7 April 1993

Dear Professor Tommy Koh,

Since 1983, I have been quietly praying for your return to Singapore to help all Singaporeans (not only Mr. Ong Kim Seng) to reach our goal in pursuing Arts as a way of life.

Only men like you and Mr. Kuo Pao Kun can make a difference in our life. You can pave the right path for us to follow, thus enabling all of us to reach out for the stars – the promise of a lifestyle shaped by Arts.

To enable Arts to move forward in a positive direction, we have to achieve great work in architecture. Not only should we implement traditional elements to retain our identity but we must also instill philosophical values and teaching, because architecture is the foundation for the Arts.

Why do I say so? A great building that house the Arts act as a home for all their offspring’s and as parents guiding the children during their growing years. The music, paintings, sculptures or in short, Arts are the offspring of architecture. This means a building with great concept will mould the society to develop a generous character, which will help us to change our attitude in life, in a positive way

I strongly believe great conceptual ideas and designs arrive from the need to solve problems and the hope to make changes to improve society. Usually the minds that conceive great ideas and create revolutionary designs have very strong values and character. These men and women are fearless exuding confidence, determination and guts. While they do not fear the law, they do respect the law, the society will have no harmony, which is the basis for Arts.

These are people with wild imaginations that can challenge others to their limit because there are no rules and regulations guiding their thoughts except those that are inspired. Their souls are forever free because their thinking and lifestyle are free.
Freedom is what they seek and live for, while other things in life become irrelevant.

Another important quality they possess is a powerful vision with a passionate interest to change society and a deep conviction to work tirelessly towards their goals regardless of the odds or what society thinks of them. They believe their talent is an “inspired gift”, and they only have one desire – that is to excel and contribute. They believe that knowledge acquired is precious and must be shared with all to make this society a better and safer place to live.
If they could not share their knowledge, they will be miserable and unfulfilled. Their only reward is the happiness of the people and you can say this is their greatest fulfillment. Monetary gains are secondary compared to satisfaction and happiness.

The Government therefore must recognize the architectural profession in Singapore. They must be convinced that architecture has the power to educate and change society. This means that the Government’s role should encourage the people through more open competition on a national level, for those within the profession or the layman.

I hope you are now convinced that a great work only need the commitment of a person, who has character and vision, and not the status or size of the company. By limiting our pool of talents, we are being unfair and denying ourselves of the opportunity to discover our true potential. This is unhealthy for a young growing nation like us, especially when we are in the midst of searching for so many answers to life and at the same time, are at a crossroad of change.

In order to be fair to Singaporeans, we have to be fair to the country we were born in, that is Singapore. We must realize this simple act of fairness or equal opportunity will bring the people closer to the Government. This should be the aim and duty of every Singaporean – to foster a harmonious society.

Yes, I’m fighting for the architecture profession (although I ‘m not one of them) because I believe the power to change our life in the positive direction is only through great architecture. It is more effective than a religious book or academic materials because people nowadays have no time for anything except making money. A great work can impact upon people’s value systems and remind them constantly to retain and uphold positive values as we progress.

My creation of the ‘pyramid library’ epitomizes my belief that architecture can educate people. To create a building with deep values and philosophical thoughts is to design for the well-being of our people. Education is not just for survival but also to cultivate a beautiful soul. Subconsciously, I have labored to implant deep values into the crevices of young minds, who are wandering aimlessly in search of their potential and identity. This is how I dreamt of the open-and-closed concept for the library.

We need water to survive and our brains need knowledge to be alive. Water represent life and knowledge give us hope to progress in life. This means when we introduce water element to the library, it has a significant, i.e. knowledge found must be kept alive.

To symbolize the controlled outflow of knowledge from its absorption to its dissemination of information, we could have steady flow of water running quietly from the closed section through the open section and then rushing into the surroundings, like a waterfall. How exhilarating and inspiring to observe such a view!

I hope that this library will eventually grow to be a visual inspiration for the youth to search for a deeper meaning in life and to be a scholastic catalyst to reach an understanding of our existence.

If I should let my imaginations run wild for the ‘pyramid library’, I could create the open section with different ideas. For example:

1) To be conservative, the open section will be tiered balconies.

2) To be artistic. We could design the shape of a mouth in an abstract form.

3) In a sculpture form, we could create a lion head with an-open-mouthed.

The ultimate success of our National Library can only be reached when Singaporeans collectively appreciate the value of gaining knowledge and endorse the principle of sharing it, the ’pyramid library’ will simple be a projection of these beliefs and act as constant reminder to hold fast to our values as we move forward into 21st Century.

Are we prepared to take the ‘pyramid library’ concept as a challenge in reaching our excellence? I believe that how we lead our youth into the next century, depends on how ambitious and courageous we are as Singaporeans.

We must advance positively in enriching our souls and allowing our minds to be adventurous to challenge new ideas and experiences.

Your’s sincerely
Sunflower Chong