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SINGAPORE: The winning design for the new National Art Gallery of Singapore has been unveiled. Studio Milou Architecture and CPG Consultants Pte Ltd have been chosen to design and build the art gallery.
However, building work will be delayed because of spiralling construction costs.
The winning design retained the former Supreme Court and City Hall's charm and grandeur while transforming them into an art space for the future.
Lui Tuck Yew, Senior Minister of State for Information, Communication and the Arts, said: "It was a very interesting, creative way of bringing the two buildings together and using the space, yet at the same time preserving the dignity."
A new exhibition space has also been created on the roof. An aluminium mesh reflects heat from the sun's rays while glass gives protection from the rain.
Care will be taken not to affect the building's structure.
Jean Francois Milou, from Studio Milou Architecture, said: "The roof system is supported by columns - which are kind of (like) tree columns - which in fact are planted in an empty space in the court yard, not impacting at all with the existing building."
The public's opinion was also considered when choosing the final design. The top three architectural submissions were on display at City Hall in October 2007. More than 2,000 people visited the exhibition - of these, some 300 people were polled and more than half of them liked the winning design best.
The gallery's opening date has been pushed back by one year to 2013. It was a strategic decision - to time the opening after the completion of the integrated resorts and the Marina Bay Financial Centre.
Information, Communication and the Arts Minister, Dr Lee Boon Yang, said: "We will be coming in at a time when the industry will not be so heated up and we hope that we will be able to get a good value, a good price for our projects, and at the same time not contribute to overheating the construction sector."
The National Art Gallery of Singapore will house the world's largest collection of Southeast Asian and Singapore art.
This is currently the focus of the Singapore Art Museum, and its staff will be involved in programming and curating the shows at the National Art Gallery.
The ministry added that it has ideas to evolve the Singapore Art Museum, but is not ready to share details at present. - CNA/vm
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