POK, Principal of T.R.O.P: Terrains + Open Spaces, is an ex-Hargreaves employee and a graduate of Harvard Graduate School of Design. In this interview we talk about his experiences working at Hargraeves and for Bill Bentley, drawing cartoons at GSD, his favorite color, and why dreams need to be incorporated into the design process.

POK's Folio



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You are the principal of Terrains + Openspace. How long has the firm been in operation and what is the focus of your work?
TROP’s been in business since January 2007. At the beginning, we couldn’t choose the projects we wanted. So my philosophy is that whatever project we’d do, we’d just have to make it as interesting as possible. And each of them must be unique. Now, as we keep producing more works, we got recognized by some good architects in Asia, and they help us by recommending us to new clients and bigger projects.

Oh, what architects and what projects?
Well, rather not to say their names here. It is not completed yet.

How has your experience at Hargreaves and with Bill Bensley prepared you for starting your own firm?
I started from a very bottom end at Hargreaves. Doing model and CAD detail drawings. Then, working with Gavin McMillan, now the principal at Hargreaves, helped me a lot. He started by giving me a very small design exercise, and the tasks just got bigger and bigger.
With Gavin, I learned not only to design, but to make our design realized as well.
During my last few years, I got a chance to work with George, the man himself, a lot. HA (Hargreaves Associates) had 3 branches at the time, Cambridge, SF, and NY. And George would just call Gavin, to send me to wherever he was. Lots of traveling. It was so much fun!

Where did you travel?
George Hargreaves is the owner of Hargreaves Associates and I traveled just to meet him in each of our offices - which are NY, SF, and Cambridge (I stationed there).
Working with Bill Bensley is total opposite from George. Bill calls himself a Maximalist. Really, he is. A genius of hospitality design. Personally, I prefer a very modern style, but with Bill, I learned sooooo much from him.

Sounds awesome! Can you give an example of something you learned from him.
Bill Bensley is the person that a lot of hotels want to design their projects. He started his firm when he was 29 years old. Now the firm is about 20 years old, based in Bangkok and Bali, and have done more than 100 hotels world wide. He taught me how to handle projects, how to present it to clients. Just worked beside him for years, I learned a bit of everything. For Bill, God is in details…

The most important thing is that he let me handle projects, most of them in China. Bensley is a much bigger firm than Hargreaves’s Cambridge office - about 90 people. Bill would just hand me a new project and from that point, I had to organize everything. Not only design but also management, as well. At some points, I had 10 projects going at the same time. Flying every week, and work ‘til 1am every night, plus weekend. So I thought that I was working like it was my own firm already, so why not open the real one.


What was your experience like at GSD? Any funny stories?
The best 2 years of my life! GSD opened the new world to me. Coming from a very small country, Thailand, I was one of the best students here. Then, at GSD, there are sooooooo many talented people from all over the world. I was sooo impressed by some of the student’s works. I remember a model by Marcel Wilson (the dude was the youngest Hargreaves Principal). He is the real deal.
Funny story? Well, I drew cartoons of everyone I knew. One of them is Alex Krieger, our department chairman. My friends loved it, and they posted it on the wall, without telling me. Alex saw that. I guess he didn’t like it so much, he he…..


Funny! Any cartoons that we could see!?!?
Unfortunately, I didn’t keep it…

Which projects are you most proud of, and why?
You mean real projects, or GSD?

Both.
GSD, I love my Argentina Project. I worked with one of my best pal, Mario D’ Artista. He was an MARCH1 student. We kicked asses for that project. Rudolfo Machado loved it!!
Rodolfo is one of the most influential professors at GSD. He taught Urban Design studios there.

Real projects, I must say 21st Waterfront park at Chattanooga. Working with Gavin and Joonyon Kim, my bro. The design process was done in 4 years!!!! In Asia, I’d finish 5 star hotel design by a week, sometimes 3 days.

Sounds like a crazy schedule! Glad to see that your bro, Joonyon Kim is also a member of the Lounge…
Yeah, the schedule here is unbelievable...
By the way, Joonyon Kim kicks asses, including mine, ha ha… You may convince him to post some pics of his projects.
The other project I like is Coral Island Residences at Sentosa, Singapore. This one I got a chance to explore my own style. There are some good and bad things, but overall it looks pretty cool.

Any pictures or a link to the project?
They are in my gallery. The one with corten steel in water….

How would you categorize your design style? And, how have your influences guided your design philosophy and style?
I try not to have any style. Just depends on what kind of project it is. The architecture plays a big role in my design. If the building is great, I just compliment the design, and try to make it looks better. If the architect sucks, I’d just take over and let the landscape dominates the project.

You mentioned on your Folio that your favorite resources are dreams. Can you explain how you use dreams in the design process?
The best time to imagine something is when I am on my bed. I’d just close my eyes and imagine the space. Sometimes, the idea keeps going into my dream. Not kidding, I saw some design several times in my dreams. Sometimes I forgot to write down, and they just disappeared. Too bad, isn’t it?

Do you think dreams need to be used more in the design process?
Absolutely!!
One difficult thing is that you can’t control your dream. Sometimes it comes, sometimes, it doesn’t. In case that it doesn’t, you may not finish your design on time, ha ha…

Tell us a little about working in Thailand. What are some of the benefits and some of the constraints?
Working in Asia, not only Thailand, is on the different pace from working in US. Here, especially Chinese projects, they build faster than we draw in AutoCAD. We’d just have to keep ourselves productive, very productive. Otherwise they would build some crazy thing before your drawings are ready, and, more often than not, asking you to fix it.

Sounds hectic! How many hours do you put in in a week?
With Bensley, it is a common practice that people sleep over to finish their jobs. Some people stayed at the office for a full week!!! Now, at TROP, I normally start working at 9.30 to 7.30. Then I go out to have dinner and come back to work later until 12-2am. Depends on how bad the schedule is. Also I work on either Saturday or Sunday of each weekend.

I’d say that another good thing is the amount of talent we have here. Especially in hospitality design. You know Asia is an extreme destination. Many hotels keep being built now. The hard part is how to make your hotel better than others. I can’t be so sure to say I know how, ha ha.

What advice can you give young designers as they develop their skills and refine their craft?
I learned everything from both good and bad times. As a young designer, working with a good boss helps, but working with bad ones also teaches you not to be like them (when you "grow up" career-wise).
For the new grad, I’d just say that if your boss gives you a small task (usually happen with a famous firm where everyone there is just so damn good), don’t get frustrated, you just have to make it interesting yourself.
Respect is only earned, not given.

Favorites.
Color?
Black

Smell?
Ha ha, damn, this is difficult to explain. Probably smell of good food???

Sound?
Cake (the music band)

Thing to Touch?
Soft things

Word?
Straight and honest, no pretentious….

At the end of your career, how do you want to be remembered?
Wow, it is still a loooooooong way to go, right?
Well, if people visit my project and they go back home and tell their family about it. Should be enough, ha ha.

Thanks, POK!
Thank you.