1. AD13LM Land Management Lecture 6: Preservation and Conservation

2. 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

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

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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

7. 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:

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. Chinatown

12. Kampong Glam

13. Little India

14. 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

15. Blair Plain

16. Emerald Hill

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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.