COLONIAL SPLENDOUR

The legacy of colonial buildings in Singapore is one of elegance and tropical adaptability that filters into its luxury housing market

- Sandhya Mahadevan

Famous Canadian-American architect and designer Frank Gehry once said: "Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness". English historian and writer A.L. Rowse described architecture "as history arrested in stone". These statements hold true when we look around at the architectural heritage of Singapore, in which the remnants of its colonial past-Victorian, and in a palette of black-and-white-stand, nestled amid the steely grey of the towering futuristic architecture that defines its modern skyline.

Colonial architecture in the context of Singapore traverses the architectural styles that were prevalent from the 1860s to the 1960s during the British occupation of the island-state. However, only about 500 of these vestiges of Singapore's past exist today-and they are mostly the houses that the British colonial administration built in the early 1900s as residences for officials.

Many were demolished to make way for urban development, while the others came under the care of the Singapore Land Authority (SLA).

"When Singapore gained independence, the departing colonial administration transferred the heritage houses it built and managed to the government of Singapore. As a result, the vast majority of the remaining heritage houses are under the care of the SLA [for heritage preservation], while some remain privately owned," explains Cheoh Wee Keat, director of SLA's leasing division.

The state-owned black-and-white houses in Singapore can be rented or leased for residential as well as commercial purposes through an open bidding system on the SLA website. These rentals are awarded based on the intentions and refurbishment plans of the winning bidders with the impetus on ensuring they have the financial means to maintain the integrity of the property.