Building an endearing home through conservation

Mr Alan Chan, Chairman of URA
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

Introduction

1 Conservation of our built heritage has played an important role in maintaining the identities and social memories of Singapore. This is especially critical in a fast-changing Singapore, where new developments sprout up at an unrelenting pace. A visitor once said that he was impressed by Singapore’s constant rejuvenation of its built environment. I believe this is necessary, and good for Singapore as we seek to maintain and enhance our position as a global city. However, rapid development must be undertaken sensitively, and be accompanied by conservation efforts so that we can capture the history and character of meaningful places as we evolve as a nation. Conservation is not just for the nostalgic, or the lovers of bygone days, but is an integral part of our effort to build up the social and historical foundation of Singapore. In helping to create a sense of attachment to familiar places among Singaporeans, conservation helps to root Singaporeans to their homeland.

Urban Land Institute Award

2 But conservation is a fine balancing act, requiring the consideration of conflicting preferences, and the need to make painful decisions either way. As conservation affects the development potential of land in some cases, trade-offs will have to be made between private and public gains and losses. There is a need to devise innovative ways to conserve buildings such that development potential and design flexibility are not compromised unduly, while allowing us to retain the memories of the place meaningfully.

3 Despite rapid urbanisation, Singapore has fared well in our conservation efforts. In July this year, Singapore’s conservation programme was conferred the prestigious Urban Land Institute 2006 Award for Excellence: Asia Pacific. This award is a significant recognition of the comprehensive efforts we have put in to protect places in Singapore. The result of this hard work is that we have more than 6,500 conserved buildings within our small island of 700 sq km.

4 Not only buildings but whole urban neighbourhoods and traditional streets have been conserved. This is one of the key strengths of Singapore’s conservation programme. Indeed, our urban conservation programme is Southeast Asia’s first and largest programme that protects urban streets and areas. Today, we have as many as 86 conservation areas, large and small. This protection of extensive contiguous areas of vernacular buildings and colourful neighbourhoods is one of the factors that impressed the jury of the Urban Land Institute Awards for Excellence.

5 But the Urban Land Institute Award would not have been possible without the support of the general public in conservation, as well as the active participation of many owners of heritage buildings in Singapore. Many have welcomed the decision to conserve their buildings, and have invested efforts and resources to restore these buildings. Industry professionals have also contributed significantly in painstaking restoration works, as well as innovative designs to accommodate both the old and the new. The Urban Land Institute Award is thus a deserving commendation to all involved in the process – policy makers, planners, industry professionals, and owners, all of whom have contributed to making Singapore a more endearing place.

The AHA Award

6 The annual URA Architectural Heritage Awards is another important event to recognise the important partnerships involved in conservation efforts. Introduced in 1995, the Awards aim to recognise buildings owners, developers and contractors who have achieved quality restoration and architectural excellence. Today, it gives me great pleasure to celebrate another seven winners, making it a total of 71 winners over the course of 12 years since the Awards first began.

7 This year’s award-winning buildings add to the variety of winners of the Awards. They include schools, churches, shophouses, and residential buildings. Many are allowed to continue its use or have been given a new lease of life through sensitive adaptation for modern uses.

8 For instance, one of the winners - the old St Andrew’s School - has now been restored as the new Diocesan Centre. Within the school grounds, the lovingly restored Church of the Ascension has also won the Award and will continue to serve as a place of worship as it has been for more than 40 years. Another winner, Empire Lofts, was once the home of customs officers during the colonial days and has now been transformed into studio apartments. New Majestic Hotel needs no introduction, having collected several international accolades for its innovative design in historic settings. The fifth winner, a Black & White bungalow, has been turned into the elegant clubhouse of Draycott 8 condominium.

9 To show that new and old can co-exist, 59 Blair Road has been beautifully restored for modern living while preserving its charming facade. The other is Tan Quee Lan Suites, a mixed-use development integrated with a new rear block.

10 These buildings, as well as other well-conserved developments, add depth and soul to our city. They reflect the rich diversity of heritage buildings retained in Singapore.

Retaining a variety of heritage buildings through the ages

11 URA will continue to work in partnership with stake-holders to conserve buildings that hold strong memories for Singaporeans. I am happy to announce today the conservation of two developments which display social significance. Some of you may be familiar with the former University of Singapore at Bukit Timah campus. Perhaps you studied there before. The premises have been home to five different tertiary institutions. The Bukit Timah campus as a whole dates from the 1920s when Raffles College, Singapore’s first college for higher education, was founded there. It was to become the nucleus of the then University of Singapore (SU), when SU was established there in 1962. SU has since evolved into NUS, the National University of Singapore. Over the years, it has housed many other tertiary pursuits, such as the National Institute of Education, the Singapore Management University, and now the Law Faculty of NUS.

12 The place has thus always been a seat of learning in the development of Singapore’s tertiary education. Selected post-war buildings in the Bukit Timah campus, including a lecture theatre, Science Tower and Raffles Hall, have been approved for conservation. Not only do these buildings hold dear memories for the former students, they help to chronicle the evolution of the university campus over the years.

13 Another building which holds strong memories for Singaporeans is the Customs Harbour Branch building next to Clifford Pier. Built in the 1960s, it is one of the earliest public buildings built in the Modern style, and heralds the move towards simple and functional styles of architecture for public buildings. The building also serves as a reminder of Singapore’s vibrant maritime history that was a major lifeline for our economy. Together with Clifford Pier, the Customs Harbour Branch building will be conserved and redeveloped into an exciting waterfront lifestyle and retail hub.

Expanding the Scope of Conservation

14 But what marks a place or makes it memorable is not necessarily just the building. It can be an elegant bridge, a unique sculpture, a beautiful pavilion, an ornate gate, or even a tower that offers panoramic views of the surroundings. These structures, too, contribute to the unique character and identity of a place. Many of these historic structures are still standing today.

15 In recognition of the historic and cultural significance of such structures, the Preservation of Monuments Board (PMB) has gazetted some structures for preservation as national monuments. Nanyang University Memorial and Arch and the Changi Prison Gate, Wall and Turrets are some examples.

16 Some historical structures have also been designated as historic sites by the National Heritage Board. These include one of the gasholder structures of the Kallang Gasworks, and a selection of gravestones and gates relocated from Bidadari Cemetery.

Protecting historic structures

17 However, there are some historic structures which may not meet the criteria for designation as national monuments or historic sites even though they possess historical and cultural significance. It is thus necessary to examine how we can protect these structures for conservation as part of our built heritage.

18 With this aim in mind, URA has identified some historic structures and will be studying their merits for conservation. Many of these are familiar landmarks that possess aesthetic, engineering, design and historical merits. They include:

19 URA will study the merits of conserving some of these structures in the coming months, in consultation with relevant agencies and private practitioners.

Continuing the Conservation Journey

20 Singapore has been relatively successful in its conservation journey in the past 20 years. To retain the story of our city’s evolution, this conservation journey must continue. The support and partnership of the private sector and the general public is critical for us to continue this effort of protecting Singapore’s built heritage and making Singapore a special and endearing home.

21 Finally, I would like to thank and congratulate the owners, architects, engineers and contractors of the seven winning projects this year for their outstanding efforts.

>>back to top