Introduction

Good afternoon everyone. I am very pleased to be here to see you and to launch the homecoming edition of the Singapore Pavilion, titled ‘to gather: The Architecture of Relationships’. This exhibition was first staged at the 17th Biennale Architettura last year. This is the oldest architectural exhibition in the world, and is a key event for the leading figures in the industry 

In line with the theme, the 16 projects in this exhibition showcase different ways in which we share our uniquely Singaporean public spaces. 

After being showcased to an international audience for six months, I’m glad that we now have the opportunity to bring these great projects home, so that our people can enjoy them as well.

The Singapore Pavilion: “to gather – The Architecture of Relationships”

The Pavilion was conceptualised in response to the theme “How will we live together?”.  Although this theme was proposed before the pandemic, it took on a deeper meaning when COVID-19 struck. All of a sudden, the way people interacted with one another at home, office, hawker centres and schools was turned upside down. And for the past two years, we have had to adjust to this new reality. 

Indeed, now more than ever, it is important that we pay close attention to how our urban spaces facilitate and foster human connections. 

Together, these 16 projects showcase how Singaporeans gather in unique ways, mediated by thoughtfully-designed spaces.

Featured among these projects are many public spaces that Singaporeans use daily – places that are close to our hearts. 

For instance, our hawker centres. Initially set up in the 1970s as a more sanitary alternative to street-side hawking; today, over a hundred of them dot our island. Each centre contains dozens of stalls with unique dishes spanning multiple cuisines. Since seating and stalls are open to all, customers can and often do purchase dishes from multiple stalls, sharing them with family and friends. And all visitors, no matter what their background, are welcome to dine and socialise within them. Truly, hawker centres are a microcosm of our multicultural society, where we share and enjoy our diverse cultures. 

Another project that’s featured in the Pavilion is Kampung Admiralty. As its name implies, it finds its roots in the kampung culture of Singapore’s past. While this integrated development was completed in 2017, its design seeks to emulate the intergenerational and neighbourly communities of our past – updated with modern amenities and living spaces. To provide convenient access to key facilities and services, a layered ‘club sandwich’ approach was taken. Housing units for senior citizens are mixed with a community plaza at the lowest level, a medical centre at the middle level, and a community park at the top level. To me, this is a prime example of architecture putting community at its heart, and I urge you all to visit the exhibit if you have a chance to do so.

Activating our public spaces

Outside the 16 exhibits, Singapore also has many public spaces designed with relationships in mind. So let me share some examples.

As some of you may be aware, since last year, URA has been conducting its Long-Term Plan Review, or LTPR. Every ten years, we take time to review Singapore’s long-term plans, to imagine what our city might look like 50 years into the future. And as part of this exercise, we have engaged over 15,000 Singaporeans to hear their aspirations and discuss ideas together.

One of the key suggestions that came up time and time again was to enable communities and individuals to co-design, co-own and co-operate spaces that are important to them. These could be open spaces, community farms, playgrounds, and so on. 

Today, some of these are already being done. For example, URA has been working closely with local stakeholders through the pilot Business Improvement District, or BID, programme. The pilot programme brings key stakeholders together to participate in the co-creation of their precincts. We work closely with the stakeholders on their initiatives to activate public spaces, to transform their precincts into vibrant and attractive destinations for the wider community to enjoy. 

Elsewhere, agencies are also partnering local communities to co-design public spaces. For instance, URA and the Land Transport Authority, or LTA, are partnering the Tiong Bahru community – that’s my constituency, to brainstorm ideas for the area. Later this month, we will host the Lively Places Challenge workshop, comprising attendees from the community and Government. The aim will be to come together to think about how to transform pedestrianised stretches into safe, comfortable and attractive spaces. This will benefit both residents as well as visitors to the area.

We will continue to create opportunities for people and communities to take ownership of their spaces, so that together, we can design a city that we can all truly call our own. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, let me say, that while we may not consciously think about them, public spaces are part and parcel of our everyday lives. 

To underscore the close relationship we have with these spaces in Singapore, the 16 projects in this exhibition are presented on 16 round tables, inspired by the layout of our hawker centres.

And while we are on the topic of hawker centres, I found out that URA colleagues don’t just frequent the famous Maxwell Food Centre beside their office building, but they have actually reached out to partner and support the Maxwell hawkers and contribute to the local community during this pandemic. They have been organising group buys from the hawkers for distribution to senior activity centres in the Tanjong Pagar area, and are also giving out pandemic care packs to the hawkers and cleaners. I am heartened that they have taken the initiative to support our hawkers and the larger community – they are truly examples of the ‘Singapore Together’ spirit that we want to foster.

This brings me back to the premise behind today’s exhibition launch: reflecting on what it means to live together, and examining the architecture of our public spaces and our relationships. While we can spend hours and hours remarking on the clever way spaces are designed, ultimately, it is how they are used that’s important, and that is up to us, as individuals and as a community. I hope that visitors will not only take away insights on our relationship with public spaces, but also insights on our relationship with each other – and go away with new ideas on how they can contribute to creating vibrant spaces in your own communities. 

With this, I declare the exhibition open. Thank you all very much.