CHAPTER 1

BASIC INFORMATION OF SINGAPORE

1.MAP AND THE SIZE
OF THE COUNTRY
Area: total: 697 sq
km
land: 687 sq km
water: 10 sq km

Land boundaries: 0
km
Coastline: 193 km
2. CAPITAL CITY
THE CAPITAL OF
SINGAPORE IS
THE CITY OF
SINGAPORE.

As a city-state, Singapore is both the country and its

capital. Singapore Island is the main island of
Singapore, which is also called Pulau Ujong. This island is
the largest island of Singapore as well as the most
populous, with a population of over 5 million. Singapore
Island has an area of about 710 square kilometers.
3. POPULATION AND
ETHNIC GROUP
THE POPULATION OF SINGAPORE IS
5.8 MILLION

Ethnic groups: Chinese 76.8%, Malay 13.9%,

Indian 7.9%, other 1.4% (2000 census)

As of 2011, the population of Singapore is

5.18 million people, of whom 3.25 million (63%)
are citizens while the rest (37%) are permanent residents
or foreign workers. Twenty-three percent of Singaporean
citizens were born outside Singapore i.e. foreign
born citizens. There are half a million permanent residents
in Singapore in 2011. The resident population does not take
into account the 11 million transient visitors who visit
Singapore annually
4.OFFICIAL LANGAUGE
MALAY IS THE NATIONAL LANGAUGE OF
SINGAPORE

The national language of Singapore is Malay for

historical reasons but the official languages are
English, Chinese (Mandarin), Malay and Tamil. Each
carries equal weight under our constitution. English is
widely used as the lingua franca amongst the different
communities. It is also the language of
administration.
5. RELIGION

THE MAIN RELIGION

OF SINGAPORE IS
BUDDHISM WITH
LITTLE MORE THAN
34 % OF
POPULATION
FOLLOWING
6.SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
THE TYPE OF GOVERNANT
IN SINGAPORE IS THE
PERLIAMENTARY
REPUBLIC

The politics of Singapore takes the

form of
a parliamentary representative
democratic republic whereby
the President of Singapore is
the head of state, the Prime Minister
of Singapore is the head of
government, and of a multi-party
system.Executive power is exercised
by the cabinet. Cabinet has the
general direction and control of the
Government and is collectively
responsible to Parliament.
 7.CURRENCY
THE CURRENCY OF SINGAPORE IS
SINGAPOREAN DOLLAR.

Inflation: 5.2%
Nicknames: Sing
Coins Freq Used:
$1, S¢5, S¢10, S¢20, S¢50
Rarely Used: S¢1
Banknotes Freq Used:
$2, $5, $10, $50
Rarely Used:
$1, $20, $25, $100, $500, $10
00, $10000
 8.NATIONAL SYMBOL

LION HEAD IS THE NATIONAL

SYMBOL OF SINGAPORE

The Lion Head symbolises courage, strength and excellence, as

well as resilience in the face of challenges. It is in solid red against
a white background - the colours of the National Flag. Its mane's
five partings represent the same five ideals that are embodied in
the five stars of the National Flag, namely
democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality. Its tenacious
mien symbolises resolve to face and overcome any challenges.
9.NATIONAL FLAG
SINGAPURIA IS THE
NATIONAL FLAG OF
SINGAPORE

The red represents brotherhood

and equality, while the white
shows purity and virtue. The
moon, a waxing crescent, is
symbolic of the new nation, a
young nation just beginning to
reach its peak. The stars
represent democracy, peace,
progress, justice, and equality,
each ideals of the new
Singapore nation
10.ECONOMICS

Singapore has a highly developed and

successful free-market economy. It has an
open, pro-business environment, relatively
corruption-free and transparent, stable
prices, low tax rates (14.2% of GDP)
compared to other developed
economies, and one of the highest per-capita
gross domestic products (GDP) in the world.
Its innovative yet steadfast form of
economics that combines economic planning
of Singapore Economic Development Board
with free-market has given it the nickname
the Singapore Model. Singapore's sovereign
wealth fund Temasek Holdings is a large
investor in the economy, holding majority
stakes in several of the nation's largest
companies, such as Singapore
Airlines, SingTel, ST Engineering and
MediaCorp.
11.LOCATIOIN
LOCATION:Southeastern
Asia, islands between
Malaysia and Indonesia

GEOGRAPHIC
CORDINATES: 1 22
N, 103 48 E

MAP
REFERNCE: Southeast
Asia
12.MAP
13. GEOGRAPHY
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 193 km
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid, rainy; two distinct monsoon
seasons - Northeastern monsoon from December to
March and Southwestern monsoon from June to
September; inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and
early evening thunderstorms
Terrain:
lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains
water catchment area and nature preserve
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Singapore Strait 0 m
highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m
Natural resources: fish, deepwater ports
Land use:
arable land: 1.64%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 98.36% (2001)
14.CULTURAL ECOLOGY
2.1.1 CULTURE
Singapore was a part of British Malaya for
many centuries. It was ruled by
the Sultanate of Johor. In 1819, the British
came to the Island and set up a port and
colony. During British rule, the port of
Singapore flourished and attracted many
migrants. After World War 2, Singapore
became an independent nation and a
republic, which it remains today.
Singapore has a diverse populace of
nearly 5 million people which is made up
of Chinese, Malays, Indians, Caucasians
and Eurasians (plus other mixed groups)
and Asians of different origins, which is in
line with the nation's history as a
crossroads for various ethnic and racial
groups. The temples of Chinatown can still
be seen in certain towns in Singapore.
In addition, 42% of Singapore's populace
are foreigners, which makes it the country
with the sixth highest proportion of
foreigners world wide. Singapore is also
the third most densely populated in the
world after Macau and Monaco.
Singaporean culture is best described as a
melting pot of mainly
Chinese, Indian, British, and Malay
cultures, a reflection of its immigrant
history.
 CHAPTER 2
CULTURAL ECOLOGY AND ARCHITECTURE
2.1.2CULTURAL INFLUENCE ON ARCHITECRE
Vernacular architecture is commonly believed to be a quaint
representation of the history and traditions of a culture, built by
average
people using traditional technologies over a long period of time but in
Singapore there are several indications that the Modernist high rise
housing and new towns have become a new vernacular. The factors
that support this point of view are: I) the ubiquity of the high rise
and
new town way of life; 2) a shared value system and culture within the
new towns that is shaped by and reflected in the architecture and
planning of the new towns; 3) the importance of relationships
between
spaces in the new towns; 4) the ability of the architecture and
planning
of new towns to adapt to changes within Singaporean society; 5) the
acceptance, legitimacy, and identification of the high-rise way of life
by
Singaporeans. A vernacular in Singapore based upon high-rise
housing
and new towns profoundly impocts the understanding of vernacular
architecture, Modernist planning, and the industrialization of former
Third World countries in response to the globalism.
Singapore may be a thriving modern city, but it does try to
preserve buildings with historical or heritage value. These often
eclectic styles are mainly the result of adapting period European
architecture to the island's tropical climate.

Pre-modern architecture in Singapore consists primarily of

colonial civic and commercial structures in the European
Neoclassical, Gothic, Palladian and Renaissance styles. Out of
these styles grew the unique 'black-and-white' bungalows that
dot the island, and the traditional 'shophouses' found mainly in
commercial districts.

Singapore's modern buildings, on the other hand, tend to be

pragmatic affairs, especially the apartment blocks developed by
the Housing Development Board, the government agency in
charge of public housing. Recent developments have focused on
mixed-used buildings that fully utilise the island's limited land
area.

Some of these projects have also begun to take environmental

sustainability into consideration, resulting in a generation of
postmodern neo-tropical buildings that are beginning to change
Singapore's skyline.
Architecture in colonial Singapore divides largely into
four styles: Classical Revival for government buildings,
Gothic Revival for churches, the Chinese chophouse,
and the bungalow. One expects to find the classical
style with its implicit reference to imperial Rome in
government offices and buildings associated with the
imperial elite, such as Raffles Hotel. Elements of the
classical style, particularly pilasters, columns, and
capitals, also appear vernacular architecture as well. (I
write "vernacular" because, strictly speaking, Singapore
has no indigenous architecture, since Sir Stamford
Raffles created this thriving entrepot or trans-shipment
port from a small island and invited Indians, Chinese,
and Malays to settle as a work force for the new
settlement, the land for which Raffles purchased from
the Sultan of Johor.)
The shophouse, the predominant mercantile building type in
colonial days (and by far kind of the largest number of
individual buildings), has living quarters above a street-level
shop, which is recessed beneath an arcade, thus providing
protection from tropical sun and rain. Early shophouses tend to
have plain unadorned fronts. These two examples of classical
elements on the façades of Chinese Shophouses show how the
style associated with the imperial rulers influenced vernacular
structures. More surprising, perhaps, classical elements, such
as Corinthian capitals also appear on at least one mosque, the
Nagore Durga Shrine (1828-1830) on Telok Ayer Street.
2.2. characteristic of
traditional singaporean
shophouse architecture
The shophouse is most characteristicof the urban landscape
in Southeast Asia. Evolving inthe context of colonial cities, the shophouse
was the most suitable and advanced housing model in Asia during the 19th
century. As it combined the living with the working space, it provided
shelter for most of the urban dwellers in Southeast Asia. In the current
debate on heritage conservation and urban housing, this colonial
architecture has awakened interest as a symbol of national history and
collective identity.
Until today, the inner-city of Penang, one of the earliest British colonial
settlements in Southeast Asia, off ers the most distinctive range of stylistic
variations of the façade and lay out patterns dating back to the early times
of the settlement. The transformation of the built environment was shaped
by the legislation framework of the colonial government but also by the
domestic values of a multi-ethnic community. The climate, materials and
building technology have also determined the architectural form. The
change in the urban fabric is most obvious within the urbanisation process
in the late 19th and early 20th century. The presentation will highlight the
features of the shophouse and give an overview on the architectural history
of Penangʼs shophouses from the late 18th century to the Second World War.
Most Southeast Asian cities with
colonial pasts contain
a disparate collection of old
buildings that reflect the
city’s historic heritage. Although
we admire, photograph
and sometimes try to conserve
these vestiges of the past,
how often do we stop to
consider why property owners
commissioned certain building
types or chose particular
architectural styles? In this
article, let me share with you
how
we can see the British colonial
empire in its socio-economic
context through the window of
Singapore’s ubiquitous
shophouses.
2.2.1. CLASSICAL ARCHITECTURE OF
SINGAPORE SHOPHOUSE
The shophouses of Circular Road (Boat
Quay), Club Street,China Square and Far
East Square demonstrate a range of styles
over various periods. These periods can
be classified broadly as Early Style (1840-
1900), Transitional Style (1890-
1910), Late or Chinese Baroque Style
(1910-1930) and Art Deco Style (1930-
1960).By the 18th century, rising fortunes
also enabled many
households to send their sons abroad.
With its splendid collection of antiquities
and classical Roman ruins, Italy became a
popular ‘Grand Tour’ destination for young
British gentlemen seeking to further their
education in the art, culture and politics of
Europe. Before long, classical design
became a feature of British homes, which
until then, had been primarily of timber-
frame construction in the Elizabethan or
Tudor styles from which Singapore’s ‘black
and white’houses descend. Classical
ornamentation such as pilasters or
Palladian windows on a home’s faade.
The typical shophouse in Jalan Besar
is an L-shape building with a rear court
for light, air, and service access. The
vertical segment of the ‘L’ contains a
kitchen, a bathroom, and a toilet while
the main part of the house contains
the living and work spaces. This layout
became a standard by 1914.
The commercial development
of shophouses began with the
construction of nine shophouses by the
Jalan Besar Land Investment Company
in 1919. The project occupied the block
between Kitchener Road and Maude
Road. With the exception of the end
units, the shophouses (18 feet 9 inches
by 82 feet 6 inches long) were mostly
identical. The width of 18 feet became
another standard in shophouse design.
The entire project was redeveloped
into a part of the Jalan Besar Plaza
some time in the 1980s.
2.3CHANGE IN FUTURE
ARCHITECURAL TREND

At the cutting-edge of contemporary architecture, there are

many trends, but three stand out: height, sustainability, and
bio-inspired designs. Many future architectural trends are
likely to unfold, but these three are currently popular, and
likely to remain so for at some time, especially sustainability.
Already one of the best architectural cities in the world (known
as a 1:1 scale model for ideal urban planning), Singapore's
architecture scene is getting extremely exciting with
innovative works by many 'starchitects' and talented local
architects.