Singapore Land Authority - SLA

History connects people in different ways.

For Darren and Jia Hui, the State property tour to Adam Park offered a chance to better understand a chapter of Singapore's past that often feels distant to younger generations.

For Santha, the experience was more personal. As she shared, "My family once lived in Sembawang Naval Base, and my grandfather was part of the labour force there. That connection has given me a deep affinity for these places and the stories they hold."

Their shared interest brought them to Adam Park, where heritage guide Jerome Lim led participants through the estate's layered wartime history. Among the stops was 7 Adam Park, a bungalow originally built to accommodate several bachelors before later serving as the headquarters for British forces defending the area during the Battle of Singapore.

As the tour unfolded, participants learnt how the estate later became home to around 2,000 prisoners of war during the Japanese Occupation. Many were assigned to construction and repair works, leaving behind a mural, inscriptions and calendar markings that still offer rare glimpses into their daily lives decades later.

Walking through the quiet estate today, participants discovered that Adam Park is more than a collection of heritage homes. For some, it brought history to life. For others, it deepened a personal connection to Singapore's past.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰'𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲?

Around the world, heritage buildings and State properties are being thoughtfully reimagined and revitalised to serve new generations while retaining and building on their historic character.

What are the challenges and opportunities of countries who have seen success?

Join Singapore Land Authority (SLA) at the World Cities Summit for our discussion panel on Rejuvenating Heritage Properties for Vibrant Communities, featuring speakers from Portugal, Australia, Japan, and Singapore who will share real-world insights on adaptive reuse, heritage conservation and community-focused placemaking.

Discover how cities can unlock new possibilities from existing spaces to create more liveable, inclusive and sustainable urban environments.

🎙️ Speakers:

▫️Ana Abrunhosa, Mayor of Coimbra
▫️Geoffrey McDonald, Mayor of Toowoomba Regional Council
▫️Tomomi Yamash*ta, Director General for Global Initiatives, Policy Administration and International Affairs Bureau, Yokohama
▫️Ivy Koh, Executive Director, Architecture + Design, Surbana Jurong Group, Singapore
▫️Calvin Phua, Chief Executive, Singapore Land Authority

🎙️ Moderator: Professor Joseph Ooi, Professor of Real Estate, NUS Business School

📍 Suntec Convention Centre, MR324 & 325 | 15 June | 2.00pm – 3.30pm

Register here: https://go.gov.sg/wcs2026reg-tradevisitor

Built to store military supplies. Now ready to house new creative concepts.

45 Minden Road once served as a barrack store in Dempsey, the former British military camp with a history dating back to the 1800s. Today, traces of that past still linger through its colonial military-style architecture and commanding presence. Minden Road itself was named after the Battle of Minden fought by the British and their allies in the 1700s.

Set against lush greenery along the edge of Minden Road, the property features high ceilings, oversized windows, and spacious interiors that open out towards the surrounding landscape. The space offers a calm yet versatile setting well-suited for wellness, artisanal crafts, office, or gallery concepts.

SLA has launched the property under a Price Quality tender, inviting proposals that can thoughtfully reimagine the space while drawing from the serene and quiet character of its surroundings.

The tender closes on 22 July, with a site showround scheduled on 9 June.

For more information, visit https://app.sla.gov.sg/spio/property-detail?propertyId=SLP2026050003P&page=0

Unlike the grander Black and White homes of nearby Adam Park, the houses along Adam Drive evolved around an understated and practical vision of tropical suburban living. The enclave remains defined by its low-rise character, mature greenery, and slower residential atmosphere, giving the area a sense of calm.

4 Adam Drive reflects this clean architectural language through its single-storey form, low-sloping tiled roof, deep eaves, and wide gridded windows. Together with its open proportions and surrounding greenery, the home exudes a relaxed character that sits naturally within the landscape.

The 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom residence which offers a living environment that feels both private and closely connected to nature is now available for a 2-year residential tenure.

For more information, visit https://app.sla.gov.sg/spio/property-detail?propertyId=OLS2026040596&page=0

*Property listings on SPIO are updated on a rolling basis and will be removed once they are no longer available.

Recently, volunteers from SLA partnered with The Food Bank Singapore for a Joy In Every Bundle programme, supporting seniors in need of food support.

The day began at the void deck near one of the centres of Food Bank Singapore’s selected beneficiary partner location, where volunteer colleagues came together to unload, sort and pack 100 food bundles filled with daily essentials. The bundles were distributed door-to-door to the beneficiaries giving volunteers the opportunity to interact with residents and share moments of warmth and conversation.

Beyond connecting with the community, the initiative provided a meaningful opportunity for colleagues to engage and collaborate beyond the workplace towards a shared purpose.

An act of service that brings communities closer while deepening the connections we share as colleagues.

This quiet residential enclave has witnessed some of the most dramatic chapters of Singapore’s wartime history.

At Adam Park, the cluster of heritage houses built in the 1920s once served as homes for officials of the colonial administration. When war broke out in 1942, the estate became the site of intense fighting during the final days of the Battle of Singapore, leaving behind stories of soldiers, civilians, and a community caught in the turmoil of war.

Today, the estate remains a conserved part of Singapore’s heritage landscape. SLA has launched the site under a Concept and Price Revenue tender, seeking a master developer and operator to sensitively restore the historic enclave and its bungalows for serviced apartment use.

On the next State Property Tour, heritage guide Jerome Lim will share lesser-known insights into the people, places, and wartime events connected to this charming enclave, bringing its stories to life.

Tour Details:

30 May 2026, 9 am (under two hours)

Registration opens today (25 May) at 6 pm. (Limited slots)

Register at singaporesbestkeptsecrets.peatix.com/events (first-come, first-served)

Keen to learn more about our State properties? Check out our social media accounts or website for additional insights. Stay tuned for more updates on future tours!

What does it take to build a trusted map of Singapore from above?

At STE:Fest 2026 with Mr Chee Hong Tat 徐芳达, Minister for National Development as Guest-of-Honour, SLA’s national aerial mapping exercise was featured for the Science, Technology and Engineering Excellence Award, which celebrates outstanding Public Sector STE projects shaping Singapore’s future and delivering impact for citizens and communities.

Presented by SLA’s Geomatics Manager, Chiok Pei Wen on stage and at the booth, the project showed how accurate, high-resolution aerial mapping forms the foundation for a safer, more sustainable, and smarter Singapore.

Completed in September 2025 after 1.5 years, the exercise covered 98% of Singapore across 52 days, capturing more than 18 billion points, over 130,000 images and more than 80TB of raw data. From this, SLA produced eight 2D and 3D data products, including orthophotos, near-infrared maps, classified point clouds, terrain models, 3D building models and reality mesh.

These datasets are already supporting more than 100 data requests from agencies, academia, and organisations — enabling applications such as land use planning, rooftop solar potential assessment, GeoAI-enabled solar panel detection, and precise navigation for autonomous vehicles.

SLA was also part of the From Space to Earth pavilion with the National Space Agency of Singapore (NSAS) and Housing & Development Board, showcasing how satellite, aerial and ground-based data come together to support better decisions for Singapore.

Whether captured from satellites, aircraft or the ground, geospatial data gives Singapore the clarity to make better decisions — for safer communities, more sustainable planning and a smarter future.

The next time you look up and see a plane in the sky, smile — it could be helping to map the next chapter of Singapore. ✈️🗺️