Singapore’s oldest architectural practice is expanding into four countries including Cambodia. Swan & Maclaren signed memoranda of understandings (MoUs) with local architecture and design partners in the Kingdom, along with firms in Bangladesh, China and the Philippines.
The move will see it go from six offices in four countries to 12 in eight by the end of the year. It says the total value of planned projects for the six joint venture companies will rise to $1 billion in the next three to five years.
“Singapore companies must look to international markets, which offer them new opportunities and larger consumer bases to grow and diversify their business,” said Geoffrey Yeo, assistant chief executive officer at government agency Enterprise Singapore.
“Swan and Maclaren’s latest joint ventures are an example of how Singapore companies, with the right support and in-market partners, can still pursue their internationalisation ambitions even amidst the pandemic. We look forward to partnering more Singapore firms to strengthen their value propositions for overseas expansion and assist them in making inroads to new markets,” he said.
Swan & Maclaren is best known for iconic Singapore landmarks such as Raffles Hotel. Group Director Matthew Hon said the signing was a milestone event for the firm.
“Swan & Maclaren has in recent years consistently pursued a ‘glocal’ strategy that is about offering our expertise to an international audience, partnering with like-minded architectural and design firms in the region that enable us to provide services in keeping with local culture and needs, amply reflected in our award-winning designs,” he said. “Today’s MoU signings effectively grows the Group’s Southeast Asian footprint to that of an Asia-Pacific remit, symbolic of the firm’s evolving architectural practice and ability to compete and deliver on the global stage.”
The signing ceremony was attended by Singapore’s Minister of State at the Ministry of Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling.
This article was first published in Khmer Times. All contents and images are copyright to their respective owners and sources.
