Charles Tan is the executive director of Sunray Group Holdings, and a second-generation leader of his family business. With his boyish features, fashionably floppy side-part, and strapping, 1.83m frame, Charles Tan could almost pass as a member of a K-pop boy band. Or at least the manager of one.
Charles Tan once slept in his car for weeks on end, just to make sure that the projects he was handling ran smoothly. “We have great chemistry,” Tan said of his relationship with Wee. “And we are very much looking forward to this coming online. A lot of our friends have been saying that they can’t wait to see it go live, because it’s such a great product coming into the market. It’s very unique as well. I think it will bring a whole new vibe to the area."
When the firm moved to its present eight-storey, S$30 million headquarters in Sungei Kadut in 2015 – where this interview and photoshoot took place – Tan and the rest of the senior management decided to use discarded building materials and furniture to fit out the spaces. On a tour of the premises, Tan pointed out ceiling, wall and floor finishes that once adorned banks and shopping malls. Surplus furniture is often given away to staff as lucky draws.
By adaptively reusing the former school, New Bahru highlights the benefits of preserving history, reducing environmental impact, and fostering creative placemaking within an architectural canvas rich with character and story.