Celebrating the stewards of Singapore's built heritage

1. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has named three winners of the 2026 Architectural Heritage Awards (AHA) and conferred three Special Mentions, recognising the dedication and care of building owners, project teams and other stakeholders in sensitively restoring and adapting Singapore’s built heritage. Their efforts help keep our heritage alive, connecting us to our past and identity while ensuring that these buildings continue to inspire and serve the needs of present and future generations. Minister for National Development, Mr Chee Hong Tat, presented the awards at the AHA ceremony today. Minister Chee also highlighted the efforts of the owners of three buildings recently gazetted for conservation through a collaborative approach with URA – Orchard Road Presbyterian Church, 319 Pasir Panjang Road (Starpoint) and 1 Bedok Avenue (Villa Haji Kahar).

Recognising collective stewardship and technical excellence in conservation

2. The 2026 AHA winners and Special Mentions are:

Winners for Award for Conservation

• Church of Our Lady of Lourdes

• Parochial House of St Joseph’s Church (Victoria Street)

Winner for Award for Conservation and Innovation

• 21 Carpenter Street

Special Mentions

• Innovative Use of Technology: Blessed Sacrament Church

• Revival of Traditional Skills and Materials: 163 Neil Road

• Technical Care and Excellence: Tan Kim Seng Fountain

3. The winning projects demonstrate how collective stewardship by building owners, industry professionals and communities can strengthen Singapore’s built heritage. Beyond restoring their physical fabric, these projects show how historic buildings can continue to serve contemporary needs, engage their communities and deepen appreciation of their heritage among new generations. At the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes and Parochial House of St Joseph’s Church (Victoria Street), restoration efforts have enabled these longstanding religious landmarks to continue serving their communities, while making their heritage more accessible through interpretation and better public access. At 21 Carpenter Street, the project team went beyond conservation requirements to thoughtfully weave the historic building’s physical and intangible heritage into the design and visitor experience of the new hotel development.

4. This year, the AHA Special Mentions recognise commendable efforts in specific technical and specialist areas that support good conservation outcomes. These projects demonstrate the breadth of expertise needed to care for our built heritage – from harnessing new technologies and sustaining traditional craftsmanship, to grounding restoration in careful research and technical rigour. Such capabilities are important in creating a strong industry ecosystem that can continue to sensitively enhance the character of our heritage buildings and adapt them for new uses.

5. Refer to Annex A [PDF, 1.06 MB] (opens in new tab) for more information on the projects and jury citations, and Annex B [PDF, 150.45 KB] (opens in new tab) for details of the AHA scheme.

Exemplifying dedication to safeguarding our built heritage

6. Beyond the projects recognised at this year’s AHA, the recent conservation of Orchard Road Presbyterian Church, 319 Pasir Panjang Road (Starpoint) and 1 Bedok Avenue (Villa Haji Kahar) also demonstrates how building owners can play an important role in safeguarding and adapting significant built heritage, strengthening Singapore’s architectural heritage and sense of identity even as the city continues to evolve to meet changing needs. Representing different chapters of Singapore's architectural and social history, these buildings have been carefully conserved to respect their heritage significance, while integrating them with new developments and adapting them for contemporary uses that benefit the wider public.

7. For example, the owners of Villa Haji Kahar at 1 Bedok Avenue and the Starpoint Bungalow at 319 Pasir Panjang Road have proposed integrating their respective bungalows with future residential developments. Villa Haji Kahar is a rare villa from Kampong Bedok designed with a unique synthesis of traditional and international architectural styles, while Starpoint Bungalow is a modernist design by renowned local pioneer architect, Datuk Lim Chong Keat. Both are retained as familiar markers in their respective neighborhoods while allowing the larger sites to be developed to serve future communities. At Orchard Road Presbyterian Church, the conserved building is being restored to give it a new lease of life and reinforce its significance as a cherished touchstone for the community. This will be complemented by plans to refresh its facilities to better serve the congregation, including redeveloping a 1980s extension block while retaining the conserved building as the focal point of the site. Together, these efforts reflect stakeholders’ recognition of the buildings’ heritage value and commitment to sensitively adapt them to meet evolving needs. 

8. Refer to Annex C [PDF, 112.46 KB] (opens in new tab) for more information on these recently conserved buildings.

Deepening knowledge and appreciation of our built heritage 

9. In conjunction with the AHA 2026, this year's Architectural Heritage Season will feature a series of programmes to strengthen conservation knowledge and capabilities within the industry, while deepening public understanding and appreciation of Singapore's built heritage.

10. The programmes include site visits where AHA recipients will share insights from their conservation projects, a workshop on traditional craftsmanship and architectural techniques, and a lecture on exploring how the environmental sustainability of heritage buildings can be possibly enhanced. Members of the public can also discover the stories behind this year's AHA recipients and recently conserved buildings through an exhibition at The URA Centre.

11. Refer to Annex D [PDF, 135.19 KB] (opens in new tab) for details of the Architectural Heritage Season.