User:Sengkang/Sketchpad/Singapore Power Building
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| Singapore Power Building | |
 |
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| Information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Somerset Road, Orchard, Singapore |
| Status | Occupied |
| Use | Commercial |
| Floor count | 17 |
| Companies | |
| Owner | Singapore Power |
| Management | Singapore Power |
The Singapore Power Building (simplified Chinese: 新加坡能源大厦; pinyin: Xīnjiāpō néngyuán dàshà) is a high-rise commercial building on Somerset Road in Orchard, Singapore. The building was originally known as Public Utilities Board Building (PUB Building), and currently houses the corporate headquarters of Singapore Power.
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[edit] History
The PUB Building, located near the main shopping belt of Orchard Road, was built to accommodate several departments of the Public Utilities Board which had outgrown its office space in City Hall.
The building was the result of an architectural design competition. A contest to design PUB's corporate headquarters was launched in July 1971. Of 23 submissions, four were picked by a jury headed by then PUB chairman Lim Kim San. The proposal by the now-defunct Singapore architectural firm Group 2 Architects (1970-1978), formed by Ong Chin Bee and Tan Puay Huat, won.
Built at a cost of S$32 million and to a height of 100 metres (328 feet)[1], the PUB Building was completed in 1977. Renamed to the Singapore Power Building when Singapore Power was corporatised in October 1995, it was renovated in 2006.
[edit] Architecture
In the 1971 design competition for the PUB Building, the other three finalists sought to project a corporate presence with imposing towers. However, Group 2 Architect's winning design, in the jury's words, allowed "natural form and function to achieve character and dignity" for the building. The 17-storey high PUB building borrows ideas from Gerhad M. Kallmann's 1962 Boston City Hall, also a competition winner, which was, in turn, influenced by an architecturally very important modern building, Sainte Marie de La Tourette (1957-1960) by Le Corbusier.[2] Whereas in La Tourette and less so in the City Hall, there is an intrinsic logic in the handling of form, the approach for the PUB Building was mannerist.[3]
Situated between Somerset Road and Devonshire Road, Group 2 Architects designed the PUB Building based on the concept of H-shaped block with a central service core and a naturally-ventilated lift lobby. The two parallel wings, facing north and south and of unequal height, are linked on the ground and first two floors by a wider transverse area and further up by the lift shaft and the access to each floor.[4] Between the two wings is a landscaped courtyard.
The building's design proved that "corporate" need not mean "tall". Instead, the horizontal was emphasised in the design, rendering the building approachable and accessible, befitting PUB's role as a public supplier of gas and electricity. The horizontal emphasis of the building's façade is achieved with distinctive rows of vertical fins, arranged in a staggered manner that emphasises horizontal movement. These fins also serve as solar shading devices, which reportedly limit exposure to the sun by 60%. A secondary horizontal rhythm is established by grouping two or more rows of these fins in blocks.
The Singapore Power Building's defining architectural motif is its "inverted ziggurat" façade. The overall building is shaped to taper from cantilevered upper floors to deeply recessed lower floors, creating overhangs that help to shade the finless floors below, a logical solution to the tropical climate. Futher attention to design in the tropics was provided with a generous shaded ground floor open-to-sky concourse.[2] The shape, coupled with the step-down façade, makes the building congruent with the various departmental sub-divisions unlike in conventional office building floor plans, while simultaneously creating a unique structural profile. It reflected the actual distribution of office spaces required by PUB's departments at the time, with more space needed on the upper floors. Externally, the two long façades graduate irregularly in width and length by chamfered steps. These chamfered parapets at the ends soften the corners of the building. At the ends the length is emphasised and the various design elements of the façades are toed together visually by vertical projecions housing the staircase.[4] The staggered façade provides views to the exterior, while offering voids in between that afford "breathing space".
One of the hallmarks of corporate buildings of the 1970s was its dedication of the ground floor to public access and use. The building is entered via wide steps under columns that are three- or four-storeys high. By raising the building on pilotis, these columns provide a lofty feel for the naturally ventilated public lobby areas. From the concourse, which is decorated with wall-relief sculptures, steps lead to upper and lower public service areas, a cafeteria and carparks.
The original design of the Singapore Power Building was executed virtually without later alteration although it would later be surrounded by hotels, the Somerset MRT Station and shopping complexes.[4] Its mechanistic expression complements the scale of development in this locality.
The structural framework of the building utilises a simple system of reinforced concrete beams and slabs, and was originally clad in square mosaic and rectangular ceramic tiles on its walls and columns. The building's foundation comprises large diameter bored piles installed in decomposed sandstone. Beams span an average 7.6 metres except at the main entrance where post-tensioned concrete beams span 15 metres. The auditorium is roofed over by 24-metre long steel trusses with a composite reinforced concrete covering.[5]
Within the Singapore Power Building's total area of 90,000 square metres (968,800 square feet) are offices, which occupy about 60% of the building, a 550-seat auditorium for conferences for public use, a rooftop swimming pool, roof garden, sports facilities and a penthouse.
The Singapore Power Building was renovated in 2006, when Singapore Power chose not to redevelop its corporate headquarters. Instead, it opted to refurbish and reclad the building in silvery metal.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Singapore Power Building. Emporis Buildings. Retrieved on 2007-08-26.
- ^ a b Robert Powell (2004). Singapore Architecture. Singapore: Periplus Editions. ISBN 0-7946-0232-0.
- ^ Norman Edwards, Peter Keys (1996). Singapore - A Guide to Buildings, Streets, Places. Singapore: Times Books International. ISBN 9971-65-231-5.
- ^ a b c Jane Beamish, Jane Ferguson (1989). A History of Singapore Architecture: The Making of a City. Singapore: Graham Brash. ISBN 9971-947-97-8.
- ^ Philip Bay (1998). Comtemporary Singapore Architecture. Singapore: Singapore Institute of Architects. ISBN 981-4019-15-1.
[edit] References
- Wong Yunn Chii (2005). Singapore 1:1 City: A Gallery of Architecture & Urban Design. Singapore: Urban Redevelopment Authority. ISBN 981-05-4467-7.
- Calvin Low. "Staying Power", The Straits Times, 4 August 2007, p. L16, L17.
[edit] External links
[edit] Raw
[edit] 1
Edward
Date: 1977
Architect: Group 2 Architects (1970-1978)
Somerset Road/ Devonshire Road
The 17-storey high PUB building borrows "ideas" from the Boston City Hall (also a competition winner) which was, in turn, influenced by an architecturally very important modern building, La Tourette Monastery by Le Corbusier.
Whereas in La Tourette and less so in the City Hall, there is an intrinsic logic in the handling of form, in the PUB Building the approach is mannerist. Compared to the inherent genius of LE Corbusier's rough palette, the tone of the PUB Building is bold and brash. Internally, the oublic spaces, though exciting, do nt have the finesse of the Tourette/City Hall 'Model'. For all that, the building is a powerful architectural statement. Being an urban building, appropriatelt, it is also conceived in urban design terms: the bordering public street spaces are interrelated with those of the building itself.
[edit] 2
History of Singapore Architecture
The other high rise building constructed for the government is the PUB Building, the result of a competition held in 1971. The building accommodated several departments of the Board which had outgrown the existing office space in City Hall. The architects, Tan Puay Huat and Ong Chin Bee of Group 2 Architects, designed an H-shaped plan. The two wings of unequal height are linked on the ground and first two floors by a wider transverse area and further up by the lift shaft and the access to each floor. The building rises 17 storeys and has a swimming pool on the roof. It also houses an auditorium besides the offices for the PUB and outside companies. Externally, the two long façades graduate irregularly in width and length by chamfered steps. These chamfers soften the corners of the building. At the ends the length is emphasised and the various design elements of the façades are toed together visually by vertical projecions housing the staircase. This building is remarkable in the fact that the original design was executed virtually without later alteration on a rather surprising site —behind the hotels in Orchard Road, and ultimatelt to be surrounded by an MRT station, shopping complexes and blocks of flats. The PUB and Telecoms buildings really belong downtown. However, they stand out even more in their mid-town isolation.
[edit] 3
Singapore Architecture
The 17-storey Public Utilities Board (PUB) Building was the result of a 1971 competition won by Ong Chin Bee and Tay Puay Huat, the partners in Group 2 Architects. It has a strong form that has been compared with Boston City Hall and with Le Corbusier's La Tourette monastery (1957-1960), though it lacks the forceful genius of Corbusier and its internal spaces are less powerful. The cantilevered upper floors and recessed lower floors combined with deep recessed windows were a logical solution to the tropical climate. Futher attention to design in the tropics was provided with a generous shaded ground flooe open-to-sky concourse, and a swimming pool on the roof.
[edit] 4
Singapore 1:1
Construction cost: S$32 million
Building height (AMSL): 100.0 metres (328 feet)
Completion date: 1977
Site area: 10,155.8 square metres
GFA: 69,97.25 sqm
No of storeys: 17
The winner of an architectural competition in 1971, the new headquarters of the Public Utilities Board (PUB) was designed to accommodate the various departments of the board, which had outgrown the existing offices in City Hall.
Situated between Somerset Road and Devonshire Road, the design expression is based on the concept of H-shaped block with a central service core and a naturally-ventilated lift lobby. The overall building is shaped to taper from cantilevered upper floors to deeply recessed lower floors. This, coupled with the step-down façade, makes the building congruent with the various departmental sub-divisions to a degree unattainable in conventional office building floor plans, while simultaneously creating a unique structural profile.
The staggered façade provides views to the exterior, while offering voids in between that afford "breathing space". The design expression is of the building as a "breathing" entity that metaphorically reflects the commitment of the building to its environment. The vertical fins, besides being a vital part of the building articulation, also serve as sunshading devices. Though its layout is simple to cater to the varied function of the PUB, the building has a quiet air of formality and dignity appropriate for a public building. In addition, its mechanistic expression complements the scale of development in this locality.
Within its total area of 90,000 square metres (968,800 square feet) are offices, which occupy about 60% of the building, a 550-seat auditorium for conferences for public use, a rooftop swimming pool, roof-garden, sports facilities and a penthouse. Its structural framework utilises a simple system of reinforced concrete beams and slabs, while clad in square mosaic and rectangular ceramic tiles on its walls and columns. By raising the building on pilotis, the columns are expressed at the base of the building and provide a lofty feel for the naturally ventilated public lobby areas.
Now called the Singapore Power Building, it stands as a testament to the confidence of institutional clients towards local talent. After three decades, the "brutalism" of the building has also withstood the test of time and its formal, dignified simplicity has remained uncompromosed by the stylistic vagaries of buildings in the surrounding area.
