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Synopsis

Interview held on 18/10/12 to clarify some of the points of the earlier interviews.

Said that Toh Chin Chye won seats by 89 not 87 votes in 1963.

Later Minister of Science and Technology became Chairman of Board of NUS.  Talks about the say he had in the setting up of the new University Department of Architecture and why the move to a university rather than Polytechnic was deemed necessary.  NUS had better infrastructure, was better financed and would have international recognition as a degree course.  Alfred Wong interviewed some of the staff such as John Lim.  University wanted independence and was afraid that Toh might interfere.

National Theatre completed in 1963/4 and Goh Poh Seng who married Alfred's sister Margaret was later awarded the Cultural Medallion for writing about Singapore and Asia.

Explains how National Theatre had no walls and that there was a challenge concerning acoustics.  Had read about Bolt Boranek and Newman of Boston who had developed system for Melbourne.  Explains how the system works.  National Theatre did not have the money so Alfred visited American attaché and Professor Newman agreed to help devise a system.

Talks about the issue of foreign architects and how large projects were given to foreign firms.  Says it was fine as long as local firms were involved in design, talks about John Portman who was high handed and conveyed his instructions through a third party.

Mentions that AWP was first local architects firm to go to Tsiamen in 1981 to build hotel for Hong Leong.  Now have an office in Chengdu.