Kerry Hill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kerry Hill
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Hill at CAA Conference Dhaka 2013
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William Kerry Hill
June 19, 1943 Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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| Died | August 26, 2018 (aged 75) |
| Education | Perth Technical College |
| Alma mater | University of Western Australia |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Spouse(s) | Ruth Hill |
William Kerry Hill (born June 19, 1943 – died August 26, 2018) was a famous Australian architect. He lived in Singapore and was known for designing hotels, especially in warm, tropical parts of Asia.
His buildings often had special features. These included steep roofs, shady walkways, and lots of water features like pools or ponds. People often called this his unique "Kerry Hill touch."
Kerry Hill was a big influence in modern tropical architecture. He helped define the "Bali architectural style" through his many hotel designs on the island. He was friends with another architect, Geoffrey Bawa, who taught him to respect and use the building traditions of the East.
Contents
Early Life and Studies
Kerry Hill was born in Perth, Western Australia on June 19, 1943. His father passed away in the Battle of Britain that same year. Kerry grew up in Australia and traveled a lot as a teenager. These travels helped him decide to become an architect.
He first studied architecture at Perth Technical College. Later, he moved to the University of Western Australia. He was one of the first architecture students to graduate from that university in 1968. While studying, he worked for a firm called Kierath and Waldron Architects. After graduating, he worked for Howlett & Bailey from 1969 to 1971. He even helped with projects like the Perth Concert Hall.
His Career in Asia
In 1971, Kerry Hill left Australia and moved to Hong Kong. He started working for a company called Palmer & Turner. This was the beginning of his long career in Asia. His work took him to Bali, Indonesia, where he helped build the Bali Hyatt hotel.
He spent seven years with Palmer & Turner in Indonesia. He lived in both Jakarta and Bali. From 1974 to 1978, he was in charge of Palmer & Turner's office in Jakarta.
In 1979, Kerry Hill moved to Singapore and started his own company, Kerry Hill Architects. He became a permanent resident of Singapore and lived there for the rest of his life. Many of his first projects came from an Indonesian hotel owner named Adrian Zecha. Kerry Hill designed hotels like the Amanusa and Serai in Bali. He also designed the Chedi, Beaufort Sentosa, and Datai hotels in other locations.
His design for the Datai hotel in Langkawi, Malaysia, made him very famous. This hotel, finished in 1994, showed how much he respected the natural setting and local culture. He built the rooms right inside the rainforest. He made sure the construction had very little impact on the environment.
In 2013, Kerry Hill released a big book called Crafting Modernism. It was 440 pages long and showed his design ideas and many projects. He also taught architecture at several universities. These included the National University of Singapore and the University of Western Australia. His work has also been shown in art exhibitions in Perth.
Kerry Hill's Design Style
Kerry Hill was admired for his unique design approach. He always considered the local area and climate for his projects. He gave a modern twist to traditional settings. His style often showed the traditions and cultures of the places where his buildings were located. He used local materials and building methods in his designs.
People said his work looked to traditional designs for ideas. He then used these ideas in his modern buildings. Richard Hassell, an architect from Singapore, said that Hill's designs "amplify what it means to be in a particular place." This means his buildings made you feel truly connected to that specific location.
In an interview, Kerry Hill explained that his designs were always unique to their surroundings. He did not like using the same design everywhere. He called this "plonk-architecture," meaning just dropping a standard design anywhere.
Awards and Achievements
Kerry Hill received many important awards for his work:
- In 1995, he won the Kenneth F. Brown Asia Pacific Culture and Architecture Design Award.
- In 2001, he received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
- In 2003, he won the RAIA Robyn Boyd Award for the Ogilvie House.
- In 2006, he was given the Royal Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal. This is a very high honor for architects in Australia.
- In 2010, he received the President's Design Award from the President of Singapore, S. R. Nathan.
- In 2012, he was honored with the Order of Australia. This award recognized his great work in architecture. It also noted how he represented Australian design in Southeast Asia.
- In the same year, he won the Best Housing Design award at the World Architecture Festival. This was for his design of the Martin No. 38 residential building in Singapore.
His work was also featured in many important magazines around the world. These included A+U (Japan), Architectural Digest (Germany), and Wallpaper (UK).
His Legacy
Kerry Hill passed away at his home in Singapore on August 26, 2018, at the age of 75. He had been battling cancer. Many people shared their sadness and respect after his death. Richard Kirk, who was the president of the Australian Institute of Architects, said that Kerry Hill's work helped define the tropical modernist style in the region. He called Hill one of Australia's most famous architects.
Kerry Hill's unique approach and style have influenced many other architects. Some of his former students, like Cheong Yew Kuan, have also been inspired by his designs.
Notable Projects
Here are some of the important buildings and projects Kerry Hill designed:
- Darwin Centre, Darwin, Australia (1986)
- Sukhothai Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand (1991)
- Amanusa Hotel, Bali, Indonesia (1992)
- The Chedi Hotel, Bandung, Indonesia (1994)
- The Serai Hotel, Bali, Indonesia (1994)
- The Datai Hotel, Langkawi, Malaysia (1994)
- Singapore Cricket Association Pavilion, Singapore (1999)
- The Lalu Hotel, Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan (2002)
- Ogilvie House, Sunshine Beach, Queensland, Australia (2002)
- ITC Sonar, Kolkata, India (2003)
- The Chedi Hotel, Chiang Mai, Thailand (2003)
- Amankora, Bhutan (2007)
- State Theatre Centre of Western Australia, Perth, Australia (2010)
- City of Perth Library, Perth, Australia (2014)
- Aman Tokyo (2015)
- COMO The Treasury Hotel, Perth, Australia (2015)
- RAH FALHU, Maldives (2018)
- Aman Kyoto (2019)
