SINGAPORE – An archive focusing on local architecture is set to be established by the authorities.
In December, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) launched a quotation exercise for an architectural historian to lead a team that will conduct research on a list of shortlisted architects for the project.
The project, referred to as the “Singapore architecture collection” and “National Architecture Collection” in procurement documents, is a collaboration between URA and the National Library Board (NLB), and is supported by the National Heritage Board.
URA said that through the project, the authorities aim to “chronicle Singapore’s modern and contemporary architecture developments through the collection of architecture documents and public engagement programmes”.
Such documents include blueprints, models, paraphernalia and photographs that showcase notable works past and present in Singapore, document the nation’s architecture, as well as illustrate “the innovation and creativity of our country”, said URA.
It added that the project is meant to enhance Singaporeans’ sense of national identity “by positioning architecture as a significant cultural expression”, “encourage architectural discourse to promote and inspire design excellence and innovation”, as well as raise Singaporeans’ sense of belonging in the built environment through community engagement.
Observers said the archive’s establishment is long overdue, adding that its curation should not be a top-down exercise. They hope that the lead architectural historian – who, as at Sunday, has not been appointed – will be given at least some autonomy to set up the archive, in consultation with relevant stakeholders.
URA said in procurement documents that the project “is envisioned as a collaborative effort between various parties”, to ensure its vision “is meaningful and that there is co-sharing of resources towards a common goal”.
It added that the lead historian will have to research 12 shortlisted architects over 13 months, working with a team of six tertiary-level student researchers from an unnamed local institute of higher learning.
URA could also extend the contract by another 13 months to research another 12 architects.
When asked for more details about the archive, such as if it will be accessible to the public and how the list of architects was decided, URA and NLB said the project “is in its early stages” and that more information will be given when available.
Singapore Institute of Architects president Melvin Tan said the institute is collaborating with the authorities on the project, and added that the collection could help make the architecture community’s legacy accessible to Singaporeans from all walks of life.
Architectural and urban historian Lai Chee Kien said an archive for architecture in Singapore is long overdue and is needed because the country boasts good examples of buildings spanning the colonial, independence and post-independence periods which have yet to be fully curated or recorded.
Cycles of development and redevelopment, especially from the 1970s to 1990s, “have erased or altered many works of architecture and districts worthy of recording for posterity”, said Dr Lai, a registered architect.
Citing Hong Kong’s M+ museum, which has in its collection artefacts relevant to Singapore, Dr Lai said many choice artefacts have already gone abroad.
“The authorities are thus late to the game in many ways, with lacunae to fill in,” he said. “Many architects have also passed away in the last two decades.”
The forthcoming establishment of the archive comes on the back of the conservation of Golden Mile Complex in 2021, which National Development Minister Desmond Lee has said “is considered one of the most architecturally, historically and socially significant modern buildings in Singapore”.
“It is a symbol of the architectural and engineering ingenuity of Singapore’s pioneer generation of building professionals, including Gan Eng Oon, William Lim, Tay Kheng Soon, Koh Seow Chuan, Chan Sui Him, Joseph Huang, Woh Hup, and many others,” said Mr Lee in March 2022.
Singapore Heritage Society president Jack Lee said the society hopes that the archive will spur the authorities to consider which other buildings or sites should be conserved, “especially if they do not fit the image of what Singaporeans feel should be conserved because of the sole focus on the aesthetics”.
“Often, Singaporeans tend not to think about who designed the buildings that they live in or use, and how the building’s architectural style speaks to Singapore’s history,” said Dr Lee. “It is hoped that the archive brings awareness to Singaporeans about this, and that our buildings are not soulless pieces of work.”
Meanwhile, Docomomo Singapore chair Ho Weng Hin hopes the archive will revive a tradition of teaching and researching Singapore’s architectural history in local universities, which was at its zenith in the 1990s.
Mr Ho, a founding partner of architectural conservation consultancy Studio Lapis, added that there is no strong “keeping culture” among local architecture firms, with architectural materials disposed of when they are no longer needed for a project – leading to the loss of many records and models.
He hopes the archive will reverse this trend, so that useful materials can be brought together and catalogued to support future research.
Observers also said the archive’s curation should not be dictated solely by the authorities.
Dr Lai said: “Such a collection should ideally not be managed by those involved as a top-down exercise, since there are multiple stakeholders and a small extant community. He added that the lead architectural historian should “have some free rein to cast the framework and objectives for the collection, in consultation with the authorities and other stakeholders”.
“The objectives expressed in procurement documents seem limited and are not planned as phases or towards a larger or longer-term goal, such as an architecture gallery or museum.”
Referencing the authorities’ aim to enhance Singaporeans’ sense of national identity, Dr Lai noted that many local architects work outside Singapore, “particularly in peninsular Malaysia, but also in the region, then and now”.
He cited architects Alfred Wong and Ho Kok Hoe, who both have prominent works in Malaysia.
“There can be a Singapore collection without restricting its presence in concentric realms of the local, regional and international,” said Dr Lai, who added that the cross-border circulation of materials and professional networks adds to the narratives connected to a building or site.
Mr Ho said it is worth capturing less well-known buildings or architects that also play a part in Singapore’s urban environment history.
Dr Lee suggested that the authorities target specific demographics of the population when engaging the public on the archive.
For instance, he said, URA and NLB can collaborate with the Education Ministry and institutes of higher learning to tap the archive in teaching Singapore’s history, society and economy.
Dr Lee said the authorities could also work with community centres and town councils to highlight and celebrate buildings in towns, which will help strengthen connections between residents and buildings or sites.
Ultimately, the archive must be made public to achieve the goals the authorities have set for it, he added. “It will be an important resource not just for urban planners or architects, but also Singaporeans and even the wider world.”
“Source:[Archive on Singapore architecture to be set up] © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction”
