Places Of The Heart: Architect Belinda Huang’s home away from home in Jalan Merah Saga

Who: Ms Belinda Huang, 58, is the award-winning architect behind some of Singapore’s biggest architectural projects, such as public housing landmark Pinnacle@Duxton, alongside her husband, Mr Khoo Peng Beng. The couple co-founded Arc Studio Architecture + Urbanism in 1998.

They have mentored generations of students. Ms Huang is also a student well-being adviser at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Department of Architecture, while Mr Khoo serves as head of pillar, architecture and sustainable design at the Singapore University of Technology and Design.

Their practice reflects both professional excellence and a commitment to human well-being.

The firm’s projects include a secondary school in Cambodia that was completed in 2012, and a Catholic retreat centre in Timor-Leste, designed with a deep respect for local culture and spiritual needs, which will open at the end of 2025.

Arc Studio’s design for a large retreat and conference centre for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore is now under development.

The firm has also been commissioned to design a major rehousing project in Mumbai, India. More than 3,000 slum-dwellers will be relocated to more dignified, high-rise living spaces.

Whether in Singapore or globally, the home-grown architecture practice is committed to designing with sensitivity to culture, the environment and, above all, human beings.

“I usually find it very hard to talk about myself, but for this series, I’m glad to be able to share my thoughts about a row of cafes tucked along Jalan Merah Saga, near Holland Village, that is close to my heart.

Here, in this small but lively corner, I find both community and solitude – a balance I treasure deeply.

I have always loved being around people. There is something life-giving about being in a place where you can see others, sense their energy and yet still enjoy the quiet privacy of your own thoughts.

Jalan Merah Saga offers exactly that. The scale of the street is warm and human – lined with cafes that spill into the neighbourhood and surrounded by homes that make it feel like a true community hub.

It provides a “slow” streetscape that I enjoy strolling along at my own pace, either visiting the art gallery or shopping for baking ingredients at Phoon Huat.

The mature trees that line the street also help to connect one to nature. Jalan Merah Saga embodies a lot of the well-being principles that I look out for to include in our design projects at Arc Studio.

The cafes I often return to are Arabica and Tiong Bahru Bakery. Over time, the baristas have come to know me well. They remember my drink of choice and the pastry I love – almond croissants.

These little gestures of recognition make me feel safe and cared for – like I belong. The hospitality is heart-warming and, for me, it is as if I have found a piece of home outside of my own home in the Bukit Timah area.

Sometimes, I come here alone, with nothing more than a book, or a few thoughts I need to untangle.

The cafe also becomes my space for reflection, a place where I can pause, breathe and recharge before returning to the rush of deadlines at the office.

At other times, I come with Peng Beng, and together we find in this place a little retreat to talk about life, to share what matters and to think about what lies ahead.

And every now and then, I bump into a friend – unexpected, serendipitous encounters that brighten the day and remind me of the larger web of relationships I am part of.

What I love most is observing life unfold around me.

I remember once, across the road, a few children set up a lemonade stand to raise money for their dog’s medical treatment. It was beautiful to watch people from the cafes, myself included, walking across to buy a cup of lemonade.

In that simple act, I could see kindness, compassion and community at work, an ordinary morning transformed into a moment of shared humanity and solidarity.

Being here helps me see love in everyday life: families planning their next holiday over coffee, friends laughing over shared stories, children playing freely nearby.

It reminds me that a community is made of small gestures of care, of noticing, of being present.

In turn, I feel a deep sense of security, peace and calm.

For me, Jalan Merah Saga is more than a place to grab a cup of coffee. It is where I feel nourished in spirit, where I am reminded that life is not only about rushing through tasks, but also about noticing love and kindness around me.

This is also where I find clarity, where I renew my energy and where I reconnect with what truly matters.

In August, I turned 58, and as I look back, I see how the many threads of my life have always been tied to service and people.

Though I am naturally a bit of an introvert, I truly enjoy connecting with others and being there when someone needs a listening ear. At the same time, I find my balance and grounding in the quiet of family life.

My desire to help others was shaped early. As a student in the 1980s at St Anthony’s Convent in Middle Road, I often volunteered with local charity group, the Canossian Sisters, to distribute rice and tinned goods to families living in the old shophouses nearby.

I still remember climbing up rickety wooden ladders into the dim attics of those homes, and sensing even then how the built environment could shape not just living conditions, but also a person’s dignity and well-being.

That early experience continues to influence the way I practise architecture today, whether in designing a single home, a large masterplan such as Paya Lebar Air Base, or community projects overseas.

Alongside design, I felt the calling to deepen my capacity to help others by pursuing a master’s in counselling in 2019. I serve pro bono as a counsellor with Catholic Family Life under the Archdiocese of Singapore, and since 2024, I was appointed an NUS adviser for students’ well-being.

Having taught numerous design studios at NUS before – a hands-on session focused on the process of architectural design – I understand how demanding the journey can be for undergraduates.

I feel privileged that today I can walk alongside architecture students – both as a practitioner and a counsellor.”