Behind the Restoration of 3 Conservation Shophouses
Reviving Singapore's iconic shophouses may involve bats and termites, as these architects share
Chiquit Brammall
8 October 2019
Design journalist and freelance editor. Dollhouse architect. Serial renter.
A shophouse, according to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), is “a prevalent building type in Singapore’s architectural and built heritage. Shophouses are also commonly found throughout the historic cities of South East Asia. They are narrow, small terraced houses, with a sheltered ‘five foot’ pedestrian way at the front. These buildings can be used for both business and living“.
In Singapore, at the URA City Gallery, there are miniature models portraying the evolution of the shophouse from the enterprising businessman’s work-and-live space in its origins in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, to something more like tenement housing, when the businessman moved his family to a quieter, more affluent neighbourhood, and likely housed his many employees in the upper levels of his shophouse instead. This ‘downfall’ was common from the 1960s-1970s.
The URA began restoring and gazetting shophouse neighbourhoods in the 1980s, and so sometime in the late 1990s-early 2000s, shophouses started to become a trendy place to live in. They are romanticised in paintings and postcards (such as Clare Haxby‘s pictured here), fusing heritage with urban living.
The URA began restoring and gazetting shophouse neighbourhoods in the 1980s, and so sometime in the late 1990s-early 2000s, shophouses started to become a trendy place to live in. They are romanticised in paintings and postcards (such as Clare Haxby‘s pictured here), fusing heritage with urban living.
Shophouses are essentially terrace or rowhouses; they have narrow fronts and are often built side by side, in a row. This means that there are no windows along their lengths. To bring natural light and ventilation inside, they are designed with internal courtyards.
One of the biggest rules when restoring a conservation shophouse is to maintain its traditional facade, from the five-foot-way in front of the main door, to the mouldings – which can identify the period in which it was built.
Here are three stunning restorations of conservation shophouses.
If you want to know where conservation shophouses are located, Kelvin Ang, URA’s Director for Conservation Management recommends a visit to My Conservation Portal.
One of the biggest rules when restoring a conservation shophouse is to maintain its traditional facade, from the five-foot-way in front of the main door, to the mouldings – which can identify the period in which it was built.
Here are three stunning restorations of conservation shophouses.
If you want to know where conservation shophouses are located, Kelvin Ang, URA’s Director for Conservation Management recommends a visit to My Conservation Portal.
Case Study 1: Emerald House
Location: Emerald Hill
Lekker Architects worked on this shophouse that has a traditional front, and a surprisingly stunning sculptural rear. The project involved the partial renovation of a classic Singaporean shophouse, and the addition of a new modern extension. Josh Comaroff of Lekker Architects shares about this project.
How old is Emerald House?
We don’t know the exact age of the house, but it would have been built between 1901 and 1925, when most of the existing terrace houses were constructed. The street itself is said to have been laid out in 1901.
Location: Emerald Hill
Lekker Architects worked on this shophouse that has a traditional front, and a surprisingly stunning sculptural rear. The project involved the partial renovation of a classic Singaporean shophouse, and the addition of a new modern extension. Josh Comaroff of Lekker Architects shares about this project.
How old is Emerald House?
We don’t know the exact age of the house, but it would have been built between 1901 and 1925, when most of the existing terrace houses were constructed. The street itself is said to have been laid out in 1901.
After restoration and renovation, the house looks fresh and – despite its vintage furniture – Singapore city-slick.
What was the condition of the shophouse before your client commissioned you for this project?
It was in a fairly dingy state. There had been several renovations, with some unusual choices in terms of materials and style. There was a kitchen added, which looked to have been built in the 1970s. There was a lot of salmon-coloured paint and tan laminates. Most importantly, the rear of the house had not been built up to take advantage of the new allowable footprint. It was quite small, and very dark overall.
What was the condition of the shophouse before your client commissioned you for this project?
It was in a fairly dingy state. There had been several renovations, with some unusual choices in terms of materials and style. There was a kitchen added, which looked to have been built in the 1970s. There was a lot of salmon-coloured paint and tan laminates. Most importantly, the rear of the house had not been built up to take advantage of the new allowable footprint. It was quite small, and very dark overall.
What was the biggest challenge for you in terms of conservation and restoration works?
The conservation works themselves were quite straightforward, mainly because the facade and roof were in very good shape overall – nothing was needed, really, besides some paint and occasional repairs.
What was harder was figuring out a good relationship between the old and new parts of the house, because of the various renovations that had happened. When we work on a space, we like to be very clear about what was original and what was added. We don’t like to add in “fake old elements”, because it tells a lie about the history of the place. In the end, we chose to restore elements that were obviously original, which were mainly found in the front part of the home. Luck was with us as the house had a reasonably preserved Peranakan-style front room, which worked very well for the clients’ collection of Peranakan furniture. It was a happy “accident”.
The conservation works themselves were quite straightforward, mainly because the facade and roof were in very good shape overall – nothing was needed, really, besides some paint and occasional repairs.
What was harder was figuring out a good relationship between the old and new parts of the house, because of the various renovations that had happened. When we work on a space, we like to be very clear about what was original and what was added. We don’t like to add in “fake old elements”, because it tells a lie about the history of the place. In the end, we chose to restore elements that were obviously original, which were mainly found in the front part of the home. Luck was with us as the house had a reasonably preserved Peranakan-style front room, which worked very well for the clients’ collection of Peranakan furniture. It was a happy “accident”.
With less restrictions regarding the rear of the shophouse, Lekker Architects approached the extension thus:
This house sits on a very interesting site, which straddles two very different urban situations. Its frontage is on Emerald Hill, which is a quaint street with low-rise, colonial-influenced structures. But its rear – where the new extension stands – faces a part of the Central Expressway (CTE), a major highway connecting the city centre with the northern parts of the island.
The rear facade attacks this problem with an unusual strategy. Windows are “angled” to face an existing line of African Mahogany trees; they face the densest portions of the canopy of trees. This ingenious design protects the occupants’ privacy, without the need for heavy use of shutters or other devices.
See more of this home
This house sits on a very interesting site, which straddles two very different urban situations. Its frontage is on Emerald Hill, which is a quaint street with low-rise, colonial-influenced structures. But its rear – where the new extension stands – faces a part of the Central Expressway (CTE), a major highway connecting the city centre with the northern parts of the island.
The rear facade attacks this problem with an unusual strategy. Windows are “angled” to face an existing line of African Mahogany trees; they face the densest portions of the canopy of trees. This ingenious design protects the occupants’ privacy, without the need for heavy use of shutters or other devices.
See more of this home
Case Study 2: Lucky Shophouse
Location: Joo Chiat Place
Chang Yong Ter of Chang Architects worked with the Singapore couple who had frequented Lucky Book Store during their childhood, and had bought the shophouse, which used to be its premises. They were also able to buy the vacant land behind the shophouse, which provided the space for a garden and an extension to the shophouse.
How old is Lucky Shophouse?
The shophouse itself was built in the 1920s. The conservation and additional works were completed in 2012; so Lucky Shophouse is four years old now.
Location: Joo Chiat Place
Chang Yong Ter of Chang Architects worked with the Singapore couple who had frequented Lucky Book Store during their childhood, and had bought the shophouse, which used to be its premises. They were also able to buy the vacant land behind the shophouse, which provided the space for a garden and an extension to the shophouse.
How old is Lucky Shophouse?
The shophouse itself was built in the 1920s. The conservation and additional works were completed in 2012; so Lucky Shophouse is four years old now.
With the restoration and extension, the shophouse has been transformed into a luxurious home, with plenty of space for entertaining – just as the couple had requested.
What was the condition of the shophouse before your client commissioned you for this project?
The timber floor boards were generally in good shape, with about 20 per cent needing replacement. There were cracks on the party walls and some areas needed immediate monitoring for safety purposes. The timber stairway was giving way and there were holes in the roof.
As the shophouse had been left vacant for a few years before works started, it was home to about a hundred bats. The bats’ droppings had accumulated to about 50mm thick and specialists were engaged to clear the droppings before physical construction works could start.
What was the condition of the shophouse before your client commissioned you for this project?
The timber floor boards were generally in good shape, with about 20 per cent needing replacement. There were cracks on the party walls and some areas needed immediate monitoring for safety purposes. The timber stairway was giving way and there were holes in the roof.
As the shophouse had been left vacant for a few years before works started, it was home to about a hundred bats. The bats’ droppings had accumulated to about 50mm thick and specialists were engaged to clear the droppings before physical construction works could start.
What was the biggest challenge for you in terms of conservation and restoration works?
It was about bringing to light the essence of this place, without the need for decorations. It was about the art of dressing up this grande dame – striving to reveal her true/inner beauty – without “cosmetics”. This was challenging but rewarding, especially when she turned out so beautiful.
It was about bringing to light the essence of this place, without the need for decorations. It was about the art of dressing up this grande dame – striving to reveal her true/inner beauty – without “cosmetics”. This was challenging but rewarding, especially when she turned out so beautiful.
With the extra space in the rear, Chang was able to design a single-storey house facing the garden.
Lucky Shophouse won the President’s Design Award 2013, Design of the Year.
See more of this home
Lucky Shophouse won the President’s Design Award 2013, Design of the Year.
See more of this home
Case Study 3: 92-102 Joo Chiat Place
Location: Joo Chiat
Comprising a row of six units, this project by ONG&ONG received the Architectural Heritage Awards of the URA in 2009. The two corner units were redesigned and incorporated stunning spiral staircases, while the four inter-terrace units received linear staircases.
92-102 Joo Chiat Place would have been built in the 1930s-1940s, having been identified as a second transitional style shophouse.
Location: Joo Chiat
Comprising a row of six units, this project by ONG&ONG received the Architectural Heritage Awards of the URA in 2009. The two corner units were redesigned and incorporated stunning spiral staircases, while the four inter-terrace units received linear staircases.
92-102 Joo Chiat Place would have been built in the 1930s-1940s, having been identified as a second transitional style shophouse.
What was the condition of the shophouse before your client commissioned you for this project?
The first storey housed one huge living room with a backyard. There was no kitchen allocated, i.e., the cooking area used to be incorporated into the backyard. Going up the stairs led to one bedroom, with no attached bathroom, on the second story. The entire row of shophouses was in a very bad, termite-infested state.
As the timber on the windows and doors were infested with termites, they could not be retained and had to be reconstructed.
The original staircases were structurally unsound. These internal staircases were demolished to make way for a more modern design such as the spiral staircase, which gave the entire house a contemporary look. The modern, linear staircases featured in alternate units contributed to a clean and streamlined look.
The first storey housed one huge living room with a backyard. There was no kitchen allocated, i.e., the cooking area used to be incorporated into the backyard. Going up the stairs led to one bedroom, with no attached bathroom, on the second story. The entire row of shophouses was in a very bad, termite-infested state.
As the timber on the windows and doors were infested with termites, they could not be retained and had to be reconstructed.
The original staircases were structurally unsound. These internal staircases were demolished to make way for a more modern design such as the spiral staircase, which gave the entire house a contemporary look. The modern, linear staircases featured in alternate units contributed to a clean and streamlined look.
ONG&ONG reinforced the structurally unsound elements – which had been made so by the termite infestation – before commencing on restoration and renovation works. Restoration included the reconstruction of the timber double-casement windows and front doors to “retain the inherent look” of the shophouse.
The layout required reconfiguring in order to bring the kitchen into the house, provide bathrooms for the bedrooms, and generally outfit the space for modern living.
The layout required reconfiguring in order to bring the kitchen into the house, provide bathrooms for the bedrooms, and generally outfit the space for modern living.
Restoration work that was carried out was also done with utmost respect to the surroundings. This is because restoring a conservation building is more than just preserving the external facade. It is also about being sensitive to the fabric of the neighbourhood without destroying the character and charm.
See more of this project
TELL US
Would you live in a shophouse if you could? Share in the Comments section what you like about shophouses.
Check out more shophouses here
See more of this project
TELL US
Would you live in a shophouse if you could? Share in the Comments section what you like about shophouses.
Check out more shophouses here
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Shop houses are so funky. There's something so far away and old fashioned about them - which makes the interior designing so much more exciting.
Casement windows and doors are my favourite, I love seeing them in different styles.
I remember going for a "Houzz Tour" of a Peranakan townhouse restored by the National University of Singapore, and one particular trait of these town and shophouses was that if left unrestored and abandoned, families of bats will come in to occupy the upper levels. The plus side is the bat is considered an auspicious figure in Chinese culture, but the poo and their presence can be somewhat unsettling!