Page 24 - May2021

COVER STORY - Concept i

Celebrating

25 Years of

Success

More than a year into the global pandemic, RLI checks in with Concept i for an update

on work in progress, trends and insights. Concept i, one of Asia’s leading retail and
leisure design firms, celebrates 25 years of success in 2021. RLI connects with CEO/
Founder Geoff Morrison and some of the firm’s key people for a round table discussion
looking at changing trends shaping the world of design.

RLI: What have been the key drivers behind your success to
date? Natalie Chelliah – Senior Interior Architect – Team Leader
Geoff Morrison – Founder / CEO Technology is helping our clients be an active part of the design
25 years ago we would never have imagined where we are today, process. Real-time software allows us to experience the space,
says Morrison. I say that with a great sense of pride, but also absolute mood and details, and better weigh up alternatives earlier and faster.
amazement since we are in the midst of our third pandemic lockdown Communication and information sharing technologies are now a
since March 2020. Nothing is predictable. Our personal and working seamless part of the design and construction process. Face to face
lives are completely disrupted - we are not the same people we were meetings are “old style” and digital communications are redefining the
in 2019. We dress, eat, socialise, network, work and play differently. way we organise our future work. Collaboration is at our core and is
We see this as a positive force to understand and use it to “up our one of the fundamental tasks we need to solve with technology.
game”.
The companies “i” ethos continues to define and drive the firm, RLI: What recent or new design or creative strategies are
concludes Morrison. “Ideate, Innovate, Impact”, this is our mission. you planning given shifting trends and demands affecting the
Our talent is our future and we are excited and ready for tomorrow’s design industry?
world of architecture and design. Richard Wood – Director
The pandemic is already re-shaping our projects and client briefs.
RLI: From a global perspective, what design trends do you We see a growing demand for more flexible, changeable, food and
feel will become more and more prominent in the next few entertainment style projects at all scales. A good example is MUNx2
years? at Seacon Square, Bangkok, named after the Thai slang for something
Alec Wong – Managing Director (China) somewhat crazy. The 27,000sq m space features curated events,
Over the past decade, we have been part of China’s evolution as a eye popping arts and street culture. Creative terraces, galleries,
global leader in architecture and design. China projects now comprise live performace space, and co-working studios inspire free-thinking,
extensive teams of specialists, integrated design processes, robust BIM interaction, play, and self expression. It is truly experimental retailing
coordination, project and construction management. Today clients focused on food, play, social engagement, connecting and exploring
such as K11, Fosun Group, China Resources and Vanke Group require and some of the unique events and art installations have gone viral in
continuous innovation in the “art” and science” of buildings, with acute Thailand.
attention to new uses, processes, materiality and detail.
For example, sinuous forms, spectacular media and lighting, and Kay Han Shi – Graphics and Branding Design – Team Leader
luxury materiality define the brand identity of a leading edge retail/arts Everything is about branding – brand stories that influence and
centre in Wuhan as seen above. inspire the way we live. Brand values permeate our physical and
cerebral world as a kind of “one roof” concept. The future demands
Elijah Jordan – Associate Director more responsibility towards our planet, our health and wellness.
As architects, we have a massive responsibility to design with a Our work at Level 7 of the new Hong Kong Jockey Club extension
positive impact on our cities and living environments. Augmented and expressed the clients brand ethos through healthy eating (two world
virtual environments will soon be everywhere and the cost of physical class restaurants) integrated with healthy play, where four generations
space will continue to rise. The architecture will be streamlined and can spend valuable family time together. HKJC’s new leisure complex
optimised through the use of technology in every aspect of design, is a branded journey of healthy activities for family enjoyment whilst
construction, operations, and efficiency. In the Phillipines we are a state of the art children’s cooking school is a unique part of the
designing facades that live and breathe. Buildings of the future will be program.
healthy, human-centric and sustainable. An image above highlights a RLI: In the firms 25 years of practicing design across
living, breathing retail podium that provides a lifestyle refuge in Manila, international geographies and cultures, what “take away”
one of the world’s most dense urban centers. would you offer young designers of the future?

24 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL MAY 2021