Ocean Financial Centre, rated LEED Platinum, opens on prime waterfront site
SINGAPORE, Sept. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Ocean Financial Centre, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects' newest completed office tower, opened Wednesday with a dramatic light show while crowds watched near Marina Bay.
As 120,000 LEDs built into its curving glass-and-metal exterior wall sparkled, the 43-story tower lit up the sky. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance and Manpower; officials from Keppel Land, the building's developer; and guests from the business world and government attended a ceremony preceding the show.
Ocean Financial Centre, which contains 82,200 square meters of grade-A office space, is one of the largest office developments in the historic financial district of Raffles Place. The building is also adjacent to the newer financial district at Marina Bay. Occupying a premier waterfront site, the tower can be seen unobstructed from the bay.
Recalling the maritime heritage of Singapore, the tower is reminiscent of a ship's sail, its bowed form curving along the street. A 25-meter-tall sky garden sits atop the building. Planted with trees, vines and flowering plants, this space will be an amenity for office workers and a green urban landmark.
Ocean Financial Centre is the first office building in Southeast Asia to achieve a LEED Platinum rating for its core and shell as well as the first to receive the Platinum Green Mark Award from the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore. The building has 400 square meters of photovoltaic panels, the largest installation of any office tower in Singapore, to help light common areas.
Founded in 1977 and led by Cesar Pelli, Fred Clarke, and Rafael Pelli, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects has designed some of the world's most recognizable buildings, including the World Financial Center in New York, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, and the International Finance Centre in Hong Kong. The firm has been honored with critical acclaim and hundreds of design awards, including the American Institute of Architects' Firm Award and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
