Conserved Building
25 Grange Road
Applicable Guidelines
Bungalow Guidelines
Conservation Area
Grange Road No. 25 Conservation Area
Historic address: 25 Grange Road
Former Residence Of Chee Swee Cheng, Also Known As Wellington House And The Former Residence Of Chee Guan Chiang
About
Built in 1938, this seminal example of a Modern bungalow in Singapore was designed by Ho Kwong Yew, one of the leading architects of the Modern Movement in Singapore during the 1930s.
The History
At the time of its design, Ho Kwong Yew was a structural engineer who had worked with Chung and Wong Architects, a local firm formed in 1920, from 1926 to 1930. This firm was also responsible for the design of the reinforced concrete Happy World Stadium in 1937 (later known as Gay World Stadium, now demolished). It was only later that Ho became a registered architect. He was also the designer of the original Haw Par Villa, which was bombed by the Japanese during the campaign to capture Singapore, and was killed by the Japanese Army during the early days of the Occupation in World War 2.
His company, Ho Kwong Yew and Sons, carried on after his death and went on to design many key Modern buildings in Singapore, including the Church of the Ascension at St Andrew's School and the Our Lady Queen of Peace Roman Catholic Church Parish Hall at Tanjong Katong Road, both of which have been gazetted for conservation.
The Building
The bungalow is an excellent example of the 1930s Modern style in reinforced concrete — straightforward in character and pleasantly proportioned. It features typical Modern materials such as mild steel casement windows and glazed tile trimmings, as well as extensive stretches of windows that give a strong sense of horizontality to the façade. Green-tinted and embossed glass was used for the windows to moderate Singapore's strong tropical light while maintaining the ventilation necessary in the tropics. The interiors are noted for extensive terrazzo work, a material popular in Singapore from the 1930s to the 1950s.
An unusual feature is the incorporation of decorative metal balustrades along the ground floor verandahs and the internal grand staircase, which are more reminiscent of the 1920s Art Nouveau style. Also notable are the unusual curved reinforced concrete beams expressed above the main entrance verandah. The main building is noted for its generous and dramatically curved plan and walls, juxtaposed with a flat concrete roof and an orthogonal service block at the rear — an illustration of the Art Deco-influenced 1930s Modern design that was becoming popular locally, as well as its roots in the more traditional bungalow typology, where there was a clear architectural differentiation between the main house and the subservient service wing. Some design reference may have been drawn from the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill, England (Mendelsohn & Chermayeff, 1935).
The house also incorporates an early example of a roof garden in Singapore, featuring a pavilion and integrated planter boxes. As the house is located on higher ground, the roof garden would have offered views over the surrounding greenery. Within the compound is a smaller house of similar design, but unusually featuring timber floors and concrete walls.
The Legacy
The bungalow was accorded conservation status on 23 May 2008.
Guidelines and Procedures
All proposed works will need to comply with the Conservation Guidelines and the Specific Restoration Guidelines (SRG). Conservation Permission is required before all additions & alteration works and operations of new use can begin.
Residential Fronts are characterised by timber casement windows flanking a double-leafed timber door. All buildings with residential front which is existing and/or identified in the 'Specific Restoration Guidelines', regardless of land use zoning, shall be retained and restored.
Explore Street View
The building can be found at this street.