ROM Building To Be Revamped & Romanticised By Mid-2020

“Baby let’s have our wedding photoshoot at Registry Of Marriage (ROM) building!” said no-one ever and for good reason too.

ROM’s exterior isn’t exactly the prettiest, but before you lose hope, get this: according to TODAYonline, it’ll soon be given “a new lease of life” as youths propose new design concepts.

Yes, goodbye dreary and “unromantic” building and hello natural lighting in solemnisation rooms and central gardens.

Okay, so far, these ideas are just proposals and have yet to be confirmed, but it sounds pretty cool already.

Maybe more Singaporeans would marry and give birth to many babies after this, and our low birth rate problem would be solved.

So Who’s Behind The Ideas?

If you’re wondering who we have to thank: it’s students from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).

Around 140 students have embarked on a project to revamp ROM. The Minister for Social and Family Development told TODAYonline that seven design concepts have been shortlisted based on creativity and practicality.

Hmm, 140 students but only 7 design concepts were shortlisted? I’m assuming that these designs must’ve really stood out.

Proposed Ideas Include Natural Lighting, Central Gardens And More

Some of the ideas that are being considered are the use of natural lighting in the solemnisation rooms.

Miss Lim who studies sustainable urban design and engineering told TODAYonline, “Currently, the solemnisation rooms are designed in a way where the curtains are closed, and they are opened only after the couples say their vows.”

Other ideas include a forest of columns that look like intertwining trees in the main building, which was proposed by Mr Jared De Souza from Temasek Polytechnic.

Similarly, Miss Tanya Lim, a Ngee Ann Polytechnic student to replace the waiting area with a central garden to create a “zen and relaxed” atmosphere for couples.

Soon, the entire ROM building might just be mistaken for Fort Canning Park with all that greenery going on in there.

Current ROM “Feels Like A Polyclinic”

Unfortunately, ROM has been likened to a polyclinic, mainly due to the ticketing system as couples have to grab a ticket and wait for their queue numbers for their turn.

Hopefully, those days will be over as seven students from SUTD hope to use technology to make the solemnisation process easier and more pleasant.

Findings after a thorough interview with both millennials and married couples led them to propose a lobby with an open concept with digital panels that display information like BTO flats and even “honeymoon packages”.

The seatings will also be rearranged to look more informal, instead of the current rows of straight chairs.

So Why Students?

Now, you must be wondering, why students? Why not get legit professionals with years of experience? Or love experts? Do they want to cut cost?

The answer is nope, apparently, they wanted to ensure that young Singaporeans “invested emotions into designing this building” so that it would be relevant to the future generations.

Renovations will begin mid next year and in case you didn’t know, the current ROM building is only 36 years old and was recently refurbished in 2010.

So for those who are planning to get married soon, time your solemnisation for after the ROM building is refurbished and you can have your photoshoot there too!