AD13LM Land Management Lecture 6: Preservation and Conservation

History of Conservation Pressing need during urban renewal: Address housing shortage, economic growth (1960’s) Recommendations from United Nations (1963) Preservation – National Monuments (1973) Encouraging conservation in the private sector

Tanjong Pagar – shophouse conservation Little incentive for private citizens to conserve their buildings

Conservation Master Plan (1986) Identified 6 historical areas: Chinatown, Kampong Glam, Little India, Singapore River, Emerald Hill, Empress Place/Fort Canning/Bras Basah First conservation blueprint Covers more than 100 hectares or 4% of city core

Conservation Master Plan - Aims Preserve the architecture and ambience Provide conservation guidelines to facilitate private sector’s involvement in conservation;   Improve pedestrian walkways and signages;  Organise activities to bring out character of place and to encourage tourism.

Private sector undertook most of the conservation projects (75%) Government restored national monuments and state- owned properties (25%) 10 conservation areas: Chinatown (Telok Ayer, Kreta Ayer, Tanjong Pagar, Bukit Pasoh) Little India, Kampong Glam, Singapore River, Cairnhill Road and Emerald Hill To date: 7,000 buildings under conservation status in 100 areas

Preservation and Conservation Highest level of preservation – original architecture design, materials and method of construction Set of guidelines National monument – total number: 72 monuments and sites:

Conservation More flexible approach Adaptive changes to new uses Conservation districts, individual buildings More than just preserving the façade of a building; retain the ambience as far as possible

3R Principle: Retention, Restoration, Repair Original structure and architectural elements should be retained and restored as far as possible without reconstructing the entire building; replace only parts of the building Restoration: research and documentation Eg Asia Insurance Building - Archival drawings, site examination - Research on original creamy travertine and Nero Portaro marble cladding - Brass mail chute from 1950’s retained for use - Upgraded to meet the needs of modern hotel while maintaining its rich heritage value

Conservation districts – Chinatown, Little India, Kampong Glam Historic districts – strictest form of building conservation Unique features: architectural styles, rich ornamentation Entire building envelope including rear courts are restored; low-rise scale of area is maintained. Diverse uses based on original character – commercial, community, residential Established trades are encouraged to remain eg Tiger Balm, Chinese medicine shops in Chinatown; other trades and uses are gone: clog making, lantern making, ‘death’ houses at Sago Lane

Chinatown

Kampong Glam

Little India

Residential – Emerald Hill, Cairnhill, Blair Plain First developed as residences for the well to do Blair Plain: - two to three storey shophouses of various architectural styles, Peranakan tiles, from Early and Modern shophouse styles - To accommodate modern day needs of a family home, extension at the rear of the houses is permitted Emerald Hill - two storey terrace houses of architectural styles ranging from Transitional to Art Deco; residences of Peranakans and wealthy merchants in the 1930’s - extension at rear of house allowed, need to be lower than main roof

Blair Plain

Emerald Hill

Jalan Besar, Beach Rd, River Valley, Geyland and Joo Chia Mix of ‘Late shophouse’, Art Deco and Modern shophouse architectural styles Planning guidelines focus more on streetscapes as these areas have both historic shophouses and new, taller developments. Joo Chiat: decorative and ornate shophouses

Good class bungalows & Mountbatten Rd conservation area ‘Black and white’ bungalows built in the 1900s to 1950s Standalone two-storey houses, often with verandahs at the front and side; broad overhanging hipped roofs set in large grounds Influenced by Tudor styles and Malay kampong houses; catered to the British The highest ranking colonial officers lived in them White House Park/Nassim Road conservation area Chatsworth Park conservation area Holland Park/Ridout Park conservation area If the bungalow is within a site allowed for condominiums, it can be converted to a clubhouse

Conclusion Cities face the challenge of striking a balance between conservation and redevelopment. In land-scarce Singapore, this is often a big challenge. We must develop our city to keep it attractive in the global economy. But in doing so, we need to conserve our urban heritage because it gives us a sense of history and identity.