Twelve years, twelve award ceremonies, 688 events, and 645,000 visitors – the Red Dot Design Museum is an inseparable part of the history of Singapore’s design scene.

The museum was established in 2005 at the Red Dot Traffic building at 28 Maxwell Road –formerly the Traffic Police Headquarters building (a colonial-era structure dating back to 1928). Singapore’s Red Dot Design Museum is just the second of its kind in the world, and serves as the home of the Red Dot Award: Design Concept.

It has stood as one of Singapore’s iconic venues for all things related to design. And it is ready to begin a new chapter.

The lease of the Red Dot Traffic building at 28 Maxwell Road ceased at the end of April 2017. The museum will relocate to the Marina Bay City Gallery at 11 Marina Boulevard in the last quarter of 2017. The spaces at 28 Maxwell Road will be refurbished to support Ministry of Law’s expansion of the adjacent Maxwell Chambers.

The Marina Bay City Gallery is currently undergoing a six-month refurbishment in anticipation of the move. For the refurbishment, the Red Dot team is working closely with architect Lee May Anne of MAKK Architects, who also refurbished the spaces at 28 Maxwell Road in 2005.

“A design museum in the most prominent location in Singapore can focus the attention of the world’s design fraternity on Singapore and motivates the design energies of the country,” says Prof. Dr Peter Zec, founder and CEO of Red Dot. 

“The new location will inject greater life and vitality to the Marina Bay area – a very visible, high-profile part of the city,” says Agnes Kwek, Executive Director, DesignSingapore Council.

The new Red Dot Design Museum will feature galleries to host year-round exhibitions of award-winning designs. It will also collaborate with partners to host design-related exhibitions and expand its iconic Market of Artists and Designers (MAAD) – now to be held at Marina Bay.

Comments Ken Koo, Asia President, Red Dot: “The success of this design museum will be judged by how it adds value to its host city and creative community. Therefore, the focus of the next chapter of the museum will be on enhancing and creating opportunities and platforms that encourage, harness and present the creative endeavours of the country and community.”