As Hong Kong's historically minded repeatedly try in vain to save even the ugliest of its long-standing man-made structures, our old rival to the south has become a relative beacon of preservation.
Singapore's well-established ethnic enclaves - Chinatown, Little India and the Malay quarter of Kampong Glam - are still defined by rows of gaily painted shophouses, many built a century ago and restored to perfection. Government building restrictions ensure these districts retain the charms, if not the vitality and - in some cases - sleaze, of decades past.
But, in a densely populated state where land is at a premium, history sometimes has to take a back seat to more pressing concerns. In its drive to ensure a swelling population has ample space to live, work and play, Singapore's main land planning agency, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), has adopted a 'pragmatic yet flexible' approach to preservation, which has recently produced some controversial results.
When an ageing structure can't be preserved in its entirety, URA guidelines - or concessions by developers - often ensure chunks of it are retained and integrated into a new project, producing a growing number of apartments, hotels and retail spaces that fuse modern structures onto old facades or foundations. Some see these creations as a harmonious marriage of past and present, or at least the best compromise possible in a space-scarce country. Others dismiss 'hybrid' developments as monstrosities, and have bestowed a name upon them that now resonates throughout the island's webpages and media outlets: Frankenstein buildings.
Few spots are more emblematic of this struggle than Amber Road, a sedate neighbourhood in eastern Singapore just a few blocks from the beach. Tucked among the high-rise condominiums that now dominate the area is Butterfly House, a mansion built nearly a century ago by A.J. Bidwell, the British architect responsible for the iconic Raffles Hotel. The imposing residence, now a forlorn, fading yellow, has a number of captivating touches: multiple Renaissance-style archways, open verandas that once overlooked the sea, decorative carvings framing windows. But its most distinctive features are those that lend it its moniker - the sweeping, curved 'wings' that extend from the centre of the house to form a graceful crescent, designed to admit as much of the ocean breeze as possible. It is the only structure of its kind left.
Unfortunately Butterfly House's wings are about to be clipped. Last August, developer AG Capital snatched up the mansion for S$9 million (HK$46 million) and quickly unveiled plans to erect an apartment block on the plot. No doubt to the company's - and the government's - surprise, the move sparked what amounted to a torrent of resistance in a city where most forms of protest are restricted.