16 Collyer Quay, formerly CALTEX HOUSE and Hitachi Tower,[5][2] is a 37-storey, 166 m (545 ft), skyscraper in the central business district of Singapore. It is located on 16 Collyer Quay, in the zone of Raffles Place, near Chevron House, Change Alley,[6] Tung Centre, and The Arcade, all of which are roughly 100 metres away.[7] Facing Clifford Pier, the building commands a panoramic view of Marina Bay. It has an underground linkage to Raffles Place MRT station.

16 Collyer Quay
16 Collyer Quay, with Tung Centre on the right
Map
Former namesCALTEX HOUSE and Hitachi Tower [1]
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeCommercial offices
Architectural styleModernism
Location16 Collyer Quay, Singapore 049318
Coordinates1°17′03.08″N 103°51′08.72″E / 1.2841889°N 103.8524222°E / 1.2841889; 103.8524222
Cost$60 million
OwnerNTUC Income[2]
Height
Antenna spire179 m (587 ft)
Roof166 m (545 ft)
Technical details
Floor count37
Lifts/elevators12
Design and construction
Architect(s)Murphy/Jahn, Inc. Architects, Architects 61 Pte Ltd
References
[3][4]

The skyscraper has a spire that is 13 m (43 ft), which increases the tower overall height from 166 to 179 m (545 to 587 ft) It is on a 999-year leasehold.[8]

16 Collyer Quay has a net lettable area of approximately 25,980 m2 (279,600 sq ft).[9] The building had close to 100% occupancy as of December 31, 2007, and key tenants include Hitachi and American Express.[10]

History

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Hitachi Tower was designed by Murphy/Jahn, Inc. Architects, and local firm Architects 61 Pte Ltd. It was completed in 1992. Other firms involved in the development include Hitachi, CapitaLand Commercial Limited, Savu Investments Private Limited, CapitaLand Limited, Obayashi Gumi Corporation, Sendai Eversendai Engineering Group, Steen Consultants Private Limited, PCR Engineers Private Limited, and Rider Hunt Levett & Bailey.

Selling of stake

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On January 16, 2008, CapitaLand sold its 50% stake in Hitachi Tower for S$403.5 million, which it had earlier bought in 2000.[11] The National University of Singapore, which owns the remaining 50% of the office building, also sold its stake. Upon the deal's completion, CapitaLand will recognise a gain of S$110.1 million.[10]

According to CapitaLand, the deal took into consideration the agreed value of the development at $811 million, or about $2,900 per square foot of net lettable area. It also claimed the consideration was arrived at on a willing-buyer willing-seller basis. However, the company did not state the buyer, but sources said that the building was bought by a fund linked to Goldman Sachs. This is based on the fact that Goldman Sachs bought the next-door Chevron House a year earlier.[10]

In January 2011, NTUC Income acquired a 49 percent stake in Savu Investments, the holding company which owns the asset, from Goldman Sachs. In January 2013, NTUC Income bought over Goldman Sach's remaining 51% stake in Savu Investments, the acquisition valuing the property at around $660 million, or less than $2,400 per square foot, on a net lettable space of over 278,000 square feet.[12]

Architecture

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16 Collyer Quay is linked to the 33-storey Chevron House by a four-storey glass galleria. According to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), the two buildings are designed and planned in parallel, with each tower takes on different architectural expressions, while complementing each other to "strengthen the urban quality" of Raffles Place.[13]

The building is topped off by a two-storey navigating beacon. URA claims it recalls the maritime history of the Collyer Quay area. Its facade is expressed in three parts, which breaks the verticality of the 37-storey tower and creates a stepping down effect that matches with the height of its shorter neighbour, Tung Centre.[13]

At the urban level, the two buildings respect and are designed around established patterns of pedestrian movement and urban use. The bank lobby is lifted to the upper floors to create Change Alley on the first storey, a pedestrian thoroughfare lined with retail activities that is today, a well-used and vibrant space linking Raffles Place to Collyer Quay.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20080219114021/http://www.ura.gov.sg/spore1_1/publication1-9.htm
  2. ^ a b "NTUC Income to fully own 16 Collyer Quay". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  3. ^ "Emporis building ID 106361". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ "16 Collyer Quay". SkyscraperPage.
  5. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20080219114021/http://www.ura.gov.sg/spore1_1/publication1-9.htm
  6. ^ "Asia Travel : Map of Hitachi Tower (S) 049318". StreetDirectory. Archived from the original on 2008-01-09. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  7. ^ "Hitachi Tower is a place in Singapore on the Map of Singapore". SGPageNation. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  8. ^ "The Atrium @ Orchard up for sale at over $1b". Marshall Cavendish. Archived from the original on 2008-02-19. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  9. ^ "Hitachi Tower". CapitaLand. Archived from the original on 2007-11-14. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  10. ^ a b c "CapitaLand, NUS sell Hitachi Tower". WordPress. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  11. ^ "CapitaLand selling entire 50% stake in Hitachi Tower for S$404m". Channel News Asia. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  12. ^ "NTUC Income to fully own 16 Collyer Quay". NTUC Income. Archived from the original on 2013-01-11. Retrieved 2010-10-16.
  13. ^ a b c "CALTEX HOUSE AND HITACHI TOWER". Urban Redevelopment Authority. Archived from the original on 2008-02-19. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
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