Be inspired by the Visions, Creativity and Stories Behind Singapore’s Architectural Legacies at the Singapore Architecture Collection’s Inaugural Showcase

- The “To Draw an Idea: Retracing the Designs of William Lim Associates – W Architects” and “Dare to Design: Singapore Architecture 1960s – 2000s” exhibitions present the most comprehensive collection of Singapore’s architectural materials to-date.    

- Visitors to take away rich insights on the evolution of Singapore’s cityscape, society and identity through the lens of extensive architectural resources.

- Series of exciting programmes lined up for the young and old to discover how architectural efforts shape a liveable and endearing Singapore.

Explore and learn about how Singapore’s post-war architecture reflected the evolution of the nation’s built environment, society and identity in the inaugural showcase of the new Singapore Architecture Collection. Jointly organised by the National Library Board (NLB) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in partnership with local architecture firm W Architects, the exhibition “To Draw an Idea: Retracing the Designs of William Lim Associates – W Architects¹” features over 500 architectural archival materials and artefacts. It was launched today by Ms Indranee Rajah, Second Minister for National Development and Finance, and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office. Also launched on the same day is NLB’s “Dare to Design: Singapore Architecture 1960s–2000s” satellite exhibition at the National Library Building, celebrating Singapore’s architectural legacy and allowing Singaporeans to check out architecture stories across multiple locations nationwide.

"To Draw an Idea” presents insights into how visionary and innovative designs were inspired by the times and in turn, shaped Singapore’s urban development, distinctive cityscape and unique identity. It features the first comprehensive contribution from an architecture firm to the Singapore Architecture Collection that was announced in August 2023, and showcases archival materials of William Lim Associates – W Architects’ 19 key projects from the 1980s to the 2010s. On display include architectural drawings and artefacts from the refurbishment of the National Museum of Singapore, to residential projects like Paterson Edge which introduced compact city living and early adaptive reuse proposals for heritage areas such as the Singapore River. They reflect the evolution of the firm’s work across four decades and demonstrate how global architectural influences, local developments, building regulations and changing aspirations amongst the population have influenced the firm’s design processes and creative visions over the years.

The collection seeks to document, preserve and make available a wider repository of significant archival materials on Singapore’s modern and contemporary architecture. Materials donated to the collection will be carefully preserved and protected against material deterioration. For more information about the collection, refer to Annex A [PDF, 333 KB] [PDF, 333kb].

NLB’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ng Cher Pong, said: “This inaugural showcase from the Singapore Architecture Collection tells our rich Singapore Stories through the materials generously contributed by our local architecture community. Everybody has their own memories of many of the landmarks featured, such as the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall. We hope that through this exhibition and the setting up of the Singapore Architecture Collection, we will be able to inspire even more Singaporeans to share their stories and help build our shared heritage and identity.”

URA’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Lim Eng Hwee, said: “We are encouraged by the strong support from the industry since embarking on the collection. By preserving valuable resources from Singapore’s architectural heritage, built environment industry professionals and the wider community can gain an appreciation of how our urban environment has evolved over the decades in response to our changing needs and aspirations. We will continue to partner industry and academia to grow the collection not only as a rich resource for research and education, but also to inspire the future as we work to continuously shape a liveable and endearing home for generations of Singaporeans to come.”

W Architects’ Managing Director, Mok Wei Wei, said: “Building and sustaining a rich archive serves as a valuable record of our cumulative knowledge. It encourages us to reflect on our own works and can be used for research on Singapore’s architecture. Such an archive is also important for Singapore as it contributes to our understanding of our built heritage. Of all the designs and drawings that we produce, not everything is realised, not everything will remain intact, not everything will stay. This means the architectural materials, together with published documents, become the only tangible things that survive to tell the story of the creative endeavour of architects, and the cultural legacy of the society they live in.”
 
“To Draw an Idea: Retracing the Designs of William Lim Associates – W Architects” exhibition will run for six months from 28 November 2023 to 8 June 2024 at The URA Centre ground floor atrium. Admission to the exhibition is free. Refer to Annex B for the exhibition highlights

Visitors can participate in guided tours of the exhibition, talks by subject matter experts and children’s workshops at the URA Centre and National Library Building. They can sign up for these programmes via https://go.gov.sg/tdai-progrm-collection. Refer to Annex C [PDF, 171 KB] [PDF, 171kb] for the exhibition programmes.

The “Dare to Design: Singapore Architecture 1960s–2000s” satellite exhibition shares design insights and stories behind some of Singapore’s unique and innovative landmarks and buildings built from the 1960s to 2000s, such as the Golden Mile Complex, Pearl Bank Apartments and the National Theatre. Through books, building plans, photographs, videos and other materials on display, the public can learn more about the Singapore’s architecture story and journey, and the many bold ideas and visions in building design that have captured hearts and minds across time.

“Dare to Design: Singapore Architecture 1960s–2000s” will also run for six months from 28 November 2023 to 9 June 2024 at the National Library Building’s lobby. Admission to the exhibition is free. A roving display of the “Dare to Design” exhibition will also tour at the following locations:
• 28 November 2023 to 31 January 2024: Bishan Public Library Level 1 Atrium 
• 1 February 2024 to 31 March 2024: Jurong Regional Library Level 1 
• 1 April 2024 to 9 June 2024: Tampines Regional Library Level 2

¹ William Lim Associates (WLA) was founded in 1982. The firm was renamed W Architects (WA) in 2003.