National Art Gallery Singapore: Architectural Design competition shortlist

Five teams of architectural firms have been shortlisted for Stage II of the architectural design competition for Singapore’s National Art Gallery. The new National Art Gallery is proposed to be housed in two historic buildings in the heart of Singapore’s Civic District – City Hall and the former Supreme Court building. 

The competition, organised by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts in association with the Singapore Institute of Architects, drew 111 entries from 29 countries worldwide. The entries are about equally divided among the following three regions: 

- Europe and North America, 
- Asia-Pacific (excluding Singapore), and 
- Singapore. 

Judging Process of the architectural design competition for Singapore’s National Art Gallery

The international jury panel of experts for this competition is chaired by Professor Tommy Koh, Singapore’s Ambassador-at-Large. The 7-member panel met in Singapore from 25- 27 April 2007. Over the three-day period, the 111 entries were reviewed based on their ability to demonstrate an understanding of the opportunities and constraints of the site and the buildings; the historical, urban and social context of the Gallery; and an appreciation of the future role the Gallery will play in the Civic District and in Singapore’s cultural landscape. 

Entries at Stage 1 were submitted and judged anonymously, identified only by a computer-generated identification number. Details including the competitors’ past experience and track record were revealed to the jury only after the shortlist had been agreed to.  

The Shortlist

The five shortlisted design teams are (in alphabetical order)

- Chan Sau Yan Associates, in collaboration with Lekker Design, Singapore

- DP Architects, Singapore

- Ho + Hou Studio Architects, Taiwan

- Smart Design Studio, Australia 

- Studio Milou Architecture, France 

In response to this, Professor Tommy Koh said, “The jury was pleased with the outcome. The Stage 1 judging was conducted ‘blind’, so it was gratifying to see that the five shortlisted firms represented a good geographical spread - two Singaporean firms and one each from France, Australia and Taiwan. Their proposed schemes showed great potential to be developed further into feasible design solutions for the new National Art Gallery. Also, each competitor will bring a unique range of artistic and cultural insights to the Stage II of the competition. We look forward to seeing what the five competitors have to offer, in helping us build an iconic National Art Gallery that will propel Singapore forward as a global city for the arts."   

Next Milestone for Shortlisted Firms

The five shortlisted teams will now proceed to Stage II of the competition, which kicks off on 14 May. Within a span of three months, the design teams will be tasked to develop their initial concept into feasible design solutions for the new National Art Gallery. The teams will meet with a Technical Advisory Group, comprising representatives from Singapore’s Preservation of Monuments Board, National Heritage Board, Urban Redevelopment Authority, Land Transport Authority and the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts. They will visit the existing museums under the wings of the National Heritage Board, as well as the Heritage Conservation Centre.  They will also be given more information on site conditions and authorities’ requirements, and a more detailed design brief.  

The submission deadline for Stage II is 3 August 2007. The jury panel will meet again in Singapore at the end of August, when the finalists will present their schemes to the jury panel. The jury will select the three winners. 

About the Jury Panel of the architectural design competition for Singapore’s National Art Gallery

In addition to the Chairman, Professor Tommy Koh, the jury panel consists of the following six members:  

Cheong-Chua Koon Hean
CEO, Urban Redevelopment Authority, Singapore

Mrs Cheong, an architect and urban planner, has extensive experience in strateplanning as well as in urban design and conservation of built heritage. She is Deputy Secretary (Special Duties) in the Ministry of National Development. 

Jean-Francois Jarrige
President, Guimet Musée National des Arts Asiatiques

In addition to being the Director of Guimet Museum  since 1986, Jean-Francois Jarriage is concurrently a member of the National Council of Scientific Research and Director of the French Archaeological Mission to Pakistan, where he has carried out excavations since 1963. 

Koh Seow Chuan
Chairman, Singapore Art Museum and Board Member of the National Heritage Board

Koh Seow Chuan is the retired founder of DP Architects. He is a prominent art collector and was a key figure in the landmark arts development, The Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay.

Julian Raby Director, Freer Gallery of Art & Arthur M Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Julian Raby had been Director of the Freer and Sackler galleries since 2002. He is a well-known scholar of Islamic art and is equally well-versed in Oriental Studies.

Rita Soh
Immediate Past President, Singapore Institute of Architects

Ms Rita Soh was the President of the Singapore Institute of Architects from 2004 – 2007. She has been instrumental in establishing a Blueprint for the architectural profession in its pursuit of Architectural Excellence as well as a Pro-Enterprise approach to architecture. 

Peter Wilson Project Director, Royal Shakespeare Company Transformation Project

Peter Wilson is currently Project Director for a £100 million redevelopment project of the famous Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon, UK. He also played a key role in the development of the Tate as building project director for both the Tate Modern and the Tate Britain Centenary Development.  

Source:  MICA - Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts of Singapore. 

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Singapore Architectural Design Competition for a New National Art Gallery

Singapore Launches Architectural Design Competition for a New National Art Gallery

Architects around the world invited to ceonceptualise a design for the Art Gallery, to be housed in two iconic heritage buildings set in the heart of Singapore's Civic District, City Hall and the former Supreme Court building

The heart of Singapore’s city centre is set to become even more vibrant in the Civic District area, with a new National Art Gallery (working title) to be completed around 2012. Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, Dr Lee Boon Yang, announced on 13 February 2007 that Singapore will launch the Architectural Design Competition for the National Art Gallery this month for local and international architects to develop the best design concept for the new National Art Gallery.

The Art Gallery will be housed in two historically significant 20th century monuments situated in Singapore’s Civic District – City Hall and the adjacent former Supreme Court building. The Art Gallery is envisioned to be dedicated to the presentation, collection and study of Southeast Asian and Singaporean visual arts, and the examination of how the art of this region connects with developments in the rest of the international art world. Today, Southeast Asian art makes up two-thirds of Singapore’s national collection of some 7,500 pieces of artworks.

A unique opportunity to work with civic monuments of such scale and historical importance, this project will add a new dimension to the cultural and art spaces in Singapore.

Dr Balaji Sadasivan, Senior Minister-of-State for Information Communications and the Arts (MICA) and Foreign Affairs, who also chairs the Steering Committee for the National Art Gallery said, “A new National Art Gallery is timely at this juncture in Singapore’s transformation to become a global city of the arts. This architectural competition is just the first step, towards building a national institution that will be owned and valued by the community, and one in which all Singaporeans will be proud of.”

Since 1992, both buildings have been gazetted as national monuments, and are subject to preservation guidelines under the authority of the Preservation of Monuments Board. They were vacated in 2005, and have since been used occasionally, for example, in 2006 as one of the exhibition venues for the Singapore Biennale 2006 and as a registration centre for delegates of the International Monetary Fund/World Bank meetings. Architects participating in the competition will be provided with the preservation guidelines but are encouraged to develop innovative ideas.

This architectural competition is organised by MICA in association with the Singapore Institute of Architects.

The competition will be conducted in two stages. The first stage, an open ideas competition, will look for initial design ideas, and be judged on design philosophy and task appreciation. Entries at Stage I are kept anonymous and competitors’ identities will be revealed to the jury after they have been shortlisted for the second stage. Shortlisted competitors will move to Stage II, a design development competition, where they will be asked to develop their initial concepts and demonstrate the workability of their proposals against a budget. At the end of the two-stage competition, the jury will select not more than three winners, where one winner may be commissioned in end 2007 to design and build the National Art Gallery.

Extending an invitation to architects from Singapore and around the world to come forward with bold and creative ideas, Dr Balaji said, “The competition presents an exciting and unique opportunity for top talents from Singapore and around the world to not only shape the Civic District but to also steer Singapore to the forefront of global cities and define our presence as a visual arts hub.”

The competition brief for Stage I, terms and conditions will be available on the website at www.nationalartgallery.sg from 23 February 2007 onwards. The closing date for Stage I is 13 April 2007.