Straits Times: Five kampong houses in Pulau Ubin to be restored for community use
Hi All!
Published in The Straits Times today is an article on Pulau Ubin, and I believe it should be worth talking about!
I've previously been honoured enough to have come across Assistant Professor Dr Imran Tajudeen and his wonderful team of students from the National University of Singapore (NUS) Department of Architecture during a symposium that I attended in the National Library in mid April this year. He and his students have dedicated an immense amount of time and effort for Pulau Ubin, and seeing them appear in the news article, makes me extremely proud and inspired by them.
More about Dr Imran, his students and the symposium in a later post! In fact that post would pretty much be a cornerstone in my quest in finding my late grandparents' house so it's pretty important.
When going around the Facebook page for Pulau Ubin, Ai Lin from the Singapore Heritage Society shared a link that she has found on the Straits Times, denoting the restoration efforts being put in by the National Parks Board (NParks). And since the Straits Times online does not allow full access to the entire story and article, Ai Lin was helpful enough to pick up an important excerpt from the article which are as follows:
"The National Parks Board (NParks) told The Straits Times on Friday that five vacant kampung houses have been identified for restoration and the authorities are "engaging the community on the design and scope of the restoration works".
They are Chinese kampung houses 63C and 425B, and Malay houses 6J, 22E and 846P. These houses are scattered across the island and will be restored for community use. The community can propose how these sites will be used.
House 22E is one of four raised-floor or panggung Malay kampung houses being studied by a team from the National University of Singapore's Department of Architecture.
Since last November, the team has been documenting the traditional construction methods and characteristics of the occupied kampung houses of 456, 488A and 760D located within Ubin's Kampung Sungei Durian; as well as the vacant House 22E - the last structure in Kampung Surau.
Led by Assistant Professor Imran Tajudeen, the architecture graduates are in the midst of piecing together a proposal with recommendations on how best to restore these structures. They said it is the first time that Pulau Ubin's Malay kampung houses are being studied and documented.
They will submit a paper on their findings to the Ministry of National Development and NParks later this year.
Dr Adrian Loo, NParks' group director of conservation, said the project, which was initiated by NUS' Department of Architecture, "will provide a baseline reference for future restoration works" of the kampung houses.
NParks previously identified House 63C for restoration in an announcement last July on a multi-year kampung house restoration effort. First built in the 1930s, House 63C near the island's jetty, was the home of Mr Tan Bak Tee and his family for 50 years.
The NUS team's project, which started out as work for an architecture module, focused on the structure and construction of the houses, and the materials and extent of restoration required. The team also mapped out the interior layouts of each of the four houses.
Dr Imran believes this work is urgent. He said the community, cultural and built heritage of the island has been neglected for decades since plans for Ubin have generally focused on the island operating as a recreational park and nature site.
Team member Lee Kah Hui, 22, a research assistant under Dr Imran, highlighted the urgent need to act to keep Singapore's last offshore kampung alive.
She noted that 83-year-old Mr Ahmad Kassim of House 488A is one of the last remaining Malay Ubin residents who remembers how to construct traditional vernacular kampung houses and is an expert on wood types and the island's trees.
She said: "Since no one is practising this form of building, knowledge is fading."
The team also recommends restoring all the island's homes "as soon as possible" since many of them are suffering from issues such as termite infestations.
Former resident Rugaiyah Kasah, 77, a retired clerical officer, who now lives on mainland Singapore, used to spend her weekends at Kampung Surau's House 22E with her family. She estimates it would cost about $50,000 to restore the structure.
A chunk of the money would be used to source and purchase appropriate wood such as teak planks known as papan jati to replace the structure's damaged floor boards, as well as on hiring transport to ferry supplies to the island.
Kampung Surau residents were evicted in the 1990s, because of plans to redevelop the site into a resort although this did not materialise, noted the team.
Madam Rugaiyah hopes to spend her weekends there once again: "It is my wish for the house to be restored. It is irreplaceable."
The team added that it believes Pulau Ubin, which is designated as a reserve site on the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) Masterplan, should eventually have specific settlement areas set aside as conservation zones - much like the more than 20 other places the URA has gazetted so far. These include historic districts such as Little India, the secondary settlement of Geylang, and Sentosa.
Project member Ahmad Osman, 25, now an architectural conservation consultant, said it is crucial that Singapore's last offshore kampung is provided with the right conditions to flourish.
Mr Ahmad said: "Ubin is home to authentic kampung structures. As a modern country, we have forgotten about our kampung past and younger Singaporeans know very little about how they were built and what the lifestyle was like. We cannot let kampung life on Pulau Ubin just fade away."
Alternatively, Ahmad Osman also was kind enough to share with me a screenshot of the full article available on the Straits Time as shown below, together with other kampong life-related articles:
When I read about it, I can't help but feel so hopeful that a team of passionate individuals have come together, calling out on the urgency of preserving our kampong heritage, especially more so since the only remaining kampong in Singapore not at a great risk of being redeveloped can only be found on Pulau Ubin.
Time indeed is running out, and as stated by Kah Hui, "knowledge is fading" as the practices of traditional kampong house constructions are only left in the minds of Pak Ahmad. As the students embark on their journey in restoring the kampong houses, I have a feeling that I might soon be working closely with them, too. For me right now, I am no architectural genius, the only houses I know how to build are those I made in the Sims 4, but I really don't mind learning a thing or two in how our historic kampong houses were made, as they are in fact a part of our heritage.
My late grandfather too knew how to construct a kampong house from scratch just like Pak Ahmad, so the least I could do to remember my late grandfather by, is to learn how the house that provided shelter and love for his wife and ten children for more than half a century, was constructed.
Meanwhile as the NUS team continue to embark on their quest to find out how to restore the houses, I've brought it upon myself to find out more about the people of Pulau Ubin. As upsetting as it may seem, one by one another resident of Pulau Ubin passes away, leaving behind many untold stories and memories unheard and undocumented. I believe this does not have to be. I shall continue to share with you guys my stories of my grandparents, and also on some of the residents still around today.
Former residents of Kampong Surau just like Mdm Rugaiyah Kasah mentioned in the article, have also expressed similar wishes like hers to me on Facebook. I hope the authorities there will no longer be asking if people would want to have their homes restored or rebuilt, but instead should be asking in what way they could help in rebuilding their once beloved homes rich in memories and heritage.
Pulau Ubin shall be remembered, and it shall be restored with the help of these wonderful and amazing people. Thank you Dr Imran and team, as well as everyone else who believe in the preservation of our Ubin heritage. I am very proud of all of you.
Published in The Straits Times today is an article on Pulau Ubin, and I believe it should be worth talking about!
Photo courtesy of Dr Imran Tajudeen
I've previously been honoured enough to have come across Assistant Professor Dr Imran Tajudeen and his wonderful team of students from the National University of Singapore (NUS) Department of Architecture during a symposium that I attended in the National Library in mid April this year. He and his students have dedicated an immense amount of time and effort for Pulau Ubin, and seeing them appear in the news article, makes me extremely proud and inspired by them.
More about Dr Imran, his students and the symposium in a later post! In fact that post would pretty much be a cornerstone in my quest in finding my late grandparents' house so it's pretty important.
When going around the Facebook page for Pulau Ubin, Ai Lin from the Singapore Heritage Society shared a link that she has found on the Straits Times, denoting the restoration efforts being put in by the National Parks Board (NParks). And since the Straits Times online does not allow full access to the entire story and article, Ai Lin was helpful enough to pick up an important excerpt from the article which are as follows:
"The National Parks Board (NParks) told The Straits Times on Friday that five vacant kampung houses have been identified for restoration and the authorities are "engaging the community on the design and scope of the restoration works".
They are Chinese kampung houses 63C and 425B, and Malay houses 6J, 22E and 846P. These houses are scattered across the island and will be restored for community use. The community can propose how these sites will be used.
House 22E is one of four raised-floor or panggung Malay kampung houses being studied by a team from the National University of Singapore's Department of Architecture.
Since last November, the team has been documenting the traditional construction methods and characteristics of the occupied kampung houses of 456, 488A and 760D located within Ubin's Kampung Sungei Durian; as well as the vacant House 22E - the last structure in Kampung Surau.
Led by Assistant Professor Imran Tajudeen, the architecture graduates are in the midst of piecing together a proposal with recommendations on how best to restore these structures. They said it is the first time that Pulau Ubin's Malay kampung houses are being studied and documented.
They will submit a paper on their findings to the Ministry of National Development and NParks later this year.
Dr Adrian Loo, NParks' group director of conservation, said the project, which was initiated by NUS' Department of Architecture, "will provide a baseline reference for future restoration works" of the kampung houses.
NParks previously identified House 63C for restoration in an announcement last July on a multi-year kampung house restoration effort. First built in the 1930s, House 63C near the island's jetty, was the home of Mr Tan Bak Tee and his family for 50 years.
The NUS team's project, which started out as work for an architecture module, focused on the structure and construction of the houses, and the materials and extent of restoration required. The team also mapped out the interior layouts of each of the four houses.
Dr Imran believes this work is urgent. He said the community, cultural and built heritage of the island has been neglected for decades since plans for Ubin have generally focused on the island operating as a recreational park and nature site.
Team member Lee Kah Hui, 22, a research assistant under Dr Imran, highlighted the urgent need to act to keep Singapore's last offshore kampung alive.
She noted that 83-year-old Mr Ahmad Kassim of House 488A is one of the last remaining Malay Ubin residents who remembers how to construct traditional vernacular kampung houses and is an expert on wood types and the island's trees.
She said: "Since no one is practising this form of building, knowledge is fading."
The team also recommends restoring all the island's homes "as soon as possible" since many of them are suffering from issues such as termite infestations.
Former resident Rugaiyah Kasah, 77, a retired clerical officer, who now lives on mainland Singapore, used to spend her weekends at Kampung Surau's House 22E with her family. She estimates it would cost about $50,000 to restore the structure.
A chunk of the money would be used to source and purchase appropriate wood such as teak planks known as papan jati to replace the structure's damaged floor boards, as well as on hiring transport to ferry supplies to the island.
Kampung Surau residents were evicted in the 1990s, because of plans to redevelop the site into a resort although this did not materialise, noted the team.
Madam Rugaiyah hopes to spend her weekends there once again: "It is my wish for the house to be restored. It is irreplaceable."
The team added that it believes Pulau Ubin, which is designated as a reserve site on the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) Masterplan, should eventually have specific settlement areas set aside as conservation zones - much like the more than 20 other places the URA has gazetted so far. These include historic districts such as Little India, the secondary settlement of Geylang, and Sentosa.
Project member Ahmad Osman, 25, now an architectural conservation consultant, said it is crucial that Singapore's last offshore kampung is provided with the right conditions to flourish.
Mr Ahmad said: "Ubin is home to authentic kampung structures. As a modern country, we have forgotten about our kampung past and younger Singaporeans know very little about how they were built and what the lifestyle was like. We cannot let kampung life on Pulau Ubin just fade away."
Alternatively, Ahmad Osman also was kind enough to share with me a screenshot of the full article available on the Straits Time as shown below, together with other kampong life-related articles:
When I read about it, I can't help but feel so hopeful that a team of passionate individuals have come together, calling out on the urgency of preserving our kampong heritage, especially more so since the only remaining kampong in Singapore not at a great risk of being redeveloped can only be found on Pulau Ubin.
Time indeed is running out, and as stated by Kah Hui, "knowledge is fading" as the practices of traditional kampong house constructions are only left in the minds of Pak Ahmad. As the students embark on their journey in restoring the kampong houses, I have a feeling that I might soon be working closely with them, too. For me right now, I am no architectural genius, the only houses I know how to build are those I made in the Sims 4, but I really don't mind learning a thing or two in how our historic kampong houses were made, as they are in fact a part of our heritage.
This house was constructed by my late grandfather, Sulong Yunos (Pak Awang Minyak), with his own hands. The amount of blood, sweat and tears put in just to provide shelter for his wife and kids is immeasurable.
My late grandfather too knew how to construct a kampong house from scratch just like Pak Ahmad, so the least I could do to remember my late grandfather by, is to learn how the house that provided shelter and love for his wife and ten children for more than half a century, was constructed.
Meanwhile as the NUS team continue to embark on their quest to find out how to restore the houses, I've brought it upon myself to find out more about the people of Pulau Ubin. As upsetting as it may seem, one by one another resident of Pulau Ubin passes away, leaving behind many untold stories and memories unheard and undocumented. I believe this does not have to be. I shall continue to share with you guys my stories of my grandparents, and also on some of the residents still around today.
Former residents of Kampong Surau just like Mdm Rugaiyah Kasah mentioned in the article, have also expressed similar wishes like hers to me on Facebook. I hope the authorities there will no longer be asking if people would want to have their homes restored or rebuilt, but instead should be asking in what way they could help in rebuilding their once beloved homes rich in memories and heritage.
Pulau Ubin shall be remembered, and it shall be restored with the help of these wonderful and amazing people. Thank you Dr Imran and team, as well as everyone else who believe in the preservation of our Ubin heritage. I am very proud of all of you.
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