William Lim is a celebrated Singapore architect who made his mark on Singapore architecture and urban planning. A respected thought leader and advocate of creativity and heritage, he is a keen follower of the arts who is regularly seen at arts performances and exhibitions, and a generous patron of various arts groups. His public advocacy of a more artistically aware society and support of the arts has raised the profile of the arts in Singapore, and led the way for arts sponsorships by private individuals.

Born in Hong Kong in 1932, William Lim received his architectural education at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, UK. There, he took advantage of the vibrant arts and cultural scene and frequented arts performances and exhibitions. He then went on to do his graduate studies in the USA at Harvard University where he studied in the Department of City and Regional Planning.

Returning to Singapore in 1958, Lim began his professional architectural career. Two years later, he co-founded the Malayan Architects Co-Partnership, where he was principal architect. During this period, Lim also began his early association with the arts with his involvement with the Singapore Film Society in 1962 as its president.

In 1967, he left to co-found and serve as principal architect of Design Partnership (later renamed DP Architects), together with Koh Seow Chuan and Tay Kheng Soon. Lim was also involved in urban planning on a national level, serving as the first president of the Singapore Planning and Urban Research Group. In his various capacities, Lim made several significant contributions to the urban landscape of Singapore. Rooted in modernist design ideas, he built many residential and commercial complexes, including the People’s Park Complex in 1973. A mixed-use development, People’s Park Complex was the first of its kind in Southeast Asia and became a model for commercial developments. Lim’s other significant architectural projects include Tanglin Shopping Centre in 1971 and Golden Mile Complex in 1974.

Lim’s belief in the importance of an artistically and creatively aware society also began to make itself known around this period. In 1979, he advocated for the compulsory teaching of visual arts in schools, reasoning that an appreciation of visual aesthetics ultimately results in a better living environment in Singapore. He set up the independent architectural practice William Lim Associates in 1981, serving as principal architect until his retirement in 2002. A strong believer in a nation’s heritage and the importance of preservation of cultural memories, he began focusing more on conservation and urban revitalization in the ’80s. He became a founding member of the Singapore Heritage Society in 1986, serving as its president for over a decade.

Since early in his career, Lim has continued to be an ardent supporter of performing arts and visual arts who is regularly seen at performances and exhibitions around the island. In particular, he is a keen follower of contemporary arts, believing that contemporary artists play an important progressive role in pushing boundaries to try and guide society in its development and evolution. A firm advocate of the essential nature arts and culture in society, he also believes that a city’s vibrancy should be borne out of the community at a grassroots level.

As a result, Lim finds it important to support Singapore artists who have dedicated their lives to their art. He has been a regular patron of various arts groups over the past two decades, paving the way as a private sponsor of the arts for other generous arts donors who have taken his lead and also begun to involve themselves in arts sponsorship. Reaffirming his stance on the importance of arts education, Lim donated an endowment to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of the National University of Singapore in 2007 towards the William Lim Siew Wai Fellowship in Cultural Studies in Asia, enabling the faculty to appoint visiting academics to teach at the university.

For his 80th birthday in 2012, Lim donated an undisclosed six-figure sum to six arts organisations—including the Singapore Art Museum, W!LD RICE and The ARTS FISSION Company—and two independent artists in Singapore. This was one of the most significant sums donated by a private individual to the arts in Singapore.

Over his career, Lim has published several books on architecture, urban planning and cultural studies that are now widely referenced resource books. Lim received a Honorary Doctorate of Architecture from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Australia in 2002. In 2005, he was appointed as a honorary professor by LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore. He was also chairman of Asian Urban Lab and president of the Architectural Association of Asia—both of which he co-founded—for many years.

Lim passed away at the age of 90 on 7 January 2023.