Golden Mile Complex

Coordinates: 1°18′09.8″N 103°51′53.9″E / 1.302722°N 103.864972°E / 1.302722; 103.864972
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

1°18′09.8″N 103°51′53.9″E / 1.302722°N 103.864972°E / 1.302722; 103.864972

Golden Mile Complex
residential
Architectural styleBrutalist architecture
Location5001 Beach Road, Singapore 199588
Completed1973; 51 years ago (1973)
OwnerSingapura Developments
ManagementSingapura Developments
Technical details
Floor count16
Design and construction
Architect(s)DP Architects

Golden Mile Complex (

residential building on Beach Road in Kallang, Singapore, within walking distance to Nicoll Highway MRT station. The building was formerly known as Woh Hup Complex.[1] Prior to collective sale, the complex contained 411 shops and 500 parking spaces. The building was largely an ethnic enclave for the Thai population in Singapore.[2]

History

In 1966, the Urban Renewal Department of the Housing and Development Board was formed to facilitate greater flexibility and autonomy in comprehensive redevelopment of Singapore's Central Area. The Golden Mile Complex development was the result of the department's first Sales of Sites programme in 1967.[3]

The "Golden Mile" refers to the strip of land between

squatters and small marine industries.[3]

Built at a cost of

S$18 million and completed in 1973, the 16-storey Golden Mile Complex is one of the early pioneers of integrating multiple operations into a single mixed-use development
in Singapore.

Today, the complex's shopping mall houses numerous Thai clubs, shops and eateries, as well as tourist and ticketing agencies for travellers going to Malaysia by bus or coach.[5]

A minor upgrading was carried out on the Golden Mile Complex building in 1983, when

redecorated.[3]

In March 2006, the Golden Mile Complex was described as a "vertical slum", "terrible eyesore" and "national disgrace" by Singapore Nominated Member of Parliament Ivan Png: "Each individual owner acts selfishly, adding extensions, zinc sheets, patched floors, glass, all without any regard for other owners and without any regard for the national welfare." The residents have also done over their balconies to create an extra room.[5][6]

The Golden Mile Complex, which is located on a 99-year

leasehold site starting from 1969, has been planned to be put up for an en bloc sale. On 11 August 2018, 80% of the owners signed an agreement agreeing to sell the complex in an en-block sale.[7]

On 22 October 2021, the Minister for National Development Desmond Lee announced the gazetting of the Golden Mile Complex as a conserved building. The Urban Redevelopment Authority announced incentives for potential buyers, such as allowing them to build a new tower block next to the conserved building.[8]

In May 2022, the complex was sold to a consortium (Perennial Holdings Private Limited, Sino Land and Far East Organization) for S$700 million. [9]

Architecture

The Golden Mile Complex's shopping mall in the atrium houses numerous Thai clubs, shops and eateries.
Thai shops fill up most of the spaces in the complex

The Golden Mile Complex is a commercial and residential development, providing offices, shopping, entertainment services and

William Lim and Tay Kheng Soon of the Singapore architect firm Design Partnership, now known as DP Architects.[4]

Sited on 1.3

Metabolist Movement of the 1960s. The complex was designed as a "vertical city", which stands in contrast to homogenised cities where functional zoning restrains all signs of the latter's vitality.[4]

Conceived as a prototype for a lively environment, the design of the Golden Mile Complex was intended to catalyse

urban development along Beach Road by employing an extruded section that would stretch along the East Coast facing the sea.[12] In terms of public transport and accessibility, the building is serviced from the rear on Beach Road, instead of its frontage with Nicoll Highway, with a continuous pedestrian spine linking all buildings in the Golden Mile of Beach Road. The design was influenced by the linear city concepts of Le Corbusier and Arturo Soria y Mata.[13]

The step-terraced profile of the Golden Mile Complex offers the occupants of the apartments on the upper floors panoramic view of the sea and sky. Every apartment has its own balcony. The

natural ventilation and shades a lofty communal concourse above the podium along Beach Road.[4] The step-terraced design also reduces the impact of noise from the road traffic. The Golden Mile Complex preceded by several years avant-garde stepped-section buildings which were built in the United Kingdom and Europe.[13]

The lower floors contain offices and a retail mall,[13] located within staggered atria to allow natural light into the heart of the building.[4]

In April 2021, part of the ceiling near an entrance fell off, with no reported injuries.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Singapore Infopedia: Beach Road". National Library Board. Archived from the original on 12 June 2007. Retrieved 12 August 2007.
  2. ^ Tan, Kevin S.Y. (2018). "Traversing the Golden Mile: An ethnographic outline of Singapore's Thai enclave". Urbanities: Journal of Urban Ethnography. 8 (1): 3–18.
  3. ^
    ISBN 9971-65-231-5
  4. ^
    ISBN 981-05-4467-7
  5. ^ a b c Tay Suan Chiang (5 August 2007). "Goodbye Famous 5?: "Slum" becomes landmark". The Sunday Times.
  6. ^ "Singapore Parliamentary Debates: 6 March 2006" (PDF). Parliament of Singapore. Retrieved 12 August 2007.
  7. ^ "Golden Mile Complex gets more than 80 per cent votes from owners to launch en bloc sale | the Straits Times". 11 August 2018.
  8. ^ Ng Keng, Gene (22 October 2021). "Golden Mile Complex gazetted as conserved building; future developers to get building incentives". The Straits Times. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  9. ^ "Golden Mile Complex sold for $700m, developers to restore building". www.straitstimes.com. 6 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Brutarch by iremembersg – Issuu".
  11. ^ "A GOLDEN AGE IN SINGAPORE ARCHITECTURE".
  12. ISBN 978-1-86470-462-4
    .
  13. ^
    ISBN 0-7946-0232-0
  14. ^ Iqmall Hayat (2021). Golden Mile Complex Ceiling Collapses Near Entrance on 23 Apr, Area Cordoned Off. MustShareNews.

Media related to Golden Mile Complex at Wikimedia Commons

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Golden_Mile_Complex&oldid=1194428392"