TH
NEW OFFICES BLEND WITH OLD TEMPLE
HE recently completed office block for the Hainanese com- munity in Singapore is one of the few building to be put up since the war in Beach Road, an important and busy commercial throughfare which still consists mainly of shop- houses, so typical of Singapore.
Principal interest in the designing of the new building by the architects, Messrs Swan and Maclaren, lay in the fact that it was an essential of the development plan to retain and renovate the old Hainanese temple which occupies part of the site.
It was the wish of the Hainanese community that. while developing the area for the benefit of the com- munity generally, the renovation and retention of the temple should be an important part of the work and that the office block to be built on the front of the site should be construct- ed in such a way as to maintain a free and spacious access to the tem- ple associated with the retention of some form of "courtyard" approach to the temple proper.
To fulfil these conditions, an 18- foot foot wide passageway was creat ed on the central axis fo the building, leading directly to an extensive as- sembly meeting area which was to serve the same purpose as the original courtyard.
From here, wide doorways lead by way of a short covered way directly to the temple which remains a free standing building at the rear of the site. A relatively unrestricted view of the temple is therefore obtainable from the street and the effect is accentuated by the highlight on the temple when seen through the darker
access,
The photograph with this article shows clearly the attempt made to treat the facade in the Chinese idiom to reflect the temple while, at the same time, retaining some of the character of a modern office building. This main building is constructed
Architects:- Swan and Maclaren.
to a height of seven storeys, the ground and first floors being plan- ned as assembly rooms, committee rooms and offices for the Hainanese community. The remainder of the floors are rentable office accommoda- tion. Cost of the project was ap proximately M$370.000.
Quantity surveyors were Messrs Langdon and Every and the general contractors were Nanyang Structural
Ltd. Other contractors and suppliers include:
PRESSURE
PILING:
Engineers Ltd.
United
SANITARY AND WATER: Siang
Choon Contractors.
ELECTRICAL: Reliance Electric. LIFTS: Harrisons Lister Engineer-
ing Ltd. (Schindler). MOSAIC TILING: Sim Lim and
Co. Ltd.
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