THE PECULIAR, ODD AND STRANGE MODERNISM IN EQUATORIAL SINGAPORE

Abstract

The twentieth century saw the rise of the modernist style of architecture, arguably the most important evolution of its time. In Singapore, the post-war era introduced a new generation of Architects – Alfred Wong, Lim Chong Keat, William Lim and many others. In the tumultuous years immediately after the war, Singapore, similar to many other developing cities, faced a number of economic and social issues. Having a newly-formed government to tackle the various problems, combined with the return of architects from abroad as well as the graduation of the early batches of Architecture students at the School of Architecture (at Singapore Polytechnic then), the nation quickly began searching for its own identity to distinguish itself from neighbouring Malaysia. Armed with their new knowledge of the international style of modernism, Singapore’s architects developed their interpretations and adapted the style to the tropical context of Singapore.

In this paper, through the chronological interrogation of building facades and forms, I seek to understand the unique adaptations and transformations of modernism in Singapore. How did the tropical environment and climate affect the decisions of the modernist architects? And in a city void of a distinct identity (being recently independent), how did the people and the architects identify with their architecture?