AIC's 53rd Annual Meeting

The National Library Board (NLB) and National Archives of Singapore (NAS), together with the Urban Redevelopment Agency, Singapore’s urban planning authority, embarked on an extensive 5-year architecture collecting project in 2023. The momentous effort primarily seeks to encapsulate the history of prominent architecture designs in Singapore. The paper-based items included sketches on translucent tracing and butter paper, building plans, watercolour presentations, diazo prints, and printed images on copier paper.

The conservators from Archives Conservation Lab (ACL) of NAS play an essential role in this cross-functional collaborative project. Two conservators were engaged to support this project in carrying out conservation treatments and re-housing of the plans, which numbered 75,000 pages in the first round of collecting. From conceptualizing the storage of the items given their large format, to formulating a decision-making matrix for conservation approaches, close consultations with the donors team who were in charge of the collecting was extremely important, particularly in setting up new workflows for this unique collection. A one-size-fits-all approach did not apply here as each donated box of plans came with different conditions and required customised attention. It was imperative to streamline decision-making and prioritise treatment and housing solutions for the collection that was coming to the lab in staggered bursts. Such efforts provided much clarity for conservators who were new to the profession as well as for our colleagues in the donors team so that subsequent batches of plans could be processed, conserved and housed efficiently, with purpose and confidence.

The initial tranche of this project also culminated in an exciting exhibition, the first of a planned few, ‘To Draw an Idea: Retracing the Designs of William Lim Associates – W Architects’ which exhibited over 550 multifarious design drawings covering 19 contemporary architectural projects from 1981 to 2015. ACL supported this exhibition by working closely with the curators from the planning and ideation, condition assessments and installation stages – all of which required innovative problem-solving. Every exhibition is different, and conservators increasingly must find a balance that works when working in unconventional exhibition spaces– without compromising the preservation needs of the items.

The Architecture Collection Project is an example that emphasises that the role of conservators today has transformed beyond simply providing one-off exhibition or conservation support. Collaboration with all stakeholders and partners means advocating for conservation principles, while balancing them sensibly with practicality and feasibility to ensure that objectives are met, and outcomes are achieved successfully for all groups involved. It sets the foundation for greater camaraderie among different functional groups and stakeholders, built on understanding, engagement and synergy.