Kerry Hill Architects: Tropical Modernism from Singapore

Kerry Hill Architects is the Singapore-based practice founded by the Australian architect Kerry Hill, whose resorts, houses and civic buildings helped define a refined, climate-responsive modernism across Asia. Hill established the firm in Singapore in 1979, and over the following four decades it became internationally known, particularly for its work for the Aman group of resorts.

Kerry Hill died in Singapore in August 2018. This profile, based on published sources, summarises his background, the practice’s approach, a selection of documented projects and why the work remains influential for architects and engineers working in the tropics.

Kerry Hill: background

Kerry Hill was born in Perth, Western Australia, in 1943. After training and early practice in Australia, he worked in Asia in the 1970s before setting up his own studio in Singapore in 1979. He lived in Singapore for the rest of his life and was a permanent resident.

His contribution was recognised with appointment as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2012. He died at his home in Singapore on 26 August 2018, aged 75. The practice continues, with offices in Singapore and Western Australia, and has completed major projects since his death.

A tropical modernist approach

The practice’s work is usually described as tropical modernism: modern architecture shaped by the climate, materials and building traditions of the places in which it stands. Rather than importing a sealed, air-conditioned box, the buildings use deep roofs, shaded verandas, open pavilions, courtyards and water to moderate heat and glare and to connect interiors with landscape.

Several qualities recur across the work:

Sequence and threshold. Arrival is choreographed through courts, colonnades and pools, so that guests move gradually from the outside world into calm.
Local materials, modern discipline. Stone, timber, rammed or rendered walls and local crafts are used within a rigorous, often orthogonal order.
Landscape as architecture. Buildings are sited to frame views and are frequently set into terraces, gardens and water.
Restraint. Detailing is careful and understated, with few materials and a strong sense of proportion.

This places the practice within a regional lineage that includes Geoffrey Bawa in Sri Lanka, discussed in our profile of Geoffrey Bawa, and within the broader story of tropical architecture.

Resorts and the Aman connection

The firm is best known for hospitality, and in particular for resorts for Aman. Published obituaries record that Hill designed numerous Aman properties across Asia. Documented projects include:

Amanusa, Bali, Indonesia, completed in the early 1990s.
The Datai, Langkawi, Malaysia, a rainforest resort from the mid-1990s.
The Lalu, Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan, completed in the early 2000s.
Amansara, Cambodia, and properties in Sri Lanka.
Amanemu, Shima, Japan, which received the Jørn Utzon Award for International Architecture in 2017.
Amanyangyun, near Shanghai, China.
Aman Kyoto, Japan, among the practice’s more recent Aman projects.

The resort work shows the approach at its most complete: low pavilions arranged in landscape, careful framing of views, and architecture that recedes in favour of setting and atmosphere. Amanemu, set around hot spring baths on Japan’s Ise-Shima coast, also connects the practice’s work to Japanese traditions discussed in our article on onsen architecture.

Work in Singapore and Australia

Although known internationally, the practice has completed significant work in its home city. Documented Singapore projects include the Singapore Cricket Association Pavilion, the Beaufort hotel on Sentosa, and residential developments such as Martin No. 38, which received an award in 2012. These projects bring the same principles of shade, screening and spatial sequence to dense urban sites.

In Australia, the State Theatre Centre of Western Australia in Perth, completed in 2010, is one of the practice’s major civic buildings. It shows the firm’s ability to work at a civic scale and in a very different climate and urban context from its tropical resorts.

Structure and craft in the work

For engineers, Kerry Hill Architects’ buildings are interesting because their calm appearance depends on careful structural resolution. Long, thin roof planes, slender columns, deep cantilevered eaves and open pavilions with few walls all require a structure that is efficient and largely hidden. Lateral stability has to be provided without cluttering the open plan, and roof edges must be thin yet stiff enough to resist wind and control deflection.

In tropical resorts, durability is equally important. Timber, stone and metal are exposed to sun, heavy rain, salt air and humidity. Details that shed water, ventilate concealed timber and avoid corrosion are essential if the architecture is to age well. These concerns are familiar in our own consulting work on landed houses and pavilions in Singapore, where open, shaded designs bring the same structural and durability questions.

Lessons from Kerry Hill Architects for homes in Singapore

Few homeowners will build a resort, but the principles that Kerry Hill Architects refined at that scale translate well to landed houses and even to apartments in Singapore.

Shade before glass. Deep eaves, verandas and screens reduce heat gain and glare more effectively than tinted glazing alone, and they protect walls and openings from driving rain.
Plan for air movement. Courtyards, high ceilings and openings on opposite sides of a room allow cross ventilation, reducing dependence on air-conditioning for part of the day.
Choreograph arrival. Even a terrace house can create a sense of sequence through a forecourt, a change of level or a framed view of a garden.
Limit the palette. A small number of durable materials, detailed carefully, tends to age better than many finishes competing for attention.

Each of these ideas carries practical consequences. Deep cantilevered eaves need to be designed for wind uplift and deflection. Courtyards and high ceilings affect beam and slab arrangements. Water features and planted terraces add load and demand reliable waterproofing. Addressing these points early lets the architecture keep its lightness.

Legacy

Kerry Hill Architects demonstrated that modern architecture in Asia could be luxurious without being ostentatious, and climate-responsive without being nostalgic. Its influence can be seen in many contemporary resorts and houses across the region. Singapore practices such as SCDA Architects are often discussed in the same breath, as part of a broader movement towards a refined tropical modernism.

The practice’s work is documented in monographs, including Kerry Hill: Crafting Modernism, published in 2013, and a volume of complete works, for readers who want to study the drawings in more detail.

Frequently asked questions

Who founded Kerry Hill Architects?

Kerry Hill Architects was founded in Singapore in 1979 by the Australian architect Kerry Hill, who was born in Perth in 1943.

When did Kerry Hill die?

Kerry Hill died at his home in Singapore on 26 August 2018, aged 75. The practice has continued and completed further projects since his death.

What is Kerry Hill Architects known for?

The practice is known for tropical modernist resorts and buildings, particularly for Aman, including Amanusa in Bali, Amanemu in Japan and Amanyangyun in China, as well as The Datai in Langkawi.

Did Kerry Hill Architects design buildings in Singapore?

Yes. Documented Singapore projects include the Singapore Cricket Association Pavilion, the Beaufort hotel on Sentosa and the Martin No. 38 residential development.

What awards did Kerry Hill receive?

He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2012, and his practice’s work has received many awards, including the Jørn Utzon Award for International Architecture for Amanemu in 2017.

Designing an open, shaded house or pavilion with long spans and thin roofs? Talk to our consultancy or get in touch.