Singapore Conference Hall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Singapore Conference Hall is a multi-purpose building located in the heart of the financial district of Shenton Way in Downtown Core of Singapore. The first building to be constructed along Shenton Way, it was a place for conferences and exhibitions in the 1960s and 1970s. Today, it is now refurbished and modernised into a concert hall where the building is home to the Singapore Chinese Orchestra since 2001. Completed in 1965 at a cost of S$4 million at that time, it was an example of the nation's urban architecture during that. The building is situated on a three acre site at the junction of Shenton Way and Maxwell Road.
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[edit] History
In an initiative in 1960, the then Conference Hall & Trade Union House was constructed to create a venue for major conferences and international events in Singapore, as well as to have an office for the National Trade Union Congress. The building was constructed between 9 May 1963 and June 1965 at a cost of S$4 million at that time at the Shenton Way site after a venue was proposed in 1960. The building was officially opened by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on 15 October 1965. It was the headquarters of the National Trade Union Congress for many years and was also known as Trade Union House until the 1990s. It was the largest conference centre with a projection room and multilingual simultaneous translation equipment, including sound proof observation areas for up to six translators. The media were cared for with private booths for radio and telephone calls, a sound-proofed mini-recording studio, dispatch services and information performances. The sound system was also able to host musical performances during that era.
It was also a venue for many major conferences in the late 1960s and 1970s with the largest and most prestigious conference being the Commonwealth Heads of Delegation Conference held from 14 January to 24 January 1971, which was the first time such a conference was held outside London. The heads of the thirty-one Commonwealth countries gathered inside the Singapore Conference Hall. Government meetings were also held there during that time. The State Banquet of National Day was held there as well as the 150th anniversary of the Founding of Modern Singapore on August 8, 1969, the inaugural meeting of the National Road Safety Campaign Committee in 1977, the NTUC May Day Rally in 1978 and the presidential election in 1993.
The Singapore Conference Hall underwent a retrofitting and renovation works in September 1999 with a new interior and the original 3000 seat conference hall auditorium becoming a 882 seat (with 36 gallery seats) theatre for the Singapore Chinese Orchestra when it reopened on 22 September 2001. There was no change in the exterior but a revamp in the interior with modernisation taking place and a new modern design in place. The whole revamp cost S$14.7 million and was reopened by then Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 22 September 2001. The Singapore Chinese Orchestra then move its operations there with its rehearsals and performances permanently held there. The Singapore Chinese Orchestra now manages the building and offers the auditorium area also for commercial use as well as other areas of the building. In 2006, the building was used as a memorial service for the former president, the late Devan Nair.
[edit] Architecture
The Singapore Conference Hall design was selected from a nation-wide open competition in 1961 and is a design of Singapore's urban architecture in the 1960s. The original architecture was mainly used concrete and glass in its facade. It has a large butterfly roof and in the past the roof and terrace have vertical sunscreens to provide shade for the interior. The concourse on the first level was conceived as a large space for programmes and from which visitors could find their way to the upper floors. Currently, it is used as a concourse as well as a reception area for the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. The area can be used for exhibitions, receptions, performances and conferences. The area was originally designed as a naturally ventilated space. The trade congress rooms were located on the third to fifth floors of the building. The building was designed by Malayan Architects Co-Partnership and was completed by Architects Team 3. The five storey building has no basements and has an outdoor car park.
[edit] Future
There are plans to gazette the building into a national monument soon, with some members of the public submitting a letter to the Preservation of Monuments Board for a gazetting of the monument. If it is gazetted as a national monument, the building will be redesigned to its near-original form.
[edit] References
- National Heritage Board (2002), Singapore's 100 Historic Places, Archipelago Press, ISBN 981-4068-23-3
- Wong Yunn Chii (2005), Singapore 1:1 - City, Urban Redevelopment Authority, ISBN 981-0544-67-7
- Norman Edwards, Peter Keys (1996), Singapore A Guide To Buildings, Streets, Places, Times Books International, ISBN 981-2047-81-6
