Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2021

Conceived in 2000 as an index of up-and-coming architectural talent, the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory is our annual listing of emerging practices from across the globe. The project has, over the years, spanned styles and continents, while always championing the best young studios and showcasing inspiring work with an emphasis on the residential realm. With a 500-strong back catalogue of alumni, the Architects’ Directory returns for its 21st edition. Join us as we launch this year’s survey, casting a spotlight on 20 studios with plenty of promise, ideas and exciting architecture, from Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the USA, and the UK.

1

Fabian Tan

Malaysia

Fabian Tan leads a small team of architects from his Kuala Lumpur HQ, creating innovative home designs with a unique character throughout Malaysia. Founded in 2012, the emerging studio focuses on residential work, but designs in a large variety of scales and typologies, stretching from institutional, commercial and interior projects to art pieces, furniture and installations. Drawing inspiration from ‘the spirituality of the site’, Tan’s designs are elegantly pared down. One of his recent works, Bewboc House (pictured) demonstrates this approach, led by the relationship between light, material, volume and spatial flow. Homes should be a haven of calm, where we can escape our ‘hectic and noise-filled era’, explains the architect.