Co-founders of SOY Architecture (from left): Terence Chew, Goh Tee Leng and Gan Jit Sheng (Photo: Albert Chua/The Edge Singapore)
A multi-storey industrial building at 66 Kampong Bugis, built more than 33 years ago and formerly known as Sam Tat Building, is home to an eclectic mix of users — from Gourmet Park Kampong Bugis, a multi-brand dining concept on the ground level, to architectural and design firms on the upper floors.
On the second level of the building is Studio of Yi, or SOY Architecture, which was co-founded by three young Singaporeans who set up an office in Melbourne, Australia, in 2024, before opening an office in Singapore in 2025.
The Singapore office, which occupies a 2,000 sq ft space at 66 Kampong Bugis, overlooks the Kallang River. It also enjoys a front-row seat to a neighbourhood earmarked by the URA for transformation into a new waterfront precinct with an estimated 4,000 homes.
For one of the co-founders, Goh Tee Leng, 34, who manages his family assets and an investment fund, founding an architectural practice is not quite a career pivot. Instead, he is applying a long-term value investor’s mindset to architecture — patience, discipline and conviction.
Office of Studio of Yi or SOY Architecture is on the second level of 66 Kampong Bugis (Pictures by Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
Gourmet Park Kampong Bugis, a multi-brand dining concept on the ground level of 66 Kampong Bugis
The vintage freight elevator at the building
The office occupies a 2,000 sq ft space (Interior pictures by Albert Chua/The Edge Singapore)
The work area of the architects
View of the Kallang River from the office of SOY Architecture
Goh founded SOY Architecture with two long-time architect friends, Terence Chew and Gan Jit Sheng, with whom he has had years of conversations about design, space and the built environment.
“As friends, one thing we always talked about was design — the places we live in, the places we work in,” says Goh. “No matter how the conversation started, it always gravitated back to the same point: design should be thoughtful, well-crafted and lasting.”
Goh, a foodie, also drew parallels between fast food versus slow food — and architecture. He noticed the rise of “fast architecture” – where buildings and interiors are built quickly. “Those buildings often lack depth, care and quality,” he observes.
The discussions prompted the partners to come together to set up the firm. “We wanted to do things differently,” adds Goh. “We wanted to adopt slow, instead of fast, architecture, to create with intention, and at the same time, to design spaces that last.”
For Chew, that conviction crystallised while he was house-hunting. Browsing property listing portals, he would often skip the images and go straight to the floor plans. “When I visit the actual home, nine out of 10 times, the space hasn’t reached its full potential,” he says. “We always felt there was a better way of doing things — and we wanted to bring a designer’s touch to everyday spaces.”
One of the firm's first projects was Goh's 1,500 sq ft apartment at Cairnhill (Images by SOY Architecture)
Individually, their paths may have diverged. Collectively, they converged when it came to their firm, SOY Architecture, and the desire to design spaces that people actually want to live and work in.
Chew was Goh’s classmate in both primary and secondary schools, before they went on to different junior colleges — Chew to Victoria Junior College and Goh to National Junior College (NJC). Chew later obtained both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture from the Singapore University of Technology and Design.
Before becoming principal architect at SOY Architecture, Chew began his career at Singapore-based design firm Woha. His notable projects there included the 730-unit The Tre Ver condo and the new institutional building at Enabling Village in Redhill.
Goh became friends with his other business partner, Gan, during their years at NJC. While Goh went to University College London to pursue a bachelor’s degree in economics, Gan went on to the University of Tasmania, where he completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture.
Gan stayed on in Australia and began his career with FJC Studio, an architectural firm with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the UK. Among the projects he worked on was Victoria Parade Offices in East Melbourne.
Returning to Singapore was both timely and strategic. “I came back when Tee [Goh] persuaded me to – multiple times,” says Gan. “After handling diverse and complex projects in Australia, it felt like a good moment to return to Asia, where the opportunities — and the pace of change — are very different.”
One of the design projects undertaken by SOY Architecture was the makeover of an HDB flat at Circuit Road (following mages by SOY Architecture)
The living room of the HDB flat at Circuit Road
The firm is designing the interiors of an apartment at Lorong Kilat, off Jalan Jurong Kechil
In its early days, SOY Architecture took on small fit-out projects — office interiors, shelving systems and modest renovations. Work was limited. “It wasn’t as though our phones were ringing off the hook,” Goh admits. “We were deliberately cautious, and I didn’t want them to quit their full-time jobs when we were doing only small projects.”
One of the firm’s first projects was Goh’s apartment in Cairnhill in prime District 9. The team completely gutted the 1,500 sq ft unit and reconfigured it for his personal use. However, after living in the space for a while, he decided to put it up for rent. It was quickly tenanted to a single occupant — reinforcing, for the partners at SOY Architecture, that good design matters at every scale.
“I always emphasise that we don’t select clients based on project size,” says Goh. “We’re not only interested in Good Class Bungalows or 20-storey buildings.”
Recent projects reflect that philosophy. They include the makeover of a walk-up apartment, the renovation of an HDB Build-To-Order flat, and a façade and interior revamp and fit-out of an F&B shophouse.
“These are clients who understand and appreciate our design vision,” says Goh. “They’re not teardown-and-rebuild projects. They’re smaller-scale interventions — and we enjoy that. At this stage, we still have the luxury of choosing projects we believe in.”
SOY Architecture is the designer of a new 200-bed purpose-built student accommodation in Kensington, a university town home to the main campus of the University of New South Wales (Image: SOY Architecture)
However, from 2024, the firm secured two sizeable commissions, prompting both Gan and Chew to take what Goh describes as a “leap of faith” and leave their full-time roles at established architectural firms.
One of those projects is the design of a new 200-bed purpose-built student accommodation in Kensington, a university town home to the main campus of the University of New South Wales and the National Institute of Dramatic Art, near Sydney’s CBD.
The other is to continue with the design, coordination and on-site review of Capri by Fraser, Penang, which is slated to open in early April. Developed by Curate Properties & Hotel and managed by Frasers Hospitality, the 255-room hotel spans across a new 22-storey tower. Fronting the development is a row of conserved heritage shophouses, including The Den — a social space that houses the hotel lobby, reception and a grab-and-go counter.
The team is involved in the design, coordination and on-site review of Capri by Fraser, Penang, which is slated to open in early April (Images by SOY Architecture)
As a young practice, the three partners see this as the right time to experiment with new materials and construction technologies. “We went on overseas trips to study emerging technologies,” says Chew. “That groundwork allows us to offer state-of-the-art solutions tailored to each specific project.”
While friends and family formed the firm’s initial client base, an increasing number of enquiries now come through referrals and external leads.
Gan, meanwhile, is keen to address the uniformity often associated with modular construction. “A lot of modular buildings end up looking very similar, especially in terms of façade,” he notes. “We’re engaging overseas suppliers and visiting factories to see how bespoke façade design and detailing can still be achieved within modular systems.”
Ultimately, the three partners are united by a long-term view of architecture. “The typical lifespan of a building in Singapore is around 30 to 40 years,” says Chew. “We want to design buildings that people still want to keep beyond that — spaces that age well, and that future generations would choose to preserve.”
In a city where speed often defines success, SOY Architecture is betting that patience, craft and intention will endure longer than fast architecture.