Shophouses 
From Singapore Hotels & Singapore Lifestyle
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Before Housing Development Board (HDB) flats, the definitive Singaporean building was the shophouse. They're still scattered around Chinatown, Little India, Kampong Glam, a couple of pockets near Orchard Road, and Geylang and Kallang, east of the city centre. They were designed with a shop or business on the lower floor and accommodation upstairs. Often projecting over the footpath is a canopy, known as a five-foot-way. This was Sir Stamford Raffles' idea; he wanted to ensure that pedestrians were protected from the sun and rain. But shopkeepers had other ideas and before long, they all became extensions of the shops inside.
The first shophouses dating from 1840 are plain, squat, two-storey buildings. In the shophouses vernacular, these are known as Early, and are followed by First Transitional, Late, Second Transitional and Art Deco-style. Classical elements such as columns are often used on the facades along with beautiful tiles and bright paint - the Chinese, Peranakans and Malays all favour lively colours. The shophouses are cleverly designed around a central courtyard, which creates a through-draft keeping the houses cool.
