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OUE Downtown Towers
OUE Downtown Towers
	OUE Tower 1 in 2018
Former names	DBS Building; Development Bank of Singapore Building
Alternative names	6 Shenton Way
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Commercial offices
Architectural style	Postmodern architecture
Location	Shenton Way, Downtown Core, Singapore
Coordinates	1°16′38″N 103°50′54″E / 1.2771°N 103.8483°E
Construction started	1972
Completed	Tower 1: 1975; Tower 2: 1994
Cost	$24.5 million
Owner	Overseas Union Enterprise
Height
Roof	Tower 1: 201 m (659 ft); Tower 2: 150 m (490 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	Tower 1: 50 ; Tower 2: 36
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Architects Team 3; Obayashi Gumi Corporation
Developer	DBS Land Limited, Ohbayashi Gumi Corporation, Steen Consultants, Liu Cheng Consulting Engineers, Davis Langdon & Seah Philippines Inc., Mitsubishi Elevator and Escalator
Other information
Public transit access	TE19 Shenton Way;
References

OUE Downtown or 6 Shenton Way, formerly DBS Building Towers^[7]^[8] is a high-rise skyscraper complex at 6 Shenton Way in the central business district of Singapore. Tower 1, at 201 metres (659 ft) and 50 storeys, was completed in 1975 and is one of Singapore's oldest skyscrapers. Tower 2, at 150 m (490 ft) and 36 storeys, was completed twenty years later in 1994. The former headquarters of DBS Bank was located in the complex. Overseas Union Enterprise (OUE) acquired the complex in 2010 and renamed it 'OUE Downtown'.

History

The DBS Tower One was finished in 1975, together with a wave of brutalist-style buildings, that dominated the 1950s to 1970s period.^[9] It was designed by Architects Team 3. Firms involved in the development of the building included DBS Land Limited, Obayashi-Gumi, Ltd., Steen Consultants Private Limited, Liu Cheng Consulting Engineers, Davis Langdon & Seah Philippines Inc., and Mitsubishi Elevator and Escalator.

Acquisition by Overseas Union Enterprise

The towers were sold to Overseas Union Enterprise (OUE) for S$870.5 million in 2010.^[10]

In July 2012, DBS moved out of the towers and into its new headquarters at Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC) Tower 3. Various 'core support functions' were relocated to a nine-storey building at Changi Business Park, near the Expo MRT station, in 2010. The Changi site has a permissible gross floor area of some 50,000 m² (540,000 sq ft).^[11]

OUE took the opportunity to upgrade the property saying the acquisition was in line with its strategic goal of maximizing investment opportunities from high-yield properties. The property was redeveloped for mixed commercial and residential development. This was in line with OUE's plan to reduce its exposure in the office portfolio and allow it to participate in the residential market, to help lower borrowings and enhance cash flow for the company.^[10]

OUE Downtown now consists of the Downtown Gallery shopping mall running the full length of the podium, Tower One contains residential accommodation operated by Oakwood Apartments and Tower Two remains as offices.^[12] The Work Project provides co-working space in the Gallery.^[13]

Amenities and architecture

DBS Tower One was the first anchor in the financial district of Shenton Way, and was the tallest building in Singapore when it was completed in 1975. It was designed to provide multiple facilities within a single building, and contains facilities like a conference hall, a small theatre and an exhibition centre within the podium.^[14]

DBS Tower One is one of the first commercial buildings to incorporate a covered walkway around the whole city block. A series of roof gardens, viewing galleries and outdoor areas provide views and facilities for the enjoyment of its tenants. Together with DBS Building Tower Two, DBS occupies about 56,000 to 70,000 m² (600,000 to 750,000 sq ft) of office space in the central business district. The bank used to own the towers until it sold them to a Goldman Sachs real estate fund in late 2005 and leased back the space it occupied for an initial eight-year term with options for renewal.^[15]

The towers are an example of brutalist architecture, and are constructed mainly out of concrete and granite. The architecture of DBS Tower One, together with that of buildings such as the Singapore Land Tower, Temasek Tower and OCBC Centre, dominates the architecture of Singapore.^[16] In 2017, Tower One's original aluminium-cladded façade was replaced with a new glass curtain wall façade.^[17]^[18] It has the world's largest rear projection smart glass display on 400 sqm of switchable glass.^[19]

References

^ "6 Shenton Way". shentonway.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
^ "DBS Tower I". CTBUH Skyscraper Center.
^ "DBS Tower II". CTBUH Skyscraper Center.
^ "Emporis building complex ID 103090". Emporis.^{[dead link‍]}
^ "DBS Building Tower One". SkyscraperPage.
^ "DBS Building Tower Two". SkyscraperPage.
^ "OUE Downtown 1". officerent.sg. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
^ "OUE Limited - Commercial". OUE Limited. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
^ "Building styles - Brutalism (1960 - 1970)". Ontario Architecture. Archived from the original on 2021-04-11. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
^ ^a ^b "OUE buys DBS Towers 1 & 2 for nearly S$871m". Channel NewsAsia. 11 August 2010. Archived from the original on 14 January 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
^ "DBS to move to swanky new 700,000 sq ft (70,000 m²) home". Marshall Cavendish. Retrieved 2008-01-20. ^{[dead link‍]}
^ "OUE Limited - Commercial". Archived from the original on 2018-04-08. Retrieved 2018-04-08.
^ "The Work Project is official co-working partner of OUE's Downtown Gallery". Archived from the original on 2018-04-08. Retrieved 2018-04-08.
^ "Singapore 1:1- CITY". Urban Redevelopment Authority. Archived from the original on 2007-08-13. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
^ "Singapore DBS weighing up mega lease deal at posh new address". Wordpress. Archived from the original on 2009-06-02. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
^ "Architecture of Singapore, Architecture in Singapore, Singapore Architecture". Asia Rooms. Archived from the original on 2008-01-15. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
^ "Update of OUE Downtown – Daiwa Capital Markets" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-09-23. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
^ "OUE Downtown Tower 1: YKK AP FACADE". Archived from the original on 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
^ "OUE Downtown – Gauzy". Archived from the original on 2022-09-27. Retrieved 2023-04-02.

External links

Records
Preceded by United Overseas Bank Plaza Two	Tallest building in Singapore 201 m (659 ft) 1975–1986	Succeeded by UOB Plaza One Raffles Place Republic Plaza