Pictured: Tan Pei Ing in front of one of her firm's designs, the IOI resort with the Marriott Hotel, an integrated hotel and office complex.
Degree: (BArch (Hons) 1984)
Current Position: Principal of PI Architect in Malaysia
AS a teenager in the late 1970s, Tan Pei Ing watched with fascination as the skyline of Malaysia dramatically transformed.
Malaysia’s built environment was undergoing massive changes. As Kuala Lumpur and its buildings grew, so did Ms Tan’s interest in architecture.
“I thought it was awesome how buildings can dramatically change the skyline and the environment we are in,” she says. Noting the impact of design on people and the environment, she decided that she wanted to contribute to it. She would do this by studying a Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Melbourne and returning to Malaysia to work as an architect.
This decision was at first met with resistance from her parents. In Malaysia in the early 1980s, the architecture industry was considered a “male domain” and would prove challenging for a woman to break into. However, this did not deter Ms Tan. She moved to Australia to study at the University of Melbourne and lived at International House for five years. After Ms Tan completed her Bachelor of architecture degree with honours, she returned to Malaysia and worked for a couple of architectural consultancy firms and developers. But she soon became frustrated at the creative constraints of being an employee and in 1989, at the age of 29, decided to open her own firm, PI Architect.
“Being your own boss gives you the freedom and privilege to dictate the direction of the firm and take up more challenges,” Ms Tan explains.
Setting up a new firm was no easy task. In the early days, Ms Tan faced discrimination from many of her male clients and architectural peers.
“There was this misconception that a woman is unable to handle the tough construction sites and the rough contractors,” she says. At first she found it difficult to be taken seriously by some of the people her work brought her into contact with.
“I remember when I first started my practice, I was greeted by intimidating contractors who thought that they could bully me,” Ms Tan says. “I had to constantly work towards changing the mindset of other clients and other players in the building industry to prove my capability.”
But she pushed hard to see her small architectural firm succeed, striving to create a competitive edge, deliver excellent service and secure continuous projects.
“The first few years were tough, but fortunately over the years we managed to establish a fairly good track record and clients began to gain more confidence and trust in us,” she says. “Perseverance and commitment to good practice has given my firm due recognition.”
Ms Tan says the construction sector has also changed gradually over the years, with an increasing number of female architects starting their own firms.
Ms Tan has worked tirelessly to grow her firm from a small business concentrating on housing projects to an established firm that has been commissioned to undertake much larger scale projects including hotels, shopping malls, resorts and clubs, high-rise buildings and corporate offices. PI Architect is currently working on at least 15 projects. Ms Tan said one of her proudest achievements was winning the 2004 FIABCI Property Award of Distinction for her firm’s design of the five star Palm Garden Marriott Hotel in Putrajaya.
Her greatest personal achievement was to be elected as the first-ever female President of the Malaysian Institute of Architects in 2001, 80 years after its inception, at the age of 41. She stepped down from the role in 2003 but remained actively involved as the Past President. She is also actively involved with the Board of Architects, the statutory body that controls registration of architects in Malaysia, and is an active member of regional and international bodies to promote the architectural profession.
Ms Tan’s approaches her work with a strong sense of commitment and self discipline, which she says she developed when she left home to attend the University of Melbourne.
“It is the entire experience of being away from home in a beautiful country that offers a holistic education system and great life style…that made me what I am today,” she says.
By Fiona Willan
