Inauguration of William Lim’s Documents for the Heritage of Modern Built Environment

Docomomo Singapore is very pleased to announce the inauguration of ‘Will Document’ Fund (acronym for ‘WILLIAM LIM’S DOCUMENTS FOR THE HERITAGE OF MODERN BUILT ENVIRONMENT’), thanks to the generous sponsorship from the Lim family and the estate of the late William SW Lim.

The late pioneer architect William Lim is known for not just the landmark buildings that he and his firms designed, but also the key publications he produced. Alongside his practice, he was active in producing discourses of architectural, urban and cultural theories. Like the most important architects of his generation, Lim believed that written discourses were as important as built artifacts because architecture is as much about ideas and concepts as it is about buildings. Indeed, Lim did not just leave us with modernist and postmodernist icons like Golden Mile Complex (now conserved), People’s Park Complex (currently under threat) and Marine Parade Community Building (since demolished), he left us with seminal ideas to think critically about our built environment and cultural heritage in relation to the type of society we aspire to build.

Docomomo Singapore shares this belief that discourse informs practice. The “Do” in its name stands for documentation. It believes that documentation is fundamental to any appreciation of modern buildings and thus their proper conservation. Hence, “Do” precedes “co”, which stands for conservation of built heritage.

The ‘Will Document Fund’ brings together and align William Lim’s beliefs with Docomomo Singapore’s mission. We would like to express our sincere thanks and heartfelt gratitude for the kind donation, which will go a long way to support Docomomo Singapore’s effort in documenting Singapore’s threatened and fast disappearing modern architecture.