Shophouses in Singapore
History, Theory and Culture 1 || December 2017 Site: Preserved shophouses in Singapore Brief: To visit and study as many shophouses in Singapore and understand its architecture and environment and discuss its similarities and differences.
Shophouses have been around in mainly Singapore and Malaysia since the early 1900s, starting with the Early Shophouses, evolving through the transitional phases, Art Deco phase and Modern phases to what we have now- a mix of all the different styles we have today. Through this study, I think it is very interesting to the various styles kept by the different owners. Shophouses now are not only used as residences with a shop on the ground floor, but also used as boutiques, hotels, offices, etc. Owners who decide to preserve the original look of their shophouses usually conserve the plaster facade together with the mosaic tiles on the five-foot-walkway. On other hand, there are also owners who choose to juxtapose their traditional shophouse by using modern materials like having a glass facade which adds an exciting and interesting element to the whole architecture.