As redevelopment threatens some of Singapore's most recognisable architectures, DP Architects co-founder Koh Seow Chuan and CEO Angelene Chan talk about building a resilient legacy that can stand the test of time
The year 2018 has been a bit of a brutal one for some of Singapore’s iconic modernist buildings. In February, Pearl Bank Apartments was sold in a collective sale, and the owners of People’s Park Complex, Golden Mile Complex and Golden Mile Tower are working towards the same goal.
All four buildings were wholly designed by homegrown architects and completed in the 1970s. They do not have conservation status. Once sold, demolishment is their likeliest fate.
The prospect has sparked a lively public debate. Heritage advocates argue that these buildings embody significant facets of Singapore’s architectural and national history, while pragmatists point out the increasingly arduous maintenance needs of these ageing structures, and the possibility that redevelopment will offer better solutions for current population demands.
People’s Park Complex and Golden Mile Complex were among the earliest projects undertaken by DP Architects, which was founded in 1967 as Design Partnership.
So, of course, we had to ask the firm’s co-founder and senior consultant Koh Seow Chuan for his take on the hot-button issue. “Well, this is going to be a real test of Singapore’s collective spirit,” he replies.
His pivot away from a subjective viewpoint is striking. This veteran architect, we swiftly realise, is fastidious about the importance of seeing—and serving—the bigger picture.
“I am a part of the pioneer generation and we faced a lot of challenges before and after Singapore achieved independence,” Seow Chuan continues.
What he learnt was this: “Singapore is small. Everything works better when we work as a team; and when there is collective will, we can find solutions. So firstly, we have to agree on one question as a society: are these buildings the best examples of projects that are reflective of the spirit of early independent Singapore?”
At the time, this uniquely diverse nation was intent on staking its place in the world, and Seow Chuan and fellow DP co-founders William SW Lim and Tay Kheng Soon wanted the firm’s work to reflect and nurture these aspirations.
“We believed that a small country like Singapore that was going to survive and prosper couldn’t just have hard buildings. We wanted to create spaces within buildings, for people to interact.”
This led to the creation of the People’s Park Complex central atrium, which the firm even decked out with colourful custom-made chandeliers.
“It was a space for celebration, where a multiracial society of this new nation could come together,” he explains.
This communal space was a new feature for shopping centres at the time, and the building was one of the first mixed-use complexes in Asia and an influential prototype for subsequent malls.
“We created a home-grown, home-made architecture that looked beyond the walls, roofs and image of a building, and focused on the spirit that manifests when you are in that space,” says Seow Chuan proudly.
“Singapore is unique, and sometimes you cannot parachute ideas in. We ourselves are creative. If we don’t believe in ourselves, then we are in trouble.”
(Related: DP Architects' Jeremy Tan On The Uniqueness Of Singaporean Design)