Conserved Building

33 Mount Sophia

Applicable Guidelines

Other Building Guidelines

Conservation Area

Mount Sophia Conservation Area

Historic address: 2 Adis Road

Former Nan Hwa Girls' School

About

The main building at Adis Road was formerly the home of Nan Hwa Girls' School (NHGS), established on 14 June 1917 by Mr Xiong Shangfu, an overseas Chinese philanthropist, with the aim of providing girls in Singapore with the opportunity of an education.

The History

The school had humble beginnings in a makeshift premises on Coleman Street. As the student population grew, it moved in 1921 to larger premises at Bencoolen Street. In 1941, a new school building was constructed at Adis Road to house teacher training classes and primary classes, while the Bencoolen Street building was retained for primary classes only.

That same year, the Japanese invaded Singapore and the school was forced to close. It re-opened in October 1945 following the return of the Allied forces. With overwhelming financial support from parents, secondary classes were introduced and enrolment rose. The school was officially renamed Nan Hwa Girls' High School in 1956, before relocating to Clementi Avenue 1 on 12 December 1982.

The Building

Designed in the Art Deco style, the main building at Adis Road is a key identity marker for the area, owing to its visual prominence as one drives up the hill. The three-storey building is characterised by formal symmetry and functional design, with a solid central bay and two wings extending gracefully on either side.

The layout is adapted to the tropical climate, with double corridors lining both sides of the classrooms to aid air movement. Thin concrete ledges serve as sunshading devices, providing a delicate counterfoil to the solid concrete walls. Detail features such as the geometry of the balustrades are echoed in the design of the transom panels, resulting in a harmonious and well-balanced composition of visual elements across the façade.

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.