G8A Architecture & Urban Planning

(“Text as submitted by Architect”)

Manuel Der Hagopian

Manuel Der Hagopian (born in 1971 in Geneva, Switzerland) graduated from the Geneva Institute of Architecture, Geneva, Switzerland (IAUG) and Belleville School of Architecture, Paris (ENSAPB). He is one of the original Partners of group8 architects, established in Geneva in 2000, and is a Co-founder and Partner at G8A in charge of operations at the Singapore office. He also co-manages the offices in Geneva, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. His main responsibilities include design direction, conceptual design and project management.

In collaboration with international and local institutions, Manuel co-curates the Singaporean exhibition and event hub TB80 Space whilst simultaneously coordinating touring exhibitions contributing to architectural and cultural exchange.

Through G8A’s think tank, aptly named 8+, he also purses his strong interest in the consequences of a rapidly growing population’s impact on the residential housing situation in South East Asia.

Grégoire Du Pasquier

Grégoire Du Pasquier (born 1970 in Geneva, Switzer­land) is an ar­chi­tect and grad­u­ate of the Swiss Fed­eral In­sti­tute of Tech­nol­ogy, Lau­sanne, Switzer­land (EPFL, 1995). He is one of the orig­i­nal Part­ners of group8 ar­chi­tects, es­tab­lished in Geneva in 2000, and is a Co-founder and Part­ner at G8A. Prior to start his own prac­tice, Grégoire gained valu­able in­ter­na­tional de­sign and man­ag­ment ex­pe­ri­ence in New York and Paris, work­ing for world­wide well­known com­pa­nies such as Smith-Miller & Hawkin­son and Gue­dot & Chaslin ar­chi­tects.

Cur­rently in charge of op­er­a­tions at the Ho Chi Minh City and Geneva of­fices, Grégoire also co-man­ages the of­fices in Hanoi and Sin­ga­pore. His main re­spon­si­bil­i­ties in­clude de­sign di­rec­tion, con­cep­tual de­sign and pro­ject man­age­ment. Grégoire is at the head of all de­vel­op­ment pro­jects across the G8A of­fices and is the ini­tial con­tact for po­ten­tial pro­jects and col­lab­o­ra­tions. His areas of in­ter­est lie also in de­vel­op­ing pro­jects in the Re­pub­lic of Korea, Tai­wan and Sri Lanka.

Practice Ideology

G8A is an entirely Swiss-owned company. Based in Geneva (Switzerland), Singapore and Hanoi (Vietnam), it is led by two founding architects Manuel Der Hagopian and Grégoire Du Pasquier, each with more than fifteen years’ experience, assisted by two Directors Armand Devillard and Laurence Savy. The company specializes in architectural design, urban planning and interior design. Aiming to innovate and produce creative strategies, G8A focuses on setting standards at all levels, particularly in terms of economic and environmental efficiency. Integrating cultural added-value into each project remains a central part of all actions and discussions within the team. G8A’s workshop culture offers satisfaction and synergies through teamwork at both local and international level. All projects are submitted to the same rigorous internal process, whatever the scale, from the study for a simple birdcage to the development of a mixed-use complex or the master planning for a new town. G8A’s projects feature regularly in local and international publications. All of the firm’s partners actively participate in professional associations for architects, both in Switzerland and Asia. G8A is also part of the theoretical debate in architecture through its involvement in a number of lectures and teaching endeavors all over the world.