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See restoration in progress at 1880s heritage building
The Straits Times
|November 15, 2022
Neil Road townhouse offers chance to learn about conservation; public visits from 2023
From early 2023, the public can observe restoration work up close in a conserved townhouse and learn about how conservators bring back the lustre of Singapore's heritage buildings.
The restoration of 141 Neil Road, an 1880s house in the Blair Plain conservation area, will also provide students and researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with learning and research opportunities.
On Monday, the university's Department of Architecture, which comes under the NUS College of Design and Engineering, opened the Architectural Conservation Laboratory (ArClab), an educational centre that will be housed in the conserved building.
The building was donated to NUS by the Portabella family, along with a gift of $2 million to support repair and conservation works, which will take place over five years and be completed in 2027.
A fourth-generation member of the family, Mr Ricardo Jr Portabella, said his family has been investing in properties in Singapore since 2008, and currently has 13 shophouses in their portfolio.
This story is from the November 15, 2022 edition of The Straits Times.
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