More stuff to add! ;)

3 Church Street is still officially unamed, and has the dubious distinction of being the "leaning tower of Singapore". Yeap. it started leaning by about less then a degree not long before it was supposed to be completed, which resulted in work needed to correct the tilt, and extending the construction period to this day. The finished building will be 172m (564ft) with 30 floors.

http://www.skyscrapers.com/files/transfer/5/2001/04/115911.jpg

February 2003

http://www.skyscrapers.com/files/transfer/6/2003/03/184036.jpg

Work to correct the tilt at the base:
http://www.skyscrapers.com/files/transfer/6/2003/03/184038.jpg

March 2003

The top is close to finished....

http://www.skyscrapers.com/files/transfer/6/2003/04/187693.jpg

http://www.skyscrapers.com/files/transfer/6/2003/04/187694.jpg

But the bottom is still a hive of activity...

http://www.skyscrapers.com/files/transfer/6/2003/03/183733.jpg

http://www.skyscrapers.com/files/transfer/6/2003/03/183754.jpg

http://www.skyscrapers.com/files/transfer/6/2003/03/183737.jpg

Five months since, and not much cnage could be seen from the outside. One wonders how long its takes for the building to shift back into position! :D

August 2003

http://www.skyscrapers.com/files/transfer/6/2003/08/209290.jpg

http://www.skyscrapers.com/files/transfer/6/2003/08/209288.jpg

Cool shots of the drama unfolding at Church Street.

What an embarrassment and a waste of money!

About the "embarrassment" part. When the news of this leaning tower came out in the news, the buzz tt generated from it caused the owners of the surrounding buildings to make public declarations that their buildings are solid and the problem only plagues this poor building! :D

3 Church Street

The completed facade:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3130/28293-church.jpg

The bottom still undergoing correction works:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3130/28293-church2.jpg

When was 3 Church Street's problem announced? It seems to have been like this for a long time.

The middle of last year I think? They did say the problem can only corrected by another year or so. :D

What was the problem they had to correct?

Its 'leaning'.:rant:

Originally posted by Jo

What was the problem they had to correct? We call it the "leaning tower of Singapore." :colgate:

Oh my goodness. Is it so much that it's visible and can be proven by photos (hint)?

Originally posted by Jo

Oh my goodness. Is it so much that it's visible and can be proven by photos (hint)? Hm..if I remember..the tilt was about 1 degree or less.....you would be having fantastic eyes to detect that! :D

Hmm.. if all forumers tie a rope around the building and pull as hard as they can then I can plonk a stone in under it to stabilise the building before you guys let go of the rope. We can fix it in one day instead of one year becasue we are the skyscraper experts! No problem.

Now I will sit down and try to write a letter, applying for a job. Now that's a real challenge :dizzy: :cry:

Geee......putting a stone there sounds like a really cushy job eh? :D I had a good laugh thou. :colgate:

All the best in your job application. ;)

The New Seventh Storey Hotel is also leaning by a few degrees.:D

So is the minaret of the Masjid Hajjah Fatimah.:D

Tilting Church Street building will be fixed

Main contractor Samsung Corporation will straighten the 0.1 degree tilt and work is expected to be completed by end of 2005

5 Feb 2004

By Leong Pik Yin

IT WILL be three years late, but it should be straight.

The 0.1 degree tilt in the $320-million 30-storey office building at 3, Church Street, will be fixed by the main contractor, Samsung Corporation, after a deal was struck with the building's owners, a move which may have staved off a costly legal battle for all parties.

The South Korean company, which designed and constructed the building, will now proceed with full rectification works - a process that will take till end-2005.

Construction at the 27,580 sq ft site began in July 2000 and the tilt, the result of soil problems, was discovered as it was nearing completion. The building should have been handed over to its developers in December 2002.

The project is jointly owned by property developer CapitaLand, the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the OCBC Group.

In a joint statement released yesterday evening, they said that Samsung Corporation will rectify the yet-to-be-named building 'to its original specifications as a Grade A office building' and will also ensure that it meets 'all safety requirements'.

They did not give further details about the work to be done, and declined to say if any compensation was paid as part of the deal.

The Straits Times understands, however, that the bill for all rectification work will be borne by Samsung Corporation.

The contractor had earlier put in additional piles to redistribute the weight of the building to stop it from tilting further.

It is understood to have been successful in doing so.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) later confirmed that the building is safe.

The owners had earlier said that it would take at least six months to fix the soil problems.

According to sources, one reason why the works are now expected to take till 2005 is that the building facade will also be improved. Again, the parties did not reveal whether this was part of the deal.

However, the joint statement said Samsung has agreed to be a tenant of the building - a point the owners are 'particularly pleased' about, said spokesman Soong Hee Sang, deputy CEO of CapitaLand Commercial.

He also said the owners were glad an agreement had been reached, following extensive studies and expert consultations.

Analysts do not expect rents at the building to be affected when it is eventually completed, as it would have to be certified structurally safe by the BCA. This will be done only after the remedial work is completed.

Rental in this area is about $4 psf per month now.

funny... a façade improvement before building construction is even finished!:dizzy:

Actually the facade detail is ok as of now right?

It sure look ok to me now. In fact its looking good! Maybe they wanna cleanup or something:?

Originally posted by RafflesCity

It sure look ok to me now. In fact its looking good! Maybe they wanna cleanup or something:? But from the article, it seems like they want to do major "improvements" to the facade.....I actually find it presentable as of now?

maybe they want to make it look more samsung-ish? since they're gonna occupy some space in it. but what does samsung-ish look like? façade improvement can't simply be adding a samsung logo?

I suppose they forced Samsung to be tenant since you need the builder to be a tenant to give others some confidence in the same building they built? :D

samsung is such a big company wor... will do things like that meh?

Originally posted by heirloom

samsung is such a big company wor... will do things like that meh? We wont expect a big company to build a tilting building too, would you? ;)

That building has a spire and lots of glass near the top. Hope they light it up at night:cool:

Originally posted by RafflesCity

That building has a spire and lots of glass near the top. Hope they light it up at night:cool: Doubt will do lah...can hardly see the building in the skyline anyway! ;)

16 Feb 2004


NO 3 Church Street's permanent tilt may cost main contractor Samsung Corporation some $40 million in compensation losses, according to sources.

The figure is believed to include liquidated damages from the delay in completion, loss of rental income as well as compensation for permanent flaw, such as its 0.1-degree tilt. It is unclear yet if it also includes rectification costs and rent that Samsung will pay as tenant when the building is completed.

The good news is, consultants and insiders do not believe the flaw will affect its status as a Grade A office building - conferred by industry professionals - when the 999-year leasehold building is finally completed. This means that co-owners CapitaLand, OCBC Bank and the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce will still be able to demand current top-tier rentals of $3.50-$4 per sq ft. Currently, though, market leases of similar space have been closed at the lower end of the scale.

BT broke the news that the $320 million, 30-storey office building was tilting in January last year - when it was supposed to have been completed in February. This is now expected to be delayed by some three years, with completion pushed back to end-2005 following rectification works.

Recently, CapitaLand said that a deal, which may have staved off a costly legal battle for all parties, has been struck with Samsung. No details of the deal were given, except that Samsung has agreed to take up space in the building comprising 300,000 sq ft in net lettable area. Sources have since put this proportion at 25 per cent.

A source said yesterday: 'Contractually, as the company which designed and built the building, it's quite clear-cut that Samsung will have to take up most of the responsibility. It's not as if the owners got someone else to design the building, with Samsung just taking charge of the construction.

'But compensation cannot be looked at simply as a quantum, but rather as a package. This includes permanent damages cost - like the tilt.'

Samsung declined to comment when contacted yesterday.

Final compensation, sources said, was worked out over a long period, partly as the relationship between both parties was strained following last year's leak of the tilt to the media.

But the completed building, which some quip will 'probably be the safest following rigid rectification works', will remain a Grade A type.

A consultant said:'The stigma will go after a few years and there's no reason why the building, which conforms to Grade A criteria, will be seen as any poorer in quality.'

If you ask me....I actually feel sorry for Samsung. I dont know the details, but it seems to be a case of bad luck for the bad soil...although I do wonder if building technologies today should have discovered that possibility beforehand?

I feel sorry for the skyscraper scene in Singapore! :cry:

Originally posted by RafflesCity

I feel sorry for the skyscraper scene in Singapore! :cry: Why so? Isnt it cool to be abe to boast about the safest tilted building around? :D

Never mind... SAMSUNG making big money selling its phones... hehehee

i wonder if many people got fired over this...

Between Great Eastern and Prudential Building...

http://membres.lycos.fr/pengui/tour/rebuilding.jpg

Looks like demolishing rather than building... But the tower seems rather new... Refurbishing ?

Oh, it had nearly completed, when it was discovered that the whole tower was leaning by only a fraction of a degree.

Now, they are trying to prevent it from tilting any futher, and trying to un-tilt it.

But, I'm not sure what they are doing to the facade.

Yup that is the leaning building at Church Street.

I read that it will be ready next year and that they are making changes to its facade.

Wah?!

Reclad even before it's completed?

What a waste...

actually if i remember correctly it was slanting by a full degree? i'm not sure though.. well spending on beauty is never too much of a waste :) i hope they dont make it uglier though

Yeah its true they are doing changed to the cladding.....I got a feeling it might be done to lessons the load on one side of it, because the cladding is actually different on two sides...probably a contributing factor to the tilt?

One full degree ??? That's something you can probably notice standing next to the building...
Now I think I've seen something about this building on ss.com
A long time ago ^^

Yah, you can see it slightly tilting from the street.

Yeah its true they are doing changed to the cladding.....I got a feeling it might be done to lessons the load on one side of it, because the cladding is actually different on two sides...probably a contributing factor to the tilt?

never thought about it that way but it makes the most sense to do something like that at extra expense :yes:

Yah, you can see it slightly tilting from the street.
Crazy....that is a major exageration!!! :bash: :D

There is no way you could see it tilted with your naked eye obviously! ;)

1° That's quite alot when u're speaking about a 100+ meter building.
Actually when I resize the pictures from my digicam, sometimes I have to correct a little bit of tilt, and usually 1 or 2° is enough. That makes a difference for a 800 pixels image !! Can you imagine for a 100m+ building ?? You should really be able to see it I believe :-)

100tan1=1.746m

i think its a little taller than 100m? maybe 140 or so?

1° That's quite alot when u're speaking about a 100+ meter building.
Actually when I resize the pictures from my digicam, sometimes I have to correct a little bit of tilt, and usually 1 or 2° is enough. That makes a difference for a 800 pixels image !! Can you imagine for a 100m+ building ?? You should really be able to see it I believe :-)
Cant be lah....I will freak out! :D I passed by it for quite a number of times, and didnt really notice a thing. Also, the media articles talking about this building said that the tilt is not noticeable by the naked eye too?

Anyway...is the tilt really 1°?

I think so.

There's this HDB on Pioneer Road North, I pass in front (I mean, just under it) twice a day, and I am CERTAIN it's tilting ^^
One day I'll climb to the upper floor and drop something to see where it falls ^^
Huh, I'll be fined if I do this ^^

huh.. wouldnt residents make noise if it was tilting?

Just tie a small stone on a string, go to the top floor and hold it against the wall, suspended by the string.This is the most obvious way to test if it is tilting.

Other famous tilting structures are the New Seventh Storey Hotel and Masjid Hajjah Fatimah's minaret.

100tan1=1.746m

i think its a little taller than 100m? maybe 140 or so?

Sounds quite accurate if you measured it to roof but I guess the spire pushes it up to 172m

28 August 2004

They seem to be working on it forever...
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/103church288.jpg

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/103church288a.jpg

maybe it's the effect of knowing but it looks tilted.. haha

the shape reminds me of the moe building

moe building? seldom see it.

This project has dragged on and I see theyre removed the glass panels from the top.

it's like this
http://www1.moe.edu.sg/wearemoving/images/newbldg-color1.gif

i guess its the fin running down the ummm somwehre in the centre

that kind of design is pretty common..eg the Chifley Tower in Sydney

Are they recladding it?

Are they recladding it?

They have to. They already removed the glass panels so now they have to do something about the top.

This was taken at the beginning of 2004.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/503/9boatsg8.jpg

What do you mean 'have to'?

It isn't even complete yet and they're recladding it.

Based on that pic above, you can see that ithe top was actually completed.

But they removed the glass panels (as can be seen in my pic on Aug 28). So isnt it logical that they have to do something about the top, like reclad it?

I will be very surprised if they left the top looking like that.

I meant why the strip the original cladding?

No idea. Perhaps to change the weight distribution by using lighter materials since the building is leaning???

It now looks very different from the rendering!

Such a huge waste of money.

the tilting building:


Post: http://files.photojerk.com/sybarite/republicplaza/tiltingbuilding.jpg

Looks like they stripped off the green glass compared to the last time I took a pic...

20 Oct 2004

http://img19.exs.cx/img19/3908/cs2010.jpg

like a hurricane victim...

16 November 2004

http://img75.exs.cx/img75/2199/cs1611.jpg

i hope it emerges prettier than before :)

that netting might mean theyre gonna reclad it, and luckily they used blue instead of green nets!

20 Dec 2004

http://img69.exs.cx/img69/4517/1church6ha.jpg

Still no change? :?

looks like theyre dismantling the spire?

I still wonder what on earth they're doing! :?

Recladding it before its even complete?! :bash:

Amazing... I found this photo by Baq which was taken in Jan 2004. Someone stated in the thread was 3 Church st

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/503/9singcbd96.jpg

Was this the building that had some problem with the soil?

yeah..it was leaning...:eek:

Looked rather different in design now...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/redstone/chsttower.jpg
3 Church Street from Yue Hai Ching Temple! :D

21 Jan 2005

http://img138.exs.cx/img138/7906/3church2wx.jpg

i really wonder what theyre doing :rant:

i really wonder what theyre doing :rant:


hmmm... making sure the building is really safe??? :)

oh but of course..thats a great shot btw, it looks like the cousin of the Prudential next to it :cool:

If someone has the time, could they go out get some new pics of the site. Re-cladding works have started on Service Road side.

I like this building's architecture. Should have been taller.

4th March 2005

New cladding is underway indeed !
Nothing much for now, still, and not enough to get an idea of how it will look when completed.

http://membres.lycos.fr/pengui/ssc/050304_3churchstreet01.jpg

Are they recladding the old cladding?

The old cladding (curtainwall) was totally stripped off and a new curtainwall system is being installed.

I mean the new facade's design is same as the old?

Yeah the new facade is similar in design to the old one, just that new materials are being used.

I wondering what construction is this?? :?

http://img220.exs.cx/img220/5766/pic0115910js.jpg

http://img220.exs.cx/img220/7554/pic0117716op.jpg

oh thanks for the update!

Thats 3 Church Street (the leaning building) which is being reclad. I'll move the posts to the thread

http://img26.exs.cx/img26/7900/chst2dl.jpg

http://img103.exs.cx/img103/8013/chst28pi.jpg

Glad to see the facade rising.

It looks like as if a bomb exploded in the building at the moment

that biulding that had to be reclad - update
http://img186.echo.cx/img186/501/reclad8yy.jpg

27 April 2005

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/rotpics03/church2704.jpg

i hope thats not green glass!

13 May 2005

http://img62.echo.cx/img62/1598/img00365s4nr.jpg

^

this side of the building is the same as with the original design?

Very nice now... anyone got a shot?

Tilting building: 2 men, firm charged

2 Jul 05

Concrete piles were not deep enough, contrary to approved piling plan, say charges

TWO people and an organisation involved in the construction of a 30-storey office building that has suffered a 0.1-degree tilt were charged in court yesterday.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2005-07-02/h9.jpg

They are main contractor Samsung Corporation; Lee Chung Shek, managing director of Maunsell Consultants which is Samsung's structural design consultants; and Chen Soon Fatt, the resident site supervisor.

The South Korean company is the builder responsible for carrying out the piling works for the $320-million structure in Church Street.

During the piling from Aug 18 to Oct 12, 2000, the company allegedly deviated in a material way from the piling plan approved by the Commissioner of Building Control on Aug 17, 2000.

The charge states that 66 out of the 73 concrete bored piles it installed at the site had failed to penetrate at least 5m into the hard stratum, as specified in the piling plan.

Lee, the qualified person for structural works, is accused of a similar offence, in having permitted the piling works carried out by Samsung to deviate in a material way from the approved piling plan.

He also faces another charge under the Building Control Act.

Chen, who was supervising the piling works, faces a charge similar to Lee's. He is unrepresented.

The maximum penalty for the offence is a fine of up to $50,000 and a jail term of up to 12 months.

Both Samsung and Lee are represented by lawyers, who applied for the summons charges to be adjourned to make representations to the prosecution.

The cases will be mentioned on Aug 12.

Early last year, Samsung made a deal with the building's owners - CapitaLand, the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the OCBC Group - to do full rectification works, scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.

Construction at the 27,580 sq ft site began five years ago, in July 2000 and the tilt, the result of soil problems, was discovered in 2002 as it was nearing completion.

The building should have been handed over to its developers in December 2002.

9 July 2005

http://tinypic.com/6z4utj.jpg

http://tinypic.com/6z4tc8.jpg

Same look?

As of 28th June:

http://membres.lycos.fr/pengui/ssc/050628_3_church_street01.jpg

Hey Pengui! You are back!!! :)

Closer look at the top (9 July 2005)
http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/3451/p10006820te.jpg

I'm not ^^ Well I was not away, actually ^^
Just absolutely no time to post, hardly enough to read a few posts every week ;-)

Pengui> cool picture!,i see you use same cam as me:)

btw,welcome back..long time no see:)

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/4691/clipboard038vs.jpg
16 July....

9 Sep 2005
I think it'll be ready soon... the spire.

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/1568/p10201738sc.jpg

How it compares with the tallest 3.
http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/1900/p10201686xm.jpg

Can't see much leh.... :(

what do you wish to see? :lol:

The spire is up now since the last time you posted. Also, just as "cannot see much leh"... hehe.

I still wonder what they did to the tower..... :?:?:?

From what I can see in my pics since 2004...
2004, there was a spire w/o green glass... Jan 2005, the spire is gone... Sep 2005, the spire is back with green glass.

The oddest tower here.... :dizzy: :hammer:

here's the picture :)

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/8849/3churchst3tu.jpg

can you tell the difference?

Never really paid attention to the spire..but now it seems so conspicuous :cool:

The building looks almost done....cant wait till they remove the fencing at ground level so as to increase the pedestrian space there.

Some updates on the ground level

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/4886/p10205766df.jpg

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/505/p10205782qx.jpg

whats that huge arc? interesting...

cant wait for this project to finally finish and free up more pedestrian space around it!

cover walkway for the office workers to get to China Square for lunch

hmm..I like the shape of it...almost thought it was some form of 'art' :cool:

2 Dec 2005

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/1246/dscn21444xm.jpg

You beat me to it again ;-)
Taken on 26th November:

http://membres.lycos.fr/pengui/051126_3_church_street01.jpg
It's ending up being a handsome building :-)

Is the spire there for a purpose? Or is it just for decoration - something developers wouldn't want to spend money on usually...

I suppose it's decoration only.

2 Dec 2005

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/1246/dscn21444xm.jpg

I really love its coloured lighting at night, especially the facing on the Singapore River...what a pleasant ending to a sorry beginning :happy:

^ unfortunately, this is taken from Telok Ayer St. :)

3 Church Street is gorgeous lit up at night.....:eek:
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e126/ylstan02/City%20Landscape/DSC_0118.jpg

The Skyline......3 Church Street really making its presence felt with its blue lights....:cool:
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e126/ylstan02/Shaw%20Carpark/DSC_0104.jpg