Take a closer look at this incredible aerial view of the Singapore River from the mid-1970s! Right in the middle of the sea of terracotta shophouse roofs, you can see the iconic OCBC Centre taking shape—and the way it was built was pretty extraordinary for its time.
Designed by world-renowned architect I. M. Pei, the tower wasn't built floor-by-floor from the bottom up like most skyscrapers. Instead, engineers constructed those two massive semi-circular concrete pillars first, then slotted three separate 14-storey sections in between them! When it officially opened in 1976, the 52-storey giant wasn't just Singapore’s tallest building—it was the tallest in Southeast Asia. Locals quickly nicknamed it "The Calculator" because of its flat shape and rows of grid-like windows.
And look down at the water: dozens of traditional twakows (bumboats) still packed the Singapore River, years before the Great River Clean-up.
 |
| OCBC Centre nicknamed the "Calculator" under construction |
Comments
Post a Comment