Shaw Tower will be gone by 2023

Another heritage building making way for new developments.

Joshua Lee | August 22, 2019, 09:36 AM

The iconic Shaw Tower will soon be gone.

Scheduled for redevelopment

In August 2018, The Straits Times reported that the building will most likely be torn down to make way for a new 35-storey office and retail building by 2023.

In the same year, tenants were served with a notice to vacate the building by June 30, 2020.

Tenants are in the midst of moving out of the building, a check with the F&B outlets inside confirmed.

Shaw Tower currently has 260,000 sq ft of office space and 100,000 sq ft of retail space.

According to ST, the new Shaw Tower will nearly double its office space to 400,000 sq ft and shrink its retail space to 30,000 sq ft, subject to planning approval.

Shaw Tower's redevelopment is part of the Ophir-Rochor corridor rejuvenation which was unveiled in 2008.

Ophir-Rochor corridor rejuvenation

As part of the rejuvenation, the Ophir-Rochor corridor has seen new developments such as the DUO Residences, luxury hotel Andaz Singapore, and mixed-use complex South Beach.

Beside the new Shaw Tower, GuocoLand is building Guoco Midtown and Midtown Suite which are estimated to be up at the same time as Shaw.

Constructed as part of Beach Road's "Golden Mile"

More than 40 years ago, Shaw Tower was constructed as part of URA's plan in the 1960s to create a "golden mile" of developments that merge work and play along Beach Road.

Back then, it was a beachfront development before land reclamation pushed it further inland.

Bird's eye of Bras Basah Road from Cathay Building. Shaw Tower can be seen at the back. Image via National Archives of Singapore.

Designed by a Singapore architect, Charles Ho of Iversen Van Sitteren & Partners, Shaw Tower was built in the Brutalist style for Shaw Organisation.

Each window of the tower has panels that provide shade from the sun.

From afar, it gives the tower its unique "waffle maker" appearance.

Via skyscrapercenter.com

When it was completed in 1975, Shaw Tower was the tallest skyscraper in Singapore, until the OCBC Centre took that honour in 1976.

In 1988, Shaw opened the first cineplexes in Singapore, Prince and Jade, at Shaw Tower.

The cineplexes operated for 21 years before closing in 2009.

It then re-opened to serve audiences of Tamil and Hindi films.

Brutalism

Aside from Shaw Tower, other older Brutalist architecture, such as Golden Mile Complex, Pearl Bank Apartments, and People's Park Complex, have been sold en bloc and are scheduled to be redeveloped.

If you would like to find out more about Singapore's Brutalist architecture, this digital ebook by iremembersg might be helpful.

Top images by skyscrapercenter.com and glasssteelandstone.com.