People's Park Complex gets repainted red & white after 16 years

People’s Park Complex is shedding its yellow and green hues it has had for 16 years for red and white.

The repainting is ongoing and is expected to be completed before the fourth quarter of 2025, depending on weather conditions, the building's management told Mothership.

Even though the colour scheme matches the Singapore national flag, the decision to go with red and white in 2025 was "not specially chosen to mark SG60".

Instead, it was recommended by a designer and approved by the building’s management council.

In response to Mothership queries, the management said it had been carrying out works to rectify defects on the facade of the 31-storey mixed-use building, following regulations by the Building and Construction Authority.

As the existing paint would be affected by the rectification works, a repainting was necessary.

Another reason, the management shared, was that People's Park Complex last saw a facelift more than 10 years ago.

Mixed reactions

Mothership spoke to several people who lived and worked at People's Park Complex about the repainting, and reactions were mixed.

A 70-year-old resident there grimaced immediately when informed of the new colour scheme.

He called it "ugly", and said red was a "horrible colour" for a building.

According to him, residents were not consulted about the colours.

However, most of the people in the building had not noticed the new colours.

Gagarin, who has worked at one of the building's shops for four years, was surprised when told about it.

She looked up at the red paint and said it was "quite nice".

She and her co-workers had been referring to the building as "the green yellow building", and would now have to think of a different name.

People's Park Complex over the decades

The iconic landmark in Chinatown has undergone several makeovers since its was completed in 1973.

The exterior of People’s Park Complex was originally finished unpainted with exposed raw concrete, inspired by the Brutalist architectural style.

In 1989, it was painted all orange.

A coat of green was added to the top in 1998, and it became orange and green.

Finally in 2009, the building took on the yellow and green look that remained for 16 years.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority is currently assessing People's Park Complex for potential conservation with relation to redevelopment plans.

Top image by Amber Tay