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Marina Centre

• In May 1973, the Government announced plans for land reclamation at two sites near the Singapore River mouth, along Nicoll Highway and along the Clifford Pier breakwater.
• Reclaimed area, which was named the Marina Centre, enclosed a 220 acre large lagoon.
• Marina Centre was to occupy 370 acres of land off Clifford Pier (along the breakwater).
• The Ministry of National Development announced in June 1973 that they planned to let out the reclaimed land under urban renewal schemes when the land reclamation was completed.
• 60% of the land in Marina Centre was to be set aside for open/green spaces.
• Land reclamation for the Marina Centre project was approved in Parliament on 10 July 1973.
• With a total area of 370 acres, 105 acres of which was to be set aside for commercial and residential use (the latter being condominiums), while 285 acres were set aside as open space.
• Project was expected to cost $285 million.
• Land reclamation contract for Marina Centre project was awarded for $88,780,000 to Penta-Ocean Construction Company in December 1973.
• Reclamation works were expected to commence in March 1974, and take 42 months to complete.
• Reclamation work for Marina Centre was completed by July 1978, and had cost $104 million.
• By July 1978, the Public Works Department had commenced planning work with several (a team of) international consultants, and it had invited five foreign companies to submit tenders for the development of Marina Centre.
• Proposals for the area at the time (July 1978) included a $2 million recreation centre with ice-skating rinks, squash courts, changing rooms, and food and beverage outlets, along with a tennis complex, and HUDC housing units.
• Marina Centre reclamation took up two-thirds of the Telok Ayer Basin, and eight berths at the basin were torn down as part of the project. To replace the demolished berths, the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) built a new wharf for $15 million parallel to the Finger Pier. The wharf included transit sheds/godowns and five berths, and was to be able operate 24 hours a day.

• Plans for the development of the reclaimed land (for Marina Centre) were disclosed by then-Minister of National Development Mr Lim Kim San in November 1978. The reclaimed area, with a total size of 800 hectares, was to be called Marina City, and was to be divided into three parts, named Marina North, South, and Centre. Lim also announced that infrastructure development at Marina Centre had already commenced, and that Marina Centre would be set aside for tourist and recreational use, with proposals for the area such as three hotels, an aquarium, and sports facilities.
• The New Nation was informed that of the 21 sites in the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) land sale in November 1978, six were in Marina Centre. These sites were earmarked for hotels (3 sites), shopping malls, and recreational facilities.
• Regarding the November 1978 URA sale of sites (mentioned previously)/seventh sale of sites, the URA chairman announced on 24 November 1978 that they had invited foreign developers to bid for the sites. Of the six sites in Marina Centre up for sale, which were to comprise the first phase of development for Marina Centre, three were for hotels, with the other three sites being for a shopping mall, an aquatic complex, and a social club.
• In July 1979, The Business Times reported that they were informed that the URA was planning to make changes to the development plan for Marina City. These changes were, allegedly, likely to be influenced by the progress of infrastructure development in the area, and the development of Raffles City (which was adjacent to Marina Centre).
• In September 1979, the URA announced that they were considering combining several of the plots in Marina Centre that they had put up for sale, to allow for larger, more radical developments in the area. They also announced that they would put the tender award for these sites on hold. This was in light of several of the proposals for the sites in Marina Centre calling for the amalgation of multiple sites.
• The URA also mentioned in the same announcement that they would hold negotiations with several tenderers that proposed integrated schemes, in order to mitigate potential issues that they (the URA) had identified, such as the disposition of uses in the proposals, and the nature of the integration.
• URA subsequently announced in September 1979 that it had accepted a joint proposal by Singapore Land and Portman Properties for a mixed-use development on four of the six sites put up for sale.
• In July 1980, the URA put up two more sites in Marina Centre for sale in its 9th sales of sites. These two sites, located beside the proposed development by Singapore Land, were designated for hotels with retail space, which were to be linked by elevated pedestrian walkways.
• The two sites were awarded to Superland Development Pte Ltd, a part of the Harapan Group, in 1981. Superland's proposal for the two sites was for an integrated development comprising three hotels, shopping areas, convention facilities and cinemas. Designed by Daniel, Mann Johnson and Mendehall, two of the hotels were to be 80 storeys and 51 storeys tall respectively, and the development was expected to cost $800 million.

Marina Square

• Marina Square project/development originated as a proposal made by Singapore Land to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in 1979, in response to a land sale (by the URA) of six plots in the Marina Centre area.
• Integrated development was to take up four of the six plots up for sale, and was to comprise three hotels and a shopping mall.
• Project was to be designed by American architect John Portman.
• URA subsequently announced in September 1979 that it had accepted a joint proposal by Singapore Land and Portman Properties (the previous proposal) for a mixed-use development on four of the six sites put up for sale. Covering an area of 90,320 sq m, it was to include a 59,000 sq m retail area, comprising a mall with a cruciform plan and four department stores, topped by a promenade. In addition, the development was to include three hotels, a 30-floor hotel with facilities for meetings, conferences and exhibitions (meeting rooms and exhibition space), a 21-floor tourist hotel, and a 21-floor "deluxe marina hotel" with a triangular plan.

([[1]])

• To develop Marina Centre (as the project was initially named), Singapore Land incorporated a holding company, Marina Centre Holdings, in January 1980
• Company had $250 million authorised capital, and $125 million paid-up capital

([[2]])

• Marina Centre Holdings signed a building agreement with the URA in February 1980
• Holding company (Marina Centre Holdings) was incorporated in November 1979
• Singapore Land and Portman Properties held a 36% stake in the development, while the rest was held by local banks (30%, by OUB, OUE, UOB and POSB Investments), and several financial firms from Hong Kong (34%)

([[3]])

• DP Architects were the local (architectural) partners for the Marina Centre project, were appointed in 1980
• Ove Arup and Partners were the structural engineers for the project
• Preece Cardew and Rider were responsible for mechanical and electrical engineering for development
• Complex was expected to have three hotels, four department stores, and a supermarket, along with space for 250 retail outlets and gardens
• Total retail space (excluding department stores), was expected to be about 20,000 to 30,000 sqm

([[4]])

• Tokyu Land announced in May 1981 that they were in talks regarding a stake in the Marina Centre development (talks about to be concluded)
• Tokyu were expected to manage and to hold a 50% stake in the 850-room international convention hotel
• Tokyu were also planning to operate one of the four departmental stores in the development as part of a joint venture (to be a partner)

([[5]])

• Talks between Tokyu and Marina Centre Holding resulted in an agreement signed on 10 May 1981
• International convention hotel (with 850 rooms) was to have convention facilities for up to 1,500 people, and was to be 35 floors high
• Department store was to have a floor area of 10,000 sqm

([[6]])

• Groundbreaking ceremony for Marina Centre conducted on 1 June 1981
• The development covered an area of 9.2 hectares, and was specifically geared towards conventions

([[7]])(18/7)

• Superstructure contract for Marina Centre was awarded to Hyundai Construction Company in March 1982 for $475 million

([[8]])(18/7)

• Marina Centre development was to have an air-conditioning system that used seawater, rather than freshwater, for cooling (was also the first major commercial development in Singapore to have such a system)
• System was expected to cost $12 million, and was chosen for its lower running costs and to eliminate dependency on the water supply (for the air-con system)([[9]])(18/7)
• Out of concerns over confusion between the development and the area that it was in, the Advisory Committee on Street Names instructed the developers (Marina Centre Holdings) to not use the name “Marina Centre” for the project
• Marina Centre Holdings submitted several alternative names for the development, such as Marina Esplanade and Hai Bin Square, before the Committee agreed on the name “Marina Square”

([[10]])(18/7)

• Initial estimated cost for the Marina Centre/Marina Square project was $600 million, but had increased/doubled to $1.2 billion by December 1983
• Main factors behind the cost increases were rapidly increasing labour and building material costs
• A building material shortage had previously increased the estimated cost of the project to between $700 and $850 million in 1981

([[11]])(19/7)

• Project had to be completed by September 1985 to meet a deadline set by the URA, or the developers would have to pay penalties

([[12]]) (19/7)

• The 640-room Marina Mandarin was topped out in March 1984, the first of the three hotels in the development to be as such
• The Marina Mandarin was 22 floors high and was to be managed by Mandarin Singapore International
• During the construction of the superstructure, the (Hyundai’s) subcontractor faced several technical problems that slowed down construction
• A troubleshooter had to come down from Korea (from Hyundai) to mitigate the problems, and to speed up construction

([[13]]) (19/7)

• Marina Square covered a site of 92,916 sq m
• Substructure works for the three hotels in the development were completed by June 1983
• Hyundai increased the number of workers on the site to 2,800 (doubled), working in three shifts, seven days a week, in September 1983

([[14]]) (19/7)

• SL Marina Centre Development, Marina Square’s landlord, announced that the retail tenants in the development would pay their rents based on their business performance
• Tenants that are performing well were to pay a portion of their monthly revenue to the complex’s developers, while those that are performing poorly would only need to pay a fixed basic rate, which the landlord stated would have been lower than the rates tenants paid in developments along Orchard Road

([[15]]) (19/7)

• The Oriental, a 527-room hotel, was topped out in June 1984
• The Oriental (one of the three hotels in the development) was 22 storeys tall and was to be managed by Mandarin International Hotels Limited
• The hotel was to feature conference and banquet facilities, food and beverage outlets and a ballroom with a capacity of 800 people

([[16]]) (19/7)

• In August 1984, The Business Times reported that Metro, a Singaporean department store operator, were going to operate one of the four department stores in Marina Square
• The Metro at Marina Square (with a floor area of 7,563 sq m) was to be the second largest of the four department stores in the development, after Tokyu

([[17]]) (19/7)

• The Pan Pacific Hotel, initially to be completed in June 1985, had to be delayed to September 1985
• Construction on the hotel was hampered by frequent design changes and variations

([[18]]) (20/7)

• $31 million was spent on interior work for Pan Pacific Hotel, the largest of the three in the Marina Square development
• Interior work at Pan Pacific was done by Dale Keller

([[19]]) (20/7)

• Pan Pacific Hotel topped out in December 1984,
• Initial completion date for hotel was March 1985

([[20]]) (20/7)

• Pan Pacific Hotel, at 37 stories tall, was the tallest of the three in the development
• Pan Pacific was managed by Tokyu Hotels International, and was targeted at affluent business travellers

([[21]]) (20/7)

• Retail units in the mall were put up for lease in September 1983, and half the units were leased out by April 1985
• As Marina Centre was unable to attract foreign operators for them, they changed the plans for the mall in 1984, using the space set aside for two of the proposed department stores for “concept stores”
• Opening date of the complex had to be pushed back as an agreement had been made not to open the development until most of the retail units were occupied

([[22]]) (24/7)

• Second floor of Marina Square (the shopping mall) was to be occupied by an 18-stall hawker centre
• Named the Rasa Marina, the hawker centre was to have 76 tables, and have a capacity of 456 diners

([[23]]) (24/7)

• Marina Square, initially expected to open in September 1985, had its opening pushed back to April 1986
• In October 1985, the developers of the project announced that they were contemplating pushing back the opening date further, citing concerns over construction progress

([[24]]) (24/7)

• In November 1985, The Straits Times reported that two of the three hotels in the complex (Marina Square) would open in August 1985

([[25]]) (24/7)

• By February 1986, less than 60% of the retail units in Marina Square had been taken up
• The developer of the complex announced in February 1986 that the mall’s opening had been delayed to between September 1986 to November 1986

([[26]]) (24/7)

• In August 1986 (on 22 August), Marina Centre Holdings announced firm opening dates for the different parts of the Marina Square development
• Pan Pacific Hotel to open on Nov 21, followed by the shopping centre on Dec 1 (1986)
• Marina Mandarin and Mandarin Oriental to open in 1987, with the former opening on 14 Jan, and the latter sometime thereafter
• Leasing for the shopping mall (according to Marina Centre Holding), was up to 80% by August 1986
• Developer was also losing $2-3 million per month over the delays for the project

([[27]]) (24/7)

• In September 1986, Marina Centre Holding subsequently announced that the two anchor tenants would not be opening along with the shopping mall

([[28]]) (24/7)

• Shopping mall (Marina Square) commenced operations in December 1986, initially with only half of the shops in the mall operating (80 units)
• According to its developer, the mall’s two-level design ensured that all shops had the same level of exposure, unlike its vertically-oriented contemporaries
• To promote the mall, the mall’s management was organising several festive events in December 1985, collectively branded as the Marina Christmas Cheer
• In addition, the mall’s tenants were expected to contribute at least $1000 each into a fund that was to be used for publications, events and other promotional activities
• In order to attract guests, the three hotels in the Marina Square development offered what the Business Times claimed were one of the lowest room rates in Singapore, along with further discounts

([[29]]) (24/7)

• Pan Pacific Hotel was opened on 23 November 1985, first of the three hotels in the development to do so.
• Hotel had 10 F&B outlets.

([[30]]) (24/7)

• 640-room Marina Mandarin officially opened on 14 January 1987.

([[31]]) (24/7)

• Tokyu and Metro signed agreements to be anchor tenants in Marina Square in January 1987
• At the time, the two stores were expected to open in the second half of 1987

([[32]]) (10/5)

• Pan Pacific Hotel officially opened on 14 February 1987 by then-Minister for Foreign Affairs S. Dhanabalan

Suntec City

• Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) earmarked a 10.9 hectare plot of land (land parcel) in Marina Centre for an "international exhibition and convention centre", put up the plot for tender in December 1987.
• Tender received three bids, from Suntec City Development, the Kuok Group, and Far East Organisation.
• Tender for the site's development was awarded to Suntec City Development in December 1988.
• According to the URA, the tender was awarded to Suntec for several reasons, namely that their bid was the highest of those submitted, as their handling of the development of the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre (gave a positive impression to the evaluators), and for the design of their proposal, which the evaluators found most impressive of the proposals submitted.
• Design of the development was done by I.M Pei and Tsao and McKown.
• Proposed development was to comprise a convention centre with 60,00 sq m of exhibition space, a 45,000 sq m shopping area, and 4 42-floor office towers.
• Part of the funding for the project ($300 million) was to come from a shareholder's fund, while another $300 million was to come from facilities arranged by shareholders. The sizes of the arranged facilities were to be proportional to the stakes they held in the project.
• The Straits Times reported in December 1988 that Suntec had started negotiations with the Singapore government to improve the transport links to the development, either with an extension of the Mass Rapid Transit system, or through the construction of an access road from Nicoll Highway.
• In December 1988, Suntec City Development announced that it was planning to include a hotel within the development. The hotel was expected to have at least 500 rooms.
• Suntec also planned (as they announced, in the same announcement) that they planned to name the development Singconex, or Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
• To fund the development, Suntec City Development took a $100 million loan package from the United Overseas Bank, Banque Nationale de Paris and the HongKong Bank.
• Contract for the construction of foundations for the development (piling contract) to a joint venture between Nishimatsu and Lum Chang for $72.6 million in December 1989.
• Groundbreaking for the development was held on 21 December 1989.
• The planned hotel was cut from the development (dropped from plans) in May 1990, as, according to Suntec City Development, there was sufficient supply of hotel rooms in the Marina Centre area.
• A 17-storey office building, which was part of the initial plan, but was dropped for the hotel, was reinstated to the plan instead.
• Substructure contract for the development was awarded to the Nishimatsu-Lum Chang joint venture for $130 million in August 1990. Construction of the substructure began in October 1990.
• The construction of the development (development of the complex) was to occur in two phases. The first phase, comprising the convention centre and two of the five office towers, was to be completed between 1994 and 1995, while the second phase, comprising the remaining three office towers and a retail podium, was to be completed in 1996.
• Construction was delayed by high resource costs and manpower shortages, which also resulted in the development's estimated cost increasing to around $2.2 billion. To account for the cost increase, Suntec took an additional $850 million loan facility from a consortium of eight banks in May 1991.
• The first steel beam for the development was installed in September 1991.
• First phase of the project, comprising the convention centre and the 18-storey tower was topped out in May 1993.
• Second phase, comprising two of the four 45-storey office towers, was topped out in June 1994.
• Retail podium of the development, covering 800,000sqft of space, was to be opened in three phases. The first two phases consisted of high-end retail and food outlets, and the last phase comprised a department store and a large entertainment facility ("entertainment anchor"). The retail space in the podium was leased out from September 1994.
• 18-storey tower obtained its Temporary Occupation Permit by the end of 1994, and the tenants started shifting in by January 1995.
• Contracts for the project's final phase, comprising the other two 45-storey towers and the retail podium's cinema, were awarded to Hyundai-Ssangyong in January 1995 for $346 million. The phase was expected to be completed by 1997.
• By February 1995, Suntec announced that they 70% of the retail space for the first two phases had been leased out. The Business Times also claimed that the retail podium, with 800,000 sq ft of retail space, was expected to be the largest mall in Singapore.

Bank of China building

The Bank of China building was first conceptualised in the late 1930s by the Bank of China's Singapore branch. The branch, which was then housed in the lower two floors of the Great Eastern Life building in Cecil Street, had found that their current premises were increasingly inadequate for them, and planned to build a new building to house its operations. The branch then purchased a 21,285 square feet (1,977.4 m²) land parcel along Battery Road for the new building for $715,000 in May 1937.

The Straits Times reported in November 1946 that the branch had submitted plans for the building to the Singapore Municipal Architect. The planned building was to have 14 floors and reach a height of 200 feet (61 m), and it would have been, according to The Straits Times, the tallest building in Malaya if completed. In addition, the branch had informed Gian Singh and Co., which was occupying the buildings on the site, to move out from the buildings by January 1947. Gian Singh appealed to the Rent Board for a two-month extension, but the appeal was rejected. Nevertheless, Gian Singh decided to stay in their current premises past the deadline, until they were able to move all their inventory to their new location, which was only completed in March 1947.

With the previous tenants having moved out, and the plans for the new building approved by the Municipal Commissioners, work could begin on the building, and demolition of the existing buildings on the site was underway by May 1947. Construction of the building's foundations commenced in November 1948. Initially expected to be completed by March 1949, work on the foundations fell behind schedule, as it had to be done carefully to ensure that the foundations of nearby buildings were not damaged. The foundations were eventually completed in February 1950.

Upon the completion of the building's foundation, the branch sought approval for the construction of the superstructure from Bank of China headquarters in Peking, which they obtained in May 1950. Tenders for the construction and fitting out of the building's superstructure were called in March 1951, and construction of the superstructure commenced in April 1951. The building was completed by December 1953, and the Bank of China commenced operations from the building in the same month.

(https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/sundaytribune19481121-1.2.30)

• Work on the foundations of the new development (that is, the Bank of China building) had commenced by November 1948
• Development was to comprise two buildings, one facing Battey Road and the other facing Boat Quay. The building facing Battery Road was to house the Bank of China’s Singapore branch, while that facing Boat Quay was to house offices

(https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/maltribune19490427-1.2.27)

• Excavation of building’s foundation, basement was (according to the Bank of China) done slowly as the contractors did not want to damage the foundations of adjacent buildings
• Construction of the basement and foundations, expected to be completed by March 1949, had fallen behind schedule, and was still incomplete by April

(https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19500511-1.2.73)

• Development’s site covered an area of 21,170 sq ft, and the site had been purchased by the Bank of China in 1937
• Construction of the building’s foundation and basement took over one year to complete
• The Bank of China’s Singapore branch/office received clearance from headquarters (in Peking) to resume construction of the building in May 1950

(https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19510322-1.2.127)

• In March 1951, the building’s architects, Palmer and Turner, announced that they would be calling tenders for the construction of the building’s superstructure, and for the installation of utilities and other fittings in the building.
• These tenders were called by the end of March 1951, and work on the superstructure commenced once the tenders were accepted

(https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19510701-1.2.88)

• Work on the building’s superstructure was delayed as the bank’s directors (HQ in Peking?) had not made a decision whether it was to be undertaken

(https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/freepress19530427-1.2.24)

• By April 1953, 13 floors of the building had been completed

(https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/freepress19531030-1.2.46)

• Bank of China was to move into the building in December 1953
• The bank occupied the building’s two mezzanine floors and the 12th, 13th and 14th floors
• Strong rooms (for the bank) located in the building’s basement