Jury

Design Capital 21 is honoured and proud to have on board an international panel of jurors, each an accomplished professional well-known in their respective fields of architecture, design knowledge, interior design, branding and retail.

With a wealth of experience and numerous accolades under their belts, these jurors bring to the competition an adept and qualified eye for outstanding designs that work.

Jurors

		Elim Chew is the founder and president of 77th Street (S) Pte Ltd, a streetwear fashion and accessories retail chain in Singapore with three local outlets, and a shopping mall in Xidan, Beijing, named 77th Street Plaza. She is also one of the co-founders of a social-impact business Fastfast—an app that provides fast delivery services to consumers, while providing an additional source of income for people who need it. Currently, Elim sits on more than 20 boards and committees of public service, youth and community organisations, such as MediaCorp; School of the Arts, Singapore; and Singapore International Foundation, and is humbled by awards in both entrepreneurship and philanthropy. As a mentor and friend to many youths and aspiring or social entrepreneurs, Elim inspires and encourages all to be changemakers in their own fields.
		Thomas Chung is an associate professor at the School of Architecture, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He was educated at the University of Cambridge, and has practised in the United Kingdom. He had co-curated the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture UABB (HK) 2007, and had also exhibited at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2010 and 2014. Currently, Thomas is on the UABB (HK) Steering Committee, and is director of the Hong Kong Architecture Centre. Following his award-winning project Value Farm in UABB (SZ) 2013, he is researching on ecological awareness via alternative architectural design strategies in land and urban development.
		Martin Duplantier Born in Bayonne, 1979, Martin Duplantier grew up between Bordeaux and the United States. He earned his Master’s degrees from HEC Paris in 2003 and from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Malaquais in 2007. Engaged in a global vision of architecture and sustainability, Martin draws from his experiences in China, Mexico and Niger, where he developed, alongside the Akaras Association, a method of earthen construction that does not use any wood. He began his career in world-renowned architecture firms, namely an internship at Gerkan, Marg und Partners Architekten in Berlin, and David Chipperfield Architects. Stemming from his previous collaboration with David Chipperfield, the pair decided to work together on the extension of the HEC campus at Jouy-en-Josas, which was delivered in 2012. He has also worked on a number of projects at the regional scale: the Seafront in Anglet; the Simrishamn Harbour in Sweden; the Euratlantique Project in Bordeaux; and the newly-awarded Alzette regeneration project on the border to Luxemburg.
		Rodrigo Marcondes Ferraz has worked for Zanettini Arquitetura in São Paulo and has extensive knowledge on high-technology structural systems. An architect and urban planner from the faculty of architecture and urbanism at the University of São Paulo (FAU-USP), he earned his Master’s degree at the same institution. He has also taught architectural design at Universidade Paulista. Rodrigo is a founding partner of Forte, Gimenes & Macondes Ferraz (FGMF) since 1999, a company that produces contemporary architecture without any restraints regarding the use of material and building techniques, and seeks to explore the connection between architecture and its environment. During this time, FGMF has received more than 100 national and international awards, among which some are from the Instituto de Arquitetos do Brasil (IAB), Living Steel, Editora Abril and Dedalo Minosse International Prize. In 2010, FGMF was the most awarded practice in Brazil.
		Craig Menzies is a commercially-aware interior designer, with a diverse portfolio of projects featuring airport terminals; world-class leisure developments; exclusive departments and high-street retail; and multiplex-entertainment complexes and shopping malls throughout Asia, Europe and South Africa. With his ability to manage the full cycle of a project—from concept development to design detailing, and through to construction and completion on site—Craig is well appointed to ensure design integrity throughout his schemes. With valuable cross-sector and international experiences, he is currently appointed to manage high-profile developments throughout Asia for retail, entertainment and leisure projects, and strategic corporate interior planning and signage scopes.
		Kuldej Sinthawanarong is CEO and co-founder of JARKEN group of companies, a multidisciplinary design and professional business. Over the last 12 years, Kuldej and his team have grown JARKEN into an international consultancy, which has won multiple awards with a core competency in creativity, and top-notch design expertise of over 500 residential, commercial and retail projects. To ensure that JARKEN remains a leading firm in the design and construction industry, Kuldej has launched a new marketing campaign, which has resulted in a well-established and fastest-growing design brand Pye and a creative-brand agency TigerLily. JARKEN was also the first Thai company to be invited to MAISON&OBJET Asia 2015 and International Furniture Fair Singapore 2015 to share its design trends, business strategies and success story to professional designers, students and top-notch developers and investors. JARKEN has now become one of Thailand’s top comprehensive architectural, interior design and, most recently, branding agency.