Speech by 2M Indranee Rajah for The 61st Singapore Institute of Architect (SIA)'s Annual Dinner
May 16, 2024
Good evening everyone. I’m really happy to join you for the celebration of the 61st Anniversary of the Singapore Institute of Architects, as part of the 2024 edition of Singapore Archifest.
Designing for People
In Singapore, where every square kilometre of land is precious, because of that, the work of our architects is vital.
You play an important role in shaping an enduring and quality living environment for people that will transcend generations. Just think of that – you have a role that lives beyond you, and influences generations that come after you.
This is even more challenging in our small island city-state, because we have to carefully steward our limited land and resources to provide space for both current and future generations in Singapore. The Government cannot address this challenge alone. We need to partner communities and professionals, like you, to come up with more creative solutions to overcome our land constraints, and create an enduring home and good quality living environment for all Singaporeans.
This year’s Archifest theme, on the intangible value of architecture, is an apt reminder of the immeasurable quality of the work we need to do amidst these challenges – to plan and design spaces for people that can uplift the human spirit, evoke social memories, and inspire communities for years to come.
Planning Ahead
Draft Master Plan 2025
As architects, you know or have been involved in Singapore’s long-term planning process. During the recent Long-Term Plan Review to map the strategies which guide Singapore’s development for the next 50 years and beyond, we had the opportunity to showcase the creativity and impact of close collaborations between the Government and the architectural community.
So one example is the redevelopment of the Paya Lebar Air Base area.
We are now in the midst of the Draft Master Plan exercise, to translate these longer-term strategies into detailed plans that can be implemented on the ground over the next 10 to 15 years.
URA launched the Draft Master Plan 2025, or DMP2025, public engagement exercise last October, and will be launching several exciting initiatives in the coming months.
A key focus of DMP2025 is the future of homes and housing. Going forward, we will not have many large tracts of land available to develop, and will instead need to look towards redeveloping and rejuvenating existing areas to provide new housing opportunities for Singaporeans.
For instance, at an exhibition that we held last year titled “My City, My Home”, we shared our plans for new residential neighbourhoods in more central parts of Singapore, such as Bukit Timah Turf City and Pearl’s Hill, where we are studying a mix of both public and private housing options, and enabling sensitive development amid the heritage and greenery already there.
As professionals in the built environment sector, your expertise and views are critical to the development of the Draft Master Plan and in taking a more sensitive approach required to plan new spaces and rejuvenate existing ones. As part of the public engagement exercise, URA will continue to partner SIA for upcoming exhibitions and design competitions that can help us shape our plans.
Placemaking Initiatives
One initiative that I am excited to announce is the work of our Housing and Development Board with SIA to reimagine Bukit Merah Town Centre.
Bukit Merah is steeped in history, housing our very first public housing estates during post-war Singapore. Its Town Centre has a deep social significance for residents both young and old, and remains an important community node with services and amenities for working professionals, young families and the elderly.
HDB had engaged around 660 residents across different demographics and abilities, on what they hope to see and do at this space. We received a range of feedback; some felt there should be more barrier-free spaces, some wanted to be able to relax amongst greenery, while others wanted to have adventurous play options for youths and families.
Under HDB’s Remaking Our Heartlands (ROH) programme, HDB and SIA will be putting out a Placemaking Challenge to seek ideas to rejuvenate and refresh this public space, to make it more accessible, comfortable and inclusive. The competition, which was launched today (16 May), will run for two months until 16 July.
We hope those amongst you in the audience today will rise to the challenge and propose creative solutions to help us meet the needs and aspirations of the community in Bukit Merah.
Singapore Pavilion: Venice Architecture Biennale 2025
As we plan and design for the future, we also want to continue broader and deeper conversations with our friends abroad on some of the similar issues we collectively face as cities.
I am pleased to announce that Singapore will be participating again in the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale.
URA and the DesignSingapore Council will be co-commissioning the Singapore Pavilion for the Biennale. We will be sharing more details in the coming weeks on the curatorial direction, and call for proposals, so do look out for it
Transforming the Industry to Seize Opportunities
As we plan for new developments to meet the needs and aspirations of Singaporeans, our Built Environment sector also needs to transform to stay ahead of the curve and be ready to capitalise on growth opportunities. Let me touch on a few areas of importance.
People should be at the heart of our transformation efforts. I am heartened that SIA and its members have been proactively spearheading various efforts to uplift the profession.
For instance, SIA has been working on a “Blueprint” to outline tangible ways an architect can value-add to the built environment stakeholders across a project’s life cycle.
The SIA Young Architects League has also organised an exciting line-up of initiatives, ranging from mentorship programmes to AI Hackathons, to bring the community together to upskill collectively.
We must do more to collectively enhance the value proposition of the architectural profession to effectively attract and retain talents.
Firms and business leaders need to continuously invest effort and resources to provide professional development opportunities and progressive workplaces for our employees to thrive.
To support our firms, our agencies have made available resources, such as the Human Capital Diagnostic Tool that can identify areas for improvements. Funding support is also available to support employees to upskill and for firms to redesign jobs as the sector transforms.
Transformation is also a team sport. To reap greater outcomes, consultants, developers, builders and agencies need to collaborate closely with one another.
A key enabler of collaboration is CORENET X, the new one-stop digital platform for the industry to make regulatory submissions for building works.
CORENET X brings together stakeholders across different disciplines to collaborate upstream and make coordinated digital submissions at key approval milestones.
Agencies will also provide coordinated responses to project teams’ submissions.
Through this, project teams may benefit from time and cost savings, as potential design conflicts and miscommunications may be resolved much earlier.
We will be accepting voluntary submissions through CORENET X from 1 June 2024.
I would like to thank SIA for providing valuable inputs to refine CORENET X along the way.
SIA is one of our key industry partners who has helped to curate the training courses on the new process under CORENET X.
I encourage project teams to try out the portal and familiarise yourselves with it when the voluntary submission starts, because its really better to do it voluntarily before it becomes mandatory. At least you get a chance to practice before you have to do it.
Transformation is never easy, especially given the competitive pressures our firms face. We have heard your concerns about unhealthy industry practices, such as fee-diving behaviours.
As a major buyer of construction and consultancy services, the Government continually reviews our procurement policies to ensure that our approach remains fair, progressive and promotes transformation outcomes.
The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has recently made further enhancements to our tender evaluation framework, also known as the Quality Fee Method, to increase emphasis on quality and further deter fee diving behaviour. These changes have come into effect from 1 March 2024.
We have also been encouraging private developers and service buyers to adopt fair and more progressive contracting practices.
So we look forward to continued partnership with the industry to improve the long-term sustainability of our built environment ecosystem.
Conclusion
In conclusion, let me express my thanks to the SIA for your invaluable contributions in uplifting the profession, partnering the Government in various projects, and bringing Singapore to the international stage.
I am honoured to celebrate with you the recipients of this year’s Young Architect Award, and SIA Architectural Design Award, who exemplify excellence in their contributions to Singapore’s architectural landscape.
Congratulations in advance to the award recipients tonight, and I encourage you to continue pushing the boundaries in designing our city sensitively to meet the future needs and aspirations of our people.
I look forward to our conversations and continued partnership, to transform the built environment sector and make Singapore a better home for generations to come.
I wish you all a fruitful evening. Thank you very much.