Note by moderator - The earlier discussion of this project has been archived and can be found here:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=68446

24 September 2005
http://img335.imageshack.us/img335/4108/rq4rk.jpg
Update. Shorter tower almost same height has John Hancock Tower.

http://img335.imageshack.us/img335/91/rq0xy.jpg
Meanwhile an orange thingy had popped out from the core. Anyone know what it is?

I don't see it in the pic taken today.

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/5330/p10207072hp.jpg

looks so good now!

hmmm..I wonder what that orange 'stick' at the top is for...the project should have reached its maximum height or what...

looks so good now!

hmmm..I wonder what that orange 'stick' at the top is for...the project should have reached its maximum height or what...

That's what I'm asking.
A sign of topping out soon?

okay... now I know what Redstone meant. See the closeups.

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/1120/p10207075xa.jpg

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/5861/p10207086of.jpg

Hmmm... what's that? :?

post in world forum and ask. sorry. I didn't notice that. Otherwise, would have taken a better closeup.

I don't see it in the pic taken today.

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/5330/p10207072hp.jpg

Looks good from this angle.....:yes:

oh okay.

@babystan. Yup. But, to take this pic, one has to go to the quieter side of the restaurant which is a closed section usually. ;)

it may be just a box...but it sure looks classy to me :cool:

AI: Giant-turned-dwarf :lol:

Taken today.
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/4703/p10301990ka.jpg

The orange equipment is part of a concrete pumper that looks like this
http://boulder.noaa.gov/const_photos/blockd/jul-b-1.jpg

here is one taken today :) sorry for the quality, taken from my phone :)

http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/4361/27sept0tk.jpg

this picture view angle somehow shrouds the dominate views of the three towers :p

This building turns out to be totally different in everyway I'v expected, Slimmer, Taller, Surprisingly Impressive facade, bigger impact to the overal skyline and ofcouse I love it...:D

yes Chad it does look wondrous, although the shorter one is really huge! They both look like they dont wanna 'fit-in' with the older buildings :O

Thats a cool angle Mr ASAP!

How tall is the short tower?

It's absolutely MASSIVE!!!! :eek2:

Saw this today... looks scary!!! :eek:

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/218/dscn02763er.jpg

The cable looks fragile... :runaway:

To play safe: beside using safety belt, may be they should also wear parachute :lol:

HIGH risk High return

Teather themselves to the building with back-up teather. :lol:

Sorry... how's the single word for 'safety line' spelt? =P

I've never knew it's done manually... piece by piece... :runaway:

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/8128/dscn02751th.jpg

:eek2:
Like giant jigsaw puzzel!!!

I saw the delivery of those panels on last 2 evenings. They were huge! btw, it amuses me to see that the expected date of completion for ORQ is 24 Sept 2005 on its board.

Miscalculations... :lol:

It's a mystery when it'll be completed... :lol:

no lah...the project was behind schedule since last year...and wasnt helped by the on-site accidents...

really? no wonder they are rushing mad... hmmm... will sail@marina delay too? the progress on that site is so very slow... :p

I think the foundation on the Sail may take as long as 1.5 years before it starts rising...hopefully not, but 1RQ took that long (also because the MRT tunnel runs directly beneath it).

but... the sail's top is like 31dec 2009.. . too much time if you ask me

as long as those stuff that happened to orq doesnt happent to sail, sail will complete on time! all the best... :)

yesterday:
http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/7631/dsc025401my.jpg

http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/2290/dsc025297oj.jpg

Wah!!!!!! :eek::cool:

Post in world forums!!!!

wonder if the extended crane breaches the 280m height restriction :lol:

The impact on the skyline :cool:

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/6500/dsc025358tr.jpg

Stunning!!!! :cool:

actually i dont really think its really special or stunning or blarblar. singapore's skyline isn't transformed dramatically because of this building, nor is it a very spectacular building.

another pics more clearer on the skyline:
http://img321.imageshack.us/img321/8431/dsc025323zp.jpg

wow it looks blueish from here...

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/4698/rq14ky.jpg

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/2499/rq20gj.jpg

08 oct 2005
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/1251/dsc026212gz.jpg

http://img426.imageshack.us/img426/8632/dsc026375xm.jpg

http://img449.imageshack.us/img449/2195/dsc026290nm.jpg

http://img426.imageshack.us/img426/205/untitledtruecolor049pi.jpg

wow, nice set of pics! Really brings out the shine of the building.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a161/juanwy/IMAGE0134.jpg


One Raffles Quay is shaping the skyline.(sry as the pic is not clear)

today :)

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/3527/img19288hv.jpg

they have yet done any cladding on the connecting portion?

u walked from there to Marina Square vs Marina City Park then Sheares Bridge? :dizzy:

actually, some forumers here love to do that... walk long distance. ;D

they have yet done any cladding on the connecting portion?

u walked from there to Marina Square vs Marina City Park then Sheares Bridge? :dizzy:

actually, some forumers here love to do that... walk long distance. ;D

yes walk through shears bridge....lol walk to the constructions site is the exit i though was dead end :p luckily there was a visible exit from the contruction site, got funny stares from the bangladashi workers :) as i walk out from there ..... because ''by-right'' shears bridge is no longer accessable :( (pedestraians that is :))

today was a great photo opportunity because of the nice sky conditions :)

actually, there is another way which you could walk thru Marina City Park to Sheares Bridge. :)

Glad the weather improved for you cos I remember the rain started to pour after 5.30pm

actually, there is another way which you could walk thru Marina City Park to Sheares Bridge. :)

Glad the weather improved for you cos I remember the rain started to pour after 5.30pm

yes i walked through the Marina bay park....when it was sunshiine after the rain :) so big and so deserted the park.... :( (perhaps not in a few years time:)) was a very long walk .....

another picture of ORQ :)

http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/306/img19018ul.jpg

seems like this building has a lot of open space :)

the shorter tower is really quite big! :eek:

22 October 2005

http://img481.imageshack.us/img481/8062/rq22106au.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

It's quite scary watching the workers putting up the facade piece by piece... imagine the a piece of the facade drops? or one of the workers fall from there... :eek:

When do you think both towers will top up? I can't see how many floors they have built already and how many more to go.

I'm sure it should top out by end of the year...provided it doesnt rain so much (or maybe that doesnt affect it)

too bad there were already some accidents

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/4130/d1ub.jpg
My version. :D

I think it might be time to rename the development Raffles Quay Tower or something... :yes:


So many 'Ones'.
One Marina Boulevard (NTUC Centre)
One George Street
One Raffles Quay

One Redstone. :D

today :)

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/3527/img19288hv.jpg


Wow!!! Impressive construction site!!

@Pedrillo

hmmm actually that is not the construction site for the One Raffles Quay ... its the construction site for the upcoming BFC (business & Financial Centre)


here is a clearer image as to where that photo was taken from :)

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/8502/paranoma55dl.jpg

heh..the grass has grown wild! :eek:

yah the future BFC will be the next big thing once Raffles Quay and the Sail get completed. Right now theyre finishing off the first phase of the Common Services Tunnel.

heh..the grass has grown wild! :eek:


Yes ! :D :D :D Marina bay area seriously need lots of gardening to do ......badly needs it ......and Marina Bay city park is also undergoing some renovations ......hope it will look much better the next time i visit that area again lol :D the grass have grown to up to about knee length ! :D i wil see if i have anymore of these grass pictures :D

ok :)

Rentals for prime office space edge up

23 Oct 05

Limited supply allows new kid on the block, One Raffles Quay, to ask for as much as $7.50 psf

By Joyce Teo
Property Correspondent

LATELY, some glitzy luxury apartments have been hogging the limelight after commanding sky-high sale prices.

But records are also quietly being set in another niche of the property market: office rentals in top-end commercial space such as the soon-to-be-completed One Raffles Quay.

Because of a limited supply of new large, prime office space - a state of affairs that is expected to continue for the next few years - the new kid on the block, One Raffles Quay, is enjoying quite a bit of attention.

Asking rents there now average $6.50-$7.50 per sq ft (psf), though deals so far are believed to have been signed for less than $7 psf. The 1.3 million sq ft, two-tower project will be completed in phases in April and October next year.

Yet, already, more than 50 per cent of the floor space has been leased out, and the tenants include big names such as ABN-Amro, Deutsche Bank and UBS.

Said the general manager of Raffles Quay Asset Management, Mr David Martin: 'We've come out of a prolonged downturn. Only five years ago, rents were above $6 to $7 psf.

'We want to be heading the market, along with other major buildings,' he added.

Deals for another 20 per cent or so of the project are being negotiated, and should be finalised by the end of the year, said Mr Martin.

New buildings are typically in demand, though One Raffles Quay alone constitutes more than half of the 2.5 million sq ft or so in known new office space that is expected to come onto the market by 2008.

However, that is only about a quarter of the floor space that would typically be expected to be completed over this period, said property consultancy CB Richard Ellis (CBRE).

The project is being developed by a consortium equally owned by Cheung Kong (Holdings), Hongkong Land and Keppel Land - the same team that is developing the Business and Financial Centre, which could add another 2.8 million sq ft of new space starting from 2009-2010.

Apart from limited supply, office rents are rising in line with an improving economy, growth in financial services and more hiring by the services sector, said CBRE.

Its executive director, Mr Moray Armstrong, argues that the conditions are now ripe for Singapore's office landlords to enjoy a period of impressive rental growth, though tenants have so far had a 'fair degree of success' in resisting major rental hikes.

He said the lack of price rises was a result of tenants and landlords having become conditioned by the low-rent environment over the past few years.

Average prime office rents in the third quarter stood at $4.90 psf a month, up 4.3 per cent since the second quarter.

Rents in Grade A or top grade prime office space such as Six Battery Road and Republic Plaza moved up 7 per cent to $5.25 psf in the third quarter.

The figure was $4 psf at end-2003 and $4.40 psf at the end of last year. The current level is still almost 50 per cent below 1996-1997 levels, when the market was booming, noted CBRE.

Nevertheless, these bargain basement rents will not last long as tenants - mostly financial services firms, wealth management companies, and accounting and law firms - look for bigger space in which to grow, said property consultancy Cushman & Wakefield's managing director, Mr Donald Han.

New buildings have bigger floor plates, which are attractive to large firms.

One George Street is enjoying good demand, and at 3 Church Street, which will be completed early next year, talks on a deal for a big anchor tenant, which may take up as much as 70 per cent of the space, are ongoing, consultants said.

'We might be revisiting the 2000 peaks in about a year,' Mr Han said. He noted that, in 2000, effective prime rents averaged $7 psf. Certainly, 'the office market is the star performer in 2005', he added.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/shao_ye/tallest3_5thcmingsoon.jpg
160905

Sorry for the big pics :D

Construction updates and Impact on the skyline 241005

http://img472.imageshack.us/img472/3954/dsc02680edited7mf.jpg

Oh WOW!!!!! :eek2: :banana::cool:

Can be a wallpaper!!!! :D

Very nice!!!!

^^ Thanks :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/shao_ye/sky.jpg

Very unique and creative perspective! :cool: :D

Looks like there's slums by the sea... :eek::lol:

nice view from East Coast :)

RZB, SG join firms committing to take up space in ORQ

27 Oct 05

ONE Raffles Quay (ORQ) continues to attract tenants. The latest are RZB Bank of Austria and Societe Generale (SG), who are taking up about 18,000 sq ft and 40,000 sq ft, respectively, in the project's North Tower, which is slated for completion in October 2006.

http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2005-10-27/krnew27-201513.jpg

Several asset management companies have also taken up three floors adding up to 54,000 sq ft in the same tower, sources have told BT.

And market talk is that Ernst & Young (E&Y) could be a hot new tenant for ORQ. The accounting giant is looking at taking up at least 120,000 sq ft at ORQ or 3 Church Street. The latter is expected to be completed in January.

Right now, bets are that E&Y will probably make its way to ORQ, given that it is a more prestigious location, being part of the New Downtown shaping up around the Marina Bay area.

The firm now occupies more than 120,000 sq ft at Ocean Building at Collyer Quay and Keppel Towers in Hoe Chiang Road. Its leases in both buildings expire late next year, around the same time ORQ's North Tower is expected to be completed, making it ideal for a move to the new location.

Of course, E&Y could decide to stay put and renew its existing lease at Ocean Building and Keppel Towers - both owned by Keppel Land - if the latter is willing to offer attractive rentals, market watchers say.

If, indeed, E&Y moves to ORQ, it will not be a complete loss for KepLand either since it has a one-third share in the consortium that is developing ORQ. The same consortium also clinched the nearby mega Business and Financial Centre site in July. Sources say SG has committed to take up about 40,000 sq ft in ORQ's North Tower, where it will house its private banking business. And it may consider expanding its space requirements at the new location, the sources suggest.

ORQ, with a total net lettable area of 1.3 million sq ft in two towers, is now about 60 per cent let, and this figure is expected to rise to 70 per cent if E&Y signs up. Major tenants that have signed up so far are ABN Amro and Deutsche Bank - who are taking up about 160,000 and 180,000/190,000 sq ft, respectively, in the shorter, 29-storey South Tower - and UBS, which will occupy 180,000 sq ft spread across the top 10 floors of the 50-storey North Tower.

Market watchers expect both towers to be fully let by completion. South Tower is slated for completion around April next year.

Monthly gross rents in the development have risen from $4 to over $6 per sq ft in the past 18 months. Rents are expected to go higher still as the remaining space is let and the project nears completion.

October 2006???!!! :eek:

October 2006???!!! :eek:

yeah didnt expect ot such a late date i thought perhaps late June 2006, as the internal fixtures and fittings should not take that long ...... maybe the elevators need more time for certification :):) always that way.....

October 2006???!!! :eek:

Maybe the article meant occupancy rather than completion. Either that or they are really expecting more worksite mishaps *touchwood* that will delay the project even more.

27-10-2005
http://img471.imageshack.us/img471/7475/1rafflesquay27thoctober20057si.jpg

i know where the pic is taken from, esplanade rooftop right? can see the security cam...

:D

I like the way how it's tilted.

Breaks the otherwise linear row of skyscrapers. :cool:

Picture taken on 29/10/05. The core has topout and seems like progress has slow a little at the top.

http://www.geocities.com/unixxi/img_0860.jpg

I cant wait till they start cladding the base

also theres now a huge signboard advertising office space

Pic taken 01 Nov 05.

http://www.geocities.com/unixxi/img_0902.jpg

^ me like that pic... progress clearly seen... has the taller tower reached the top? it looked kindda dull and boring... boxy, nothing speical other that its glass cladding...

This pic taken from East Coast gives a pretty clear idea of how it will impact the skyline.
http://membres.lycos.fr/pengui/ssc/051103_skyline01.jpg
(taken on 3rd of November)

hmmm... looks rather spaced out...

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/4923/construct7gc.jpg

very nice...very nice...i cant wait for october next year to arrive.......:):):)

This pic taken from East Coast gives a pretty clear idea of how it will impact the skyline.
http://membres.lycos.fr/pengui/ssc/051103_skyline01.jpg
(taken on 3rd of November)

^^

amazing pic :-)

amazing pic :-)

Are you going ASCII too or what ? :-)

9 Nov 2005

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/1497/dsc030026pd.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

^ thats scary... look like collapsing... :runaway:

17 Nov 2005
http://img460.imageshack.us/img460/3972/1rafflesquay17nov4bq.jpg

Creepy canyon...:runaway:

20 November 2005

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/rotpics03/rq2011a.jpg

http://tinypic.com/fykikh.jpg

Those are superb pics :-)

Somehow I hate the idea of 3 towers looking alike...

Somehow I hate the idea of 3 towers looking alike...

Well I like it :-) And even ORQ 1 and 2 don't look the same as they are at an angle. NTUC surely looks quite different.
This being said, I hope that will end the trend, 3 green glassy is enough :-)

I'm not keen on the three in a row thing either, and hopefully the sail with break the look. Also, I do hope the BFC isn't the same colour scheme.

However, when the area is fully developed, with the park, towers behind and to the right of 1RQ we'll probably end up not focussing much on 1rq, will just be another filler in the background of what's becoming a great skyline. Let's just keep our fingers crossed for any colour but green.

24 Nov 2005

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/4866/dsc033071bk.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

It had reached max!!!!! :banana:
:dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance:
:banana: :rock: :dj: :banana2:

I believe the lower tower has reached its max--eyeballing yesterday it seemed to be at least 32 storeys.

I couldnt try to count the taller tower. If it is at its max, it seems surprisingly low

I saw it today, the shorter tower is still left with one floor.....

Anybody knows why the developer didn't want to build higher than 33 storey for the South tower ? I thought it make sense to be as tall as the North tower (245m) given the grade A office is expected to be in short supply.

^^

heard that it was originally meant to be 280m tall (but in retrospect that would have made the skyline boring)

I too agree that enough green, this is nice enough to create a relaxing feel when you look at it, but anymore of this tone will be overkill, and once the Sail is ready, your attention will be drawn away from this boxy skyline-filler.

Anybody knows why the developer didn't want to build higher than 33 storey for the South tower ? I thought it make sense to be as tall as the North tower (245m) given the grade A office is expected to be in short supply.

Maybe it has something to do with the max buildable GFA ? The plot is not that big.

Not very up to date but oh well :-)

26th November
http://membres.lycos.fr/pengui/051126_orq02.jpg

Business Times - 06 Dec 2005

One Raffles Quay secures Ernst & Young as tenant

It will lease about 140,000 sq ft. Another new tenant Barclays will lease about 50,000 sq ft

By KALPANA RASHIWALA

ERNST & Young is understood to have accepted an offer from the consortium developing One Raffles Quay (ORQ) to lease 140,000 sq ft in the development's North Tower, sources have told BT.

ORQ has also clinched Barclays Bank as a tenant. It will lease about 50,000 sq ft, or about one and a half floors, in the development's shorter South Tower, which is expected to be ready in a few months. The North Tower is slated for completion late next year.

In addition, Deutsche Bank, which has already signed up as a tenant at ORQ for about 170,000 sq ft, is said to be in talks to take up an additional 75,000 sq ft, all in the South Tower.

BT understands that the latest signings for Barclays and Ernst & Young are at gross monthly rentals of $6 to $6.50 psf. This does not include rent-free periods and other concessions that may have been given to the tenants. When ORQ first began signing up tenants more than a year ago, the figure was $4 psf a month.

'We expect rents to move up north of $7 psf in 2006,' said Robert Garman, head of commercial property (South Asia) at Hong Kong Land, which has a one-third share in the ORQ consortium. He declined to confirm the latest tenants at the development, or the rents they'll pay, when contacted by BT. 'We expect to be 65 to 70 per cent let by the end of this year,' was about all Mr Garman would say.

ORQ's 29-storey South Tower, with about 565,000 sq ft of net lettable area, is slated for completion around Q1 next year. The 50-storey North Tower, with 770,000 sq ft net lettable area, is expected to be completed around Q3 next year.

Tenants who have signed up for the South Tower include Barclays Bank plc, ABN Amro and Deutsche. The North Tower tenants include UBS, Ernst & Young, RZB Bank of Austria, Societe Generale, hedge fund Orient Services, Capital Group unit Capital International, Jardine Lloyd Thompson and Fitness First Plus gym.

Barclays, which currently has operations at Capital Square and The Atrium@Orchard, is expected to stay put at those locations. The new space it will take up at ORQ will be for an expansion of its operations, say sources.

In contrast, Ernst & Young will be moving out of its existing premises at Ocean Building at Collyer Quay and Keppel Towers in Hoe Chiang Road when its leases expire late next year and move into ORQ's North Tower, which should be ready around the same time.

Office industry sources suggest that all the banks that have made commitments at ORQ are expected to take up more space than they had initially planned for, given that banks have been expanding their presence in Singapore. The trend is expected to continue.

'We will see more international banks increasing their footprints in Singapore next year - for both front-office and back-end infrastructure and support functions,' predicts a property consultant familiar with banks' leasing requirements.

After ORQ's completion by late next year, there will be no new major office projects in the Central Business District until the first building at the Business and Financial Centre (BFC) is ready by 2009 or 2010.

The ORQ consortium - whose members besides Hongkong Land are Keppel Land and Li Ka-shing's Cheung Kong Holdings - essentially comprises the same team which is also also developing the BFC project nearby. 'We've received several enquiries with regard to the BFC project,' Mr Garman said.

Copyright © 2005 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

I believe theyre now working on the 'fin' for the shorter tower on the side facing Shenton Way.

What fin? :eek:

Look at the rendering of the shorter tower, there is some kinda roof structure at the top...

Has the taller one topped out?

I think it has reached maximum height, just cladding going up the shorter one :)

Some sexy renderings....:D

North Tower
http://www.orq.com.sg/media/popup_northtower_lobby.jpg

South Tower
http://www.orq.com.sg/media/popup_southtower_lobby.jpg

The plaza
http://www.orq.com.sg/media/popup_theplaza01.jpg

Retail Link
http://www.orq.com.sg/media/popup_retaillink01.jpg

Night view
http://www.orq.com.sg/media/popup_nite.jpg

Lift Lobby
http://www.orq.com.sg/media/popup_lift_lobby_2.jpg

http://www.orq.com.sg/prototype/index_gallery.html

When will it be ready???

It will open next year I guess...maybe in the middle of next year

The underground connection to Raffles Place MRT will also be opening

One Raffles Quay at night (30/12/05):

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/ylstan01/City%20landscape/DSC014111.jpg

This one is nearly done from the outside.

It's great to see that this one secured big clients.

3 Jan 2006

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/6770/dscn24856rb.jpg

nice and simple...although bigger than its neighbours, it seems to blend effortlessly in

@bbstan, nice night shot :cool:

^ Thanks....:yes:

People's Park looks oddly beside skyline. :lol:

yes the first tower or the fatter one is near completion ....just left like one or two panels to fit in if not its a complete building :D from ECP view :) ...... the main tower still has got some work to do :)

at least this time the building of 1ORQ isnt like Maybank tower (next to fullerton) where it was a complete eyesore during its construction...still remember the terrible looks it cause to the skyline....

Taken by a china-based freelance photographer and currently working on a singapore project.

View from 46th floor of 1 Raffles Quay!
http://stars.vip.sina.com/singapore/1.jpg
His website: http://www.999kg.com/

:eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2:

He works there????

22.01.06

ORQ looking really sleek now !

http://www.geocities.com/unixxi/img_0093.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/unixxi/img_0099.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/unixxi/img_0103.jpg

this was 4 months ago :):) :D


http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/3987/img18981lu.jpg

ORQ looks sleek. That's the way I like it. Who cares if its boxy. It has the futuristic 21st century look and I like it. Glass glass and more glass... Singapore probably only has a couple of fully glass buildings in the business district that I can think of.

WOW! That pic from the top of ORQ is amazing!!!!!

my first pic...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v654/ahlipp/DSCF1775.jpg

^^
thats one of my favourite dramatic angles

28 January 2006

the fin of the shorter tower being cladded up

http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/2994/rq28015xu.jpg

well the main tower is finshing up....they left about 3 more stories of glass cladding to do before it looks complete.....

sorry but this image was taken from my phone.....didnt have my camera with me....so yes apologies for poor picture quality..you know cellphone cameras has no optics, no possiblity to adjust exposure etc etc :D

but this is also how much of an impact this building is doing onto the skyline....
http://img506.imageshack.us/img506/8456/edit15eq.jpg


Sail@marina bay...please hurry up with your construction!!!! :D

Considering, these two has been built really fast!!!...:cool:

8 Feb 2006

Last few pieces to deliver?
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/6508/dscn27659qb.jpg

How much longer to go?
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/1908/dscn27688rt.jpg

The tenants have started advertising on the hoardings...
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/7315/dscn27717sh.jpg

8 Feb 2006

More pictures...
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/5108/dscn27732na.jpg

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/2324/dscn27872ay.jpg

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/844/dscn27767ib.jpg

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/1664/dscn27757tn.jpg

HUGE!!!!!!!!!!

Hya, post in world forums. :D

last pic is the best :okay:

^Thanks :)

11 Feb 2006

Let's see how long it takes to complete the top.
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/5436/dscn29638zj.jpg

Where did you zoom this from? :eek:

ORQ (12/2/06)

http://img376.imageshack.us/img376/1860/dsc0175917pj.jpg

http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/2421/dsc0176012iy.jpg

I wonder what theyre constructing right at the top...hope this building can have some lighting at night.

I wonder what theyre constructing right at the top

maybe they are building the similar fin to that of the opposite tower? hope that the front facade will really look ''separated'' from the building at night :) and i really want to visit the atrium :D

http://www.meinhardt.com.sg/admin/project_images/OneRafflesQuayWebsite.jpg

Blue glass.....

best word to describe the color... bluish green or greenish blue..

Lipp's back! :eek::D

I really wonder how the heck they are gonna remove these cranes as their "stem" are inside the building...

Remove by helicopter? or super giant mobile crane to remove it?

:)

I really wonder how the heck they are gonna remove these cranes as their "stem" are inside the building...

Remove by helicopter? or super giant mobile crane to remove it?

:)

I thought they would dismantle it bit by bit and transport it down by the lift?

not sure...

I think typically, a third and smaller temporary crane is installed by the tower cranes. Once this is done, the tower cranes are dismantled and taken down by the smaller one which is then dismantled and taken down using the construction lift.

19 Feb 2006

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/5443/20050219orq3qy.jpg

Wah so close.....:eek:

Looks like the top floor is super high?

nice pic hya!

Think the views on its top most floors will be really nice. This building doesn't seem to have skyrise gardens though.

I hope to see a restaurant/bar operating on the topmost floor of ORQ with an alfresco section facing the sea and operates 24/7. :D

Wow. These two tower cranes are now without support stems, left just on the concrete floor - magnificent machines that we took for granted. The stems are already disassembled. Second crane is already outside the support stem, taking out the last pieces of stem. Construction lift is also taken out. Cannot figure how they take the last crane machine with cabin out after it takes out the first crane...

Are they gonna leave this last crane machine in the tower, just like bored tunnel machines that are normally left behind behind the wall after the tunnels are completed?

right... amazing... Think they probably complete the lifting "arm" on top of the building to lower those machines to the ground.

Just a wild guess cos I see those "arms" on tall buildings like UOB, OUB and Republic Plaza for lifting equipments like gondolas. Not sure if the weight is too much to handle or not. :D

wow :eek2: great updates !

1 Raffles Quay
Saturday, 25 February 2006
© ignoramus
http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/2050/dsc001134cl.jpg

Looking great!

^ somehow hor, that photo looks more like some computer generated graphics... kindda cool...

1 Raffles Quay & The Skyline
Saturday, 25 February 2006
© ignoramus
http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/4012/dsc001146ir.jpg

nice. the top seems so so long to complete....

I went to the city today, and I saw the top seen from the esplanade has been placed with the windows.

It looks amazing...depending on whether the sun is shining on it, and yes, a portion of the top has been fully cladded as of today :)

My contribution

:cool:

http://i2.tinypic.com/oupfk2.jpg

http://i2.tinypic.com/oupe8w.jpg

http://i2.tinypic.com/oupen5.jpg

nice :)

1 Mar 2006

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/8890/0010he.jpg

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/4870/dscn31162hq.jpg

3 Mar 2006

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/6808/dscn31180wt.jpg

nice pics baq & hya :)

looks like the top will be quite elegantly tapered off

Wah... wonder what would be up at the top. :eek:

taken today from esplanade. can see that one side of the top is almost fully cladded with glass. not too long to wait... but can only admire the building for another year or two b4 the sail blocks it partially...

http://img450.imageshack.us/img450/6526/crw2335custom5ae.jpg

^^

The Sail will not block it from the angle you took it from though :)

Lovely colours!

11/03/06:

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/ylstan01/City%20landscape/DSC021471.jpg

Wow, I like the color a lot! :)

Looks bluish at night
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/ylstan01/City%20landscape/DSC021931.jpg

^^beautiful!

5 days from the previous update and noticable change is they have completed the 4th frame :)

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/9102/orq15pi.jpg

wow!!almost completed.

theyre now working on a canopy at the base that spreads outwards

Latest pic? :cool:

CBRE sees rising rents in prime areas

7 Apr 06

By KALPANA RASHIWALA


CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) has painted a picture of tightening prime office space and rental escalation here.

The firm, in a report released yesterday, says that the monthly average Grade A rent in the Raffles Place and Marina Centre locations rose 5.3 per cent quarter-on-quarter in the first three months of the year to hit $6 psf.

The firm is predicting that the figure will continue rising to $7.20 psf by end-2006, reflecting a 26.3 per cent increase for the whole of this year, after last year's 23.4 per cent gain. The figure is now almost 32 per cent higher than the early-2004 trough of $4.55 psf.

The vacancy rate of Grade A office space in the Core CBD area - comprising the Raffles Place, Shenton Way and Marina Centre locations - continued to dip to 4.9 per cent as of end-March, from 7.5 per cent three months earlier.

Net new office demand is expected to remain firm at around two million sq ft. This year's new supply is expected to be about 1.54 million sq ft, with the bulk of it coming from One Raffles Quay (ORQ).

The 1.33 million sq ft project is approaching 90 per cent commitment rate. Rents at ORQ have doubled since leasing began in late 2004, with rents now being set above $8 psf, says CBRE executive director Moray Armstrong, whose firm is marketing ORQ.

Despite this steep rental rise, he is not fearful that the Singapore office market is in danger of being overpriced in the race to attract big office tenants to the island.

Mr Armstrong said: 'Current Grade A office rentals in Singapore still represent a significant discount to comparable buildings in the region, most notably in Hong Kong where MNCs will pay about three times the rent they have to pay in Singapore.'

New tenants at ORQ include Barclays Capital, Norton Rose, Reuters and Rothschild. BT understands that Deutsche Bank will be doubling its take-up in the development to 290,000 sq ft. Mr Armstrong would not be drawn into confirming that Deutsche Bank is doubling its space in the project.

The project's 29-storey South Tower, where Deutsche Bank will be housed, is expected to receive Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) in a few weeks. The 50-storey North Tower is slated for TOP in October. Office space on the island is expected to remain tight over the next few years until the first phase of the Business & Financial Centre is ready around late 2009 or early 2010.

CBRE predicts that over the next three years, large occupiers in the Central Business District may be forced to split operations as they run out of space for 'client-facing' front-office departments.

Latest pic? :cool:

Opps, forgot to post in the singapore thread. Not the latest, but the latest I can get.

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/6212/orq9xp.jpg

^ fabulous cliff! :)

Thanks! Today, looks like they are wrapping up the 2nd last floor
http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/971/orq3pr.jpg

How it fares against the rest....:D

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e126/ylstan02/City%20Landscape/DSC_0012.jpg

WOW! I love the addition to the skyline, looks so perfect, and perfect things come ever so rarely.

your pis is perfect too:D (but abit grainy, tsktsktsk)

WOW! I love the addition to the skyline, looks so perfect, and perfect things come ever so rarely.

your pis is perfect too:D (but abit grainy, tsktsktsk)

Yeah loh....grainy due to compression....:(

At afternoon en night, this building is very very nice!

A closer look
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e126/ylstan02/City%20Landscape/DSC_0011.jpg

same date of update :D different angle.... they have finished the side facade :) work seems to be slowing down by a lot on the top

http://img469.imageshack.us/img469/2041/orqedited5qn.jpg

9 April 2006

It looks done on the other side now :)

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/5231/rq09049kg.jpg

Looks quite nice from that angle.....:cool:

Another angle

15 April 2006

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/RafflesCity/rq1504.jpg

The building goes rather well with the park....:yes:

Yes but it is SO anonymous. Oh well, I suppose once the Sail, BFC and the casino are completed, everyone will just forget about this skyline-filler arrived before its time ^ ^

Lights off on Sat night (22/4/06):

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e126/ylstan02/70-300mm/DSC_0083.jpg

awesome! Is the base done already?

The base of the taller block is still uncladded yet...and I think the base will have a curved canopy.

As for the shorter block, the base is almost finished and its top fin has white lighting. The shorter block should open for business first.

The base of the taller block is still uncladded yet...and I think the base will have a curved canopy.

As for the shorter block, the base is almost finished and its top fin has white lighting. The shorter block should open for business first.

I wonder if they would install any special lighting for the building?? :?

I wonder if they would install any special lighting for the building?? :?

The shorter block HAS special lighting for its fin...I'm sure the taller block would have it too....especially with all this emphasis on special lightings :yes:

Sounds good.....:D

Business Times - 28 Apr 2006

New Reuters office at One Raffles Quay

Move will free up room for new staff to join them

By CONRAD TAN

REUTERS, the London-based news and financial information provider, is setting up a new office at One Raffles Quay as it continues to expand its Singapore operations.

The office, spanning some 18,000 sq ft on the 28th floor of the One Raffles Quay building's north tower, will house client training and demonstration facilities, as well as disaster recovery and editorial functions.

Reuters managing director for Asean, Edward Haddad, told BT that around 100 staff will move into the premises when it opens sometime early next year.

The staff will come from Reuters' existing facility at the Singapore Science Park, which will remain in operation. But Reuters' downtown sales office and training facility in the OUB building at Raffles Place will close when the new office opens.

The company, well known for its financial data computer applications as well as news services, has been busy developing new, 'thin-client' applications that can be delivered over an Internet browser.

Such applications would substantially increase the potential client base for the company's products and services, particularly in Asia, said Mr Haddad.

He said the expansion in office space was necessary to accommodate the growth.

The move will also free up room for new staff to join Reuters, he said.

Its staff strength in Singapore has grown from 539 in 2004 to 618 last year, and is expected to reach 767 by the end of the year.

Singapore is one of three global data warehouses for Reuters which delivers high-speed financial data and news to its clients around the world for trading, portfolio management, risk management and other purposes.

Last year, the company set up its global pictures editing desk and global sports desk at its Science Park office.

The desks provide 24-hour support for its team of photographers, editorial staff and clients around the world.

Copyright © 2005 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

Office demand seems really good now....besides the BFC who knows maybe the government may decide to release more downtown sites for office use :happy:

Some updates on 29/4/06:
(Taken at different time, hence slightly different colour)
1.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e126/ylstan02/Sigma/DSC_0208.jpg
2.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e126/ylstan02/Sigma/DSC_0063.jpg

Its neighbours.....:D
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e126/ylstan02/Sigma/DSC_0060.jpg

Another one...:D
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e126/ylstan02/Sigma/DSC_0062.jpg

for now it looks like a tall basketball player wearing a long t-shirt without any pants

^:lol:

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/4587/img02047zt.th.jpg (http://img148.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img02047zt.jpg)

Taken on 30/04/06

@babystan
using a Sigma 10-20mm lens?

1 May 2006

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/4373/dsc00017as.jpg

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/6042/dsc00028zp.jpg

^ Wah how did u know?? :eek:

because it's not fisheye and not many lenses have such a wide angle.

^ I see....:D

Those are some really cool updates babystan!

This is cool:

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e126/ylstan02/Sigma/DSC_0062.jpg

@hya, good update on the base...I kinda like the shape of the canopy...breaks up the boxiness slightly :yes:

^ Thanks.....:D

actually is that what a sigma 10-20mm lens does?

It kinda makes the object in the middle appear taller?

How much does it cost?

actually is that what a sigma 10-20mm lens does?

It kinda makes the object in the middle appear taller?

How much does it cost?

Yeah thats what the Sigma 10-20mm does.....i guess it stretch the subject a little due to the wideness......:yes:

It cost about S$900.....one word of cautious though, the lens is quite big......:yes:

ok thanks!

5/5/06:
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/8303/dsc00225fj.jpg

Very nice :cool:

Wow!!! That wide angle is amazing!!

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/5741/orq9fj.jpg

^Thanks.....:D Thats a nice picture too....:yes:

May 12, 2006
Credit Suisse to create 900 jobs in S'pore expansion

By Azrin Asmani

IN ANOTHER coup that strengthens Singapore's position as a financial hub, global giant Credit Suisse has become the latest foreign bank to announce it will house its expanded global support operations here, creating 900 jobs by the end of next year.

The decision by the Swiss banking giant announced yesterday came hot on the heels of a similar move by another global financial player, United States investment bank Merrill Lynch, last month.

They are now part of a growing trend among international banking executives to have chosen the Republic over other Asian cities to locate their low-profile but crucial 'back-end' functions.

Singapore's excellent IT infrastructure and its skilled workforce, as well as its low-cost environment are among factors that gave it the nod.

'Singapore is a vital centre for the entire region, both in terms of our regional business strategy and our regional support operations,' Credit Suisse's chief executive for the group's Asia Pacific operations, Mr Paul Calello, said at a media briefing yesterday.

The group also said yesterday that it has signed a new long-term lease for a 110,000 sq ft office space at One Raffles Quay along Shenton Way, which is now the place to be for global brands like financial powerhouse UBS Bank and Barclays Capital.

The new offices have the capacity to house 1,400 Credit Suisse's support staff. About 900 IT, finance, operations and product control positions are expected to be filled up by end of next year.

The bank added that more than half of those jobs will be earmarked for Singaporeans, without giving exact numbers.

Known previously as Credit Suisse First Boston, the Swiss bank went through a name change earlier this year to reflect its new strategy, which integrates all its business divisions such as wealth management, asset management and investment banking under one brand name.

After setting up operations here in 1972, Credit Suisse currently employs 2,200 staff in two locations: 1,400 officers at One Raffles Link and 800 support staff at Changi Business Park, which was opened in February 2004.

To put that in perspective, the biggest foreign bank here, Citibank, employs about 7,300 staff here, according to a report last December.

Last month, US investment banking giant Merrill Lynch announced its intention to locate its global back-end operations here, creating 800 jobs over the next two years.

Britain's Barclay's Capital, Citigroup and UBS Bank are among others that have significant support operations here, as part of their outsourcing plans to take advantage of Asia's low-cost environment.

Such moves are also made to increase the resilience of their banking operations in light of possible crisis such as terrorist attacks either in the US or Europe.

Credit Suisse's chief information officer Tom Sanzone said: 'In the past, we might have all our functions in one location, let's say in Manhattan. Now that we have support centres outside Manhattan, so should there be a local event in New York City, the bank is still operational. It will improve our resilience.'

azrin@sph.com.sg

Copyright © 2005 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

nice pic Cliff!

The top corner still hasnt been cladded up as of today.

btw the new road, Marina Boulevard has partially been done up with some signages and I sneaked a walk into the atrium in between the 2 blocks...quite a refreshing experience, somewhat like standing in the plaza of UOB.

Tue 16/05/2006


Its very near completion on the top :D

the bottom still needs some glass cladding work to be done though....

http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/1369/orqfaraway7ta.jpg

http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/1728/orqslowin7ov.jpg

Close up
http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/812/orqcloseup4rb.jpg

wow, only a tiny corner left!!

How it looks at night......:yes:
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e126/ylstan02/BSB/DSC_0019.jpg

How it contributes to the skyline
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e126/ylstan02/BSB/DSC_0007.jpg

The Sail is rising too!

it'll block Capital Tower from that angle though....Capital Tower really adds a lot to the overall pic

19 May 2006
Should complete by tomorrow?

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/8348/dsc05035zh.jpg

YES! the top is done:)

left the bottom...they have started to clad the bottom atrium

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/6798/orq16hn.jpg

http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/526/orq24im.jpg


and the other tower has lit up at night :D
http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/4868/orq32ah.jpg

It's not exactly completed. There's still a corner to do at another angle.

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/7715/o18al.jpg

taller tower will have fins like the shorter one? currently it seems like nope... :(

19 May 2006

The top really does look done from the other angle. I do like the night lighting on the shorter tower's fin.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/RafflesCity/rq1905.jpg

How it contributes to the skyline, starting the thrust outwards towards the new downtown:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/RafflesCity/westinskyline2.jpg

OMG, I like the shorter tower's lighting at the fin. i hope there are night lighting for the taller tower's top too.

Yeah,first of its kind.But i think the lighting of the taller building is good enough..Until the sail comes up!

OMG, I like the shorter tower's lighting at the fin. i hope there are night lighting for the taller tower's top too.

based on Rafflescity photo of the ORQ update, the top part seems to have a provision for that fin like lighting too.....perhaps the taller tower will have that similar effect :D

and what a great way to hide the aircon fans! (dang forgot the term for it) :D

19 May 2006

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/RafflesCity/rq1905.jpg
This picture looks so wierd! Like a bunch of model buildings randombly placed in front of a poster.:D

How it looked from a distance....:yes:
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e126/ylstan02/Tanjong%20Pagar/DSC_0005.jpg

Hu-oh... Nice pic :-)

based on Rafflescity photo of the ORQ update, the top part seems to have a provision for that fin like lighting too.....perhaps the taller tower will have that similar effect :D


There should be lighting for the taller tower, based on this rendering :)

http://www.meinhardt.com.sg/admin/project_images/OneRafflesQuayWebsite.jpg

YUP! :D thats great! :) hopes it also lights up all round! :)


anyway here is another shot of the fin on the shorter tower....it looks more ''transparent'' compared to the taller one.
http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/2266/orq17yl.jpg

There should be lighting for the taller tower, based on this rendering :)

http://www.meinhardt.com.sg/admin/project_images/OneRafflesQuayWebsite.jpg

but the real thing doesn't always 100% look like the rendering... :(

Looks good..

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/raptorsuperb/c4ae7ad5.jpg

based on Rafflescity photo of the ORQ update, the top part seems to have a provision for that fin like lighting too.....perhaps the taller tower will have that similar effect :D

and what a great way to hide the aircon fans! (dang forgot the term for it) :D

Hmm, u meant cooling towers, my friend?

Anyway i suspect there aint any cooling towers on ORQ,
i remembered reading somewhere that all buildings in the New Downtown
will served by a central cooling facilty that
will provide all buildings with cold water/gas to run their air-con systems.
If there is such a system, then there should be this massive industrial-like building (to house the condensing units) somewhere around, but i cant spot any...

I aint sure if i'm right, somebody confirm pls? :)

22nd May

Photos taken this monday...

http://membres.lycos.fr/pengssc/img/060522_orq01.jpg
Podium and entrance of the smaller tower... It looks almost ready to open.

http://membres.lycos.fr/pengssc/img/060522_orq02.jpg
Closer look at the entrance

http://membres.lycos.fr/pengssc/img/060522_orq03.jpg
Looking up at the almost completed fin.

http://membres.lycos.fr/pengssc/img/060522_orq04.jpg
Cladding going up on the taller tower's entrance.

http://membres.lycos.fr/pengssc/img/060522_orq05.jpg
Lobby.

It is the most glassy building i have ever seen in singapore!!

Damn stylo sia...

the amount of glass used turely overlaps the disappointment of it being so so, very so rectangle... after all, it turns out to be one of a kind...

26 May 2006

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/8720/rq26052zc.jpg

^^ nice!

Thanks...the glass always looks good from that angle in the evenings....I just cant wait to see how massive the Sail would look from that angle!

Is that taken near Marina Bay MRT?? :?

^^

yes :yes:

I see.....maybe I'll go there at night.....:D

good place for night pics too :yes:

3 June 2006

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/75/rq03065bs.jpg

What's with that sheer white podium wall?