Straits Settlements Volunteers Corps (SSVF) Drill Hall by Jeremy San
Completion: 1933
Architect: Public Works Department, Singapore
The pure functionalist aesthetic of the SSVF Drill Hall departed radically from the prevalent ‘Stripped Classical’ architectural expression of Singapore’s institutional buildings in the 1930s. The building presents an impenetrable front facade with slit openings along towards Beach Road, possibly alluding to its role in the defence of the colony, then touted as an ‘impregnable fortress’ by the British. Finished in Shanghai Plaster, the Drill Hall is devoid of conventional ornamentation save for a central vertical strip of steel framed windows on the main elevation, and a running groove line that articulates the building’s crisp terraced profile. Of note is a bronze memorial plaque at the base of the façade commemorating fallen soldiers during the WWII Battle for Singapore.
Internally, the soaring Drill Hall is shaped by a series of reinforced concrete parabolic arches, springing from the floor and rising to great height without any interruption. This is a significant local attempt in the experimental design of reinforced concrete structures. The tiered clerestories allow filtered light to penetrate the lofty interiors and act as a passive environmental filter in facilitating cross ventilation without any air-conditioning. Conserved in 2005, it will be transformed into a Banquet Hall within the upcoming mixed up South Beach development.
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Approximate Size: 1 m x 1.486 m. Framed.
This is the original print that was exhibited at “Moderns in Our Midst: A Photographic Tribute to Singapore’s Modern Architectural Heritage” in 2015.
UV Printing on 3 mm white DIBOND with 10 mm square aluminium channel on 4 sides. Print does not feature the artist's signature. No other framing options available. No certificate of authenticity provided.
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A portion proceeds from Jeremy San's work will go to Singapore Heritage Society and Jeremy San's estate.
About Jeremy San
The late Jeremy San Tzer Ning was an accomplished architectural photographer based in Singapore, who documented local as well as regional architectural works in Malaysia, Hong Kong and China. Schooled in RMIT, Melbourne, Australia as an interior designer, his graduation thesis was an ambitious photo-documentation project of modern heritage buildings, which also spawned his photography career.
Upon graduation, Jeremy practised as an interior designer in the architecture office KNTA, and also collaborated with experimental design studios HAM Architects, LingHao Architects and AT Lab on various competition and proposals. His design training and practice experience gave him an empathetic eye as a photographer capturing architecture – whether historic, newly completed, or even under construction – as well as urban landscapes. He has been engaged by leading design firms including Alsop, Foster + Partners, Atelier Liu Yu Yang, K2LD, Formwerkz, KUU, Farm Works, UOL, DPA and ipli. His works are widely published, including in journals such as ish, Cubes, and SA. He was also commissioned by Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to work on the Singapore 1:1 exhibitions (2005, 2007), and has collaborated with Studio Lapis on conservation documentation projects such as Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall. In 2012, he was awarded the Discernment Prize for the ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu photography awards.