: International Press, 1982), 1 (Call no. RSING 720.95957 ARC); Naidu, “Interview With Timothy Seow,” 43.
8. Timothy Seow & Partners, Architecture of Timothy Seow, 1–3.
9. Naidu, “Interview With Timothy Seow,” 45–6; P.G. Raman, TSP Architects + Planners (Singapore: TSP Architects + Planners, 1992), 1–2, 55–56 (Call no. RCLOS 720.95957 RAM); Ong, “Back Where He Belongs.”
10. Raman, TSP Architects, 10–12.
11. Raman, TSP Architects, 55–58.
12. Naidu, “Interview With Timothy Seow,” 46; Ong, “Back Where He Belongs.”
13. Ong, “Back Where He Belongs”; Naidu, “Interview With Timothy Seow,” 46–47; Cecilia Chow, “Changing Skylines,” The Edge Singapore, 18 October 2010. (From Factiva via NLB’s eResources website)
14. Kalpana Rashiwala, “12 St Martin Units To Go on Sale Tomorrow,” Straits Times, 17 September 1999, 17; Rachel Ong, New Way of Picking Top Architecture Designs Pays Off,” Business Times, 21 July 2001, 25. (From NewspaperSG)
15. Tee Hun Ching, “It's the Other Raffles,” Straits Times, 19 March 2000, 12. (From NewspaperSG)
16. Naidu, “Interview With Timothy Seow,” 49.
17. Naidu, “Interview With Timothy Seow,” 45–46; Ong, “Back Where He Belongs.”
18. Naidu, “Interview With Timothy Seow,” 45–46.
19. Naidu, “Interview With Timothy Seow,” 46; Barnabas Calder, “'Unlearning lessons': Denys Lasdun in the 1950s, part 1,” Arq: Architectural Research Quarterly 11, no. 2–4, (December 2007): 301–10. (From ProQuest via NLB’s eResources website)
20. Jeremy Au Yong, “'What Are They Doing to My Buildings?'” Straits Times, 14 September 2007, 26. (From NewspaperSG)
21.Wong Yunn Chii, Singapore 1:1 City: A Gallery of Architecture & Urban Design (Singapore: Urban Redevelopment Authority, 2005), 110–15. (Call no. RSING 720.95957 WON)
22. Seek Ngee Huat, Sing Tien Foo and Yu Shi Ming, Singapore's Real Estate: 50 Years of Transformation (Singapore: World Scientific, 2016), 60. (Call no. RSING 333.3095957 SIN)
23. Douglas Chew, “A Sense of Community,” Straits Times, 18 May 2013, 10. (From NewspaperSG)
24. Chew, “Sense of Community.”
25. Au Yong, “What Are They Doing to My Buildings?”; Cecilia Chow, “Changing Skylines.”
26. Kalpana Rashiwala, “EL Development Buys Singtel’s Hill Street Property,” Business Times, 22 February 2018; Kalpana Rashiwala, “Singtel Gets URA Nod for Hotel Project on Hill Street Site,” Business Times, 6 July 2017 (From Newslink via NLB eResources website)
27. Au Yong, “'What Are They Doing to My Buildings?'”
28. Obituaries.sg., “Timothy Seow.”
29. “It Has Clean Lines, Fine Finishing,” Straits Times, 11 May 2002, 4 (From NewspaperSG); Ong, New Way of Picking”; Tee, “It's the Other Raffles”; Naidu, “Interview With Timothy Seow,” 49; Raman, TSP Architects, 55–60.

The information in this article is valid as of 24 April 2023 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.