He then joined the National Parks Board (NParks) as a landscape architect. Today, as an assistant director of design, Mr Tang and his team make sure that many of Singapore's parks, greenery and open spaces are well-designed, and delivered on time and on budget.

"The projects I have undertaken vary. There are small event booths at exhibitions such as Singapore Garden Festival 2006. Larger include conceptualisation for the International Monetary Fund/World Bank 2006 Plant Display, streetscape projects and master planning for our parks, riverscapes and natural ecological corridors," says the 34-year-old. He has also worked on master planning projects overseas.

Demanding schedule
Regardless of a project's scale or location, it takes effort from several parties to make it a success, says Mr Tang. "I have to work with ground workers and contractors, deal with both local and overseas consultants, meet and present to chief executive officers of different agencies, overseas delegates, officials and even ministries.

"Besides programming our parks and open spaces with recreational activities, it is important to integrate simple design elements to create a sense of place, as well as to interpret the park's design through appropriate communication and story-telling that integrates with the overall landscape design intent of the park.

"By doing so, we also hope to reduce the gap between nature and people, immersing them into our environment to fully enjoy the park experience."

A great deal of work is done behind the scenes. He says: "We do a great deal of on-site reconnaissance and historical, cultural and environmental research about a place before we get started. We then interface our design concepts with the rich histories and systems that exist around the site.

"A typical day at work would involve studying the designs of my team members and questioning them about their design concept, thoughts and ideas, then challenging them to come out with more design solutions. Then there are projects that I handle personally where I have to meet up with project managers and other team members in the workgroup."

There are external challenges to deal with, too. He says: "It is common to face scepticism regarding our design proposals. At the same time we are also constantly challenged to generate new and refreshing ideas."

Collaborative effort
The breadth of experience accumulated with each project more than makes up for the work Mr Tang and his team put in. "Having worked on a variety of projects has allowed me to see things with a fresh perspective and given me the confidence to get a client to consider new ideas," he says.

He says: "I have become accustomed to stepping out of my comfort zone by constantly challenging the limits of our current industry practices."

Mr Tang adds that he has learnt the importance of collaboration. He says: "I believe that this has allowed for many of our works to become more ambitious and exciting."

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