d+a | Issue 124 • 2022

/ OFFICE / 46 The find was an important clue to why the power station was sited close to the coastline. Equally challenging was the restoration of the self-supporting brick envelope in fair-faced finish, which itself took two years to complete. “The most systematic way was to do a mapping study using high-resolution photographs to quantify how much damage there was that we had to undo,” reveals Ho. These encompassed plant growth, surface erosion and incompatible latter-day patching done through the years, including during the adaptive reuse in 2006 to become an entertainment complex. The two brick-clad, standalone chimneys too had to be investigated, albeit with a slightly different approach. “Because they are only 3.5m in diameter, the contractor used very tiny drones that can fly in tight spaces to capture the whole interior and create a composite image that unfolds like a tapestry,” says Ho. Fortunately, most of the damage was superficial and since it did not compromise the integrity of the building, the decision was made to leave it as the status quo. A third brick section that received extra attention is found in the interstitial space between Blocks A and B. 08. The void inserted in the interstitial space between Blocks A and B. / 09. View towards Block A, where the steel columns are flanked by bricks. HO WENG HIN, FOUNDING PARTNER, STUDIO LAPIS 08 09