Singapore Chinatown Shophouse (Residential)

[Erik Zwaan]

Thanks for your responses .

Regarding the number of aircon units, bear in mind that Singapore is 1° north of the equator and in this tropical climate temperatures are usually well above 30°C all year round, with high humidity.
Shophouses are remnants from the past and in those pre-aircon days air wells were used to provide ventilation. Shophouses are relatively narrow and deep buildings and the air well was a to provide draft. In the model the center housing unit has such an air well

Nowadays we have split aircon units and in Singapore's climate a unit per room is almost an absolute requirement, which explains the outside units along the walls.
Nevertheless, it is quite remarkable that seemingly such a high number of aircon units is used per house. In normal homes (so-called HDB flats) you won't find this many per apartment. Perhaps it can be explained from the fact that most of today's Chinatown shophouses are used as offices, bars and restaurants rather than residential homes, with higher number of people and consequently higher cooling demand?

Erik

[Erik Zwaan]

Well, the build's almost finished. Added the roof parts, the model support frame and final ornaments, some paint/marker touch-ups and a glossy spray paint (the model sheets also have a glossy look). The street sign is a nod to the past and is the name of the street where my in-laws used to live. Google Earth street view comes in very handy to get the right image, even the one-way street sign .

Next time I will post pictures of the finished model, and also along with the other model in the series of Singapore Shophouses.

Erik

[Michael Mash]

Lovely photos. There is a lot of nice detail.
This kind of area would make great material for a diorama.

[Yu Gyokubun]

Erik san

Nicely built your model reminds me of days I have been traveling around South East Asian countries. In Bangkok, where climate is similar to Singapore, they have 3 seasons. Hot, hotter, hottest. In the hottest season I always brought a cardigan to wear it in an office building and in a hotel room because setting temperature there are far below comfortable one that is controlled by central air conditioning system and cannot change individually.
On the other hand, the heat outside was scorching and unbearable. Just a 10-minute walk made me break out in a sweat so I had no other choice but to take taxi wherever I go. As global warming is getting worth temperature in July and August in Tokyo nowadays is almost same as those days hottest season in Bangkok.

By the way, I miss taste of tropical fruits such as mango, durian and so on I would have there.

[Erik Zwaan]

Hi Mike and Yu san, thanks for your reaction. Yes, you're right, the hotter the temperatures outside, the colder they seem to set the air conditioning temperature inside. Guaranteed to give you a bad cold if you don't watch out. Eh..., I'm not a particular fan of durians (although I've gotten used to the smell...) but mangos and other tropical fruits are great . Someone once described the smell of a durian as a mixture of orange juice and petroleum....

Alright, the model is finished and herewith the final pictures. I will also post a few pictures of both models that make up the series of the Singapore Chinatown shophouses. As said before, the other model is a row of three shophouses in commercial use and I built it in back in 2015. Both models are a joy to make, are of excellent quality and have fine details to enjoy.

If you're interested in this kind of architecture and plan to visit Singapore, do check out the Chinatown Heritage Museum (currently closed for renovation but due to reopen later this year), or just simply stroll through the streets of Chinatown. You will have to endure the touristic crowds, but once you cross South Bridge Road you enter a quiet maze of small streets that bring you into a different world, showing a glimpse of how the city looked like 50 years ago, and further back in time. And when you walk on, all of a sudden you're back in the 21st century, surrounded by modern high-rise. Equally impressive but of a total different magnitude.

Erik

[Erik Zwaan]

And herewith a few shots of both models.

[Michael Mash]

Beautiful work creating these buildings.
I like the details.
Mike

[cgutzmer]

These are amazing! Well designed and very well built! I have always kind of wanted some kits of older American buildings like this - warehouses etc. You did some great work and appreciate all the pics
Chris

[Erik Zwaan]

Hello Mike and Chris, thank you for your compliments! Well appreciated and it was a pleasure to share this build on the forum .

And now it's time to move on again with "complicated aircraft stuff"...

Cheers,
Erik

[Don Boose]

Very appealling. I would like to stroll along that street.

Don