The conservation guidelines for shophouses and terrace houses relate to the key elements of the typology of the building. Constructed between 1840 and 1960, these simple buildings are two- to three- storeys high, built in contiguous blocks with common party walls.
The design and material of the shophouses and terrace houses vary according to the architectural style of the building. Singapore shophouses fall into six styles. They are the Early Shophouse (PDF, 3.8 MB), the First Transitional Shophouse (PDF, 3.7 MB), the Late Shophouse (PDF, 4.6 MB), the Second Transitional Shophouse (PDF, 4.0 MB), the Art Deco Shophouse (PDF, 3.8 MB) and the Modern Shophouse (PDF, 3.0 MB).
In conserving a shophouse, the key elements to be respected are:
[See Figure 2 (PDF, 2.2 MB), Figure 3 (PDF, 2.5 MB) and Figure 4 (PDF, 3.4 MB)
Roofs are pitched and finished with overlapping V-profile or flat natural colour unglazed clay tiles, laid on timber battens and bonded with mortar. Where the tiles end at the edge of the front and rear shophouse roofs, they are often covered with a timber fascia complete with galvanised iron gutters and downpipes. Roofs are waterproofed using bituminous asphalt, galvanised iron flashing and copings.
Party walls are principal load-bearing walls which demarcate one shophouse from its neighbour. The party walls normally protrude approximately 30cm above the roof of the shophouse and break the continuous length of the shophouses into individual lots.
Party walls are constructed of bricks laid out in continuous stretcher bond courses. The internal surfaces of the party walls are usually unpierced and unadorned. To ensure structural stability, the base of the party wall is thickened to transfer the dead-load to the base of the foundation.
The timber structural members include the main timber beams, the secondary timber beams, the timber floor boards and the timber rafters. The main timber beams are key horizontal structural members that run parallel to the facade, spanning from one party wall to the other. They are usually made of chengal, a hardwood timber which is resistant to the dead-load transferred from upper floors.
The secondary timber beams supporting the timber floor boards for the upper floors serve as horizontal structural members to evenly distribute the dead and live load from the upper floors to the party walls. The timber floor boards are thin horizontal structural members laid horizontally on the secondary beams and joined to one another by the traditional tongue and groove method. Timber rafters are inclined structural members supporting the pitched roof. They are in turn supported by timber purlins or roof beams spanning between the party walls.
Airwells are positioned between sections of the tiled roofs. They open directly to the sky to provide natural ventilation and lighting to the interior. The airwells lend interest to the spatial experience of shophouses by offering alternating naturally-lit spaces.
The rear court is an open space at the back of the shophouse bounded by the rear boundary wall, the service block, the rear facade of the main part of the shophouse and the party wall. The uxtaposition of these elements produces several different rear court configurations.
The windows in the walls facing the rear court allow light to penetrate into the interior of the shophouse. They are normally casement windows of a design compatible with the windows on the front facade. The existing doors on the rear facade are either timber doors or original metal (mild steel) doors.
Shophouse windows include the timber windows of a French or casement design. French windows, found on the upper storey façade, are full-height, side-hung and double-shuttered, and may feature transom windows or fanlights above them. The timber post and rail or cast iron balustrades are part of the original design of the French windows. Casement windows are only half the height of French windows, with openings starting at the balcony rail height. Casement windows on the first storey, unlike those on the upper storeys that swing outwards, always open inwards and are recessed to allow for installation of security devices.
Internal staircase arrangements vary between shophouses and range from straight and dog-leg designs to curved quarter and half-turn designs. Balusters and newel posts are often ornately detailed and reflect early Dutch influences. Handrails are made of polished hardwood.
The shophouse facade has six distinct elements:
The Upper Floor that projects over the five-foot way to form a covered pedestrian arcade.
The Columns at the front of the building that form the five-foot way colonnades and support the upper floors.
The Five-foot Way which serves as a sheltered space for social activities and for circulation. It is an important element that contributes to the experience of walking through a conservation area. The elements that contribute to the experience are the floor, colonnade, residential or shopfront and the ceiling. In order to retain the traditional character of the five-foot way, the original height of the covered walkway, the design and size of the columns are to be retained.
The retention or reintroduction of the traditional materials and finishes of the five-foot way is encouraged. Traditional finishes for the five-foot way floors include cement screed, terra cotta tiles, clay tiles, cement terrazzo, mosaic, marble-chip terrazzo or granite slab. The five-foot way often features granite edging parallel to the road side drain and granite steps. Tile patterns used on the five-foot way are sometimes repeated on the front wall of the shophouse either ending as a skirting or under the window to form a decorative wall.
Where the existing floor finishes are not original, traditional materials are to be considered. The selection of the floor finishes preferably matches the architectural style of the shophouses. For instance, it is common for Early Style shophouses to have red-coloured cement screed with gridded rope indentations and granite edge slabs. Art Deco shophouses may have marble-chip terrazzo finish in a variety of colours or mosaic finish. It is untraditional for five-foot ways to be finished in ceramic tiles or slate.
The Timber Windows on the upper storeys are evenly spaced across the facade and are either French windows or casement windows with timber shutters, louvred shutters are hinged on the timber window frames.
The Roof is finished with natural colour unglazed V-profile or flat clay tiles complete with a timber fascia and galvanised iron gutters and downpipes. The pitched roofs are supported by timber purlins which are set onto the load-bearing party walls.
The Shophouse Styles comprise the Early Shophouse Style, First Transitional Shophouse Style, Late Shophouse Style, Second Transitional Shophouse Style and the Art Deco Shophouse Style. The shophouse facade features one of these six basic styles.
The First Storey may be a residential front or an open shopfront.
Residential fronts are characterised by a double-leafed timber door flanked on both sides by timber casement windows, or by two double leafed timber doors and a timber casement window. The main door often has a pair of half-doors, known as ‘pintu pagar’, which are often intricately carved. The timber-framed windows usually have timber panelled shutters, which open inwards and vertical iron security bars.
Shopfronts have a range of traditional features including demountable timber shutter boards, timber or metal sliding and folding doors, or glass display cases. Access doors are incorporated into the shopfronts and these may be single or double-leafed, glazed or timber-panelled, louvred or of rail and stile design.
Some residential terrace houses also feature a Forecourt. The forecourt is an important feature that gives spatial and green relief to the usual narrow street that is lined with traditional houses. Some forecourts feature ornamentation on walls and gateposts and have decorative gates and entrance arch with lamp.