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Singapore’s Early Days
1970s
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The first Shangri-La hotel opens in Singapore in 1969
Robert Kwok, known as the Sugar King of Malaysia, won the bid for this vast prime location and construction of the hotel began.
The hotel later became a place of lodging for leaders of various countries and the venue for numerous international conferences.
This success led to the expansion of the Shangri-La brand to major cities in Asia. The Shangri-La Hotel is beginning to take shape.
Photo by author, 1969
A huge amount of wood is used for the scaffolding
Photo by author, 1969
It’s hot, so the workers are half naked and without a helmet !
The site of the Shangri-La Hotel.
Scaffolding were made of wood before iron pipe scaffolding became widespread. In 1969.
Photo by author, 1969
Photo by author, 1969
Photo by author, 1969
Formwork construction
Photo by author, 1969
Photo by author, 1969
Shangri-La Hotel Today
Present Shangri-La Hotel , Sankei Photo
A bird’s-eye view from the OCBC Center
Around 1973, at the invitation of a group of young engineers I knew in Singapore, I had the opportunity to visit a skyscraper that was under construction at the time.
The building is owned by OCBC (Oversea Chinese Banking Corporation Ltd), one of Singapore’s three largest banks.
It is 200 meters high and has 52 floors, was designed by the famous American architect I. M Pei (1917-2019). I knew it was a rare opportunity to visit.
Below are some photos taken at the time.
The project of the Neptune Theater, which I was involved in supervising the construction work, can be clearly seen directly below.
Photo by author, 1973
Victorian-style building with a low-rise red roof. The Lau Pa Sat Food Court is being buried in a valley of buildings.
Photo by author, 1973
Left: DBS Bank Headquarters Building.
Obayashi Corporation (the first general contractor to enter Singapore)
Center: Low-rise building, Singapore Airlines Headquarters Building.
Right: The CPF (Singapore Pension Service) Building is under construction.
Photo by author, 1973
International Plaza Office Building.
50th floors. Under construction. Across the ocean is Sentosa Island.
The colonial-style low-rise building in the foreground is the traffic police department. I visited there to renew my driver’s license.
Photo by author, 1973
UOB Bank’s head office building at the mouth of the Singapore River.
It was demolished in the 1980s and replace by an Twin Towers.
Photo by author, 1973
The twin towers in the middle are the head office building of UOB Bank. Designed by Kenzo Tange and completed in the 1980s.
On the far right is the OCBC Center, designed by Mr. I M Pei. Completed in the 1970s.
In the distance: IR Marina Bay Sands,
Photo by author, around 2000
The mouth of the Singapore River.
On the right is the former General Post Office (now the Fullerton Hotel), two steel-framed bridges from the British colonial era, which are still standing today. Beyond the arch bridge, the Merlion, the symbol of Singapore.
Photo by author, 1973
A cargo boat moored in the polluted Singapore River.
Clarke Quay, a cluster of warehouses on both sides of the river.
Since then, cargo boats have been banned, the river has been cleaned, and both banks have been transformed into riverfront entertainment districts.
Photo by author, 1973
An apartment complex in Chinatown, nearing completion in 1973.
Photo by author, 1973
View of the Orchard area from the OCBC Center during construction.
The Mandarin Hotel, which is about to be completed, can be seen in front.
In the background, you can see the highlands such as Bukit Timah Hill.
Photo by author, 1973
Threesome in helmets
OCBC Center under construction
Photo of author, 1973
A trio of helmets at the OCBC Center.
Photo of author, 1973
Photo of author, 1973
Photo by author, 1973
