The Role of the Architectural Community
in Shaping Singapore’s Future

Ms Rita Soh, President SIA,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen.

Good evening. It is my pleasure to be here to share this evening of celebration with you.

A New Era of Development

2. They say that Singaporeans are always in a hurry. And so it seems. It took us more than 140 years to grow from a fishing village to a bustling trading outpost of the British empire. But barely over 40 years to transform that trading outpost into the modern metropolis we are today. It is a living testament to a hardworking and pragmatic generation, who toiled to achieve their dream of a modern, efficient and thriving city-state.

3. Now, we are at the threshold of yet another exciting era of development – to build a distinctive global city. Moving beyond the functional and efficient, we dream of making Singapore a city of distinction, strong in both the hardware of an attractive and efficient built environment, and the software of a vibrant, creative people. We want Singapore to be a choice location for talent, for business and for pleasure. PM in his National Day Rally speech, painted a vision of Singapore as a vibrant global city, “ a city that reflects the spirit of our people, a sparkling jewel, a home for all of us to be proud of ”.

4. It is an exciting vision, a new challenge, and one that I believe will rally Singaporeans in the next stage of our development. All of us will have a role to play in shaping this future, but the architectural and building community, including planners, engineers, surveyors, contractors, and developers, will have a particularly significant role to play. The kind of city that we aspire to be requires the creation of distinctive, quality developments that not only define the physical appearance of a city, but are well-designed for life and living. Well-designed buildings add to a city’s image and reflect the spirit of their creators, owners and occupants. They also enhance the quality of life for the people and the community.

5 I see that the Singapore Institute of Architects is excited about the new vision and actively responding to the challenge.
Rita has shared with us a comprehensive blueprint for the architectural community, to encourage local architects to aim for high standards and to excel locally as well as regionally. The new SIA-Getz Architecture Prize will provide recognition for outstanding architectural talents in Asia. This industry initiative is a good example of how the private sector can contribute to raising awareness of design excellence, and thus make our city more beautiful.

What the Government has done

6. The Government is committed to realising the vision of creating a vibrant global city. We have set aside funds for the rejuvenation of Orchard Road, sold sites at Marina Bay, and will build infrastructure to support the development of the Marina Bay area. The Urban Redevelopment Authority has stepped up its programme to promote the awareness and appreciation of architecture and urban design excellence in Singapore. Through exhibitions, publications and talks by eminent designers, a higher degree of appreciation of our city can be generated. These programmes have been done in collaboration with professional institutes such as the SIA.

Three opportunities for private sector participation:
7. Tonight, I am pleased to inform you about three new opportunities that have been created to further recognise, encourage and engage the architectural community in the creation of a distinctive Singapore.

I) President’s Design Award

8. The first is a high-level national design award. This evening, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, Dr Lee Boon Yang, will announce the launch of a new national award called the President’s Design Award. Co-sponsored by MICA and MND, this is Singapore’s highest honour for designers working here. It emphasises the value of good design, including architecture and urban design, recognises the significant achievements and contributions of Singapore’s design talents and is a clear signal of the level of support that Singapore accords to design and design practitioners.

9. Two types of awards will be given out – the “Singapore Designers of the Year” and “Singapore Designs of the Year” Awards. One of the categories under the “Singapore Designs of the Year” award will be Architecture and Urban Design. This special recognition of good architecture and urban design projects and their designers will achieve two things. First, it will encourage more distinctive architectural and urban designs in projects that will help shape Singapore into the special city we aspire to be. Second, our standing as a centre of excellence for architectural and urban design will be enhanced by including not just local works, but also the overseas works of locally-based architects and urban designers.

10. The prestige of the President’s Design Award for A&UD reflects the value we place on excellent architectural design and our commitment to encourage quality and distinctive developments. The new SIA-Getz Architecture will complement this national effort. Singapore architects now have more opportunities to excel and to be recognised, locally, regionally and internationally.

11. The inaugural President’s Design Awards will be presented to deserving projects and designers next year. More details will be announced later by DesignSingapore Council and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).

II) A.UD Promotion Programme

12. The second opportunity is URA’s A.UD Promotion Programme. Last December, the PM announced that URA has set aside $3 million to be used over the next three years to kick-start the A.UD Promotion Programme. The aim is to encourage the private sector to come forward with architecture and urban design promotion projects, to be co-funded up to 50 per cent of the cost. These can include exhibitions, design competitions, publications and research studies.

13. URA received a total of 18 applications ranging from exhibitions and publications, to public art displays. Tonight, I am pleased to announce the first two successful applicants.

14. The first is a double-volume book to be published by the Singapore Heritage Society entitled “Our Modern Past: Singapore’s Architectural History 1920s to 1970s”. The second is an exhibition of the works of two of our local architects, W Architects and WOHA Architects, who were invited by the prestigious AEDES Gallery in Berlin to exhibit their works there.

15. This is an ongoing programme, so I encourage more interested parties to participate in it, including those who did not succeed in the first cycle. Your participation will help us to promote a greater awareness and appreciation of architecture and urban design in Singapore and internationally.

III) Arts Incentive Scheme

16. The third opportunity is an arts incentive scheme. Memorable urban experiences are often enhanced, not just by architecture and urban design, but also by art in the city.

17. One recent example is “The Gates”, an art installation in Central Park, New York last winter. Held during the low tourist season of the New York winter, this installation by the artist Christo and his wife attracted 4 million visitors who spent some US$250 million in the city and benefited local businesses, big and small. This is a compelling example of how art can bring vibrancy as well as direct economic returns for the city and its residents.

18. To encourage the incorporation of art in our public urban spaces, the National Heritage Board (NHB) administers the Public Sculptures Scheme, which is a tax incentive scheme for the commissioning of public sculptures. To move this agenda forward yet another step, I am pleased to announce the Arts Incentive Scheme developed by URA, with the support of NHB.

19. This new Arts Incentive Scheme aims to encourage the display and incorporation of public art within private sector developments. Eligible art goes beyond sculpture; it can also include significant artistic elements such as water features and murals. The artwork has to be integrated permanently in the design of new commercial or residential buildings in the Central Area and remain publicly accessible – physically, or visually. In turn, developers will enjoy additional Gross Floor Area (GFA) over and above the maximum allowable under the Master Plan 2003. More details will be announced by the URA shortly.

Conclusion

20. The stage is set for us to move Singapore into the next league. We have articulated a clear vision for Singapore to be a vibrant global city. We have put in place incentives, plans and funding to support this goal. The three initiatives announced tonight should give an added boost to the effort. I hope that the architectural community will make use of these incentives. At the same time, I urge you to initiate new ones, as you have done, to encourage distinctive design and architectural excellence. There is much that you can do individually and as a group to make Singapore the place for business, living and leisure.

21. I look forward to your active partnership with the Government in achieving our common goal of making Singapore one of the best cities in the world; a ”sparkling jewel which belongs to all of us.”

Thank you.

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