AFTER 1999: UNCOVERING THE NEW SINGAPORE EMBASSY

Abstract

Since the privatization of state owned agencies in 1999, there emerges a new generation of Singapore embassies in the making which were designed by private Singapore architects through invited competitions. Embassies are a type of government buildings, symbolically charged and uniquely define by a complex set of representation requirements. As the physical presence of the country beyond its borders, architecturally it is a manifestation of what the country hopes to project itself. Architecture in Singapore has been contended to lack distinctive identifying characteristics, and within the local architectural profession, generations have struggled to define itself. The unique positioning of the Singapore architect practising in a young evolving nation and conditioned by the State’s overarching vision and policies presents another layer of challenge. With the shift in the playing field in the production of public buildings in Singapore, an infill of private players has begun altering the local architectural scene. This dissertation seeks to investigate the change through an examination of the new Singapore embassy, and the set of strategies the private Singapore architect adopts, consciously or unconsciously, in order to represent Singapore.