MAArC Programme Handbook
Master of Arts in Architectural Conservation
MAArC Programme Handbook AY 2024/25
Department of Architecture
College of Design and Engineering
National University of Singapore
OVERVIEW
The Master of Arts in Architectural Conservation (MAArC) is an advanced programme that offers a unique perspective on diverse Asian cultures by providing students with comprehensive knowledge and essential hands-on training and experience to develop skills for a range of careers in historic building conservation and related fields. The architectural conservation graduate program at NUS offers comprehensive education and training in conservation theory, practice, and research, providing students with key skill sets such as conservation science and technology, architectural documentation and recording, conservation planning and management, heritage interpretation and communication, research and critical thinking, and networking opportunities with the conservation industry.
The MAArC is distinctively Asian, with the focus on ‘living’ and ‘local’ culture, and urban in its emphasis. Located at the crossroads of East and West, Singapore stands out for its unique urban landscape: historic districts, heritage buildings, and national monuments, which blend seamlessly with modern high-rise buildings. The survival of these rich and varied historic sites amid Singapore’s rapid development has been only possible due to deliberate, conscious, and integrated urban planning. With the city-state as a springboard providing enriching backdrop, we aim to provide an architectural conservation education that is sensitive to the varied challenges facing historic Asian cities, as well as diverse opportunities provided by the richness of cultural heritage, and socio-economic elements of the region.
Historic Asian cities are often regarded as the cradle of civilisation and have played a vital role in the development of human societies. In the past few decades, cities across Asia have been experiencing tremendous transformations in their social, cultural, and economic structures due to an unprecedented rate of urbanisation and ruralurban migration. Even as millions living in these cities currently enjoy a share of ‘progress,’ they are nevertheless under the constant threat of destruction. What is at stake is the erasure of the cultural endowments and values of various communities, and the rapid and irreversible alteration of the character of inner-city neighbourhoods – these have repercussions on how people live and work, and on the preservation of urban fabric. To that end, we prepare our students with historical perspectives, cultivate intellectual tools, and acquire practical design and conservation skills to manage conservation projects of different scales and context. Our students will understand that the most pressing urban heritage management challenges cannot be solved by a single discipline but requires interdisciplinary collaborations across professions and key stakeholders.
Architectural conservation is increasingly relevant to the profession’s future due to the need to preserve cultural heritage and the built environment, address climate change, and promote sustainable building practices. This has created a demand for professionals who can conserve, restore, and rehabilitate historic buildings and promote the reuse and retrofitting of existing structures to reduce embodied energy and carbon emissions associated with new construction.
KEY STAFF AND CONTACT DETAILS
Mailing address
Department of Architecture
College of Design and Engineering
National University of Singapore
4 Architecture Drive
Singapore 117566
Director
Graduate Programmes in Architectural Conservation
Ho Puay-Peng
Associate Director
Graduate Programmes in Architectural Conservation
Nikhil Joshi
HO PUAY-PENG (DR)
Professor | UNESCO Chair on Architectural Heritage Conservation and Management in Asia
em: akihpp@nus.edu.sg
NIKHIL JOSHI (DR)
Senior Lecturer
RYUSUKE KOJIO
Adjunct Assistant Professor
em: Kojio_l@nus.edu.sg
em: akinj@nus.edu.sg
WONG YUNN CHII (DR)
Honorary Fellow
JOHANNES WIDODO (DR)
Associate Professor
em: jwidodo@nus.edu.sg
em: akiwyc@nus.edu.sg
STRUCTURE
The MAArC focuses on the various demands and expertise of the profession: policy and management; design in the historic urban context; and materials and technology linking them directly to various aspects of heritage conservation in Asian cities. A candidate will have an opportunity to choose courses as per his/ her specialisation.
To qualify for the MAArC degree, a candidate must successfully attain 40 units. To qualify for a Graduate Diploma in Architectural Conservation, a candidate must successfully earn 24 units. To qualify for a Graduate Certificate in Architectural Conservation, a candidate must successfully earn 8 units.
ESSENTIAL COURSES
The critical analysis of the contemporary discourses on heritage conservation and management that are directly related to the climate crisis, social justice, economic viability, cultural authenticity, and environmental sustainability, especially in Asia, occupies the central theme in the curriculum. Essential courses include conservation approaches and philosophies, conservation of twentieth-century buildings, architectural heritage management, historic building conservation survey and recording, and dissertation.
ELECTIVE COURSES
Elective courses will further deepen the broader knowledge gained from the essential courses while accommodating the diversity of students’ interests and the evolving architectural and heritage conservation field. By expanding the range of courses available and providing more flexibility in course choices, students can integrate their knowledge across various areas of Architectural Conservation. The elective courses include the architectural history of Singapore, practical building conservation skills, dissertation, internship, and other graduate-level courses offered in the Department of Architecture and the College of Design and Engineering that the Program Director approves. For students with Architectural degree background may take the studio courses design for conservation and design for adaptive reuse as their electives.
INTERNSHIP
The MAArC offers the opportunity to engage students with local and international practices, gaining practical and research experience in heritage conservation, by working as an intern in a private company or public organisation both in Singapore and the region. This practical experience can also be validated as a part of the elective internship course (AC5014). Students generally take this course between the two semesters.
The internship allows students to participate in relevant heritage management, urban design, planning and/or research projects, and their work will be supervised and evaluated by the MAArC programme director or an appointed tutor. At the end of the internship, the student is required to submit a report explaining the project(s) involved, reflecting the methods and practices learned during the experience.
The internship lasts for a minimum period of five weeks on a parttime basis (3 hours/day, 3 days/week).
AC5002 Conservation Approaches & Philosophies
AC5007 Dissertation
AC5010 Historic Buildings Survey & Recording
AC5011 Conservation of C20th Buildings
AC5001 Architectural History of Singapore
AC5004 Architectural Heritage Management Essential Elective
AC5008** Design for Conservation
AC5009** Design for Adaptive Reuse
AC5012 Practical Building Conservation Skills
AC5014 Internship
** In order to take AC5008 and AC5009, students must have a first degree in architecture.
https://tinyurl.com/cde-gradreq
Semester 1 (Aug — Dec)
AC5002 Conservation Approaches & Philosophies
AC5011 Conservation of C20th Buildings
AC5001 Architectural History of Singapore
AC5014 Internship
Courses offered within DOA/CDE, as adviced by DOA
Disclaimer
Nikhil Joshi + Ryusuke Kojio
Johannes Widodo
Johannes Widodo + Nikhil Joshi Nikhil Joshi Johannes Widodo + Ho Puay-peng
Although advice is readily available on request, the responsibility of selecting the appropriate courses for graduation must ultimately rest with the student.
Not all courses listed in the Programme Handbook are offered each year. Students are advised to check the timetable, which is available online via ModReg for course availability.
Semester 2 (Jan — May)
AC5004
AC5007 Dissertation (can only be opted during 2nd
AC5010
AC5008 Design for Conservation (for students with an Architectural Design background)
AC5012 Practical Building Conservation Skills
AC5014 Internship
Courses offered within DOA/CDE, as adviced by DOA
Disclaimer
Although advice is readily available on request, the responsibility of selecting the appropriate courses for graduation must ultimately rest with the student.
Not all courses listed in the Programme Handbook are offered each year. Students are advised to check the timetable, which is available online via ModReg for course availability.
COURSES
AC 5001
Architectural History of Singapore
Units: 4
Tutor: Johannes Widodo
This course is a close study of architecture and related built environments in Singapore since its founding as a colonial trading settlement by Stamford Raffles, through various stages of physical development from independence to the present day. It examines how particular edifices and places were understood, studied, and described, from within and without, under various kinds of discursive structures. They will be studied in the context of the historical moments of the island state as a colony, a nation-state and a global city. It covers architects and their works, unbuilt projects, lost buildings and places - by consulting various sources of evidence.
The course will consult a variety of historiesinstitutional, professional, social-political - to develop a more robust narrative of the making of Singapore’s architecture within a landscape history.
AC 5002
Conservation Approaches & Philosophies
Units: 4
Tutor: Ho Puay-peng
This course aims to introduce students to current conservation philosophies and approaches. Defining architecture as cultural heritage for conservation has a long history. The development of architectural heritage conservation underwent a checked history and was guided by different philosophies and approaches. The course will outline these ideas within different traditions’ cultural and temporal contexts.
Various approaches and tools from the guiding philosophy will also be introduced, such as Historic Urban Landscape, Heritage Impact Assessment, and Conservation Management Plan. While these tools are rooted in Western society, the course will focus on understanding how and why these approaches are adopted and modified within the Asian context.
AC 5004
Architectural Heritage Management
Units: 4
Tutor: Nikhil Joshi
This course introduces the background and key concepts of cultural heritage, heritage management actions that consider multiple hazards and risk factors related to disasters (including those resulting from climate change) and being able to solicit management solutions for risk mitigation, adaptation, and preparedness.
It will also provide the students with an understanding of three closely interlinked components: disaster risk management, cultural heritage management, and urban planning and development. It will encourage the students to engage critically and creatively with the current debates and potential futures of management of the region’s rich and varied architectural heritage.
AC 5007
Dissertation
Units: 4
Tutor: Johannes Widodo + Ho Puay-peng + Nikhil Joshi + Wong Yunn Chii
The dissertation is an opportunity for students to engage in a critical reflection on what they already know. It should be seen as an exciting venue to apply different research methods and critical thinking tools to extend their understanding of the various topics relevant to architecture as a discipline, especially about conservation. Students will be encouraged to build upon and further develop the body of knowledge gained from their taught coursework in a dissertation (a detailed written discourse of 8,500-10,000 words) under the guidance of assigned supervisors.
Golden Age Community Center – For Mutual Assistance
Yuchen Chen
AC 5008
Design for Conservation
Units: 8
Tutor: Johannes Widodo
Conservation is the management of permanence and change. This semester’s project is about a new intervention on a historical site, with conserving significance as the primary objective. The design intervention should reveal the qualities of the site and the place, including historical, architectural, cultural, and social relevance. The new function should add economic viability to the existing site/building/neighbourhood and be compatible and appropriate in responding to its immediate physical, social, and environmental contexts. Architecturally, the new design intervention or insertion should integrate well with the existing built and natural context in terms of typology, material, aesthetics, functionality, and environment
AC 5009
Design for Adaptive Reuse
Units: 8
Tutor: Nikhil Joshi
This design studio focuses on the adaptive reuse of a historic building in a traditional context. Traditions are often socially constructed and perceived differently across generational and cultural boundaries. Encountering rich cultural phenomena challenges our understanding of tradition and our own culture. While heritage is a valued part of the tradition, creating heritage often leads to a narrow and static view of tradition. This studio questions the typical approach of solely focusing on traditional forms in this context. It encourages the exploration of different ways to engage with tradition through literature, crafts, rituals, and worldviews. The goal is to propose a new use for the building within the urban and cultural context of the site while designing new facilities to support the functional program and enhance the heritage significance through adaptive reuse.
2023/24 “Bridging & Bonding” He Xingjian
AC 5010
Historic Buildings Survey & Recording
Units: 4
Tutor: Nikhil Joshi
This course will equip the students with the specialized skills to research, analyze and record historic buildings. It will also familiarize them with current professional guidance on standards and reports, including deskbased assessments, historic building reports, condition assessments, and heritage statements. Working on-site, the students will gain experience in various survey and recording techniques such as LiDAR scanning, digital twin, H-BIM, and building pathology.
AC 5011
Conservation of C20th Buildings
Units: 4
Tutor: Nikhil Joshi + Ryusuke Kojio
The course reviews the extant knowledge about conserving twentieth-century buildings in Singapore and worldwide. The course will include an introduction to conservation principles, methodology, and technical solutions to the deterioration and failure of the twentiethcentury building materials such as concrete and building systems. Topics explored will also include the history of modern architecture, its associated technologies, and modernist design principles. Through guest lectures, case studies and field trips from Singapore and around the world, the course will give students access to some of the best experts in the field who will share their knowledge and experience of conserving the architecture of the recent past and heritage challenges posed by the architecture and technology of twentieth-century buildings.
AC 5012
Practical Building Conservation Skills
Units: 4
Tutor: Nikhil Joshi + Ryusuke Kojio
Working with experienced conservation practitioners, the students will understand the principles and practices involved in conserving historic buildings and materials, mainly in Southeast Asia. The range of topics to be covered includes visual analysis, scientific investigation and understanding of materials, assessment of conservation needs, the range of remedial solutions relating to the use of
traditional building materials, and hands-on experience to develop practical skills and techniques in timber, lime mortars, plasters and renders, Shanghai plasterwork, brick masonry, decorative wall tiles, and stained glass.
AC 5014
Internship
Units: 4
Tutor: Johannes Widodo + Nikhil Joshi
The MA Architectural Conservation offers the opportunity to engage students with local and international practices, gaining practical and research experience in heritage conservation, by working as an intern/attachment in a private company or public organization in Singapore and the region. This practical experience can also be validated as a part of the elective internship course. Students can take this course either during the semester or semester break to put the knowledge and skills they have learned into practice and to further develop their conservation understanding and expertise.
Golden Age Community Center – For Mutual Assistance
Yuchen Chen
INTERNATIONAL FIELD SCHOOL
The planned Asian Cultural Heritage Conservation Field School 2025 will offer a unique opportunity for the MAArC students to interact with other students from Asian countries and immerse themselves in cultural heritage conservation, gaining invaluable skills, insights, and experiences. Using the past winning projects of the UNESCO AsiaPacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation in Nanjing, Suzhou and Shanghai, the proposed Asian Cultural Heritage Conservation Field School aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of architectural conservation principles, techniques, and practices through immersive learning experiences. This 10-day field school is planned for May 2025 (tentative) and will be held in China.
INTERNSHIP
- Archaeological Survey of India, India
- Bautec Asia Pacific Pte Ltd
- D P Architects
- Element Construction Testing (S) Pte Ltd
- Fivefootway Consultants
- JTC Corporation
- Kay Ngee Tan Architects
- Liu & Wo Architects
- L&O Builders Pte Ltd
- MAEK
- National Heritage Board
- NUS-Architectural Conservation Laboratory (ArClab)
- NUS Museum
- NUS-Tun Tan Cheng Lock Centre for Asian Architectural and Urban Heritage, Malaysia
- Purcell, Hong Kong
- Singapore Heritage Society
- Singapore Ramboll and Henning Larsen
- Studio Lapis
- Takenaka Corporation, Singapore
OVERSEAS STUDY TRIP
The MAArC enhances the learning experience by exposing students to real and professional scenarios. As part of this experience, an overseas study trip is organised annually to infuse our students with the ability to understand, analyse critically, and manage heritage sensitively and reasonably in Asian contexts. This study trip, with input from local government agencies and conservation authorities, private conservation professionals, academic institutions, and craftspeople, will provide an in-depth understanding of the relationship of built heritage conservation efforts to the sustainable development of the historic environment. Generally, the department partially supports the study trip. This year, the students will have an opportunity to visit the United Kingdom for two weeks during mid-December.
- The Bendahari, Malaysia
- UNESCO Bangkok, Thailand
- Urban Redevelopment Authority
- York Minster Centre of Excellence for Heritage Craft Skills & Estate Management, UK
PLAGIARISM GUEST LECTURES
CONSTRUCTIVE CONSERVATION LECTURE SERIES:
Rediscovery of traditional building techniques: A case of contemporary clay roof tiles in Japan
The revitalization of urban public space in Japan
Speaker: Hikaru Kinoshita
Decorative roof finishes
Speaker: Huang Hsiu Hui
Blue House - A community-based conservation project
Speaker: Christopher Law
Heritage and sustainability: Connecting people-place-planet
Speaker: Montira Horayangura Unakul
Temporalities of the colonial city in South Asia
Speaker: Nuno Grancho
A case for the conservation of modern architecture
Speaker: Hossein Rezai-Jorab
Encouraging investment in heritage buildings
Speaker: Donovan Rypkema
Cultural heritage management and sustainability
Speaker: Francesco Bandarin
Historic urban landscape paradigm
Speaker: Ken Taylor
Thinking about urban heritage management in Asian historic cities in “before times”
Speaker: Jeffrey Cody
World heritage in historic cities
Speaker: Montira Horayangura Unakul
Cultural heritage management and sustainable development
Speaker: Randall Mason
All students share the responsibility to uphold the academic standards and reputation of the National University of Singapore. Academic honesty is a prerequisite condition in the pursuit and acquisition of knowledge. Academic dishonesty is any misrepresentation with the intent to deceive or failure to acknowledge the source or falsification of information or inaccuracy of statements or cheating at examinations/ tests or inappropriate use of resources.
There are many forms of academic dishonesty: plagiarism is one of them. Plagiarism is generally defined as ‘the practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own’ (The New Oxford Dictionary of English). The University does not condone plagiarism.
Students should adopt this rule:
You have the obligation to make clear to the assessor which is your own work, and which is the work of others. Otherwise, your assessor is entitled to assume that everything being presented for assessment is being presented as entirely your own work.
Any student found to have committed or aided and abetted the offence of plagiarism may be subject to disciplinary actions in accordance with the Section 1(1) of Statute 12 (Discipline) of the National University of Singapore. In addition, the student may receive no mark/ grade for the relevant academic assignment, project, or thesis; and he/she may fail or be denied a grade for the relevant subject or course.
More information at:
http://cit.nus.edu.sg/plagiarismprevention/
NUS OFFICIAL ACADEMIC CALENDAR
Semester 1
Orientation
0Mon, 5 Aug 2024
Mon, 12 Aug 2024
Mon, 19 Aug 2024
Sat, 10 Aug 2024
Fri, 16 Aug 2024
Vacation (5 weeks)
Instructional Period (6 weeks)
Mon, 26 Aug 2024
Mon, 2 Sep 2024
Mon, 9 Sep 2024
Mon, 16 Sep 2024
Fri, 6 Sep 2024
The following days will be observed as University holidays during the academic year:
17 weeks
Instructional Period (7 weeks)
Instructional Period (6 weeks)
Period (7 weeks) Recess
Vacation (13 weeks)
Mon, 30 Sep 2024
Mon, 7 Oct 2024
Mon, 14 Oct 2024
Mon, 21 Oct 2024
Mon, 28 Oct 2024
Mon, 4 Nov 2024
Mon, 11 Nov 2024
Sat, 16 Nov 2024
Semester 2
Fri, 13 Sep 2024
Fri, 20 Sep 2024
• National Day 9 Aug 2024 (Fri)
• Deepavali 31 Oct 2024 (Thu)
Sun, 8 Dec 2024
Mon, 13 Jan 2025
Mon, 20 Jan 2025
Mon, 27 Jan 2025
Mon, 3 Feb 2025
Mon, 10 Feb 2025
Sat, 21 Sep 2024 Sat, 22 Feb 2025
Mon, 17 Feb 2025
Mon, 3 Mar 2025
Mon, 10 Mar 2025
Mon, 17 Mar 2025
Mon, 24 Mar 2025
Mon, 31 Mar 2025
Mon, 7 Apr 2025
Mon, 14 Apr 2025
Sat, 19 Apr 2025
Sat, 23 Nov 2024 Sat, 26 Apr 2025
Sun, 11 May 2025
Fri, 8 Nov 2024
Fri, 17 Jan 2025 Fri, 23 Aug 2024 Fri, 24 Jan 2025
Fri, 30 Aug 2024 Fri, 31 Jan 2025
• NUS Well-Being Day 1 Nov 2024 (Fri)
Fri, 18 Oct 2024 Fri, 25 Oct 2024 Fri, 1 Nov 2024
Fri, 15 Nov 2024 Fri, 22 Nov 2024
Sat, 5 Oct 2024 Sat 8 Mar 2025 Fri, 14 Mar 2025 Fri, 21 Mar 2025
Fri, 7 Feb 2025 Fri, 14 Feb 2025 Fri, 21 Feb 2025
Fri, 28 Mar 2025
Fri, 4 Apr 2025
Fri, 11 Apr 2025 Fri, 18 Apr 2025 Fri, 11 Oct 2024
Fri, 25 Apr 2025 Sat, 7 Dec 2024 Sat, 10 May 2025 Sun, 12 Jan 2025 Sun, 3 Aug 2025 Sun, 29 Sep 2024 Sun, 2 Mar 2025
• Christmas Day 25 Dec 2024 (Wed)
• New Year’s Day 1 Jan 2025 (Wed)
• Chinese New Year 29 Jan 2025 (Wed) 30 Jan 2025 (Thu)
• Good Friday 18 Apr 2025 (Fri)
• Labour Day 1 May 2025 (Thu)
• Hari Raya Puasa 30 Mar 2025 (Sun)*
• Vesak Day 12 May 2025 (Mon)
• Hari Raya Haji 7 Jun 2025 (Sat)
*The following Monday will be a public holiday.
Please note that the official end time for classes is 2pm when Chinese New Year eve falls on a weekday. There will be no classed on public holidays. The course instructor(s) will advise on make up classes, if any.
**For an up-to-date listing of public holidays in Singapore, please check the Ministry of Manpower website.
Updated July 2024
Should there be deviation between information contained in this handbook and the relevant NUS websites, the information in NUS websites should be treated as the more updated and correct information. Information in this handbook is updated annually.
