Singapore is known for it’s futuristic skyline, but the tallest buildings in the city-state also have some interesting stories to tell!
The Cathay Building looks tiny now, but at 16 stories (!) it was the tallest building in Asia during the 1940’s. The building also hosted Singapore’s first air-conditioned cinema. The art-deco front facade was gazetted as a national monument in 2003. The rest of the building demolished and was replaced with a modern building designed by Japanese architect Paul Tange in 2006.
Swissôtel The Stamford, part of the Raffles City complex designed by I.M. Pei, was the tallest hotel building in the world upon completion in 1986 at 226 meters height. The building was built by South Korean contractor SsangYong, and it is rumoured that North Korea built (or tried to) their infamous Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang to compete with rivals to the south.
Due to aircraft height controls, Singapore had three building tied for the title of tallest building from the ’90’s until very recently. UOB Plaza, Republic Plaza, and OUB Centre, all reach the exact same height of 280 meters. The first to be constructed, UOB Plaza, was the tallest building outside North America when it was completed in 1986.
One Raffles Place (previously known as OUB Centre) became the tallest building in Singapore with the construction of One Altitude Bar on the rooftop, which increased the height of the structure by two metres to 282m. The addition was designed by Paul Tange, the son of the late celebrated Japanese architect Kenzo Tange (who designed the original building).
In 2016, Guoco Tower became Singapore’s latest tallest building at 290 meters height, with special permission from the government to exceed the aviation height control. At the top of the building is a three storey penthouse which claims the title of Singapore’s most expensive residence at over S$70 million, and is now home to British billionaire James Dyson.
CapitaSpring, designed by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, will soon join UOB Plaza and Republic Plaza maximising the height control at 280m, leaving the three buildings tied for second tallest in Singapore!
Images by Jonathan Choe unless otherwise stated.
