Singapore Dreaming

DP Architects co-founder Koh Seow Chuan and CEOAngelene Chan talk to Hong Xinyi about building a resilient legacy thatcanstandthetest of time.

The year 2018 has been a bit of a brutal one for some of Singapore’s iconic modernist buildings. In February, Pearl Bank Apartments was sold in a collective sale, and the owners of People’s Park Complex, Golden Mile Complex and Golden Mile Tower are working towards the same goal. All four buildings were wholly designed by homegrown architects and completed in the 1970s. They do not have conservation status. Once sold, demolishment is their likeliest fate.

The prospect has sparked a lively public debate. Heritage advocates argue that these buildings embody significant facets of Singapore’s architectural and national history, while pragmatists point out the increasingly arduous maintenance needs of these ageing structures, and the possibility that redevelopment will offer better solutions for current population demands.

People’s Park Complex and Golden Mile Complex were among the earliest projects undertaken by DP Architects, which was founded in 1967 as Design Partnership. So, of course, we had to ask the firm’s co-founder and senior consultant Koh Seow Chuan for his take on the hot-button issue. “Well, this is going to be a real test of Singapore’s collective spirit,” he replies.

His pivot away from a subjective viewpoint is striking. This veteran architect, we swiftly realise, is fastidious about the importance of seeing—and serving—the bigger picture. “I am a part of the pioneer generation and we faced a lot of challenges before and after Singapore achieved independence,” Seow Chuan continues. What he learnt was this: “Singapore is small. Everything works better when we work as a team; and when there is collective will, we can find solutions. So firstly, we have to agree on one question as a society: are these buildings the best examples of projects that are reflective of the spirit of early independent Singapore?”