Singapore's former master planner Liu Thai Ker has passed away, as confirmed by his son Daniel Liu in a report by The Straits Times.
He was 87.
Daniel said that his father had developed complications after a fall about a week prior.
The report said the elder Liu passed away on the morning of Jan. 18, surrounded by his family and loved ones.
Architect of Modern Singapore
Liu is often known as the "Architect of Modern Singapore", having served as the chief executive officer at the Housing Development Board (HDB) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).
He oversaw the development of about half of the more than one million public housing apartments, helping plan most of the HDB towns in Singapore.
Public service career
Liu came to Singapore when he was six.
He graduated from the University of New South Wales with a first class honours degree in architecture in 1962. He furthered his studies and obtained his masters in city planning from Yale University in 1965.
Upon his return to Singapore, Liu joined the HDB from 1969–89, and later, the URA.
At the HDB, Liu left an indelible mark in three key areas:
- housing concept – moving from "large scale estates with localised facilities to self-sufficient new towns";
- architectural design – transforming functional buildings to aesthetically designed homes with a tropical touch; and
- engineering design that used "new structural systems" such as the long span pre-stressed concrete beams for public housing.
During his tenure at HDB, he led the planning of 20 new towns, and over half a million housing units.
Liu subsequently moved over to the URA as CEO and Chief Planner to oversee a major update of the Urban Concept Plan of Singapore from 1989 to 1992.
Liu's main contribution in the URA was in revising the Concept Plan and in conservation projects.
The Concept Plan arose from the British master plan for Singapore and was intended to shape Singapore's early urban landscape.
Started own architecture practice
He was also invited to provide urban planning services for over 50 cities in the world.In 2017, he started his own architecture practice, Morrow Architects and Planners.
Then 79, he joked that he was probably "the oldest man to start a company".
The name of the company was inspired by his late father, pioneer artist, Liu Kang.
Liu Kang’s Morrow Studio offered commercial sign painting and embodied forward-looking qualities in its name.
Liu Kang was a pioneer oil painter who was key in establishing a local style in Singapore’s visual arts.
Contributions Beyond Architecture
Liu’s influence extended beyond architecture to education, culture and liveability.
Liu served as the Founding Chairman of the advisory board of the Centre for Liveable Cities, a knowledge hub on sustainable urban development.
He also held advisory and professorial roles at institutions including Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Liu contributed to cultural organisations such as the National Arts Council and Singapore Tyler Print Institute.
Read Mothership's in-depth interviews with the late Liu Thai Ker:
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Top image via Jacky Ho, for the Institute of Policy Studies
