Camiel Weijenberg

Specialized in Design.

Camiel Weijenberg

About Camiel Weijenberg

Office, WEIJENBERG is currently working on a diverse range of projects across Asia. Camiel teaches part time at the National University in Singapore (NUS) and is setting up a research program at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). The office further engages in humanity projects alongside its core design work, further exploring the notion of ‘crafting the traditional’ and the relationship between structure and elements. WEIJENBERG strives to create a holistic design approach which touches on the various components and inter-relationship of a project while maintaining coherence to its physical and cultural context.

  • Winner of the A' Design Award.
  • Specialized in Design.
  • Original Design.
  • Creative, Diligent and Innovative.
  • All Designs

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Extended Interview with Camiel Weijenberg

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?
My design background is something that has come hand in hand with my upbringing. My grandfather was a contractor of a modest company. My father was educated as an engineer and later build his own plane while my mother is a sculpture. We always made things around and in the house and sometimes a new house. I think this has given me tremendous input in my work and thinking while running the office.
How did you become a designer?
Working life started as a carpenter and after a few years i enjoyed building furniture so much i wanted to learn more and applied for interior design at the Royal academy in the Netherlands and later graduated at the Architectural Association in London. After having worked at Wilkinson Eyre and later at Zaha Hadid in London for couple of years, i decided it was time to go on my own. After collaborating on a project with Ernesto Bedmar in Singapore i decided that this would be my new direction and setup right in the center of town in the heart of China town Singapore.
What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?
By choice, my upbringing had been very free and was always given choice to make my own decisions from very early on. I can’t imagine anybody trying to be passionate in anything if you are forced into it.
Which emotions do you feel when designing?
Its perhaps not so much what you design,but what you want to see different in this world and how would you design that. What would you make it off, it all describes the starting point and direction the journey of design is taken.
What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?
Legend could mean many things perhaps. Follow their own interest with great care and be aware of what they want to see different in this world and make that part of their design philosophy. The fact that your design is going to be here a long or short time is effecting its direct and indirect social and physical environment.
What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?
Being able to see the bigger picture,while staying innovative and create the opportunity to work with the best talents. Create a believe and design philosophy/sense is perhaps the hardest thing to do while running a design studio with all distractions and clients/deadlines. Designers that set themselves apart and continue their path regardless to me are one of the best designers out their. –Focus-
What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?
A good design to us is the impact the design can foster in people.
You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?
We think of it this way; for instance a client is going to spend XXXXX amount on a project why not spend x amount on a designer that is the mechanism to create value on that expenditure. Working with somebody from the industry that is specialised to ‘make’ good design and understand which part of a project could be more important than other parts, create a focus in the design and its approach gives momentum and strength to any project and to us a very important factor for good design.
What is your day to day look like?
We are very fortunate that we are able to work on a wide range of projects. From intricate furniture pieces to interior and entire condos or master planning a resort. We had the wish to work more closely to the universities in Singapore and Asia and have started doing so this year with more to come in the new year. For some time I had the wish to create a different approach to high rise living and we recently started to piece this desire together into a new project.
How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?
Its not so much the dream project, but the way we are able to bring our ideas together. This can be done in any scale project, to be able to bring the ideas together is the real challenge. For instance we are currently designing a pavilion that is inside out, an independent project that we are developing with other consultancy firms and to us would be a through synergy of minds.
How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?
If there is one thing I have taken with me over the years is that there isn’t a through form of perfection,but the journey to get as close as possible is a quest that our office strives for and takes us forward.
How do you decide if your design is ready?
Huge inspiration is the work of Louis Kahn his designs for the people and Peter Zumthor for his immaculate detail, but also Jann Kaplicky’s drive for ‘beauty’ (not so much an aesthetic beauty), Zaha Hadid’s drive to push forward and embrace the future of technology and the potential design vocabulary it brings.
What is your biggest design work?
I have been greatly inspired by a visit to Aran Islands in Ireland, Inishmore to be precise. The island is 10 by 2km long rock slanted to one side creating a huge drop on side and a long gentle coastline on the other. The very harsh weather conditions somehow still didn’t stop people from living there. People have adapted to these conditions by stacking stone walls all over the island adapting the island and their life pattern to the conditions. This has now created a stunning place with a beautiful pattern running across the island with stonewalls that create a live-able surface on this rock. The walls shade people and animals from the weather so now the land can be cultivated and habitable. This adaption of people and place is significant. Its not so much a design but it’s one of my favourite creations, everyone is a designer of his own space being it solo or as a collective.
Who is your favourite designer?
The greatest design we have worked on… some of our earlier furniture pieces such has the love chair called AJ or the RD table have stayed with us. Currently we are working on some very exciting projects such as the resort in Sri Lanka and a Museum in Penang, Of course restaurant RAW has been a strong project for us. Where we embrace cutting edge technologies to drive for exciting spaces bringing them people together in a comfortable and sustainable way.
Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?
I think for young designers it is imperative to be instrumental and learn skill sets, if its software model making sketching programming etc. This will have help to become part of a team more quickly and ultimately helps to produce projects that are relative. We strive to keep improving ourselves by keeping up and learn new programs, invest in the people is the most important part in my view as it is crucial to stay relative as a designer and to understand what is –going on-. Learn from the news, learn programs visit galleries and be out there. Form an opinion on this world and your angle of attack to improve this.
Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?
I started my working life as a carpenter and hugely enjoyed this. Perhaps one day I go back to this. It’s a very satisfying type of work and to shape natural materials to create is a fantastic thing to do.
What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?
To me design is the threshold where people are brought together in a comfortable way as if they are attracted allowing them to conglomerate and be interactive with one another in a sustainable manner. Technology is my way of making this an intelligent structure or working method to get to a resolution of a project.
What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?
My parents have had the biggest influence in this, not so much by directing but by allowing me to be while they were creative and involved with their own projects inspiring me all along my upbringing.

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