The Asian Civilisation Museum (ACM) in Singapore has moved to new premises and will deliver a larger more diverse collection when it reopens in February 2003.

Over 2,000 artefacts will be on display in the 14,000 sq ft museum at Empress Place - a prestigious building which sits in the centre of Singapore along the historic riverbank.

The museum will feature 11 galleries with interactive multimedia, discovery zones for younger visitors aged 4 - 14, an auditorium for presentations and trendy dining outlets.

The mission of the ACM is to tell visitors the complete Asian story. At 836 sqm, the South East Asia galleries will be the largest and will offer visitors the chance to see artefacts collected by the former Raffles library and museum - Singapore's first museum which was set up in the 19th century.

The China gallery will focus on the art, history and culture of China while the South Asia Galleries will display the rich culture of the Indians and Sri Lankans.

Understanding the basics of the Islamic religion and how that translates to everyday life will be explored in the West Asia/Islamic galleries, while closer to home the Singapore river Interpretive Gallery will draw its inspiration from its location on the banks of the Singapore river: fish bones, cockle shells and pottery used as trading materials were all found during the relocation of the museum.

In addition, the ACM will co-curate a number of visiting exhibitions from international museums including China, Istanbul and The Vatican. The cost of the renovation was S$78m - 10% of which was secured in sponsorship from corporations or private individuals. The remainder was given by the Singapore government.

The ACM is an institution of the National Heritage Board which manages 23 museums, heritage sites and discovery centres in Singapore. In a bid to encourage Singaporeans to embrace museum culture, the National Heritage Board is aiming to integrate entertainment and dining into its museum locations. The ACM is next door to one of Singapore's most fashionable eateries Indochine.

Director of the ACM, Dr Kwok explains

'When we first embarked on the restoration of Empress Place, we intentionally located amenities such as F&B outlets in areas that are easily accessible to the public at any time. Our hope is that as more people come into the building to attend events and functions at the ACM, dine at the Indochine eateries or watch a concert at the auditorium, it will change their perception of our museum, erase stereotypes and remove whatever psychological barriers that may typically hinder them from visiting museums.'