PROMOTING ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN DESIGN EXCELLENCE IN SINGAPORE

Mr Bobby Chin, Chairman, URA
Colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon

The need to develop attractive and distinctive cities

1 Globalisation has intensified the competition among countries for growth. Vibrant, attractive and liveable cities are magnets that draw and retain businesses and talents which fuel economic growth. Cities all over the world are investing heavily in state of the art facilities, infrastructure and developments to keep abreast of the changing demands. In the midst of such competition, Singapore needs to create an equally, if not more attractive environment. Two weeks ago, I announced in Parliament that we will focus on the development of Marina Bay over the next 10 to 15 years. In doing so, we hope to create a new downtown for Singapore, and make it our key competitive advantage.

2 Beyond developing a specific area, elevating the quality of design in our buildings and spaces overall is an important part of our strategy to make Singapore a competitive and attractive city. The quality of Singapore’s built environment has improved considerably since the rapid urbanisation of the 70s and 80s. Significant developments have created a distinctive image of Singapore. For example, the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay and the new Merlion Park have given landmark presence to the Marina Bay waterfront.

3 However, more can be done to elevate the quality of design in our buildings and spaces, and to showcase Singapore as a distinctive city and a city of distinction. Not only will quality designs beautify our environment, it can also inspire creativity and pride.

Learning from Manchester City’s regeneration experience

4 A few years ago, I was in Manchester. This old city has managed to find a new lease of life both economically and culturally, as a result of its physical regeneration. Manchester in the 1980s was in decline. The devastating bombing in its city centre in 1996 appeared to be the killer blow. However, the city underwent a 5-year physical regeneration programme. The result was a stunning transformation of the cityscape, brought about by many new and innovative architectural and urban redevelopment projects.

5 I visited the Urbis Centre, a bold and futuristic-looking building in the heart of the city centre designed by Ian Simpson. The building houses a museum covering the history and development of Manchester and features exhibits on the experience of city living in different cities all over the world, including Singapore. Next to the Urbis Centre was a civic park called the Exchange Square. It was a lively and vibrant space with many people gathering on its tiered steps to watch live telecasts of the Commonwealth Games from a large projection screen.

6 Today, Manchester is the third most visited city in United Kingdom, with 3.5 million tourists spending about 463 million pounds each year. But beyond the economic value that resulted from its regeneration efforts, I was struck by the immense pride that the people of Manchester have in their city. The regeneration of their city has brought about economic gains and a renewed vitality.

Good Design Does Not Mean Extravagance

7 Good design need not necessarily be expensive and ostentatious. Rather, good design can mean value-for-money, well built and efficiently laid out floor plans and spaces that enhance our city and bring pride and satisfaction to our citizens. The challenge for planners, architects and developers is to find the balance that will enable the development of distinctive buildings without extravagance and waste.

Nurturing an appreciation for quality architecture and urban design

8 The development of quality buildings and public space does not rest on industry players alone. There is a need to nurture among the wider population a design-conscious culture that appreciates, desires and demands quality design for our built environment. Cities like London, New York and Rotterdam have a healthy appreciation of architecture that is cultivated through outreach programmes that focus on architecture, urban development issues and promoting the works of their local architects.

9 Rotterdam has enjoyed much success in this area over the last decade or so. The Dutch have actively encouraged design excellence. As a result, Rotterdam has a rich palette of architecturally innovative and inspiring buildings, enabling the city to clinch the title of European Cultural Capital in 2001.

10 These are useful lessons for us, as we strive to nurture better public appreciation of good architecture and urban design.

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Promoting a vibrant design community in Singapore

11 I am glad to note that in recent years URA has actively encouraged higher excellence in building design among practitioners and a greater appreciation for design in general.

12 Last year, URA exhibited the works of Pritzker Prize winner Professor Fumihiko Maki. URA will continue to broaden its architecture and urban design promotion efforts to include exhibitions, talks, seminars and publications. These are effective vehicles to help promote and raise public awareness in this field and also to nurture and develop a vibrant design community.

13 URA will also be organising design competitions to encourage participation and creativity. Competitions like the Duxton Plain International Architectural Design Competition, which URA organised in 2002, saw many innovative solutions for high-rise, high-density city living. We will continue to organize competitions for special sites and projects, such as the ideas design competition for public spaces, last year, and the design competition for the bridges at the Southern Ridges, which is currently on-going. The active participation of many practitioners and even the public in these competitions augurs well for Singapore in our quest to create a distinctive home.

14 To further the promotion of excellent designs, URA is working to establish an Architecture and Urban Design Promotion Programme that will encourage private organisations and individuals to undertake initiatives to promote urban planning and architectural excellence. This could be in the form of co-sponsorship for projects that foster the development of professionals or generate public interest in the fields of urban planning and architectural excellence. URA will announce more details later in the year when the plans are firmed up.

15 With the move towards greater excellence in urban planning and architectural design, and the development of various strategic areas, exciting times lie ahead for architects, planners and developers, as well as Singaporeans in general. Those in the industry, such as yourselves, will have ample opportunities to participate in the effort to create an attractive and distinctive Singapore.

16 There is no lack of design talents in Singapore. To showcase the variety, diversity and quality of our talents, URA, in collaboration with the Singapore Institute of Architects, Board of Architects, the National University of Singapore and the Real Estate Developers’ Association of Singapore, have initiated a series of exhibitions to publicize the works of Singapore-registered architects.

17 The exhibition today is the first in the series of what we hope will be many more exhibitions to come. This first exhibition showcases the works of young Singapore-registered architects who are all under 45. Other exhibition themes lined up include overseas projects by Singaporean architects, works by pioneering architects and those working in the public sector.

18 Aptly titled “20 under 45 “, this exhibition aims to offer greater recognition and exposure to our younger architects. The works of these architects have already begun to shape Singapore’s urban landscape. Architects like Chan Soo Khian and Wong Mun Summ had garnered URA’s Architecture Heritage Awards for their projects in 2003, while Look Boon Gee won the SIA Architectural Design Awards in 2001. There is also Khoo Peng Beng and Belinda Huang, who took the top honours at the Duxton Plain International Public Housing Design Competition, organised by URA in 2002.

19 Many of our architects including those here tonight, have also ventured beyond our shores and have done well in the international arena. We can find their works regionally: in Bali, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai, and further afield like Hawaii and Spain. Others have won international accolades: Tai Lee Siang’s The Bayshore and Far East Square projects both won the Prix d’ Excellence awards from FIABCI, the International Real Estate Federation. Look Boon Gee’s entry for the Grand Egyptian Museum International Design Competition last year received a Distinctive Entry commendation.

20 These architects represent the diversity, innovation, energy and quality of the younger generation of Singaporean architects. They demonstrate the potential that can be unleashed to elevate Singapore’s architectural and urban design scene. I am confident we will see more quality works from our architecture fraternity. I congratulate all participants of this exhibition. It is my pleasure now to launch the exhibition – “20 under 45”.

Thank you.

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