Design & Heritage

Embodying a marriage of sustainability and heritage, the unique extension of 21 Carpenter stands as a powerful tribute to the voices of the past, beautifully encapsulated in the intricate perforations of its aluminium façade.

Far beyond a sustainable design, this architectural feature is an inscribed work of art, telling the stories of migrant workers who left their homes in search of a better life. The verses of remittance letters — once penned by educated scribes for illiterate workers — are now etched into the façade, bridging the past with the present.

Horizontal English poems and vertical Chinese inscriptions create a harmonious dialogue across the surface, a quiet yet profound conversation between generations. This is not just architecture; it is a living celebration of the resilience, dreams, and sacrifices that have shaped the nation we know today.

A copy of a remittance letter sent by migrant workers to their hometown in China during the 1930s — sourced from the National Archives.

Amongst the letters collected from the National Archives, 24 unique inscriptions were carefully handpicked and etched across the aluminium façade. You will find these poignant verses woven thoughtfully into our lifts, throughout our social spaces, along the corridors of our Urban Wing, and within our Urban Rooms and Suites.

Below, we share a few of these meaningful phrases with you.

日夜心焦烦，月缺何时圆？
day and night, when will we reunite?

(Traditional Teochew poem)

A heartfelt expression of yearning for reunion across distant lands.

时间真如流水不情
time flows relentlessly like water

(Letter from Chen Chuanmin and husband Chen Guangliang to Uncle Wang Yujin in Singapore)

Time passes by swiftly and without mercy, much like the relentless flow of water.

一行书信千行泪
a sentence in a letter is a thousand tears

(Excerpt from a poem by Chen Yu Lan 陈玉兰《寄夫》)

Each line of a letter carries the weight of a thousand tears.

天涯羁旅 乡愁难释
wandering the world, how can I explain the nostalgia for home?

(Chinese saying)

Roaming far from home, the longing for one’s homeland is hard to ease.

眼睛看海水，我君船要开
looking at the sea, the ship is leaving.

(Traditional Teochew poem)

Gazing at the sea, I watch as your ship sets sail.

月圆月缺如转瞬，花开花谢若回眸
the moon waxes and wanes, flowers bloom and fall

(Letter from Shi Hui, a Chinese worker in Thailand to his mother in a village in Chao An.)

The moon’s cycles and the fleeting bloom of flowers mirror how swiftly time slips away.