Restoring kampung houses to keep Pulau Ubin’s rustic charm

SINGAPORE – The National Parks Board (NParks) will be rebuilding and restoring vacant kampung houses on Pulau Ubin, and developing a suite of programmes there for students over the next decade.

For a start, five houses on the island will be restored for community and commercial uses that retain their cultural significance. 

For instance, they might be used by a kayaking tour company, or by heritage groups as a museum or a space for community activities.

Four houses, including a former bicycle rental shop, have been earmarked for rebuilding or restoration from 2025, and three of these were demolished earlier in 2024.

There are a total of around 70 houses on the island.

NParks is also rolling out a new initiative called Ubin School in partnership with Outward Bound Singapore and various primary and secondary schools, for students to go through experiential learning and environmental education programmes on Pulau Ubin. It is starting with seven programmes and hoping to engage 250 students a year.

These were among the plans for the next 10 years to preserve the island’s rustic charm and heritage announced by National Development Minister Desmond Lee on Pulau Ubin on June 22 as part of The Ubin Project.

Mr Lee said: “We want to make sure that this rustic charm (of Pulau Ubin) allows us to go back in time to remember our past and to remember the values that brought us here.” 

The plans were developed by the Friends of Ubin Network (Fun) – a group of villagers, academics and nature and heritage enthusiasts – together with the Ministry of National Development and NParks. The Ubin Project was started in 2014 by Fun with the aim of preserving natural and cultural heritage on the island.

Other upcoming projects include further efforts to conserve biodiversity, including planting 4,500 trees in 2024 as part of a reforestation project, and recovering vulnerable species such as the cinnamon bush frog, as well as conducting a survey of mangroves.

As part of the Ubin School initiative, NParks and the Fun educator workgroup will work with teachers to create lesson plans, and get more schools to participate in its programmes. For example, lesson plans on biodiversity conservation could include an introduction to the Chek Jawa Wetlands – one of Singapore’s richest ecosystems – and native orchids.

Students will also get to use the Ubin Living Lab, a facility opened in 2016 for research and field studies, environmental education and community outreach. The facility houses a campsite, meeting and seminar rooms, a field studies laboratory and a mangrove arboretum.

Dr Imran Tajudeen, senior lecturer of Malay studies and architecture at the National University of Singapore, had previously helped to restore a Malay kampung house on the island together with the Siglap Citizens’ Consultative Committee. He started by documenting the architectural details of the house, which was chosen for restoration in 2017.

He said he sought to keep to the original design of the house, down to the types of wood used. The construction work took about three years.

He said plans are for the restored house to be open to the public at least on weekends, where docents can take visitors on a tour of its history and architecture. He hopes the house’s former occupants can be involved as guides.

Madam Rugaiyah Kasah, the sister of the former owner of the house, said she was moved when she saw the restored house.

“The new generation might not know there are still kampung houses around, but we actually lived and grew up here. I want to share the history with young people,” added the 84-year-old.

Madam Koh Siew Hong, who has lived on Pulau Ubin for 50 years, suggested that the restored houses could be rented out for weekend stays.

Madam Koh, who runs a provision shop and seafood restaurant on the island, hopes to see more people visiting Pulau Ubin in the coming years.

Liew Yue Yu, a Secondary 4 student at Commonwealth Secondary School, who went to the island on a school trip in March, said she was amazed by the sight of a huge hornbill landing in front of her just when the guide was introducing the students to the species.

“It was very interesting to see what we learn about happening in real life, right in that moment.”

Her biology teacher Jacob Tan said: “It’s important to help the next generation to make sense of this space, because eventually all the old guard here will pass on, and then what will Ubin mean to our new generation? Will they want to retain it like that? The decisions in the future will be made by our youth. ”

Those interested in repurposing a refurbished kampung house can contact NParks or Fun to share their proposals.