Mr. Alfred Wong

The first recipient of the Gold Medal, Alfred Wong was among the first overseas-trained architects to return to Singapore in the last days of Colonial rule, and set up his own practice in 1957.

Mr. Wong introduced a modernist approach at a time when no buildings could be described as ‘modern’ in Singapore. These projects include The Marco Polo Hotel, Singapore Polytechnic Campus, The Catholic Junior College, St. Joseph’s Institution and St. Patrick’s Secondary School. Perhaps his most notable contribution to the modern face of Singapore was the innovative and iconic National Theatre.

He is one of the founding members of the Singapore Institute of Architects, playing an active role in creating an independent professional organisation. The youngest President of the SIA, he served for an unprecedented 4 terms between 1962 and 1966.

Mr. Wong is also recognised for his contributions to education. He served as a member of the Singapore Polytechnic School of Architecture and advocated that architectural training should be transferred to the university. He worked as Chairman of the newly-formed Board of Architectural Education to establish the terms of reference and criteria for the recognition of the School. It was in large part due to his commitment that the NUS School of Architecture received formal recognition from RIBA/SIA.