Speech by Minister Desmond Lee at the URA Architectural Heritage Awards 2024
Nov 8, 2024
Introduction
It is my pleasure to join all of you at the 2024 Architectural Heritage Awards.
Today’s ceremony is a significant milestone as it marks 30 years since we launched the first Architectural Heritage Awards. This milestone reflects our strong commitment to conservation, a journey that intertwines our past with our future.
Importance of heritage in long-term planning
Heritage is integral to nation building and sustainable development. It anchors our sense of place and collective identity as Singaporeans, and helps shape the distinctiveness of our city that we are proud to call home.
Even as we develop and plan for our future, we must strive to incorporate significant heritage in our development plans to recall Singapore’s rich history – the places, events and communities that define this nation.
An important way we do so is through conserving buildings and structures of the highest significance to serve as a physical and visual link to our past.
While we select them for conservation based on their architectural significance to shape our unique cityscape, we also recognise that their historic significance can come about from lived experiences – that is, our personal or a community’s experience of these spaces.
And by conserving such buildings and structures, we hope to retain physical reminders of the shared history and memories of our nation, communities, and people. This fosters a deeper connection among Singaporeans that binds us together and strengthens our national identity.
Stewarding our built heritage as part of land use planning – new buildings proposed for conservation
A fine example is the Mun San Fook Tuck Chee temple at Sims Drive. It is one of the oldest Cantonese temples in Singapore, reflecting the Cantonese Chinese migrant community’s social-historical development along the banks of Kallang River. The temple serves as a significant local identity marker that actively promotes its heritage and cultural practices through its heritage gallery, publications, and festivities. I am therefore pleased to announce that URA is proposing to conserve it, as a lead up to the Draft Master Plan 2025.
The historic significance of buildings and structures can also be embodied in key historic events.
Take for example, a cluster of 19 pre-war bungalows at Adam Park. Its rich heritage and special significance are recognised by many people. The site was the backdrop of an intense battle during World War Two lasting three days, and had housed a former Prisoner of War camp during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore. The bungalows, which are good representatives of the typology of housing built by the Singapore Improvement Trust, or SIT, in the late 1920s remain largely intact, along with their setting and landscape. This allows visitors to appreciate the battlefield history of the site as well as the lived experiences associated with them. I am pleased to announce that URA is also proposing to conserve these buildings.
Even as we conserve buildings and structures, we ensure their functions continue to evolve to serve the needs of present and future generations. This is testament to Singapore’s unique approach of sustainable development and urban conservation. Our agencies will continue to study how to better enhance, upkeep and bring out the important stories and legacies of our heritage sites. This will also enable a greater appreciation and deeper understanding of their history and their architecture.
Recalling our heritage and memories beyond conservation
We have come a long way, and our approach to conservation has evolved and matured over the years. Singapore’s urban conservation programme was launched some 35 years ago in 1989. Since then, we have conserved over 7,200 buildings and structures in over 100 areas.
While these are important, they are far from the only buildings and structures that matter. Everyday places that were a big part of our lives at some point – our schools, our workplaces, public spaces, and many more – also play a significant role in capturing our memories and creating a sense of place.
But as an island city-state with very limited land and intense land use pressures, we cannot afford to conserve or keep every old building and structure. We must therefore think out of the box to pursue various ways to recall and celebrate the rich heritage of these everyday places.
One way is to selectively retain key elements that are most meaningful. For example, we retained the old Jurong Fire Station’s tower as part of the playground for the new Boon Lay Glade HDB housing estate. A couple of years ago, I visited the old fire station with a long history, and many generations of firemen, personnel from the Singapore Civil Defence Force, had memories of training and working in the place. They knew that their beloved base was going to make way for a new HDB estate, so some of them made a request, to keep some elements of their old fire station, including the tower. So HDB made some adjustments, and today, the tower remains a link between the past and the present, and allows new residents, who are users of this space, to recognise that underneath the new architecture, lies layers of history, memories and purpose.
Now another way is to put up markers to recall a site’s history. For example, the project team behind the building we are in today, the former No 17, 19 and 21 Jiak Kim Street Warehouses, curated a heritage trail containing art installations and storyboards telling the story of the Singapore River to complement its conservation.
These efforts allow us to preserve memories and reinforce Singaporeans’ sense of place and belonging, even as our city continues to develop and modernise to meet future needs and challenges.
Recognising custodians in our built heritage ecosystem
Protecting and sustaining our built heritage is a collective responsibility of different custodians in the built heritage ecosystem, including building owners, architects, researchers and builders. We would not have been able to achieve what we have on our own. Today, we are here to recognise them.
I would like to congratulate the recipients of the Award for Conservation; in no order of merit.
First, the team behind the residential townhouse 59 Emerald Hill Road. We don’t often see this level of care and attention given to the restoration of a residential interior. Through the team’s detailed investigation and inventory of the building’s historic elements and layers, unique interior elements such as a ‘peep hole’ into the five-foot way, timber lattice and partitions, and rare artificial marble tiles have been kept. I would like to commend the owner, Ms Dawn Chan, for her enlightened approach of sensitive restoration and minimal intervention to beautifully highlight the house’s innate architectural charm while meeting present-day needs. We hope that she will inspire other homeowners to take equal pride in their heritage properties.
Second, the teams behind the former Bukit Timah Railway Station, which has been conferred the Award for Conservation Distinction, and the Bukit Timah Truss Bridges. The projects stand out for their excellent integration of heritage, nature, and community, transforming a historic railway line into a well-loved community space. In particular, I would like to commend and celebrate the different disciplines and professions that came together to deliver an exemplary outcome. The engineers who inventorised and carefully reinstated the railway tracks and sleepers; the artisans who restored the railway station and staff quarters to capture the charm of travel in a bygone era; and the landscapers who helped unify the site to enhance the visitor experience.
Third, the team behind the former No. 17, 19, and 21 Jiak Kim Street Warehouses. The project demonstrates outstanding synergy between conservation and intervention, and between nostalgia and modernism. In its current incarnation, the buildings have undergone masterful restoration. They have been transformed into a restaurant, event space and reception lobby that showcase its lofty interior as part of a mixed-use development comprising residences and serviced apartments. I would like to commend the team of architects and conservation specialists, especially Studio Lapis and heritage interpretation artist Mr Edwin Cheong, on their efforts to showcase the rich heritage of the site through the delightful and masterful curation of art installations and historical information markers that I’ve mentioned earlier. This is a very good example of going beyond technical excellence of the restoration project.
And last but certainly not least, the team behind St Joseph’s Church. I applaud the Catholic Church for its efforts in bringing together artisans and restoration experts to restore the building and various artefacts. In particular, how the team ingeniously addressed modern fire safety requirements in a way that was sensitive to the historic architecture, for example, skilfully reinstating the 1900s dormer windows of the Church while ensuring they serve as a mitigation method for smoke hazard; and putting in place a holistic post-restoration preventive maintenance plan.
Congratulations also to our winners, including the four special mentions – 12 Mount Sophia, Golden Bell Mansion, Malabar Mosque, and Sri Mariamman Temple. You truly deserve the recognition for your dedication and skill in breathing new life into our built heritage spaces through efforts in restoring them, enlivening them, caring for them, and making them more inclusive for the wider community and the public.
Conclusion
The protection of our built heritage takes the work of an entire ecosystem – building owners, professionals and the community to work with the Government, in order to keep our built heritage for the next generation and beyond.
We will support and encourage all of you to come on board as stewards of our built heritage. Together, we can continue to create a liveable and endearing home for all, not only today, but for many generations to come. On that note, congratulations once again to all our winners.
Thank you.