National Museum of Singapore
Name of Building
National Museum of Singapore
Town or City, Country where the building was originally established
Singapore, Singapore
Date the building was designed and/or first built
1882- Henry Edward McCallum designed the building
1887-Opened as Raffles Library and Museum
2003-2006 Additions of glass and metal were added to the building
Name of Architect, Builder, or Primary Patron Responsible
Architect: Colonel Sir H.E. McCallum
Architect: W Architects (firm)
Culturally Specific Time Period
British colonial rule, Colony of Singapore
Geo-Location
1.2969294182885014, 103.849002621896
Materials
Stone
Glass
Metal
Size and/or Scale of Building
18,400 square meters (198,000 square feet)
Architectural Type
Public
Formal Style
neo-Palladian (British colonial rule of Singapore)
Building Description
The National Museum of Singapore is a neo-Palladian structure that over time has been renovated to have glass and steel elements. Its plan overall is relatively symmetrical, and the building features two main stories. A large center dome sits in the middle of the structure's roofing, very reminiscent of British government buildings. To enter the museum, there’s a grand portico with a sweeping staircase that guides into the central atrium before branching into other exhibition galleries. The opened interior spaces are primarily illuminated by the large arched windows or stained glass in the rotunda done. A very modern “glass passage” was built for the museum to connect the newly developed areas seamlessly to the historical structure without obvious style disruption. Architecturally, the building showcases a historical evolution throughout time, from colonial British rule to more independent Singaporean state and style.
Image source
Image 1:2016_Singapur,_Museum_Planning_Area,_Narodowe_Muzeum_Singapuru_(02)
Image 2:SNM_Concourse
Image 3: lossy-page1-1920px-KITLV_-_105738_-_Raffles_Museum_in_Singapore_-_circa_1900.tif (1)
Creative Commons or other copyright information
Image 1: Creative Commons
Image 2: Creative Commons
Image 3: Creative Commons
Student First and Last Name
Sultana Rahim
Bibliographic references for the item
Board, N. H. (n.d.). Our building. National Heritage Board - Pride in our Past, Legacy for our Future. https://www.nhb.gov.sg/nationalmuseum/about-us/our-building
Wikimedia Foundation. (2025d, August 30). National Museum of Singapore. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Museum_of_Singapore
Citation
Architect: Colonel Sir H.E. McCallum and Architect: W Architects (firm), “National Museum of Singapore,” World Architecture, accessed June 28, 2026, https://worldarchitecture.artinterp2.org/items/show/3.
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