New tower unveiled at One Raffles Place

SINGAPORE - A new 38-storey tower was launched today at One Raffles Place in the central commercial district of Singapore.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, officiated the grand opening of One Raffles Place Tower Two.

The opening of the new tower marked the start of a new stage in the transformation of Singapore's central business district, DPM Tharman said.

He siad: "The opening of Tower Two reflects the confidence property developers see in Singapore's economy and the important role Raffles Place plays in our commercial centre."

The commercial tower is made up of 360,000 square feet of prime office space, bringing the total office space provided at One Raffles Place to 860,000 square feet.

Tower Two was designed by Japanese architect Paul Noritaka Tange, whose father Professor Kenzo Tange designed the first tower and UOB Plaza.

He said: "The new tower stays faithful to the proportion of the original tower. The diagonal planes of Tower Two are inspired by the spacing of the windows in Tower One, and this gives a consistent and lasting impression of both towers as a whole."

Tower Two has been certified by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) as a Green Mark Platinum Development.

It includes environmentally-friendly features such as photovoltaic cells and rainwater harvesting.

The development also features art pieces from world renowned artists in United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan and Italy.

Tower Two is already home to a range of businesses, including global recruitment agency Michael Page International.

ljessica@sph.com.sg