Three-D Conceptwerke’s Dess Chew: Long-term sustainability in eco-friendly homes
By Lynn Tan -
As a child, Three-D Conceptwerke principal designer, Dess Chew showed tremendous potential in drawing, art, and design and technology. He thrived in his creative pursuits and eschewed rote learning. It came as no surprise that he chose to pursue a Diploma in Environmental Design (Interior) at LASALLE College of the Arts.
Since establishing the multi-disciplinary studio in 2006 together with two other partners, Dess has always focused on growing the studio, reinforcing the studio culture and shared values and nurturing young designers.
The studio prides itself on crafting liveable spaces that are focused on the psychological and emotional outcomes of the occupants. They do not believe in a fixed formula, but instead tailor their approach and solution according to the unique needs of every project and client. This is in sync with how Dess himself approaches design. He relies very much on his intuition and draws from his innate ability to connect with a space and its immediate environment.
Dess doesn’t forget to create pockets of space for greenery in his home projects.
Sustainability to Dess goes beyond simply using eco-materials, energy-efficient products and employing green technology. His take is a more holistic one that minimises environmental impact by maximising the efficiency and optimising the functionality of a space. It also revolves around passive design strategies that attempt to bring in more natural light and enhance natural ventilation in order to reduce the dependency on artificial lighting and air-conditioning and therefore lower energy consumption.
The concept of sustainability, however, is more than just a means to an end. Sustainable practices also contribute towards the well-being of occupants. For instance, enhancing natural light and ventilation constitute sustainable strategies, but ultimately, they also add to a person’s enjoyment of and comfort within the space.
Dess’ designs make full use of natural resources, such as daylight and breezes, to keep the homes easy to maintain yet chic at the same time.
Many of Dess’ clients are aware about sustainability, but sometimes on a superficial level. When faced with other more pressing economic, social and other concerns that are common in a pragmatic world, people do not usually have the time to pause and ponder on the true significance of sustainability at a deeper level. It takes a wake-up call for people to realise the importance of making sustainable choices and living sustainably. Mindsets will evolve, but it takes time and he is confident that education is the key.
Dess does not believe in blindly following trends and strives towards creating spaces that are timeless. A home that can withstand the passage of time is also one that conserves the resources that have gone into realising it. To Dess, we need to balance today’s needs without compromising on the aspirations of future generations.