Golden Mile Complex

Between Nicoll Highway and Beach Road lies a strip of land known as the “Golden Mile”, which the government had designated for high-rise developments. This extensive waterfront renewal saw the construction of several iconic modernist buildings that included Crawford Estate (1969), Shaw Tower (1977), the Concourse (1994) and the Golden Mile Complex (formerly known as Woh Hup Complex). Golden Mile Complex, a 16-storey mixed-use building in the Brutalist style, was an exemplar of a “megastructure” and “vertical city” within which occupants could live, work and play. 

From the exterior, the building’s stepped profile is the most unique part of its architecture, and the apartments are stepped backwards from behind the podium edge. This generated exciting spatial experiences: private open-to-sky terraces, a monumental high-rise play deck, and a diagonal void. The void was meant to extend skywards from the atrium floor, although it was ultimately sealed midway up to meet fire regulations. Conceptually, this slanting atrium promoted an exchange of fresh air, daylight, and the sights and sounds of indoor activities across stacked layers of retail, entertainment, recreation, office, and residential spaces. At the same time, it kept out outdoor heat, rain, and traffic noise. Today, age has left its mark on the building and while the building has lost some of its original character and atmosphere, Golden Mile Complex is internationally celebrated by numerous experts as an “avant-garde” and “revolutionary” realisation of cutting-edge urban theories.

The Golden Mile Complex was officially gazetted for conservation on 22 October 2021¹.

Location: 5001 Beach Road, Singapore 199588

Architects: Tay Kheng Soon, William S.W. Lim, Gan Eng Oon of Design Partnership Architects

Year: 1973

Status: Gazetted for conservation on 22 October 2021

 

The uniquely slanted structure was technically challenging. Arup, a global engineering firm, developed the advanced structure using mainframe computers. The exposed concrete, which has been painted over, has the poetic capacity to change its colour and mood at different times of the day and under different weather and lighting conditions. The stepped form shields apartments from afternoon sunlight. Photo by Jeremy San.

by Darren Soh

This vertical city holds, from ground up, an underground car park; a three-storey retail podium; an entertainment deck (now houses The Projector independent cinema); offices and studio offices over six levels; a play deck; six floors of apartments; and four duplex penthouses that top it.

by Darren Soh

The dramatically inclined slab block, which contains apartments and offices, is unique as it simultaneously steps back (to grant apartments river-facing sky terraces) and projects overhead (along Beach Road to shelter a large play deck).

by Darren Soh

The first of its kind locally, the slope of the “typewriter” gives homes the luxury of generous open-to-sky terraces, which residents have personalised over time. Apartments are stepped backwards and set behind the podium edge along Nicoll Highway, to prevent most traffic noise from reaching residents.

by Jeremy San

The complex’s play-deck on the 9th floor contains badminton courts and overlooks the Beach Road neighbourhood.

Besides being a communal facility, this play deck is meant to facilitate pedestrian connectivity along Golden Mile Complex’s urban corridor. It is one of the great monumental spaces in Singapore architecture.

by Jeremy San

Shops and freestanding kiosks stand within, spill into or overlook the atrium, linked by escalators and suspended corridors to create a dynamic, multilevel linear void.

by Jeremy San

Diners, waiters, and passers-by recreate an Asian street vibe on the atrium floor, which is covered in ceramic tiles that graphically echo Golden Mile Complex’s signature diagonals.

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Last modified on 28 October 2021. Description by Ho Weng Hin.

¹Keng Gene Ng, “Golden Mile Complex Gazetted as Conserved Building; Future Developers to Get Building Incentives,” The Straits Times, October 22, 2021