UOB Plaza

United Overseas Bank Plaza
大华银行大厦
Alternative names	United Overseas Bank Plaza
General information
Type	Commercial offices
Location	Raffles Place Downtown Core, Singapore
Coordinates
Construction started	Plaza One: 1992
Completed	Plaza One: 1995 Plaza Two: 1974
Owner	United Overseas Bank
Management	United Overseas Bank Property Management
Height
Roof	Plaza One: 280 m (920 ft) Plaza Two: 162 m (531 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	Plaza One: 66 Plaza Two: 38
Floor area	Plaza One: 42,230 m2 (454,600 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect	Kenzo Tange Associates 丹下 健三都市、建筑设计、研究所 Architects 61 Architects Team 3
Developer	United Overseas Bank
Structural engineer	Arup
Main contractor	Nishimatsu Construction Lum Chang JV
References

United Overseas Bank Plaza (UOB Plaza) (Chinese: 大华银行大厦) is a complex with twin tower late-modernist skyscrapers in the city of Singapore. UOB Plaza One is one of the three tallest in the city, sharing the title with the OUB Centre and Republic Plaza. UOB Plaza Two is the shorter and older building with construction completed in 1973 and later renovated in 1995 with a similar facade as UOB Plaza One. Both buildings are connected by a 45 m (148 ft) podium supported by four columns. The podium houses the banking hall of the United Overseas Bank's main branch. The building was opened by then Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1995 which is 60 years after United Overseas Bank's founding.

UOB Plaza One

UOB Plaza One is a 280 m (920 ft) building with 67 floors, and was completed in 1992. It is the headquarters of the United Overseas Bank and major financial corporations such as UBS. On the 60th floor, there is a restaurant, Si Chuan Dou Hua. Its architecture is inspired by the U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles.

The basement of the building houses the Masjid Moulana Mohd Ali mosque, which is run by Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS). This mosque is the first in the Raffles Place district and is unique due to the mosque being located underground. This peculiarity has stirred controversy because to some Muslims, it is not good because it is located "in the bowels" of the earth.

UOB Plaza Two

UOB Plaza Two is a 162 m (531 ft) building with 38 floors and was completed in 1973 with the building reconstructed again in 1995. The building was formerly the Bonham Building which housed the United Chinese Bank (now the United Overseas Bank) which changed its name to its current name in 1965, and the three-storey building was demolished to construct the 30-story building.

Architecture

The towers have an octagonal base and consists of rotated cubic volumes, which is a distinctive stylistic expression of Kenzo Tange's works in the 1990s. The cubic volumes on the octagonal base, they rotate on a 45 degree plane of reference and diminish in volume towards the top of UOB Plaza One. A six storey podium links the two buildings together and skillfully accommodates the reconstructed UOB Building (now UOB Plaza 2). This place is a large airy atrium linking Raffles Place to Singapore River without entering the building. The banking hall has full height glass walls to see through the Singapore River from the financial district. The change in lighting brings out the geometric qualities of the building's architecture, highlighting the buildings with shafts of light and shadow. The external curtain wall system of the building represents a significant and innovative contribution of the evolution of building facades over time. The "performance wall" envelope of the towers is a composite of white and grey granite and insulated grey glass units. The atrium is also known as a "city room" and above it has a large office space and a large skylight, which gives the place natural lighting. A double storey sky lobby could be found on the 37th and 38th floors, which provide panoramic views of the city. It is also used for workers to transfer lifts from the lower floors to the higher floors. However, the sky lobby has been closed to the public due to security reasons after the September 11, 2001 attacks. There are two sculptures on the ground floor; [Homage To Newton by Salvador Dalí in the city room, and the another designed by Fernando Botero.

Special occasion floodlighting up the building at night  UOB Plaza One's entrance with a sculpture by Salvador Dalí. UOB Plaza One's entrance with a sculpture by Salvador Dalí.

See also

• Tallest buildings in Singapore
• Robot Building (UOB Bangkok headquarters)

Further reading

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