In your practice, you’ve described a desire to craft spaces that tell the stories of their inhabitants through a tactile and material-based approach. Could you share an example of a project where materiality played a central role in shaping that story?

I see each architectural project as an opportunity to create a spatial narrative that is reflective of its users and their lifestyles. Materials contribute a crucial sensory dimension, extending beyond spatial sequences to actively shape and transform how one experiences space. In the House of Many Faces, we designed a singular floating pebble wash ‘step’ to create a gentle bridge between the rougher floor finish of the outdoor living room and the polished terrazzo of the interior. Elsewhere in the home, the perforated metal mesh flooring of the reading deck allows the filtering of light to the other shared spaces. Other rooms feature distinct material choices: screed flooring in the study loft, coloured micro cement in the guest room, and a combination of oak wood and terrazzo in communal areas. These material transitions allow occupants to experience the home’s different spaces not only visually, but tactilely—feeling each zone’s distinct character underfoot as they move through their daily routines.

How has your background in installation art shaped the way you approach architecture today – whether in the way you think about space, material, or the experience of the user?

Installation art often has a much reduced construction timeline and budget. Due to its temporary nature, much thought must be given to how each piece is constructed, fixed and taken down swiftly with as minimal disturbance to its surroundings as possible. I find this creative challenge highly invigorating. Installation art has allowed me more hands-on site experience in working with fabricators outside of the conventions of a more permanent building context. With the studio’s architectural projects, we tend to adopt a similar hands-on approach in refining our details through hands-on experimentation. In the House of Many Faces, I had the opportunity to spray-paint the metal feature wall together with the builders to experiment in how to create the desired textured quality. The addition of the pebble wash step threshold was also conceived through working out iterations on site. In the design of an Office for a Creative Agency, where we collaborated with Tiffany Ow (tailored.architects), we used the opportunity to work with the builders to achieve the desired effect for the construction of the rectangular glass block wall, as well as the raw screed texture of the central pantry.

During your formative years, you explored a wide range of typologies – from public hawker centres and private homes to members’ clubs. Looking ahead, what are other project types or mediums you’re curious to explore?

Architecture serves as a powerful vehicle for expressing stories in three-dimensional form. I find myself energised by the possibilities, challenges, and opportunities present across all typologies—whether large or small, public or private, permanent or temporary. Rather than gravitating toward any single project type, I remain open to the diverse narratives each presents. However, I have always hoped to design a stage set one day. I’m continually inspired by how set designers masterfully construct scenes that profoundly shape our emotions within the intimate constraints of a stage.

Their ability to distil narrative into essential spatial elements speaks to architecture’s fundamental power to move and transform us.

Which three designers, past or present, have most influenced your work?

My approach to design is largely shaped by my late professor Jonathan Hill at the Bartlett, UCL. A historian as well as architect, he had inspired my interest in looking beyond architecture for inspiration. I am captivated also by the craft and details of Carlo Scarpa. The honest material quality and the thoughtful use of light and shade has been something I try to learn from and reflect in my work. Locally, my ex-boss Randy Chan of Zarch Collaboratives and his dedication to infusing art with architecture and vice versa have also influenced how I would like to practice.

Tell us three of your favourite buildings in SE Asia?

Paul Rudolph’s The Colonnade Condominiums, Singapore
Kevin Mark Low’s home, Kuala Lumpur
Andra Matin’s Potato Head, Bali

Fiona Tan is the founder of Atelier IF