AD13LM Land Management Lecture 6: Preservation and Conservation
Why the need to Preserve? Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical science artefacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations. Cultural heritage includes tangible culture (such as buildings, monuments, landscapes, books, works of art, and artefacts), intangible culture (such as folklore, traditions, language, and knowledge), and natural heritage (including culturally significant landscapes, and biodiversity).
UNESCO UNESCO is responsible for coordinating international cooperation in education, science, culture and communication. As of July 2017, there are a total of 1,073 World Heritage Sites Moai Statues, Easter Island Taj Mahal, India Great Wall, China Colosseum, Rome The Sphinx & Pyramids in Giza, Egypt Machu Picchu, Peru
UNESCO
Singapore First UNESCO World Heritage Site
Singapore First UNESCO World Heritage Site https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iveqenjn3h0
Singapore - 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
Shophouse Conservation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikigwcm3hja
Economic Value in Conservation Shophouses in demand among investors again STRAITS TIMES MAR 16, 2017, 5:00 AM SGT
Property Trend? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw8ydfzzxqi
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.
Conservation Effort Private sector undertook most of the conservation projects (75%) Government restored national monuments and stateowned 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 Preservation: 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
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
Charming Duxton Hill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jta1d3kunvw
To preserve and celebrate our shared heritage 1) Planning, research and publication to extend knowledge on sites and monuments 2) Regulatory support to guide restoration, preservation and protection of sites and monuments 3) Outreach, to promote public interest and awareness in sites and monuments 4) Advice for the government in respect of matters relating to the preservation of sites and monuments.
National Monuments
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 http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/homedesign/once-among-asias-giants
The Fullerton Hotel Singapore http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/7-things-about-the-fullertonbuilding-now-a-singapore-national-monument http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/fullerton-holds-specialmeaning-for-singaporeans-says-pm-lee https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/the_fullerton_hotel_singapore
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.
Thank you