In this NUS MArch thesis, under the guidance of prof. Ho Weng Hin, Huo Yujia takes Tan Boon Liat Building as a representation of flatted factories to showcase the feasibility of revitalising multi-storey industrial buildings through the arts.

In this guest essay, visiting U.S. Fulbright scholar James Carrico reflects on an initial exploration of Singapore's Modern Built Heritage. Primary takeaway? That newly independent Singapore realised something never fully embraced in urban-renewal-era America: that megastructures can provide treasured public space.

On 26 March 2022, Docomomo Singapore conducted two public tours of the House of the late Lee Kip Lin. At each of these two sold-out tours, Dr Lai Chee Kien gave a brief talk outlining the histories of private housing estates in Singapore and the professional life of Mr Lee Kip Lin. That was followed by a tour of the house and the garden conducted by Mr Lee Peng Hui, the son of Mr Lee Kip Lin.

— TICKETS ARE NOW SOLD OUT —

Docomomo Singapore invites you to join us for a rare opportunity to visit the house of the late Mr. Lee Kip Lin on Saturday 26 March. Limited seats available. Booking opens on 13 March. Ticket price is $20 per person.

The second half of this industrial heritage series first looks at two imposing power stations which energised Singapore’s electrical infrastructure from its earlier days as a colonial entrepot to the industrial drive of the post-independence years. We then turn our attention to two factories in Jurong Industrial Estate where much of Singapore’s industrial efforts were centred in the 1960s and 1970s.

In this article, we take a look at Singapore’s modernist industrial buildings–a fascinating but often overlooked area of the nation’s built heritage. These buildings tell the story of Singapore’s socio-economic development but are by no means merely relics of the past. Many have since been repurposed for various uses and remain recognisable features of our architectural landscape today.

Rollei Singapore is a theatre of memory — a long-defunct place which remains close to the hearts of older Singaporeans. In August 2017, Loh Kah Seng posted in two Facebook groups on Singapore nostalgia a short note and photograph of the main factory of the renowned German camera-maker at Kampong Chai Chee.

The following is based on the presentation given by Dr. Jiat-Hwee Chang at the Docomomo Singapore official launch on 13 October 2021.

On Wednesday 13 October 2021, we organised an official launch event of Docomomo Singapore chapter (or DocomomoSG) at The Projector X: Riverside Point.

For the occasion, we have an introduction by DocomomoSG chairperson Ho Weng Hin on the mission, past activities and future plan of the group.

Feature story of Docomomo Singapore website launch was published on Sunday 5 September in Lianhe Zaobao.

On 26 August 2021, Docomomo hosted the first fundraising event at The Projector at Golden Mile Tower.

Postwar Singapore in the 1950s was not the most pleasant of places to live in, with severe overcrowding, poor sanitation and a high population growth. The Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) that was set up in 1927 to deal with infrastructure works on the island that later included the building of public housing was not performing up to task.

By 1960, the SIT had built a total of about 24,000 dwelling units and housing shortage in Singapore was reaching unmanageable levels.

Docomomo Singapore was featured in a Straits Times article: New heritage group on mission to save modern buildings here.

A great evening with film screening of 2020's Cannes Official Selection — Gagarine followed by a panel discussion and a silent auction.

The ticket is $30 per person. The event will happen at The Projector at Golden Mile Tower.

Learn more about the event and get your ticket today.

A New York Times’ student editorial contest winner, 17-year-old Ju Hwan Kim wrote “...the architecture embodies the rapid growth of Singapore during this period, right after the country attained independence in 1965. These buildings reflect the hard work and resilience of that era and have come to represent Singaporean identity itself.”

On 11 June 2021, Docomomo SG Chairperson — Ho Weng Hin — joined Encounters with Southeast Asia Modernism (SEAM — Encounters) for a video presentation on the demolition of modernist buildings in Singapore. The presentation is a part of Contested Modernities: The Present of Modernity Online symposium.

A video by Jonathan Yee Chenxin, Freda Yu Bing Jie, Ge Luyao and presented by Ho Weng Hin.

Article on CNA - Is there an environmental cost from Singapore’s love affair with en bloc sales?

While en bloc sales have their merits, the process of knocking down a building only to construct another comes with an environmental cost. CNA explores how collective sales can be done in a more sustainable way.

There is a large number and great diversity of buildings in Singapore that can be considered as modern. By modern, we are referring to not just architectural aesthetics but also constructional and environmental techniques, socio-economic processes, cultures, and political rationalities. The quantity and diversity are rooted in Singapore’s short but vibrant history variously as a colonial port city, a post-independent developmental state, and a contemporary global city. In this short introduction of the inventory list, we provide a brief sketch of how the shortlisted modernist buildings help to bring this rich socio-cultural history to life.

Article on The Straits Times - URA to study how to give Singapore's ageing modernist buildings a new lease of life.

“Time has taken its toll on many large modernist buildings, which are in need of major retrofitting and upgrading. Now, these simple structures will be the subject of a study called by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to guide its policies on how to maintain and rehabilitate them.”

Article on Docomomo Singapore in A Magazine: read-a.com.

“Meet The Movement Fighting To Protect Singapore’s Modernist BuildingsThe demolition of significant modernist buildings needs to stop, says Docomomo Singapore, which is determined to make sure it does.”