BASF Learning Campus (Singapore) wins prestigious URA Architectural Heritage Awards 2015

• First corporate learning facility to earn the award
• Restoration project also a winner of the highest accolade in the Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects Awards 2015

Singapore – October 20, 2015 – For the outstanding efforts of restoring and transforming the heritage houses at Rochester Park into a learning facility, BASF’s Learning Campus (Singapore) is one of the four conservation buildings, as well as the first corporate learning facility, to earn the prestigious Architectural Heritage Awards 2015 given out by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) of Singapore.

The award was presented by Minister for National Development, Mr. Lawrence Wong, at the award ceremony on October 19, 2015.

Inaugurated in December 2014, BASF Learning Campus (Singapore) offers regional leadership development and business-related programs to BASF employees across Asia Pacific. It is one of the first learning facilities in the talent and leadership development cluster of Rochester 20.

BASF won under Category A of the Awards which recognizes national monuments and fully conserved buildings in the historic districts and good class bungalow areas as well as buildings fully conserved according to the restoration principles in other areas. Buildings are assessed on the extent to which they adhere to quality restoration principles of maximum retention, sensitive restoration and careful repair.

Located at the heritage site of Rochester Park, the site of British military residences from the 1940s to 1971, BASF Learning Campus (Singapore) is a S$10 million (€6 million) restoration project completed in under a year. The project included the transformation of three black and white colonial bungalows into a total of 6,300 square meters of indoor and outdoor learning space in natural green surroundings.

Before the start of the restoration works, extensive research and studies on the bungalows were conducted to ensure that the renovation and extension works would be compatible with the existing design and landscape. The unique architectural elements of black and white bungalows, such as the color scheme, verandahs, pitched reddish clay tiled roofs and louvered doors and windows, were carefully restored.

Great emphasis was also placed on the new additions such as the linked walkways which serve to frame the conserved buildings and the natural landscape, allowing for the appreciation of one connected site. The outdoor pavilion thus became the linchpin of the landscape, providing a panoramic view of the Learning Campus.

Special care was taken to ensure sensitive and innovative adaptation of the three conserved buildings to current use, including the integration of barrier free accessibility between the houses, platform lift in one of the houses, and modern teaching facilities. The existing houses’ infrastructure limitations, such as water supply, sanitary provisions and electrical loading provisions were all upgraded to accommodate the use of a learning facility. 

Conservation went beyond the buildings to encompass the surrounding lush greenery, which was carefully preserved and curated. A large number of trees, including a rare native Vitex pinnata and a 150 year-old Tembusu tree, were retained. For this, BASF’s Learning Campus (Singapore) project was recognized at the Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects Awards (SILA) 2015, receiving the gold award under the Commercial category as well as the overall outstanding award of excellence – the highest accolade in the Awards given out to top landscape projects.

“We are honored to receive these prestigious awards for our efforts, considering the challenge of the extensive restoration works required within a six month time frame,” said Magali Simon, Vice President Talent Development, Learning and perspectives, BASF. “Overall, the Learning Campus is now an environment conducive to inspiring creativity and bringing about new ideas and innovations. It does this by connecting the diverse minds of our leaders with their peers, both inside and outside of our organization.”

The URA Architectural Heritage Awards were inaugurated in 1995 to recognize projects which display the highest standards within the conservation movement, and have gone beyond what is necessary to restore heritage buildings for continued use. 

 

 

About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry – and have been doing so for 150 years. Our portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. As the world’s leading chemical company, we combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of over €74 billion in 2014 and around 113,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

About BASF in Singapore
BASF has been operating in Singapore since 1978. BASF posted sales to customers in Singapore of about €878 million in 2014 and had 696 employees there as of the end of the year. BASF maintains one of its two Asia Pacific regional headquarters in Singapore, along with local production, a trading business, and several global and regional business units.  In addition, BASF’s Learning Campus (Singapore), which offers leadership and business-related learning for BASF employees in Asia Pacific and Global Research Center, which does research and development on functionalized materials, nanotechnology and energy & resources, are also based in Singapore.