Created By Jessica, Josephine, Amalina and Ziyan 

Journey Introduction

Downtown Core

The Singapore River is significant for the understanding of Singapore's history and culture. The city grew around the mouth of river, and became the centre of trade, commerce and finance. 

Let us take you on a bum boat ride along the Singapore River, to retrace the legacy of colonial rule (The Fullerton Building) to its development as a young nation (The UOB Plaza), and its vision as a global city (The ArtScience Museum). 

The Bum Boat

The River 

Cruising along Singapore River with the Bum Boat Ride always brings one’s memory to the past and a story about the contribution of the river to the success of Singapore today. The ride will show you some of the city’s landmarks, the current activities along the river, modern Architecture with a touch of prehistoric era, and other interesting places. 

According to Raffles' Town Plan of 1822, the south bank of the river was allocated for the commercial and finance sector, while the Civic and Government Sector on the north bank which is where most of the Colonial Buildings were built.

From an ancient fishing village occupied by the “Orang Laut” (Sea-Gypsies) to the arrival of early immigrants and Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles in 1819 to establish a trading post for the British East India Company, the river was always busy with trading activities. The first quay, Boat Quay today was built in 1823, the area along the river became industrialized with godowns/warehouses and shop houses were built almost everywhere. Some of these are preserved as you may see today. 

Today, the quayside is transformed into a vibrant nightspot with pubs and restaurants which were converted from the old shophouses.

The Bum Boat 

The bum boat or “Sampan” a type of row-boat operated by Indians in the past as a means of transportation across the river, before the construction of bridges.

The design was originated from Europe in the 1600s. instead of the traditional European design which consists of a sail, the steering mechanism was replaced by  oars or a long pole by the locals. In addition, the Ma Zu's (the Chinese goddess who protects sea-men) eyes   were also painted on the front of the boat. This practice was based on the traditional beliefs that the boat would be guided by Ma Zu, and passengers on board will be able to get to their destination safely.

The bum boat will take you on a journey along the river to experience the modern cityscape of Singapore, and fragments of the past.  

The Fullerton Hotel Singapore

During the British colonization of Singapore, a British architect, Major PH Keys, was commissioned to design the Fullerton Building. He used concepts of Greek Classical architecture and echoed the Parthenon in Athens. The use of columns, porticos and fine designs were used to convey power and splendour. 

The Fullerton building was established on 26 June 1928 and became the largest building in the city; playing an important role in Singapore’s history.

The building was located along the Singapore River and was linked to the harbour then. A lighthouse atop the building guided ships approaching the busy harbour. Till today, this historic landmark enjoyed a strategic location, marking the start of Singapore’s financial area. 

Due to its stout walls, the building was turned into a makeshift hospital when the Japanese bombed the island during World War II. After the war, the Fullerton Building resumed its role as Central Post Office, housing several government offices, the headquarters of exclusive Singapore Club.

Singapore's transitional from colonial status to nationhood took place at Fullerton Square. When Singapore achieved nationhood, the Board of Trade, Economic Development Board and Ministry of Finance were housed in the building, all of which played important economic roles in ensuring that Singapore remained the trading hub in South-east Asia.  

The Fullerton Building was preserved and transformed into a grand hotel, The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, and it was opened in 2001. It still plays an important role in Singapore’s economy by being one of the ultimate accommodation for international business travellers. 

In July 2001, The Fullerton Hotel Singapore received the URA Architectural Heritage Award, which is Singapore's highest honour for contributions towards the protection and restoration of the city's built heritage. Since its opening in 1928, The Fullerton continues to make history as the centre of Singapore’s commercial, social and official life.

UOB Plaza

           

Along the ride, you will come across the most important and tallest buildings in Singapore, the United Overseas Bank (UOB) Plaza.

In 1935, it was named as United Chinese Bank (UCB) to emphasize its links to the Chinese population in Singapore. Since singapore’s independence in 1965, Singapore government had begun a major push to modernize the state, making the Central Business District (CBD) as one of the region's major financial centers. Hence United Chinese Bank (UCB) was renamed United Overseas Bank (UOB) to enter the regional market. The UCB building on Bonham Street was demolished and later replaced by a twin-tower UOB plaza – comprising UOB Plaza 1 (280 metres) with 67 floors and UOB Plaza 2 (162 metres) with 38 floors – located at Raffles Place and is today a prominent landmark along the Singapore River.

The building was constructed based on designer Kenzo Tange in 1990s. The banking hall has full height glass walls to see through the Singapore River from the financial district. The towers have been given an octagonal base and consist of rotated cubic volumes that rotate on a 45-degree plane of reference and diminish in volume towards the top of UOB Plaza One. Chinese culture believes that the shape of octagon, ‘Ba Gua’, is to shun off evils. In addition, the logo was derived from the traditional Chinese 'five-barred gate' system of counting in fives.

The external curtain wall system of the building represents a significant and innovative contribution of the evolution of building facades over the course of its nearly 70-years history, UOB had grown with Singapore, and it represents the prosperity and progression of Singapore's economy.

The ArtScience Museum (MBS)

The ArtScience Museum is surrounded by a 40,000-square foot lily pond reflecting pool, sitting on the promontory, south of the existing CBD district. This iconic architecture is designed by the renowned architect, Moshe Safdie, and was launched on 17 February 2011.

According to Safdie, from the inside out, every element in the design of the ArtScience Museum reinforces the institution’s philosophy of creating a bridge between the arts and sciences, combining the aesthetic and functional, the visual and the technological.

The philosophy and design of the ArtScience Museum is also in line with the government’s vision of Singapore’s future development: iconic, and sustainable. 

Iconic 
The lotus-inspired sculptural ArtScience Museum with 10 dynamic extending finger-like structures that house 21 galleries is  constructed using Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer, which is typically used  in high-performance racing yachts.

It is iconic not only because it symbolises "The Welcoming Hand of Singapore", but the innovative use of construction material also signifies Singapore's desire to be competitive in the globalised world.

Sustainable

To remain competitive, sustainable development is the new catch phrase, and it is evident in the unique design of The ArtScience Museum.   

The dish-like roof collects rainwater which is recycled for two different purposes. It is channeled to the centre of the building, forming a 35m continuous cylindrical waterfall that flows into the reflecting pool. The rainwater is also recycled for use in the museum's bathrooms as part of Singapore's Green Garden City Plan.

To minimize energy usage, the gallery spaces are naturally lit, and air-conditioned units are installed on the floor of the galleries so as to cool air at visitor’s height instead of the entire space.

References

http://www.fullertonhotel.com/main.html#/heritage/
http://www.kiwicollection.com/hotel-detail/the-fullerton-hotel-singapore
http://www.holidays-in-singapore.com/singapore-river.html
http://www.singapore-vacation-attractions.com/singapore-river-cruise.html
http://www.rivercruise.com.sg/services.htm
http://heritagetrails.sg/content/635/United_Overseas_Bank.html
http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=1615
http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/2495.php
http://www.marinabaysands.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/56867575@N05/page2/
http://www.flickr.com/people/bsowell/
William Warren (2007), Asia Legendary Hotels.Singapore:Periplus Editions Ltd