ICOMOS-NMS World Heritage Day Symposium
“Heritage in Singapore – Saving History to Build a Nation”
Saturday 18 April 2015
SYMPOSIUM ABSTRACTS
1. Fighting For and About Heritage: State-Society Engagements
Kevin YL Tan, President ICOMOS Singapore; NUS
In this SG50 year, this paper takes a look the interactions between state and civil society in the fight to save and preserve Singapore’s heritage over the last 50 years. Through a series of case studies, the speaker will describe the interplay of developmental imperatives and priorities have shaped the heritage discourse in Singapore and how groups such as SPUR and the Singapore Heritage Society have engaged the near-omnipotent state.
Kevin YL TAN LLB (Hons); LLM, JSD (Yale), taught full-time at the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore from 1986 to 2000. In 2000, he founded Equilibrium Consulting Pte Ltd, a boutique consultancy focused on history, heritage and publishing. He is active in many civic organizations including the Singapore Heritage Society and the Foundation for the Development of International Law in Asia (DILA). He has edited and written over 30 books and over 50 articles on the law, history and politics of Singapore. He is currently Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore as well as at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University. Kevin specializes in constitutional law, the Singapore legal system, international human rights, and legal history.
In this SG50 year, this paper takes a look the interactions between state and civil society in the fight to save and preserve Singapore’s heritage over the last 50 years. Through a series of case studies, the speaker will describe the interplay of developmental imperatives and priorities have shaped the heritage discourse in Singapore and how groups such as SPUR and the Singapore Heritage Society have engaged the near-omnipotent state.
Kevin YL TAN LLB (Hons); LLM, JSD (Yale), taught full-time at the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore from 1986 to 2000. In 2000, he founded Equilibrium Consulting Pte Ltd, a boutique consultancy focused on history, heritage and publishing. He is active in many civic organizations including the Singapore Heritage Society and the Foundation for the Development of International Law in Asia (DILA). He has edited and written over 30 books and over 50 articles on the law, history and politics of Singapore. He is currently Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore as well as at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University. Kevin specializes in constitutional law, the Singapore legal system, international human rights, and legal history.
2. Identity & Belonging: Heritage Research & Documentation Initiatives
Yeo Kirk Siang, Impact Assessment & Mitigation Division NHB
Heritage plays an important role in shaping a nation’s identity and fostering a sense of belonging amongst the people and their affinity to the nation. Historical buildings and sites, as well as intangible aspects of our heritage provides the emotional connections that anchors people to a place and time. It is important that our heritage is preserved and celebrated, to enable future generations to develop a sense of shared heritage and memories of the country. At the same time, there is a need to seek a balanced approach to development and the preservation of our heritage, given the island’s physical constraints and developmental needs. The presentation will highlight these challenges and focus on NHB’s past initiatives on research, documentation and commemoration of Singapore’s heritage, and details of upcoming initiatives that NHB will be rolling out to preserve and celebrate the tangible and intangible culture of Singapore.
YEO Kirk Siang is currently the Deputy Director of the Impact Assessment and Mitigation Division (IAM) at the National Heritage Board (NHB). The division is involved in the research, documentation and commemoration of Singapore’s heritage, in partnership with non-government organisations and public agencies. Before his appointment to the IAM Division, Kirk Siang worked in a wide range of portfolios in NHB, and has been involved in the preservation of sites and monuments, community outreach and strategic planning. Prior to joining NHB, he worked at the Ministry of National Development, where he was involved in developing strategies on sustainable development and productivity in the built environment.
Heritage plays an important role in shaping a nation’s identity and fostering a sense of belonging amongst the people and their affinity to the nation. Historical buildings and sites, as well as intangible aspects of our heritage provides the emotional connections that anchors people to a place and time. It is important that our heritage is preserved and celebrated, to enable future generations to develop a sense of shared heritage and memories of the country. At the same time, there is a need to seek a balanced approach to development and the preservation of our heritage, given the island’s physical constraints and developmental needs. The presentation will highlight these challenges and focus on NHB’s past initiatives on research, documentation and commemoration of Singapore’s heritage, and details of upcoming initiatives that NHB will be rolling out to preserve and celebrate the tangible and intangible culture of Singapore.
YEO Kirk Siang is currently the Deputy Director of the Impact Assessment and Mitigation Division (IAM) at the National Heritage Board (NHB). The division is involved in the research, documentation and commemoration of Singapore’s heritage, in partnership with non-government organisations and public agencies. Before his appointment to the IAM Division, Kirk Siang worked in a wide range of portfolios in NHB, and has been involved in the preservation of sites and monuments, community outreach and strategic planning. Prior to joining NHB, he worked at the Ministry of National Development, where he was involved in developing strategies on sustainable development and productivity in the built environment.
3. Why Do We Conserve?
Kelvin Ang, Conservation Management and Urban Redevelopment, URA
As we mark half a century of independence, it is timely to revisit our conservation journey than has spanned over half a century. What was the impetus to consider conservation work? What were the challenges that occurred at each stage of our nation’s development? What has changed and what has remain unchanged? Has the purpose, objecitves and outcomes of conservation evolved over time? How might we all play a role in the path ahead?
The URA, in its different roles over the decades, has encountered evolving challenges. This talk shares some background to the often unseen work that has resulted in Singapore’s current stock of 7000+ conserved buildings and 60+ Monuments, one of the earliest and most comprehensive urban conservation programmes in South East Asia.
ANG Kelvin is the Director of Conservation Management at the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) of Singapore. He has a decade of experience in both architecture and conservation planning. URA is Singapore’s national planning authority, tasked with the mission to plan and also conserve our built heritage.
He obtained his Graduate Diploma in the Built Environment (Architecture), and subsequently an MSc. in Sustainable Heritage, both at the Bartlett School, University College London (UCL), UK. Kelvin has led a multi-disciplinary team to deliver several successful projects covering: research, planning and policy matters and was the URA conservation consultant for the restoration of the NUS Baba House at 157 Neil Road. His current portfolio includes the cultivation of greater awareness of our conserved built heritage through outreach, education and enforcement work.
As we mark half a century of independence, it is timely to revisit our conservation journey than has spanned over half a century. What was the impetus to consider conservation work? What were the challenges that occurred at each stage of our nation’s development? What has changed and what has remain unchanged? Has the purpose, objecitves and outcomes of conservation evolved over time? How might we all play a role in the path ahead?
The URA, in its different roles over the decades, has encountered evolving challenges. This talk shares some background to the often unseen work that has resulted in Singapore’s current stock of 7000+ conserved buildings and 60+ Monuments, one of the earliest and most comprehensive urban conservation programmes in South East Asia.
ANG Kelvin is the Director of Conservation Management at the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) of Singapore. He has a decade of experience in both architecture and conservation planning. URA is Singapore’s national planning authority, tasked with the mission to plan and also conserve our built heritage.
He obtained his Graduate Diploma in the Built Environment (Architecture), and subsequently an MSc. in Sustainable Heritage, both at the Bartlett School, University College London (UCL), UK. Kelvin has led a multi-disciplinary team to deliver several successful projects covering: research, planning and policy matters and was the URA conservation consultant for the restoration of the NUS Baba House at 157 Neil Road. His current portfolio includes the cultivation of greater awareness of our conserved built heritage through outreach, education and enforcement work.
4. Singapore’s Archaeological Heritage: 30 Years of Digging the Past
Lim Chen Sian, ICOMOS Singapore; Archaeology Unit ISEAS
For the last three decades, archaeologists have been quietly excavating Singapore. Most people imagine that archaeology is merely the study of the ancient and distant past, with the single pursuit of recovering objects for display in museums. Archaeology in Singapore is indubitably more than that, and as a discipline it attempts to reconstruct the past lifeways and environment. The information and data gleaned from the archaeology would enable the understanding of the activities and trends of ancient Singaporeans. Important questions such as - who were the Singaporeans of the past? What did they do? What happened to them? – will serve as a solemn guide in our present search for our own identity and future.
This presentation seeks to address key and perhaps pressing questions, given that Singapore does not have any regulatory requirements for the conduct of archaeological investigations prior to development - what defines archaeological heritage? Does it warrant being a sub-field of heritage, and what does an archaeological heritage implies for Singapore?
LIM Chen Sian read Archaeology and Finance at Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, and received his MA in Southeast Asian Studies from the National University of Singapore. Since 2002, he is actively involved in the local archaeology scene and for the last decade has led all the major archaeological investigations in Singapore. His research interests are the archaeology of European colonial period in Southeast Asia and identifying potential archaeologies, including the pressing need for legislation to implement pre-development archaeological investigations and regulation pertaining to artifacts and antiquities. He is presently a Visiting Research Fellow with the Archaeology Unit, Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), and was recently awarded ISEAS’ PhD scholarship.
For the last three decades, archaeologists have been quietly excavating Singapore. Most people imagine that archaeology is merely the study of the ancient and distant past, with the single pursuit of recovering objects for display in museums. Archaeology in Singapore is indubitably more than that, and as a discipline it attempts to reconstruct the past lifeways and environment. The information and data gleaned from the archaeology would enable the understanding of the activities and trends of ancient Singaporeans. Important questions such as - who were the Singaporeans of the past? What did they do? What happened to them? – will serve as a solemn guide in our present search for our own identity and future.
This presentation seeks to address key and perhaps pressing questions, given that Singapore does not have any regulatory requirements for the conduct of archaeological investigations prior to development - what defines archaeological heritage? Does it warrant being a sub-field of heritage, and what does an archaeological heritage implies for Singapore?
LIM Chen Sian read Archaeology and Finance at Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, and received his MA in Southeast Asian Studies from the National University of Singapore. Since 2002, he is actively involved in the local archaeology scene and for the last decade has led all the major archaeological investigations in Singapore. His research interests are the archaeology of European colonial period in Southeast Asia and identifying potential archaeologies, including the pressing need for legislation to implement pre-development archaeological investigations and regulation pertaining to artifacts and antiquities. He is presently a Visiting Research Fellow with the Archaeology Unit, Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), and was recently awarded ISEAS’ PhD scholarship.
5. Documenting Chinese Cemeteries of Singapore
Hui Yew-Foong, ISEAS; Hong Kong Shue Yan University
Following the exemplary work of pioneers like Dr. David Chng, this presentation will give an account of how cemetery documentation work continued in the 21st century. It will compare the experience of documenting three Chinese cemeteries in Singapore, namely, the Kwong Hou Sua Teochew Cemetery, Bukit Brown Municipal Cemetery and Seh Ong (Hokkien) Cemetery. Documentation of the first took place in 2008-2009, and the cemetery was cleared in 2009. Documentation work for the second and third cemeteries took place from 2011-2015, and is a much more extensive project. Besides elaborating on the historical and cultural significance of the three cemeteries, the paper will also reflect on changes in the approach to cemetery documentation.
HUI Yew-Foong is an anthropologist and Research Associate Professor with the Hong Kong Shue Yan University, and a Senior Fellow with the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore. He first embarked on the documentation of cemeteries in 2008, when he led a team of volunteers to document the now exhumed Kwong Hou Sua Teochew Cemetery. In late 2011, he led another project to document graves of the Bukit Brown and Seh Ong Cemeteries affected by an eight-lane road to be built through the cemeteries. Besides deathscapes and heritage, his research interests include the Chinese minority in Southeast Asia, religion and politics, and regionalism in Indonesia.
Following the exemplary work of pioneers like Dr. David Chng, this presentation will give an account of how cemetery documentation work continued in the 21st century. It will compare the experience of documenting three Chinese cemeteries in Singapore, namely, the Kwong Hou Sua Teochew Cemetery, Bukit Brown Municipal Cemetery and Seh Ong (Hokkien) Cemetery. Documentation of the first took place in 2008-2009, and the cemetery was cleared in 2009. Documentation work for the second and third cemeteries took place from 2011-2015, and is a much more extensive project. Besides elaborating on the historical and cultural significance of the three cemeteries, the paper will also reflect on changes in the approach to cemetery documentation.
HUI Yew-Foong is an anthropologist and Research Associate Professor with the Hong Kong Shue Yan University, and a Senior Fellow with the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore. He first embarked on the documentation of cemeteries in 2008, when he led a team of volunteers to document the now exhumed Kwong Hou Sua Teochew Cemetery. In late 2011, he led another project to document graves of the Bukit Brown and Seh Ong Cemeteries affected by an eight-lane road to be built through the cemeteries. Besides deathscapes and heritage, his research interests include the Chinese minority in Southeast Asia, religion and politics, and regionalism in Indonesia.
6. Conservation of Chinese Temples in Singapore: A Historical Overview
Yeo Kang Shua, ICOMOS Singapore; SUTD
Characteristic of traditional Chinese architecture, the main components of Chinese architecture are fabricated out of timber. However, as with other organic materials, timber requires periodic maintenance and in some cases, their replacement becomes necessary. As with other built-forms, temples undergo reconstruction, renovation, extensions and/or alterations over time. When modern building materials, such as reinforced concrete, became available from the early 20th century, these were gradually adopted for use in both the construction of new temples as well as in the renovation of historic temples. In the local context, it was during the 1970s and 1980s that numerous historic temples experienced extensive change of building materials, especially from timber to concrete. This was before the push for architectural conservation by the authorities in the 1980s but this, along with the issuance of International Charters and Documents such as The Nara Document on Authenticity in 1994 and the Principles for the Preservation of Historic Timber Structures in 1999, led to a shift in our understanding of the conservation of Chinese architecture. This talk attempts to place the subject in a wider socio-historical perspective and will also discuss the technical challenges in the conservation of Chinese temples, specifically the conservation of timber.
YEO Kang Shua is an Assistant Professor of Architectural History, Theory and Criticism at the Singapore University of Technology and Design. He also holds the inaugural Hokkien Huay Kuan Endowed Professorship (Architectural Conservation).
Kang Shua obtained his BA (Architectural Studies), MArch and PhD (Architecture) from the National University of Singapore. He has worked on many projects involving conservation work, such as Wak Hai Cheng Bio (Yueh Hai Ching Temple), St Andrew’s Cathedral and Yu Huang Gong (formerly Keng Tech Whay). In addition, he has collaborated in many archaeological projects in Singapore, such as those at Palmer Road (2006) and Fort Serapong, Sentosa Island (2006-2007). He has also published in both local and international journals on theory of architecture, conservation and history. Kang Shua has had the privilege of being part of the team on two separate projects that won the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation: Award of Excellence for Singapore Lam Ann Association’s Hong San See Temple Restoration Project in 2010 and the inaugural heritage award Jury Commendation for Innovation for Yuhu Elementary School Project in Lijiang, China in 2005. He was also the inaugural head of the Monuments Inspectorate at the Preservation of Monuments Board, Singapore.
Characteristic of traditional Chinese architecture, the main components of Chinese architecture are fabricated out of timber. However, as with other organic materials, timber requires periodic maintenance and in some cases, their replacement becomes necessary. As with other built-forms, temples undergo reconstruction, renovation, extensions and/or alterations over time. When modern building materials, such as reinforced concrete, became available from the early 20th century, these were gradually adopted for use in both the construction of new temples as well as in the renovation of historic temples. In the local context, it was during the 1970s and 1980s that numerous historic temples experienced extensive change of building materials, especially from timber to concrete. This was before the push for architectural conservation by the authorities in the 1980s but this, along with the issuance of International Charters and Documents such as The Nara Document on Authenticity in 1994 and the Principles for the Preservation of Historic Timber Structures in 1999, led to a shift in our understanding of the conservation of Chinese architecture. This talk attempts to place the subject in a wider socio-historical perspective and will also discuss the technical challenges in the conservation of Chinese temples, specifically the conservation of timber.
YEO Kang Shua is an Assistant Professor of Architectural History, Theory and Criticism at the Singapore University of Technology and Design. He also holds the inaugural Hokkien Huay Kuan Endowed Professorship (Architectural Conservation).
Kang Shua obtained his BA (Architectural Studies), MArch and PhD (Architecture) from the National University of Singapore. He has worked on many projects involving conservation work, such as Wak Hai Cheng Bio (Yueh Hai Ching Temple), St Andrew’s Cathedral and Yu Huang Gong (formerly Keng Tech Whay). In addition, he has collaborated in many archaeological projects in Singapore, such as those at Palmer Road (2006) and Fort Serapong, Sentosa Island (2006-2007). He has also published in both local and international journals on theory of architecture, conservation and history. Kang Shua has had the privilege of being part of the team on two separate projects that won the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation: Award of Excellence for Singapore Lam Ann Association’s Hong San See Temple Restoration Project in 2010 and the inaugural heritage award Jury Commendation for Innovation for Yuhu Elementary School Project in Lijiang, China in 2005. He was also the inaugural head of the Monuments Inspectorate at the Preservation of Monuments Board, Singapore.
7. History and materiality: a research-intensive approach to conservation of Singapore’s colonial built heritage
Ho Weng Hin, ICOMOS Singapore; Studio Lapis
This paper affords a glimpse into the methods and workings of architectural conservation and adaptive reuse, with a focus on Singapore’s colonial built heritage. Notwithstanding their seemingly “European” appearance, Singapore’s colonial heritage is in fact a rich repository that showcases local materials, craftsmanship, and construction know-how.
To navigate the sometimes messy and always ambivalent process from design to construction stages, a systematic approach is adopted based on intensive research, fieldwork, and diagnostics. In the archives, records are scoured for construction origins, and building transformations through time traced. In the field, the building itself is scrutinised, with significant spaces, elements and finishes identified and mapped. Deterioration phenomena are diagnosed. These information underpin the conservation vision, and form the basis for technical specifications tailored to the particularities of each building.
HO Weng Hin graduated from National University of Singapore, Department of Architecture, and obtained his specialist postgraduate degree in conservation from the University of Genoa, Italy. With an abiding interest in the study and conservation of Singapore's built heritage, his early projects include research on the works of the colonial Public Works Department as a Research Assistant with the Centre of Advanced Studies in Architecture, NUS. From 2005-2007, he co-edited Singapore Architect, the journal of the Singapore Institute of Architects, with Tan Kar Lin.
He is currently partner and conservation specialist consultant of Studio Lapis, an architectural restoration and research-editorial consultancy, and Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the NUS Department of Architecture. Working alongside international multidisciplinary consultant teams, Weng Hin is involved in major conservation projects in Singapore and the region such as the restoration of Cathedral of Good Shepherd, a National Monument, the adaptive re-use of former Beach Road Camp and Brittania Club, former Capitol Theatre, and the former Burma Railways Headquarters in Yangon, Myanmar.
This paper affords a glimpse into the methods and workings of architectural conservation and adaptive reuse, with a focus on Singapore’s colonial built heritage. Notwithstanding their seemingly “European” appearance, Singapore’s colonial heritage is in fact a rich repository that showcases local materials, craftsmanship, and construction know-how.
To navigate the sometimes messy and always ambivalent process from design to construction stages, a systematic approach is adopted based on intensive research, fieldwork, and diagnostics. In the archives, records are scoured for construction origins, and building transformations through time traced. In the field, the building itself is scrutinised, with significant spaces, elements and finishes identified and mapped. Deterioration phenomena are diagnosed. These information underpin the conservation vision, and form the basis for technical specifications tailored to the particularities of each building.
HO Weng Hin graduated from National University of Singapore, Department of Architecture, and obtained his specialist postgraduate degree in conservation from the University of Genoa, Italy. With an abiding interest in the study and conservation of Singapore's built heritage, his early projects include research on the works of the colonial Public Works Department as a Research Assistant with the Centre of Advanced Studies in Architecture, NUS. From 2005-2007, he co-edited Singapore Architect, the journal of the Singapore Institute of Architects, with Tan Kar Lin.
He is currently partner and conservation specialist consultant of Studio Lapis, an architectural restoration and research-editorial consultancy, and Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the NUS Department of Architecture. Working alongside international multidisciplinary consultant teams, Weng Hin is involved in major conservation projects in Singapore and the region such as the restoration of Cathedral of Good Shepherd, a National Monument, the adaptive re-use of former Beach Road Camp and Brittania Club, former Capitol Theatre, and the former Burma Railways Headquarters in Yangon, Myanmar.