CST#6 | 2022 | Online

Contrast & Cohesion 
Co-Founder & Partner 
G8A Architect

Manuel Der Hagopian (born in 1971 in Geneva, Switzerland) graduated from the Geneva Institute of Architecture, Geneva, Switzerland (IAUG) and the Belleville School of Architecture, Paris (ENSAPB).

He is one of the original partners of group8 architects, established in Geneva in 2000, and is a co-founder and partner at G8A, in charge of operations at the Singapore office. He also co-manages the offices in Geneva, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City. His main responsibilities include design direction, conceptual design, and project management.

In collaboration with international and local institutions, Manuel co-curates the Singaporean exhibition and event hub TB80 Space while simultaneously coordinating touring exhibitions that contribute to architectural and cultural exchange. Through G8A’s think tank, aptly named 8+, he also pursues his strong interest in the consequences of a rapidly growing population’s impact on the residential housing situation in Southeast Asia.

G8A is an architecture, urban planning, and interior design company with offices in Geneva, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Singapore. From design principles originally established in Switzerland, and with projects developed in Asia for over a decade, G8A holds a unique position in contemporary architectural practice.

Educated in the West and learning from the contrasting context of the East, the company has been able to strengthen its designs by not only broadening its scope of knowledge but also honing a precise and systematic application of innovative strategies and proposing a new architectural cohesion. 

G8A’s projects are featured regularly in local and international publications. All of the firm’s senior architects participate actively in professional associations, both in Switzerland and Southeast Asia. G8A is also part of the theoretical debate in architecture through its involvement in a number of lectures and teaching endeavors internationally.