3D Printing A Piece Of Singapore’s Built Heritage

Singapore’s 50th year of independence has been planned to be a grand affair, and a committee led by no less than a minister, has been tasked to make sure that this is achieved. Part of the celebrations include a SG50 celebration fund where the public is invited to pitch their projects and if selected, will receive up to 90% of the project expenditure up to a stipulated cap. With this, a wide range of projects have been proposed and funded and one of these is BuiltinSG by Mēkā.

BuiltinSG is a project that revolves around collecting and sharing memories of Singapore’s built heritage. The website features various short-form write-ups on areas such as Chong Pang and buildings such as Jinrikisha Station which while informative, is nowhere near the depth and breadth of information of the RememberSingapore blog — a website which I consider the best resource out there on Singapore’s built heritage. However, BuiltinSG does have an impressive YouTube channel which feature original interviews with members of our Pioneer Generation about buildings such as Chijmes, Jamae Mosque and Tanjong Pagar Railway station.

Beyond just documentation, BuiltinSG also hopes to allow the public to own a piece of these buildings. Through 3D digital models that are available for download for free on the website, the public can 3D print these selected buildings and through these keepsakes, help spread the conversation.

I speak to Shaifq, a member of the BuiltinSG team, to find out more.

What’s the story behind why Mēkā decided to embark on this project?

The project came about with a little inspiration from all over the world. Starting in Singapore, we wanted to emulate what Singapore Memory Project and it’s predecessor Rediscover.sg was doing. We wanted to give people a place to share their memories, but more than that we felt that we had another dimension to add. We wanted to give people a tangible object to hold on to.

Also I was largely inspired by LeFabshop, a 3D printing upstart from France. They have a collection of famous buildings from France that were designed to be 3d printed. These designs were famous all over the world. and most of the time, these designs, specifically the Eiffel Tower, is one of the first designs that some with a new 3D printer would print. I wanted to emulate that.

You can view some of Le fabshop’s designs here and here.

What role do you see these buildings play in the context of nation building?

I think buildings have a huge role to play in nation building. They served both economic and social functions. These buildings were places where part of our national identity was forged.

Some buildings even played very big roles in bringing together Singaporeans. For example, the National Theatre was built as a symbol of our independence and as part of the building process, there was a fund-raising campaign where people could buy a brick and contribute to the building of the National Theatre.

Could you share a bit more about the selection process of these buildings and collaborators who helped to put together the project?

The buildings were selected based on stories we were told and also to cater to the major ethnic groups in Singapore. As in our early days, race and religion played a big role in shaping our culture and identity as a nation.

Mēkā was the main driving force behind the project and as BuiltinSG is a project supported under the Singapore Memory Project’s irememberSG Fund and part of the Singapore50 (SG50) celebrations, one of our main collaborators is the National Library Board. Other than that, we also have had a lot of assistance and cooperation from Jamae Mosque, CHIJMES and the Singapore Sports Hub. We have also had some help from the Singapore Land Authority and Urban Redevelopment Authority.

Other than the National Theatre, the other 3 buildings on the website are all officially gazetted as national monuments. Was it an intentional decision to only feature national monuments?Also, what are your thoughts on considering “modern” buildings (1970s-1990s) as part of our shared built heritage?

It was not a deliberate decision to look at the list of national monuments and choose one from there, it just happened that those we chose were national monuments.

We do want to feature more “modern” buildings maybe later in the series but for now, we are interested in the stories that our pioneer generation has to tell us. In fact, we are working on bringing the Old National Library Building, Former National Stadium and Sri Mariamman Temple into the mix.

What is your favorite building? And Why?

National Theatre. For one, I love the facade. It is iconic, with it’s five pointed triangles representing the stars on our flags and the from fountain representing the crescent moon.

two, it was a symbol of our independence, it showed the world and more importantly it showed Singaporeans, that we are now on our own and we must do everything we can to prosper.

three, while we are still working on uncovering some stories and memories linked to the National Theatre, those that I have been told have stayed with me. And these are the stories that make The National Theatre one of my favourite buildings.

Did you manage to see the National Theatre when it was still standing or were you inspired by the stories of others mostly? If it is the latter, why do you feel that a building that you’ve never seen before meant more to you than something that you might have personally experienced?

No I have never seen the National Theatre, it was pulled down in mid-1986, even before I was born.

I think the National Theatre was very much a symbol of our independence and our statehood. Till this day, I think it is the only building moulded from the icons on our flag, something all Singaporeans would recognise.

More than that, National Theatre was the backdrop for many interesting stories that I have been told.

The SG50 celebrations have now kicked off and a lot of projects alongside yours are being unveiled. How do you feel about this wave of celebrations?

I have not quite kept up with them. I am looking forward to many more exciting projects that pay tribute to our nation.

Your one hope for SG in the next 50 years?

I would like Singaporeans to come together to address and to move past our current setbacks and be a wonderful place to live, learn and play.

CONTRIBUTE — If you have a story about a building in Singapore that you feel for, do contact the BuiltinSG team at builtinsg@gmail.com OR Mēkā at mekastudiossingapore@gmail.com