The ArtScience Museum and Marina Bay Sands are among Singapore’s most recent architectural highlights. Singapore’s buildings have been relatively unknown on the global stage until recently, with growing international interest in the island’s unique mix of colonial heritage and modern masterpieces. By Romesh Navaratnarajah For a country as small as Singapore, it’s unusual to see so many architecturally significant buildings. Two examples that spring to mind include the National Gallery Singapore, which integrates the former Supreme Court and City Hall buildings, and the award-winning PARKROYAL on Pickering – Singapore’s first hotel in a garden.
Many Singaporeans are also beginning to see these buildings as more than just homes or offices, but important reminders of how far we’ve come as a nation. This has been supported by the growing popularity of architecture websites here, such as Urban Architecture Now (urbanARCHnow).
The portal about contemporary architecture and urbanism was started in 2011 by designer and blogger Jonathan Choe.
“When I started urbanARCHnow, Singaporean architecture was relatively unknown globally, so I wanted to show a glimpse of local architecture, which I felt was underrated,” Choe told PropertyGuru. Online views surge But in the last few years, interest in local buildings has increased significantly. In fact, Choe’s website has grown to become one of the most popular ones showcasing local architecture, and now boasts between 20,000 and 100,000 monthly visitors, of which a third of the readers are based in Singapore.
“Nowadays, the Singapore design scene is well known and local buildings feature prominently in international media,” he said. CNN even ran an online article last year on some of the top architectural projects in the city-state, which included Marina Bay Sands, Pearl Bank Apartments and South Beach.
According to Choe, the site’s most popular posts are related to the design of condominiums and landed homes in Singapore. He believes this reflects how more homeowners here are using interior design to improve their living conditions. Guided tours Fabian Lua is another architecture enthusiast; he runs Architecture Walks Singapore (ArchiWalks.com), which began organising free walking tours for small groups in 2013.
“The aim of conducting architecture walks in Singapore is to encourage locals and residents to explore their own neighbourhoods and see Singapore with fresh eyes, as a tourist would,” said Lua. Fan club Magazine editor Michelle Yee has always been interested in modern architecture. The 27-year-old is fascinated by how architects are able to not only make buildings stand out visually, but also complement the surrounding environment.
She counts herself a fan of the late American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who is perhaps best known for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City, which was completed in 1959.
“I like how he’s able to conceptualise stunning buildings using clean lines and minimalist designs, allowing the structure to speak for itself,” she said.
While there are plenty of high-rise developments in Singapore, one building that stands out for Yee is The Interlace condominium along Depot Road.
Despite its sheer size of 31 apartment blocks and over 1,000 units, she likes how the condo’s German architect, Ole Scheeren, cleverly stacked each block in a creative and unique hexagonal arrangement, instead of the usual cluster of towers.
“Whenever I pass by the development, I will always pause for a second look, as the façade is very unique,” she shared. Designed for the tropics For Choe, one of his recent favourites is the new Oasia Downtown Hotel in Tanjong Pagar, designed by WOHA Architects. “It’s an entirely new skyscraper for the tropics,” he said, pointing out that the multi-red-tone metal façade is quickly growing over with creeping plants, which will help protect the building from the tropical heat.
Meanwhile, in honour of Singapore’s many iconic projects, the team at PropertyGuru has come up with a list of 10 buildings that we feel have made a mark on Singaporean society over the last 100 years.

1915 – 1924

(Photo: Ashwin Chandrasekaran)

Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery Chinese temple Completed: 1921 This Buddhist temple in Bishan is the largest in Singapore. The original temple was built on a site in Thomson Road that was donated by a wealthy Chinese businessman. It was the first traditional Chinese forest monastery in Singapore, and included a modest two-storey building, a shrine room and living quarters.
The monastery quickly grew with the help of generous donations from famous philanthropists such as the Haw Par brothers. Today, the complex contains stupas, prayer halls as large as 10 football fields, a crematorium, and a columbarium with more than 200,000 niches. A 13.8-metre tall bronze Buddha statue weighing 55 tonnes can be found in one of the temple’s halls, and is believed to be among the biggest in Asia.

1925 – 1934

(Photo: Formulax / Wikimedia Commons)

Old Hill Street Police Station Government offices Completed: 1934 The Old Hill Street Police Station at Hill Street in the Central Business District housed Singapore’s first jail, as well as living quarters for policemen and their families. During World War II, the feared Japanese Kempeitai (secret police) used it to hold prisoners, and by some accounts, as torture chambers.
When the war ended, it went back to being a police station. Today, the monument houses the offices of several government agencies, including the Ministry of Communications and Information and the National Heritage Board. The easily recognisable building has 927 windows painted in rainbow colours.

1935 – 1944

(Photo: Nlannuzel / Wikimedia Commons)

Cathay Building Mixed-use development Completed: 1939 Designed by a British architect in the 1930s, this landmark building in Dhoby Ghaut was the tallest skyscraper in Southeast Asia at the time. It featured a 1,300-seat cinema and hotel tower. During the Japanese occupation, it was used to broadcast propaganda in Japanese. After the war, it reverted to being a cinema and hotel.
In the 1950s, it was converted into apartments, but fell into decline before being closed for redevelopment in 2000. Although the main structure was demolished, the front art-deco façade was preserved. Now a national monument, it reopened in 2006 as The Cathay, and comprises a 17-storey cinema, shopping mall and apartment building.

1945 – 1954

(Photo: yeowatzup / Wikimedia Commons)

Bank of China Building Office building Completed: 1954 This development in Raffles Place comprises two towers and serves as the headquarters of the Bank of China. A pair of stone lions created by famed Italian sculptor Rudolfo Nolli stand guard at the entrance of the old block, which is 18 storeys high. Nolli was also responsible for the large figures adorning the exterior of Tanjong Pagar railway station and the former Supreme Court building.
The bank was the tallest building in the area for 20 years before UOB Plaza Two surpassed it. In 2000, a new 168-metre tower with 36 floors was opened adjacent to the old building.

1955 – 1964

(Photo: Sengkang / Wikimedia Commons)

Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre Wet market and hawker centre Completed: 1955 Situated in Tiong Bahru, one of the oldest housing estates in Singapore, the original premises was the first modern market to be built in a housing estate by the Singapore Improvement Trust, the predecessor to the Housing and Development Board.
The aim was to resettle street food vendors into cleaner facilities after street trading was deemed illegal. The modern market was completed in 2006 and is hugely popular with foodies who enjoy tucking into delicious fare such as chwee kueh, roast meat and lor mee.

1965 – 1974

Goldhill Plaza Mixed-use development Completed: 1973 This mixed-use retail and office building in Novena has often been likened to a baby’s milk bottle. It is also the first shopping centre to be built outside the city, heralding the trend of more commercial buildings in the suburbs.
Owned by developer Goldhill Group, the site comprises the 24-storey Goldhill Plaza office tower and a low-rise retail stretch called Goldhill Square. PropertyGuru’s Singapore office has been located there since 2009.

1975 – 1984

(Photo: Sengkang / Wikimedia Commons)

Pearl Bank Apartments Residential apartments Completed: 1976 Rising to a height of 113 metres, it was the tallest residential building in Singapore when it was completed in 1976. The approximately 86,000 sq ft site in Outram went en bloc twice in 2007 and 2008, but failed to find a buyer. The homeowners are now hoping to secure conservation status from the Urban Redevelopment Authority for the 38-storey building, which resembles a horseshoe.
Conceptualised by Singaporean architect Tan Cheng Siong, the 272-unit tower was designed to house up to 1,500 residents. The 28th storey serves as a sky park. The original building was unpainted, showing raw concrete, but was painted in 2008 to brighten the façade.

1985 – 1994

(Photo: Terence Ong / Wikimedia Commons)

Raffles City Mixed-use development Completed: 1986 Located along North Bridge Road within the Civic District, the entire complex was built on the former site of Raffles Institution, Singapore’s first school. Designed by the Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei, it was envisioned as a city within a city.
Now managed by entities within the CapitaLand Group, the development comprises two hotels, an office tower, revamped retail podium and convention centre. The 73-storey Swissôtel The Stamford, formerly The Westin Plaza, was the world’s tallest hotel when it opened in 1986.

1995 – 2004

(Photo: William Cho / Wikimedia Commons)

Costa Rhu Condominium Completed: 1998 Formerly the site of a shipyard, this 737-unit residential development in the posh Tanjong Rhu area offers scenic views of the Kallang Basin and the sea. Easily distinguished by its beautiful terracotta-coloured roof tiles, the property sits on one of the biggest land plots in the area. The grounds are landscaped with lush tropical foliage, and feature two dolphin-shaped swimming pools.

2005 – 2014

(Photo: William Cho / Wikimedia Commons)

Marina Bay Sands Integrated resort Completed: 2011 This huge integrated resort in Marina Bay was developed by Las Vegas Sands, and includes three 55-storey hotel towers, one million square feet of luxury retail space and seven “celebrity chef” restaurants. A canal runs through the mall, offering sampan rides to shoppers and hotel guests.
The world-famous SkyPark which spans the three towers, is home to the world’s longest elevated swimming pool and public viewing deck. Designed by star architect Moshe Safdie, the 20ha resort was fully completed in early 2011.

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