fascinatinghorror

The Collapse of the Hotel New World

Added 2022-09-13 10:15:59 +0000 UTC

As usual, I want to highlight a couple of sources I used to make this episode. If you're interested in learning more about this disaster, these are definitely great starting points...

The National Archives of Singapore

Singapore maintains an excellent national archive, and many of the resources from it can be freely accessed online. I wasn't able to get permission to use images from the archive in the video, but they're definitely worth a look.

To find them, just go the National Archives website and search for "Hotel New World". You'll be able to find not just images of the disaster and the aftermath, but also photographs takes in and around the building before it collapsed.

The Official Accident Report

The official report into the disaster is also available online, thanks to the National Library Board of Singapore. It's a very thorough accounting of everything that took place, including more of the warning signs in the lead up to the collapse.

Reports like this can often be a little dry and difficult to read, but this one manages to be both clear and engaging - easy to understand even if you know nothing about structural engineering (much like the men who drew the plans for the Hotel New World, for example).

Haw Chong Junior College

One last note: I mention in the video that some buildings in Singapore were torn down and rebuilt in the aftermath of the disaster. One of them was a school on the campus of Hwa Chong Junior College.

The Wikipedia for the College has a section on the building, including this photograph:

It shows some of the memories written on the walls by students before the building was torn down. Although it's never ideal that a school has to be demolished for structural reasons, I thought this was an excellent way of helping students adjust and manage the change.