CONSERVATION IN SINGAPORE

This page is about architectural conservation. It is important to remember that no building in Singapore is more than 200 years old, since before Raffles arrival in 1819 there was little construction standing, that was more substantial than some wooden huts. It is also important to bear in mind that being so close to the equator, the climate is hot and humid and very destructive to all forms of construction. Even brick and concrete structures start to sprout weeds, shrubs and even trees, if left un-maintained for a few years. Many buildings become uneconomical to restore if maintenance is not ongoing. Due to the limited land space, there has been huge pressure to tear down old low rise structures and replace them with high rise. Much of the pressure is economic, since a land owner can expect to make much more money, by increasing the square footage of structures on his or her land.

Singapore used to be a land of two or three storey shop houses and residences. Massive numbers of these have been flattened to make way for tall skyscrapers and multi storey condominiums. In the mid 1980s one of Singapore's prime tourist attractions, Bugis Street was torn down to be replaced by a shopping and hotel complex. As old Singapore was destroyed to create hotels to accommodate tourists, so the reasons for tourists to visit, dwindled. If your impression of Singapore is based on the images painted in the 1970s romantic song "On a Little Street in Singapore" sung by the Manhattan Transfer, you are likely to get a shock when you actually visit Singapore. There are not that many little streets left.

In recent years more efforts have been made to conserve what is left of old Singapore. The pictures above show conserved 2 storey shop houses and 3 storey residences in Emerald Hill Road.

The former St. Josephs School above has been conserved and now houses the Singapore Art Museum.

For economic reasons it is not always practical to conserve buildings in their original form. In the case of the RendezVous Hotel above, major additional construction has taken place, but the facade has been preserved.

If you want to see Singapore as it was in the 1970s then try to obtain copies of movies such as Saint Jack and The G.I. Executioner. The movie of Saint Jack was banned in Singapore for many years. Among other things it portrayed Singapore as an R&R resort for American servicemen fighting in Vietnam. In particular it portrayed prostitution and drug use. Singapore still hangs drug traffickers, although there are (as at February 2007) designated areas where prostitution is allowed.