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  Straits Times 5 Aug 07
Goodbye famous 5?
Architects lament five iconic buildings that are succumbing to en bloc fever and may soon go under the wrecking ball
By Tay Suan Chiang

Straits Times 11 Aug 07
The future - at a cost
Letter from Alvin Liau Ann Woon

Straits Times 11 Aug 07
We are destroying what is uniquely Singaporean
Letter from Tan-Wee Yin Ping

I AM neither an architect nor a history buff.

However, a part of me died a little when I read the story, Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (LifeStyle, Aug 5).

I am only in my mid-30s and I cannot show my young children the library and the live theatre I used to visit. Growing up in Chinatown, I saw how the life and soul of the area were taken away and reduced to what many see today - a tourist trap. I saw beautiful pre-war houses in Teo Hong Road and New Bridge Road - homes to average folk - being taken away, only to make way for carparks.

I do not deny that many buildings in Chinatown have been preserved, and elsewhere too, but for whom and to what extent? Were our pre-war houses painted in bright multi-colours like you see today? Did they house mostly bars, pubs and restaurants? Did the shopkeepers sell keychains, T-shirts and CDs?

Is it not an irony that we spend money telling the world that we are 'Uniquely Singapore' yet we keep on destroying what is uniquely Singaporean?

We have replaced uniquely Singaporean architecture with 'iconic' modern buildings built by foreign talents.

While I understand that Singapore needs attractive man-made attractions like theme parks and casinos to attract tourists to stay economically healthy, I hope that the authorities would realise that it is the human geography of a country that touches the hearts of many visitors.

It is what gives a place authenticity and culture, and which will win the hearts of people.

With Singapore-style architecture disappearing, our indigenous identity is on its way to a slow demise.

Singapore's history is already young. With the architectural heritage weakening, the day will come when instead of showing my grandchildren the places I used to go or have fond memories of, they would be showing me their latest playgrounds instead.

Meanwhile, I will spend my next weekend visiting the horse-shoe Pearl Bank Apartments to show my daughters that this is the place where Mummy first earned her keep as a young student tutor.

Straits Times 11 Aug 07
The future - at a cost
Letter from Alvin Liau Ann Woon

I WRITE in response to Tay Suan Chiang's story, Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (LifeStyle, Aug 5).

It is poignant - and a reflection of prevailing attitudes - that an article on the imminent demise of five seminal examples of Singapore's architectural history should appear on the front pages of a section of The Straits Times called LifeStyle.

The current en bloc frenzy has been visited and revisited to death in the media. Depending on which side of the line one chooses to stand on, there will be both losers and winners.

To be fair, the returns to the developers and willing sellers are definitely tangible and quite possibly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

My question is: What is the price all Singaporeans - the winners and losers alike - have to pay for this quick financial windfall? What is the long-term loss?

Habitat 1 and 2 was an experiment in modernist prefabricated architecture - a collaboration between a local architecture office and Moshe Safdie. Safdie, as we all know, designed Habitat 67 for the World Expo in Montreal in 1967.

Golden Mile Complex was inspired by the Metabolist movement in Japan. It was also arguably the first and only building outside Japan that was built on such a scale. Again, it was an experiment, this time in mega-structures and mixed-use living.

Futura and Beverly Mai, in targeting the growing middle class, were landmarks of Singapore's progress, the concept of 'bungalows in the sky' tested out for luxury living in a dense, urban environment.

Pearl Bank Apartments was an example of adapting the Western modernist aesthetic to local conditions with its horse-shoe shape and orientation informed by the sun's direction. The ubiquitous condominium typology we all are familiar with now can be traced back to these buildings.

These works, leaking pipes and faulty lifts or not, were the product of a period in Singapore's history when a sense of adventure and experimentation was celebrated, if not borne out of necessity.

It was a time when Singaporeans cast their nets wide into the world, seeking and adapting in a search for the 'Singaporean Identity'. What did 'Singapore' as a physical entity embody then? How can one best house a burgeoning population in such limited land?

Such a spirit that is so indicative of a period in our post-independence past cannot be measured in tangible terms. In fact, we can still learn a lot from it.

As we celebrate our 42nd birthday as a nation, we should perhaps pause and think, now that we are a First World country and that the future has never looked so bright:

Are we willing to let go of our city's history in the blind pursuit of short-term tangible gains? Do we want a time when future generations of Singaporeans will have to rely on textbooks and faded images for a glimpse of Singapore's post-independence urban history as there will no longer be such examples in the landscape for them to experience?

I sincerely appeal to all Singaporeans this National Day - we all have the power to decide. We have come a long way; let us not lose what we have achieved in the past in pushing for the future.

Straits Times 5 Aug 07
Goodbye famous 5?
Architects lament five iconic buildings that are succumbing to en bloc fever and may soon go under the wrecking ball
By Tay Suan Chiang

THIRTY years or so ago, they were residential buildings that helped pioneer the start of modern architecture here. And they stood tall and proud during Singapore's formative years.

Mention their names, and they are bound to evoke a flood of memories for many Singaporeans: Pearl Bank Apartments in Outram Road, Golden Mile Complex in Beach Road, Futura in Leonie Hill Road, Beverly Mai in Tomlinson Road and The Habitat in Ardmore Park.

Beverly Mai and Futura were Singapore's first condominiums, Pearl Bank has its unusual horse-shoe shape, The Habitat is a distinctive child of the 1980s and rundown Golden Mile Complex was the first here to mix homes and businesses.

Yet, the physical presence of these iconic five is set to be just a memory, too. The en bloc frenzy has them in its sights.

While for owners this is a windfall, history buffs and architects told LifeStyle the razing of the iconic residences will be a loss for Singapore's architectural heritage.

The famous five are also written about in a book called Singapore 1:1 City, published two years ago by the Urban Redevelopment Authority and featuring a selection of significant architecture over the last 40 years.

It may seem strange to think old condos are part of the Republic's heritage, just like grand colonial buildings, monuments and conserved shophouses.

Yet Mr Tai Lee Siang, president of the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA), says these residential projects have left a strong impression on the collective memory of Singapore.

'They also have a unique architecture form and were designed by local architects,' he says.

Beverly Mai was designed by Singapore architect Timothy Seow in 1974 and was the first to introduce the condo principle of high-rise living and shared facilities to Singaporeans.

Dr Goh Chong Chia, managing director of TSP Architects & Planners, who worked with Mr Seow on the project, says Beverly Mai marked a change in housing type. 'It was a pioneer of luxury housing,' notes Dr Goh, an SIA past president.

Futura, also designed by Mr Seow in 1976, certainly lived up to its name. Mr Tai points out that its unique form lies in the space-pod look of the living spaces. 'Clearly inspired by the space age explorations, the design is bold and futuristic in outlook,' he says.

He adds that although its location at Leonie Hill created less impact in the public memory due to its status as a high-end private development off Orchard Road, 'there is no denying that the building is a quiet tour de force in Singapore architecture landscape'.

Architect Mink Tan of Mink Tan Architects agrees that these five buildings should be kept because of their historical significance to local architecture. He is passionate about retaining Golden Mile Complex, which, of the five, is the only one whose en bloc sale is uncertain.

'The complex marks our first mixed-use development,' he says, and he hopes that instead of tearing it down, it can be refurbished to its original condition.

Dr Kevin Tan, president of the Singapore Heritage Society, says the five are 'all important and aesthetically and architecturally important buildings. Their demise or impending demise is to be much lamented'.

The SIA, meanwhile, is working to identify modern buildings that are less than 30 years old that may be worthy of recognition and future conservation - even though it is too late for the five featured here.

'To realise the development of potential of these buildings that may be demolished due to en bloc sale, SIA would like to make suggestions to the relevant authority on how to integrate the new potential with the old landmarks,' says Mr Tai. However, home-owners at these landmark buildings have a different take.

Ms Wong Chin Chin, a Pearl Bank Apartments resident for 11 years, says most owners in her block have agreed to sell at prices of about $1,300 psf, but adds it is more than just the money.

Factors pushing them to sell include high maintenance fees, leaky pipes and lifts that break down. 'No doubt the building is unique and historical, but living and dealing with the inconvenience is a chore,' she says.
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