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URA PILOT RESTORATION PROJECT The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is the national planning authority for Singapore. Its active involvement in conservation started as early as the 1970s with the rehabilitation of some state-owned properties for adaptive reuse. To-date, conservation status has been given to 94 The house before conservation areas involving over 6800 buildings throughout the island. NO. 9 NEIL ROAD Conservation of our built heritage is an integral part of urban planning and development in Singapore. The restoration of our historic areas add variety to our streetscapes and modulate the scale of our urban fabric, creating restoration the visual contrast and excitement within the city while protecting the important reminders and representations of our past. In addition, it adds to the distinctive character and identity of our city, giving it a sense of history and memory of place. Revitalisation of Tanjong Pagar CREDITS Architect & Engineer: Urban Redevelopment Authority Contractors: Khian Heng Construction (Pte) Ltd Telephone No: (65) 6221 6666 Website: www.ura.gov.sg © Urban Redevelopment Authority. All Rights Reserved The information is accurate as at time of print and changes could have been made since then. URA is not responsible for any loss or damage that may be incurred or suffered by anyone using or relying on the information set out in the brochure. Designed and produced by Urban Redevelopment Authority, March 2009 KRETA AYER ROAD MAXWELL ROAD NO. 9 FOOD CENTRE JINRIKSHA NEIL ROAD STATION FAIRFIELD CONSERVATION OF METHODIST K CHURCH MAXWELL ROAD E TANJONG PAGAR 32 shophouses in Tanjong Pagar were restored to their O N PHASE 1 JIAK CHUAN ROAD NEIL ROAD G former glory between 1987 and 1988, in the first ever project S A I undertaken by the government to demonstrate that was it K S T technically possible and commercially viable to restore our R E E heritage shophouses. T CARPARK D A O R Restored to the tune of $4.09 million dollars, the 32 buildings LANDSCAPED PHASE 2A R AREA A formed Phase 1 of a bigger programme to rejuvenate all G CHINATOWN A P the 220 state-owned shophouses in the Tanjong Pagar PLAZA G CRAIG ROAD N Conservation Area. O J N A PHASE 2C T The Urban Redevelopment Authority, which spearheaded the FUTURE DUXTON HILL PHASE 2B SURFACE pilot project, had wanted to revitalize the Tanjong Pagar area CARPARK DUXTON ROAD The shophouses before restoration th of Chinatown - an area rich in 19 Century urban heritage that TRAS STREET had deteriorated gradually over the years. NO. 9 NEIL ROAD The aim of the pilot restoration project was also to educate the public and industry on the importance of heritage conservation by revealing the buildings’ long hidden beauty, so that the planned gazette of our first conservation areas would receive public buy-in. A rather unusual clause was inserted into the restoration contract, which was awarded in May 1987. One unit had to be restored first before the contractor can start work on the rest of the 31 buildings. The unit to be restored was to be the sample unit that would set the standard for the other shophouses in Tanjong Pagar and the rest of Singapore. Work had to be monitored closely; the finishing material tested and confirmed, the working procedures efficient, all problems resolved effectively and the standard of workmanship upheld for this unit. No 9 Neil Rd was chosen as this sample unit. The building was selected for its rich external facade decorations and the fact that the timber fascia beam in front, a very important structural element, was very badly deteriorated and needed to be replaced. The Authority saw this was a golden opportunity to work out the construction method to be used for some of the remaining shophouses that had similar problems. The two-storey building with an attic floor was in poor condition. A large part of the roof had collapsed, all the windows except those on the second storey could not be salvaged, and most of the decorative mouldings were either damaged or missing. Aerial view of Tanjong Pagar in the 1980s No. 9 Neil Road Colour Scheme Documentation of the shophouses revealed that the paintwork was of a narrow colour range, chosen to enhance the natural colouration of the construction materials used. The colour schemes included pastel Restoration Works green, blue, white, creams and buffs, and deep red with occasional splashes of lilac. Careful scraping of the paintwork in less accessible Preserving the foundations areas of the walls have helped to establish the original colours used. The existing foundations of brick and lime mortar were found to be in These colours were used in the repainting using conservation paints, good condition in general. As a precautionary measure, storm water which has weathered well since. from down pipes was channelled into drains to prevent any weakening of the foundations. The restored façade The finished product – a shophouse restored to the original beauty and elegance of its heyday, was a stunning surprise to many Singaporeans. Replacing the fascia beam Protecting the roof Inserting new rafters Many had only ever seen such buildings in their extremely run-down A joint inspection with the contractor was first carried out to determine conditions in the post-World War II era. the exact scope of work. All items to be retained, repaired or replaced were identified. The unwanted structures were then demolished and a Other Measures back lane created. Fire Safety The next step was to strengthen the building. A proper technique had The Tanjong Pagar shophouses were originally built back-to-back. to be devised to replace the front fascia beam - the sole supporting This, together with the extensive use of timber in the flooring and member of the entire second storey facade wall. Timber pinnings and staircases was a fire hazard. The conservation plans thus called for props were used to support the wall temporarily while the beam was Replacing the fascia beam the creation of back-lanes between rows of the shophouses. replaced. Timber roof members and floor joists were also replaced. All new timber floor boards and joists were also impregnated with fire-resistant chemicals. Existing timber joists and beams that Retaining the original roof form were not replaced were treated with fire-retardant paint. Besides The existing double pitch roof of the shophouse was one of its most these, staircases were repositioned such that they lead to external distinctive features. The restoration works had to ensure that the profile walkways. All staircases leading from the first to second storey were of the roof, colour of tiles and character of the jack roofs for ventilation fire-compartmentalized with minimum 100mm thick brick walls. were retained. Damaged roof tiles were replaced with new ones of Fire resistant boards were also used for the ceiling, with an additional similar profile, size and colour. layer being added beneath the floor over rooms with higher fire risks Creating backlanes for services Paintings discovered under layers of grime and dirt such as kitchens. To enable the heavy rainfall in Singapore to be shed quickly, the ideal roof pitch for clay tiles is 29 degrees. However, the roofs in Services and Sanitation Tanjong Pagar are lowly pitched, most of them at angles of less than The upgrading works included the provision of water, electricity and 25 degrees, leading to rampant leakage problems. To overcome this, a new sanitary facilities. A sub-station and switch rooms were built, zinc-aluminium waterproofing layer was used. This layer of secondary together with bin centres and a service back lane. Additional toilets metal decking has a specially created profile to match the roof tiles. It were also built on the upper floors. Instead of constructing reinforced replaced the timber battens used to support the roof tiles, and provided concrete slabs for the toilet floors, waterproofing membranes were laid over the timber floor boards before tiling over them. additional weather protection. All rainwater down pipes and gutters, which were made of galvanized iron, were replaced with new ones of Environmental Improvement similar size and material. As a further demonstration of the Government’s commitment to conservation, infrastructural facilities such as backlanes, sidewalks Another unique feature of this row of buildings was the traditional and substations were provided in the conservation area. Duxton Hill plastered roof ridge – a Teochew/Hokkien feature. This was also was pedestrianised and sidewalks were provided along all the streets reinstated, giving the row of building a distinct roof line. Restoring the staircase Restoring the timber louvre windows to enhance the walkways. Airwell With the recovery of the air-well as an open area, the shophouse interior was no longer the dark and stuffy space of old, when the air-well was partly covered and used for other purposes. A surprise discovery was made here with the Chinese water-colour frescoes found below the air- well parapets. When the layers of paints were scraped away, centuries old paintings of flowers and birds were once again revealed. The finished product Hacking the wall The internal wall plaster was hacked away and the walls treated with a special chemical to bind the bricks together. This hardened the wall and Recrafting ornamental motifs provided a very good base for new wall plaster. Before this treatment, the surface of the wall was so powdery that it could be removed easily with a stroke of the hand. Wall Ornamentation and Restoration The façade walls of the shophouses were beautifully decorated with ornamental plasterwork and intricately moulded motifs. Great care was taken to preserve these features and restore damaged and missing ones. The existing plaster work was of lime mortar.

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