September_1966 — Page 49

SINGAPORE

LIAT TOWERS phase 1

Liat Towers development situated at the Tanglin end of Orchard Road, Singapore, is design- ed as a square podium with a slim multi-storey tower block rising above the north-west end.

It is being built in two phases, the podium first and the tower block second. Also included in the first phase however is a restaurant on the podium roof, which will later become the first floor of the office tower.

The building covers just over an acre and the Singapore Planning De- partment granted a total permissible floor area, excluding car parks, of 132,507 sq. ft. at a plot ratio of 3. A planning requirement was the pro- vision of car parking for 128 cars.

The clients' requirement was the provision of a large modern show- room for Mercedes cars, to replace their smaller one lower down Orchard Road, and a complex of shopping arcades in a podium building, with a tower block containing restaurant and offices.

Concrete piling for the whole pro- ject was commenced in February 1964 and was completed some five months later. The average penetra- tion was about 60 ft.

Final Stages

The main building contract for phase I was completed in October. 1965 and the construction of the restaurant on the first floor of the tower block is now in its final stages.

In view of the restricted site area, parking for 40 cars only is possible at ground level and provision for park- ing the remaining 88 cars is made at second and third floor levels, ap- proached by ramps at the rear of the building.

To afford easy access to the two main shopping floors the level of the lower ground floor has been designed 4ft. below ground level. This con- siderably reduces the stairway access to the showroom floor and creates lower and upper floor levels with easy access from the spacious forecourt which fronts on to Orchard Road. A feature of this forecourt is the large pool with elaborate changing fountain displays, illuminated by coloured lighting.

Escalators connect the various floors. Walkways around the shops have been kept wide to give a “lane” effect, and open light wells between

SWAN & MACLAREN

Perspective showing phase II

architects

CYCLE & CARRIAGE CO. (1926) LTD.

clients

LOKE HONG KEE

general contractor

GAMMON (MALAYA) LTD.

piling

Mercedes showroom with granite tile floor and wood batten ceiling

Far East Architect & Builder September, 1966

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