AkzoNobel hosts CSA scholarship winners on architectural tour of Singapore

Five of the City School of Architecture’s (CSA) most promising students were treated to a rare tour of AkzoNobel’s regional headquarters and R&D facilities in Singapore. The study tour showcased some of the latest innovations from the company’s flagship brand, Dulux. During the tour, the students were given invaluable exposure to some of the finest examples of modern architecture in the Asian region which have been adorned in AkzoNobel Coatings. 

The tour was organised as part of a continuous engagement between AkzoNobel and CSA during which time the company has sponsored the bursary for the past three years and worked to support the development of Sri Lanka’s next generation of young architects.

Spanning three exciting days in one of Asia’s most cosmopolitan commercial and urban centres, the students were provided with a personal tour of the numerous prominent landmarks that AkzoNobel has provided coatings solutions for, including world famous sites like the Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay and Singapore’s first UNESCO World Heritage site, the Burkhill Hall Botanical Gardens.

The first day of the tour was rounded out with a visit to some of the country’s most exclusive cafés and restaurants where popular AkzoNobel brand, Dulux paints had been used in innovative methods to achieve distinct moods. In particular, the students were offered insights into the new physical and visual dimensions made possible as a result of the latest range of premium special effects paints, Dulux Ambiance.

Students were selected for the tour following completion of a detailed assignment on the basics of colour, colour psychology, colour usage in exterior and interior environments and the role it plays in defining a space. 

Following a series of learning sessions conducted by renowned architect and visiting lecturer, Nela De Zoysa, participants were then asked to apply their knowledge, first in the form of a written assignment and finally through practical projects creating designs for real-world spaces including the AkzoNobel headquarters in Colombo. 

Notably, the students were also given a tour of AkzoNobel’s regional headquarters,a certified green building considered a true case study on how bold and vibrant usage of colour can be utilised as a powerful tool for experiential communication. The building incorporates numerous colours and styles, in order to reflect the cultural diversity intrinsic to the regional headquarters. Accompanying the five students on the trip, De Zoysa expressed her heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity afforded to her students through the scholarship program. 

“This trip has been extremely inspiring, both for me personally and for our students as well. We were amazed at the pioneering architecture of the Singapore cityscape and the highlight for all of us was the visit to the regional office. 

“We are so grateful to AkzoNobel for providing these students with this unique and valuable opportunity to gain exposure to new ideas and styles. They have been able to learn so much about the usage of the right products for the right effects and so much more. It has been a truly inspirational journey,” she stated.

The students ended the trip to the AkzoNobel Regional Headquarters with a guided tour of the company’s cutting edge research laboratory facilities – an opportunity not often extended even to AkzoNobel employees – where they got to witness first-hand the multiple processes involved in bringing a high quality paint to market. 

“This entire trip has been amazing for us as students and we have learned so much about how colour can be used to inspire people and help them feel comfortable and its incredible how much of it comes through in the building itself. There has been so much thought that is put into each room and every aspect is so clearly planned,” says Abigail Fernando, student at CSA.

Given the success of its scholarship program with CSA and the potential for its flagship brands such as Dulux paints to revolutionise architecture and aesthetics, AkzoNobel will continue to engage with educational stakeholders in the field of architecture while continuing to support scholarships to CSA students on an annual basis moving forward.