PM Network - August 2016

ingapore is recognized around the world for its thriving economy. But the city-state doesn’t have much of a reputation for culture or historic preservation. To signal that it’s serious about art and historic architecture, in 2005 the government launched a 10-year, SGD532 million project to build National Gallery Singapore.

In the shadow of Singapore’s modern skyscrapers, the project team created a home for the world’s largest collection of Singaporean and Southeast Asian art by transforming two colonial-era buildings—the former City Hall and Supreme Court building—into one 690,000-square-foot ( 64,103-square- meter) museum. When the museum opened in November, it attracted 170,000 visitors in the first two weeks.

“Singapore hasn’t been known for celebrating its history, so for
us to take two of our most prominent buildings and convert them not
into a commercial venture but an art gallery speaks volumes about Singapore’s
direction as a nation,” says Sushma Goh, director of projects and contracts
management, National Gallery Singapore. “We now see art and history going
hand-in-hand with a nation’s economic success.”
Built in 1929, the City Hall served as a public shelter from Japanese air raids
during World War II. The Supreme Court, built in 1939, is the last neoclassical
structure standing from Singapore’s colonial era. Both buildings were desig-
nated national monuments and, as such, were subject to strict preservation
guidelines that project managers couldn’t violate. That meant the project team
had to make adjustments to integrate all modern-day requirements, such as
climate control and security systems. For example, the project team gave each
building’s interior a second skin to hide air conditioning ducts and security-
system cables.

“We communicated early on to our consultants and contractors that there will be changes in a project like this, and they need to be prepared to accept them as best they can,” says Mark Chee, deputy director of project and facilities management, National Gallery Singapore. “But stakeholders also had to know that, at certain points in the timeline, things like the structure could not be changed.”