Dulux Study Tour 2026

Dulux Study Tour - Days 1 and 2

By Rachel Licht

The first two days of the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2026 Dulux Study Tour revealed a city of extraordinary ambition. In one of the world’s densest cities, very little feels accidental. Dense, humid and energetic, Singapore is also remarkably calm. Density and nature are not opposing forces, but partners, and for many of us, that contrast became our first lesson in Singaporean city-making.

We were fortunate to experience this firsthand while staying at WOHA’s Park Royal Collection Pickering. Cascading tropical planting spills from stacked terraces, vertical planting and rooftop gardens. Designed by landscape architect Henning Larsen, the site’s green area equates to 200 percent of its land area. It reflects the ambitions of the Singapore Green Plan 2030, evident across the city, where nature is not an optional extra added at the end of a project; it is mandated infrastructure and embedded from the outset.

Gardens and larger green spaces create a city that feels both vibrant and remarkably liveable. Here, greenery is not decorative. It provides shade, reduces urban heat, supports biodiversity (insects, birds, butterflies and animals), manages stormwater and improves quality of life. Water is equally important, with wetlands, ponds, pools and waterways integrated into the urban fabric.

What struck me was the importance placed on connecting people to landscape and to one another. This philosophy was evident across many of the projects we visited. Kampung Admiralty by WOHA demonstrates how architecture can support social outcomes through an ambitious model of intergenerational living. Housing for older residents is integrated with childcare, healthcare, retail and community spaces, creating a vibrant vertical village that encourages connections across generations. Food waste from the communal hawker centre is composted and returned as fertiliser for the rooftop gardens.

At Rifle Range Nature Park, adaptive reuse and regenerative landscaping provides a green buffer protecting adjacent nature reserves, encouraging the return of migratory birds and wildlife.

Faced with limited land, the city has become a playground for innovative urbanism where every square metre works harder and, despite the density, Singapore rarely feels crowded.

The scale of ambition was extraordinary. While visiting projects such as Ingenhoven Associates’ Marina One Green Heart, the Punggol Digital District and Singapore Institute of Technology by WOHA and Henning Larsen, and DP Green’s revitalisation beneath rail corridors, as well as practices including WOHA, Populous, and Kerry Hill Architects, we were exposed to projects operating at a scale many of us have never experienced. Curves, concrete, colour, texture and planting combine into a feast for the eyes, with every turn revealing another surprise or “wow” moment. 

Singapore isn’t without its challenges. Full redevelopment is far more profitable and space-efficient than retaining or retrofitting. In contrast to the mega-projects, My Last Home by L Architects demonstrates the value of retention over replacement. The project’s act of “unbuilding” an intermediate terrace house was realised through restraint, revealing a brick and concrete interior that celebrates tactility, soft qualities of light, and beauty in imperfection. There are many great examples of this in Australia, however it is seemingly rare to find a project that has the courage to retain and reveal over rebuild in the context of Singapore.   

What remains most memorable about Singapore is its clarity of vision. Housing, transport, ecology and economic development are planned as one interconnected system. The result is more than a collection of impressive buildings. It is an act of civic generosity – a city actively shaping its future through design, policy and stewardship. One word has repeatedly surfaced: intentional. Singapore demonstrates what can happen when a city decides what it wants to become and then works diligently towards it. 

Singapore has set the bar extraordinarily high. If it’s been anything to go by, Paris and Vienna are shaping up to be equally unforgettable chapters in an already remarkable tour.