The Department of Architecture (DoA) has been named as one of the key partners of an initiative by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to document and preserve archival materials about Singapore’s modern and contemporary architecture.
The Singapore Architecture Collection aims to showcase Singapore’s architectural and urban design journey, through the preservation of architectural models, photographs, drawings, artefacts, oral history recordings and other media.
The collection was announced by Second Minister (National Development) Indranee Rajah at the Singapore Institute of Architects’ annual dinner on August 21.
“It is heartening to see strong and positive support from the industry, with some of our pioneer architects and firms donating their early hand-drawn sketches of current landmarks and work-in-progress materials to the collection, giving us a glimpse into the processes and influences that shaped their final works,” she said.
The initiative is jointly managed by the URA, the National Library Board and the National Heritage Board and, alongside the DoA, is supported by the Singapore Institute of Architects SIA and SUTD’s Architecture and Sustainable Design pillar.
"Singapore’s urban story is shaped by the ideas and origins of past and present architects and designers,” said Professor Heng Chye Kiang, Acting Head of the Department of Architecture at CDE.
“Their works are part of our heritage and identity, and they can inspire future generations of architects and urban planners to create more liveable cities. NUS and the Department of Architecture are happy to collaborate with the URA and other boards and institutions on this important initiative."
Curators of the collection will be inviting architects, planners, urban designers and those from the built environment industry to contribute their materials to the collection.
Find out more about the Singapore Architecture Collection at the URA’s website here.
