The Tanjong Pagar conservation shophouse where a car crashed and burst into flames early on Sat sustained minimal damage, said BCA on Sun. It said an engineer was dispatched to the site on the morning of the accident, to assist with the assessment of the building structure. “Other than some surface scratches on the column at the ground floor, the structural integrity of the building was not affected by the collision and the fire,” said a BCA spokesman. “BCA will direct the owner of the building to engage a PE to carry out a more detailed inspection and propose rectification works, if any.” Architectural conservator Yeo Kang Shua, an associate professor at SUTD, estimates the shophouse was constructed in the late 1920s. “It’s fortunate that the columns probably did not sustain a direct impact,” he said. “Also, because it’s a reinforced concrete building with a fair-faced (smooth) brick facade… it doesn’t have much fire damage apart from soot sustained on the facade, from reported photographs. “If the second-level floor was constructed in timber, the fire would have caused more damage.”... Continue Reading