Metamorphosis: The transformation of a historic architectural icon.

The Cathay Building c.1950s. © NLB Singapore

The first skyscraper and mixed used development

The Cathay is Singapore’s first skyscraper and precursor of today’s multifunction or mixed-use complex. It opened in 1939 as a cinema, restaurant and dance hall, with a roof garden sited above the cinema. The tower block of apartments opened the following year, making The Cathay the first residential and entertainment complex. During the war years it was a Red Cross station, then the Japanese propaganda broadcasting installation after the fall of Singapore and, following the liberation, the HQ of the British South East Asia Command. 

In 1954 the apartment block was converted into The Cathay Hotel, which acquired an international reputation for its cosmopolitan ambience, then repurposed as an office building in 1974.

A prestigious office in the heart of the city

As the conversion into offices was in progress we at Visual Communications, having served on the advertising front of The Cathay Hotel and Cathay Restaurant for some years, were engaged by the Cathay Organisation to work on the aesthetics of the common areas comprising the Office Lobby and the Corridors, and later on the upgrading of the Cathay Cinema facade and marquee.

For the Office Lobby our principal contribution was in solving the problem of two ponderous columns standing smack in the middle of the space. We proposed wrapping them inside two sculptures as conceptualised below. Taking the cue from an earlier decision to resurface the walls in volcanic rocks aka adobe, the floor in earthy ceramic tiles and the ceiling in gold tone aluminium strips radiating from a central disc, we crystallised the design theme to reflect harmony with nature. 

Miniature concept model of the proposed sculptures 

and the adobe wall with recessed building directory.

The sculptures would be interpreted as trees under the sun ceiling. The adobe-clad wall on one side would have a recessed section for the office directory in anodised bronze finish to carry through the sculptural colour. The layout would be mirrored on the opposite wall but the directory recess would be occupied by a water feature, a ceiling to floor stream of water trickling down the wall into a drainage trough cum koi pond in the floor. 

Other views of the concept sculpture model.

For the Corridor Directional Signs pointing to the office units we proposed an extension of the sun theme using the circle, semicircle and quadrant motifs.

Model of a corridor directory sign for half to whole floor units.

The left circle would contain department names and unit numbers. The right one would hold the company logo. Signs for floors with smaller units would not have the logo circle and related parts, so the floor number would be moved over the unit listing. 

A special font inspired by the round corners of the podium walls was designed for
the Directory Board listings and other signage throughout the building.

 Reimagining the cinema facade and marquee

With our work progressing at a steady clip, the Cathay Organisation requested us for suggestions on upgrading the Cinema facade and marquee to integrate the look with the rest of the building, especially the podium housing the cinema. As we had earlier been sought for a second opinion on the resurfacing of the podium walls in ceramic strip-tiles, we proposed encasing the existing art deco style facade in the same material as the office tower to provide a unified wholeness of material and colour to the entire project.

We suggested a geometric volume extruded vertically from an oblong with semicircles at the short ends (or obround) to sheath the existing structure as shown in the sketch below. Due to the loss of the original, this picture is a reconstruction. This solution was cost-effective and saved the historic facade for future restoration. The overall effect is a continuum of wavy vertical planes preserving the sensitivity of the art deco theme with a touch of modernity in the metallic finish.

A reconstructed artist's impression of the proposed 

new Cathay Cinema facade and marquee.

The following are pictures of the completed projects.

The lobby sculptures were fabricated and installed by Vincent Hoisington 
based on the concept design by Tan Choon Hong. They were wrought 
in hand-beaten aluminium and finished with a bronze look.

Another view of the Lobby.

Hoisington’s aluminium art was incorporated into the
corridor directional signs template to reprise the surface textures
and finish of the lobby sculptures.

Screengrab of finished Cathay Cinema facade and marquee 

as seen in MediaCorp TV feature on 1970s Singapore.

Like a butterfly that emerged from its metamorphosis, the refurbished Cathay Building was to have only a fleeting existence. By 2000 the owners would embark on a redevelopment programme that would cost $100 million. Though gazetted as a national monument, an amendment to the regulations enabled the reconstruction to proceed with only a proviso that the art deco style facade be preserved. 

On March 2006 a new Cathay emerged as a gleaming glass and steel structure comprising a swanky mall with The Cathay Restaurant, an 8-screen cineplex incorporating the flagship Grand Cathay and the Picturehouse, and an apartment block behind the mall. A new attraction named The Cathay Gallery curates the history of the old Cathay Building, movie paraphernalia and a glimpse of the Loke family, owners of the property.

Only the memories of movie magic linger on

However this last exercise failed to capture the splendour, the glamour and the excitement that epitomise The Cathay Building, once the preserve of the region’s glitterati. All that remained of the world of movie magic that once reigned was the restored facade, a shadow of its former self, looking forlorn minus the milling fans, stars, limos and popping flash bulbs of the photographers on blockbuster premiere nights.

As reported in the blogosphere, another missed opportunity in the preservation of Singapore’s historical and cultural heritage.

The Cathay after redevelopment. © The Cathay Organisation.

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