SINGAPORE - Construction for the Founders' Memorial - dedicated to Singapore's pioneers and the values they exemplified - has officially begun, with the institution slated to open in 2028.
The memorial in Gardens by the Bay's Bay East Garden will offer future visitors an "integrated gallery and gardens experience", said the National Heritage Board (NHB).
Within its two two-storey buildings, which will be connected by a common basement, will be a viewing gallery that overlooks Singapore's city skyline, exhibition galleries, and multipurpose rooms for workshops and programmes.
NHB said that multiple paths will extend from the memorial into the larger Bay East Garden, with the memorial itself designed to depict a path - a symbol of the nation-building journey that Singapore's founding generation and its leaders undertook.
The groundbreaking ceremony was held in Bay East Garden on June 5, and officiated by Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong. It was on June 5, 1959, that the first cabinet of self-governing Singapore was sworn into office.
At a reception held at Gardens by the Bay's Flower Field Hall after the ceremony, SM Lee said the memorial will tell of how the nation's founding leaders "overcame the odds to build a strong, united, and independent Singapore".
Stories will capture "how they led the people of Singapore through successive battles", he said.
"First against colonialism, then communism, and finally communalism; and how they then built a nation based on the values and ideals embodied in the pledge, launching us on the journey that has led to the Singapore that we see today."
He was joined at the ceremony by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee, Founders' Memorial Committee co-chairs Mr Lee Tzu Yang and Professor Tan Tai Yong, as well as community representatives including students, memorial volunteers and donors.
Those who participated in the groundbreaking planted saplings that were grafted from trees planted by Singapore's leaders during the early years of the nation's greening journey.
Species planted include the yellow flame (Peltophorum pterocarpum), a native species that was planted by founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1971 at Tanjong Pagar Community Club; a sea grape (Coccoloba uvifera), planted by Dr Goh Keng Swee in 1975 at Labrador Park; and a sea apple (Syzygium grande), which Mr S. Rajaratnam planted in 1980 at Block 12 North Bridge Road.
The saplings planted on June 5 will be featured in the Founders' Memorials landscaping in the future, said NHB.
The memorial - mooted in 2015 following Mr Lee Kuan Yew's death - was previously slated to be completed in 2027, but its construction timeline was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Its design by Japanese architecture firm Kengo Kuma & Associates, working in collaboration with Singapore firm K2LD Architects, was announced in March 2020 following an international competition launched in January 2019.
NHB said the memorial "aims to inspire Singaporeans to commit themselves towards a better future, as it will serve as a space to capture the spirit of our nation and unify Singaporeans".
SM Lee said the memorial's project team is "curating an installation specially to commemorate the founding generation".
"Through their words and deeds, the Memorial will bring alive the values and ideals these pioneers exemplified, championed, and inculcated into Singaporeans," he added.
Between June and December 2024, a mural titled Our Memorial, Our Singapore by local illustration studio 8EyedSpud will be displayed at Bay South Garden, near the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome.
By scanning a QR code that accompanies the mural, the public can select activities they are most keen to engage in at the memorial and Bay East Garden - "a continuation of the memorial's public engagement journey", said NHB.
They may also leave well-wishes, which may be part of future hoardings for the memorial.
Mr Lee Tzu Yang said the committee will continue to engage Singaporeans "because the Founders' Memorial is envisioned as a space owned by every generation, including future generations of Singaporeans".
Public workshops and a pilot exhibition - titled Semangat Yang Baru: Forging A New Singapore Spirit - have been held to gather feedback for the upcoming memorial.
More than 900 stories and artefacts have been received for the memorial thus far following a public call, and over 140,000 people attended the exhibition, Mr Lee Tzu Yang said.
A Project Citizens campaign will be launched as part of the engagement, to invite Singaporeans to contribute stories about the country's founding history.
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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
