Maxwell Road historical buildings

Charging Bull · June 7th, 2005, 03:20 PM

Ex-Traffic Police HQ to become design centre (Little Red Dot)
Major draw for Maxwell Rd building is museum to be set up by Germany's Red Dot

By ARTHUR SIM

Email this article
Print article
Feedback

THE old Traffic Police Headquarters in Maxwell Road will be converted into a design centre, with its draw a museum by German design institution Red Dot. It is the second old building to get a new lease of life recently; last week, US-based Forever Living Products took over the old Thong Chai Medical Institution in Eu Tong Sen Street.

On the drawing board: A cluster of design consultancies and related firms capped by Red Dot's design museum will turn this into a design hub
Sources have revealed that Red Dot, which is likely to have Singapore business partners, is planning a design museum that will measure 17,000 sq ft. Also on the cards is a cluster of design consultancies and design-related firms that will turn the old 100,000 sq ft police HQ (which was decommissioned in 1999) into a design hub.

It is understood that the centre has the support of DesignSingapore Council which was set up in 2003 by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts to promote and develop design.

More details are expected by the end of the month.

The last time Singapore had anything close to a museum dedicated to design was in 1991 at the now defunct Design Centre located in a carpark building next to Capitol Building.

Before the old Traffic Police HQ becomes a museum, it will undergo extensive renovations. Sources say there may be as many as four new restaurants as well as some retail component.

There is no news on who will undertake the redesigning of the building but if Red Dot's museum in Germany is any thing to go by - it was designed by 'Norman' Foster - it could be a big-name architect.

Highly regarded in Singapore, Mr Foster designed the new Supreme Court building and is currently working on Pontiac Land's resort hotel in Sentosa called The Knolls. For Red Dot in Germany, he converted an old boiler house into a museum.

A design centre led by Red Dot in Singapore is significant. The institution organises an influential international design competition annually and for the first time in its 50-year history, part of it will be based in Singapore.

Getting a Red Dot Award is perceived as an endorsement of good design by manufacturers and designers and this in turn is used as a communications tool by them. Existing award winning products include Apple iPod, Lamborghini and various Sony VAIO notebooks.

hyacinthus · June 7th, 2005, 03:33 PM

oh great! Good news. I was always wondering what would become of the Ex Traffic Police HQ everytime I passed by there during lunch.... It such a nice building to be demolished. Thanks Charging Bull!

hyacinthus · June 7th, 2005, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charging Bull

There is no news on who will undertake the redesigning of the building but if Red Dot's museum in Germany is any thing to go by - it was designed by 'Norman' Foster - it could be a big-name architect.

Highly regarded in Singapore, Mr Foster designed the new Supreme Court building and is currently working on Pontiac Land's resort hotel in Sentosa called The Knolls. For Red Dot in Germany, he converted an old boiler house into a museum.

Hmmm... Sir Norman Foster again? Hopefully, he would design something nice... I like this old building very much.

Charging Bull · June 7th, 2005, 03:42 PM

This time shouldn't see flying saucer any more, because there isn't any space for him to put his third flying saucer

hyacinthus · June 7th, 2005, 03:44 PM

The Ex-TP HQ is a large site. Enough for 3 or 4 of that big saucer seen on new Supreme Court if he really wants to do that... :P

Charging Bull · June 7th, 2005, 03:49 PM

His habit is to have the flying saucer at top of the roof.

hyacinthus · June 7th, 2005, 04:03 PM

oh well...

I will take some pictures of this building before the hoarding goes up and the renovation starts...

Good for Now and Then thread.

heirloom · June 7th, 2005, 04:39 PM

uh... a 17000 square foot museum sounds awfully tiny..

hyacinthus · June 7th, 2005, 04:47 PM

You can't have a design museum occupying the entire building of 100,000 sq ft ex TP HQ, would you?

heirloom · June 7th, 2005, 04:56 PM

huh can what....

hyacinthus · June 7th, 2005, 05:13 PM

The issue is... is it commercially viable to spend lots of money to renovate the place and turn it into a design museum when there are already many museums in Singapore? Do you visit them at all? I remember seeing somewhere in other threads that the current Supreme Court will become another Arts Museum (I think).

heirloom · June 7th, 2005, 05:36 PM

there aren't any really intersting museums like the tate, design museum (london), guggenheim, the louvre, blarblarblar. i dont think singapore has built a whole new bujilding to house a museum before. most other cities have, and they usually are very gorgeous.

hyacinthus · June 7th, 2005, 05:39 PM

even if we have, I doubt there's enough visitors or even public funds to support it.

heirloom · June 7th, 2005, 05:50 PM

true

maybe we need to wait another decade or so.

Charging Bull · June 8th, 2005, 05:44 AM

They will probably refurbish the entire buidling into another MICA (Minstry of Information, communication & Arts) building. The MICA building at Hill street has very old building structure but looks very modern & colourful.

http://www.mica.gov.sg/aboutus/abtus_building.html

RafflesCity · June 8th, 2005, 08:18 AM

I'm glad they are restoring this building...huaiwei once said it would be demolished...so its great its being restored!

hyacinthus · June 19th, 2005, 01:43 PM

14 Jun 2005
Ex-Traffic Police HQ Building

Building too wide...

redstone · June 27th, 2005, 11:08 AM

A few days before the announcement of the former Traffic Police HQ, I saw some workers inside the building....

No wonder!!!

June 27th, 2005, 11:08 AM	#18
redstone The Uninspired Architect Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Singapore Posts: 14,068 Likes (Received): 0	A few days before the announcement of the former Traffic Police HQ, I saw some workers inside the building.... No wonder!!! __________________ http://redstonean.deviantart.com/

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

June 7th, 2005, 03:20 PM	#1
Charging Bull Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,233 Likes (Received): 0	Ex-Traffic Police HQ to become design centre (Little Red Dot) Major draw for Maxwell Rd building is museum to be set up by Germany's Red Dot By ARTHUR SIM Email this article Print article Feedback THE old Traffic Police Headquarters in Maxwell Road will be converted into a design centre, with its draw a museum by German design institution Red Dot. It is the second old building to get a new lease of life recently; last week, US-based Forever Living Products took over the old Thong Chai Medical Institution in Eu Tong Sen Street. On the drawing board: A cluster of design consultancies and related firms capped by Red Dot's design museum will turn this into a design hub Sources have revealed that Red Dot, which is likely to have Singapore business partners, is planning a design museum that will measure 17,000 sq ft. Also on the cards is a cluster of design consultancies and design-related firms that will turn the old 100,000 sq ft police HQ (which was decommissioned in 1999) into a design hub. It is understood that the centre has the support of DesignSingapore Council which was set up in 2003 by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts to promote and develop design. More details are expected by the end of the month. The last time Singapore had anything close to a museum dedicated to design was in 1991 at the now defunct Design Centre located in a carpark building next to Capitol Building. Before the old Traffic Police HQ becomes a museum, it will undergo extensive renovations. Sources say there may be as many as four new restaurants as well as some retail component. There is no news on who will undertake the redesigning of the building but if Red Dot's museum in Germany is any thing to go by - it was designed by 'Norman' Foster - it could be a big-name architect. Highly regarded in Singapore, Mr Foster designed the new Supreme Court building and is currently working on Pontiac Land's resort hotel in Sentosa called The Knolls. For Red Dot in Germany, he converted an old boiler house into a museum. A design centre led by Red Dot in Singapore is significant. The institution organises an influential international design competition annually and for the first time in its 50-year history, part of it will be based in Singapore. Getting a Red Dot Award is perceived as an endorsement of good design by manufacturers and designers and this in turn is used as a communications tool by them. Existing award winning products include Apple iPod, Lamborghini and various Sony VAIO notebooks.

June 7th, 2005, 03:33 PM	#2
hyacinthus Success and Happiness Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 6,765 Likes (Received): 0	oh great! Good news. I was always wondering what would become of the Ex Traffic Police HQ everytime I passed by there during lunch.... It such a nice building to be demolished. Thanks Charging Bull!

June 7th, 2005, 03:42 PM	#4
Charging Bull Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,233 Likes (Received): 0	This time shouldn't see flying saucer any more, because there isn't any space for him to put his third flying saucer

June 7th, 2005, 03:44 PM	#5
hyacinthus Success and Happiness Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 6,765 Likes (Received): 0	The Ex-TP HQ is a large site. Enough for 3 or 4 of that big saucer seen on new Supreme Court if he really wants to do that... :P

June 7th, 2005, 03:49 PM	#6
Charging Bull Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,233 Likes (Received): 0	His habit is to have the flying saucer at top of the roof.

June 7th, 2005, 04:03 PM	#7
hyacinthus Success and Happiness Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 6,765 Likes (Received): 0	oh well... I will take some pictures of this building before the hoarding goes up and the renovation starts... Good for Now and Then thread.

June 7th, 2005, 04:39 PM	#8
heirloom Registered User Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 6,158 Likes (Received): 0	uh... a 17000 square foot museum sounds awfully tiny..

June 7th, 2005, 04:47 PM	#9
hyacinthus Success and Happiness Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 6,765 Likes (Received): 0	You can't have a design museum occupying the entire building of 100,000 sq ft ex TP HQ, would you?

June 7th, 2005, 04:56 PM	#10
heirloom Registered User Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 6,158 Likes (Received): 0	huh can what....

June 7th, 2005, 05:13 PM	#11
hyacinthus Success and Happiness Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 6,765 Likes (Received): 0	The issue is... is it commercially viable to spend lots of money to renovate the place and turn it into a design museum when there are already many museums in Singapore? Do you visit them at all? I remember seeing somewhere in other threads that the current Supreme Court will become another Arts Museum (I think).

June 7th, 2005, 05:36 PM	#12
heirloom Registered User Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 6,158 Likes (Received): 0	there aren't any really intersting museums like the tate, design museum (london), guggenheim, the louvre, blarblarblar. i dont think singapore has built a whole new bujilding to house a museum before. most other cities have, and they usually are very gorgeous.

June 7th, 2005, 05:39 PM	#13
hyacinthus Success and Happiness Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 6,765 Likes (Received): 0	even if we have, I doubt there's enough visitors or even public funds to support it.

June 7th, 2005, 05:50 PM	#14
heirloom Registered User Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 6,158 Likes (Received): 0	true maybe we need to wait another decade or so.

June 8th, 2005, 05:44 AM	#15
Charging Bull Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,233 Likes (Received): 0	They will probably refurbish the entire buidling into another MICA (Minstry of Information, communication & Arts) building. The MICA building at Hill street has very old building structure but looks very modern & colourful. http://www.mica.gov.sg/aboutus/abtus_building.html

June 8th, 2005, 08:18 AM	#16
RafflesCity By Spirit Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S I N G A P O R E Posts: 26,215 Likes (Received): 2	I'm glad they are restoring this building...huaiwei once said it would be demolished...so its great its being restored!

June 19th, 2005, 01:43 PM	#17
hyacinthus Success and Happiness Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 6,765 Likes (Received): 0	14 Jun 2005 Ex-Traffic Police HQ Building Building too wide...