One of Australia’s leading architecture firms has joined forces with a leading design studio within South East Asia in a combination both parties say will offer a better mix of depth, talent and expertise as well as an expanded geographic footprint.

In its latest announcement, HASSELL said it had merged with Singapore based Distillery, which specialised in high-end luxury retail, restaurant and bar designs and boasts a recent portfolio which includes the newly completed Club Hotel, work with Alila Hotels and Resorts, the luxury Singapore emporium Malmaison, and the Manhattan Bar at the Singapore Regent Hotel.

In a statement, HASSELL Managing Director Robert Backhouse said the merger would help the firm to strengthen its footprint in South-East Asia and would combine creativity, knowledge and resources.

“Our clients both in Singapore and internationally will benefit from the collective design talent, knowledge and resource base of the two practices,” Backhouse said.

“Collaboration, openness and a desire to create places people love are part of the DNA for both practices.”

Distillery Principle Paul Semple said the transaction would bring together like-minded design teams, common values and a joint sense of purpose.

For HASSELL, the latest developments follow the receipt of a series of awards for its recent portfolio of work.

At various Australian Institute of Architect award ceremonies earlier this month, the Fiona Stanley Hospital which HASSELL designed in collaboration with Hames Sharley and Silver Thomas Hanley in Perth took out three awards whilst the Shoalhaven Cancer Care Centre won the coveted Premiers Award in New South Wales.

In May, the firm added six new principals: Tony Dickens (Interior Design), Jon Hazelwood (Landscape Architecture), Richard Mullane (Urban Design), Lucy O’Driscoll (Architecture) David Tickle (Urban Design) and Harley Vincent (Architecture.).

In terms of its Singapore operations, HASSELL recently appointed Su Lim to head client engagement within the country and relocated its principal and board member Carloine Diesner to Singapore from Perth.