Good afternoon and thank you for attending this press conference on the announcement of the architect for the National Art Gallery.
New Chairman of NAG Steering Committee
2 First, I will like to introduce to you my colleague, Rear-Admiral Lui Tuck Yew, MICA’s Senior Minister of State. He will take over the helm from Dr Balaji Sadasivan, as Chairman of the National Art Gallery’s Steering Committee. We welcome him to this project, and look forward to his leadership in the Steering Committee.
3 I would also like to thank Dr Balaji Sadasivan for his service as the Steering Committee’s Chairman during the initial phase of the National Art Gallery project.
MICA’s Aspirations for the National Art Gallery
4 The NAG will play a very important role in our effort to become a global city for the arts. It will do for the visual arts what the Esplanade had done for the performing arts and become a cultural destination for all Singaporeans and visitors to enjoy.
5 Transforming the City Hall and the Former Supreme Court Building into the National Art Gallery is an exciting challenge. We have to ensure that the new institution is aesthetically pleasing and inspiring as well as functionally sound. At the same time we have to restore and respect the historical significance of these national monuments. To ensure that we get the best design ideas for the National Art Gallery, we conducted an international architectural competition last year.
Appointment of Architect
6 The competition resulted in three winning designs. This was followed by a rigorous due diligence process in the last six months to extensively review all the three winning schemes before making the final decision. This process included factors such as the Jury’s comments, public feedback, the firm’s track record as well as the technical and cost assessments of the design proposals.
7 I am pleased to announce the appointment of Studio Milou Architecture, in collaboration with CPG Consultants as the principal architectural team for the National Art Gallery. The Jury concluded that Studio Milou’s scheme was the best architecturally. Studio Milou had thought through the curatorial aspects of the galleries and presented architectural ideas which befit a museum. From feedback gathered from the public exhibition in October last year, there was also a strong preference for Studio Milou’s design. Studio Milou’s proposal best met the technical requirements for the Gallery. They understood the complexities and significance of this project. They also had a track record in museum design. Together with CPG Consultants, the team has had extensive experience in designing museums and galleries in France and Singapore. Finally, Studio Milou Architecture’s estimate for the overall development cost of their proposal was within the budget of $320 million.
Next Phase of Development
8 We will now move on the next phase of detail design for the project. The main construction tender will be called in late 2009 to early 2010. This means the expected completion date will be pushed back to 2013 instead of 2012. This is due to the current surge in construction demand from on-going mega projects such as the Integrated Resorts and the Marina Bay Financial Centre.
9 The rescheduling will ensure that the NAG project will not contribute to any further heating up of the construction sector.
Content Development by SAM
10 As we embarked on the architectural design we are also starting to study the content development and prototyping programmes for the National Art Gallery to prepare for its opening in 2013. SAM will lead this study to allow us to better understand the type of exhibitions and programmes that will inspire and engage visitors.
Conclusion
11 On behalf of the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, I would like to congratulate Studio Milou Architecture and CPG consultants on being appointed as the architects for this project. We look forward to working closely with you to achieve the best in the design and museum development for the NAG.
12 I will now ask Mr Koh Seow Chuan, Chairman for the National Art Gallery Project Exco, to share with you some findings of the survey and the public consultation milestones ahead.
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