Church of Sts. Peter & Paul – Restoration
Year: 2018
Region: SINGAPORE
Awards:
- URA Architectral Heritage Award 2016
- SIA Design Awards 2016 (Conservation)
- ARCASIA Awards 2018 (Conservation)
A Passionate Restoration
Careful and thorough research into the architectural history of the building, through research at the National Archives, as well as contributions by parishioners’ information and documents to provide evidence of the buildings’ past, informed the team and cemented the direction of restoring the church to its original Gothic-style glory, the period prior to its major ‘modernisation’ works in 1969.
As a result, the team went on to successfully recapture not just the physical architecture its right place having been displaced by an out-of-element timber deck and ad-hoc loft from a previous renovation. Timber doors and windows were reinstated with the use of original ironmongery. Refined and Rigorous Changes that were necessary were carefully thought through. A corrugated metal roof was chosen in order to retain the original century-old roof structure which could not bear additional weight of tiles. The missing rose window was skillfully recreated to match existing ones.
URA Architectural Heritage Award 2016
Design Award
This is a simple space built with little means. The architect did just enough to restore the elegance, character, and sense of space. The amount of research work that the team has done to uncover the material on the original church is commendable.
Special mention also goes out to the client and the community who were closely involved in the restoration process, down to the sourcing of the altar, sculpture, and light fittings, all of which suited the space wonderfully.
SIA Design Award 2016
With its multi-faceted and diverse history, the various extensions and renovations to the Gothic-styled church over the years prior to 1969, embraced many eclectic architectural styles and motifs, befitting its evolution in building form, structure and use of construction materials given that many of its parishioners were then immigrants from China & India. After serious consideration of its history, the team took a collective decision to restore the Church of Saints Peter & Paul to the period before the 1969 renovations. This will not only be more befitting to its original roots as a church for early migrants to Singapore but will in turn celebrate its diverse and eclectic history as we also seek to reinstate the religious artifacts & relics associated with its worship, improve the sound and lighting systems, install air-conditioning units and ensure accessibility for al.
