At IPAX Asia Pacific 2026, Principal Billy Ip joins the “Future Now” panel to discuss reinterpretation over invention, the value of craft in a globalised industry, and how data-led design through SUPERSPACE is shaping retail and mixed-use environments across the region. Woods Bagot also receives three Asia Pacific Property Awards across retail and office categories.
At IPAX Asia Pacific 2026 in Bangkok, one question framed the conversation from the outset: what does innovation in architecture mean today?
Billy Ip, Principal and Global Sector Leader – Retail at Woods Bagot, joined regional peers on the panel “Future Now: Architectural Innovations Reshaping Practice and Projects” as part of the 2026-2027 Asia Pacific Property Awards & IPAX Asia Pacific. The session examined how architectural practice is evolving across the region in response to cultural change, technological acceleration and increasingly complex project demands.
Drawing on Woods Bagot’s global work, Billy framed innovation today as less about invention for its own sake and more about reinterpretation – reconsidering how architecture performs, how it serves the people using it, and how it responds to the way space is actually inhabited.
The award-winning Hangzhou Tower is guided by the concept of “Lighting On” – spatial reinvention and curated experiences activate a historic landmark in Wulin’s commercial district and sustain its evolving value.
In retail and mixed-use environments, he pointed to a shift away from singular, transactional experiences towards layered destinations shaped by movement, social interaction and long-term adaptability.
Pet-friendly and cycling-friendly by design, Nanjing Xuanwu Merchants Garden City reflects a respect for diverse urban communities and redefines the relationship between the city and its residents.
While globalisation continues to shape design languages and delivery models, Billy emphasised the role of artisan craftsmanship and material intelligence, foundations for places with authenticity, cultural depth and human connection. As projects move faster and reach larger scales, these qualities keep architecture grounded in local context and everyday experience.
At Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Tainan Xiaobei, the design draws on Tainan’s everyday culture and craft traditions – bamboo weaving and knotting among them – translated into ceiling forms and layered detail to shape a human-scaled interior rooted in local context.
The discussion also turned to the role of data and research in design decisions. Billy introduced SUPERSPACE, Woods Bagot’s research and technology group, and explained how experiential analysis is changing early design thinking. By moving beyond area-based planning to study behaviour, movement and use, design teams can connect spatial decisions to clearer outcomes for clients and users.
At the outset of Shenyang Joy City E Hall, SUPERSPACE – Woods Bagot’s data-driven research tool – examined spatial behaviour and reciprocity, sharpening usability, accessibility and visibility to create stronger commercial and experiential value for clients, tenants and visitors.
Beyond tools and method, the panel examined how global practices hold design consistency while local specificity flourishes. Billy pointed to direct client engagement and creative workshops as the route to clearer briefs and shared understanding. He also described Woods Bagot’s global studio model, which allows talent and ideas to move across studios – bringing specialist expertise to projects, supporting collective delivery, and exposing emerging designers to a wider range of project types, cultures and working methods.
Creative workshop in progress with the client team for Livat Shanghai.
Collaboration at Woods Bagot’s Sydney studio.
Alongside the forum, Billy represented Woods Bagot at the Asia Pacific Property Awards ceremony, where the practice received three awards across retail architecture, office architecture and office interior design – recognition that spans a range of typologies and regional contexts.
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