Suntec City
Encyclopedia
Suntec City is a major multi-use development
located in Marina Centre
, a subzone of the Downtown Core Planning Area in Singapore
.
(feng shui
). The five buildings and the convention center are arranged so that they look like a left hand when viewed aerially. The Fountain of Wealth
appears like a golden ring in the palm of the hand. As the fountain is made of bronze, it is believed that the balance of metal and water paves the way for success. Further, the specially selected Chinese name, 新达, means "new achievement".
, located within the Marina Centre
subzone of the Downtown Core Planning Area. Opened in 1994 together with initial phases of the Suntec City development, it was the largest shopping centre in Singapore with 888000 square feet (82,497.9 m²) of retail space until the opening of VivoCity
in 2006. It also offers a club house called the Suntec City Guild House located on the fifth storey.
Fashion
Sports
Leisure, gifts and hobbies
Food and beverage
Health and beauty
Entertainment
Initially part of the entire Suntec City development, the building is now separately owned by privately-held ARA Harmony Fund and managed by ARA Singapore.
's (IMF) World Bank Congress in 1994.
Originally developed as part of the entire Suntec City, it was sold to private investors forming the ARA Harmony Fund, with SuntecREIT holding a 60.8% stake at a total cost of $139.75 million. The ARA Harmony Fund is a single-asset private fund that owns 100% of the venue.
In 2010, City Harvest Church
reportedly acquired a substantial minority stake in the ARA Harmony Fund. The investment seeks to secure sustainable long-term use of the convention halls as a regular church venue through a co-own and lease model.
The church plans to offset rental costs with annual dividends by acquiring stakes in the single-asset private fund. It is expected to cost $310 million, including committed and future rentals, share acquisition, renovation and shifting costs over a number of years. While the shareholding details are not known, with the announcement of SuntecREIT's shareholdering at 60.8%, the maximum possible stakeholding by City Harvest Church is 39.2%.
The building also boasts a theatre, meeting rooms and ballrooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors, as well as food courts, restaurants, retail stores and a large lobby and event registration counters on the ground floor. 2 basement levels provide ample parking.
's East Asia Economic Summit, which has been held there several times. Other major events held at the venue include: the Asian Casinos Expo, CAREER
, IT Show, Modern Living, NATAS Travel Fair, Singapore Motorshow, VoiceComm, the International Food Festival, COMEX IT Fair, the World Stamp Championship, IAAPA Asian Expo, the World Down Syndrome Congress, Anime Festival Asia
and the World Cyber Games
.
In 2006, several Singapore 2006 events, including the 61st Annual Meetings
of the Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund
and the World Bank Group
, were being held at the venue. Several events of the 2010 Youth Olympic Games
will also be the focus of the Convention Centre.
Mixed-use development
Mixed-use development is the use of a building, set of buildings, or neighborhood for more than one purpose. Since the 1920s, zoning in some countries has required uses to be separated. However, when jobs, housing, and commercial activities are located close together, a community's transportation...
located in Marina Centre
Marina Centre
Marina Centre is a zone of reclaimed land within the Downtown Core in the southern part of Singapore. Together with the Marina South area, it encloses the sheltered Marina Bay....
, a subzone of the Downtown Core Planning Area in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
Design
Suntec City was designed by Tsao & McKown Architects with emphasis on Chinese geomancyGeomancy
Geomancy is a method of divination that interprets markings on the ground or the patterns formed by tossed handfuls of soil, rocks, or sand...
(feng shui
Feng shui
Feng shui ' is a Chinese system of geomancy believed to use the laws of both Heaven and Earth to help one improve life by receiving positive qi. The original designation for the discipline is Kan Yu ....
). The five buildings and the convention center are arranged so that they look like a left hand when viewed aerially. The Fountain of Wealth
Fountain of Wealth
The Fountain of Wealth is listed by the Guinness Book of Records in 1998 as the largest fountain in the world. It is located in one of Singapore's largest shopping malls, Suntec City....
appears like a golden ring in the palm of the hand. As the fountain is made of bronze, it is believed that the balance of metal and water paves the way for success. Further, the specially selected Chinese name, 新达, means "new achievement".
Popularity
- The Urban Redevelopment AuthorityUrban Redevelopment AuthorityThe Urban Redevelopment Authority is the national urban planning authority of Singapore, and a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Singapore Government.-Mission:The authority was established on 1 April 1974, and is of especially critical importance to the city-state,...
(URA) mentioned Suntec City as one of the largest commercial developments in Singapore. - Suntec City was awarded two FIABCIFIABCIFIABCI the International Real Estate Federation, was founded in 1949 by the French asset manager Mr. Pierre Colleville. It was registered as a non-profit professional organisation in Paris on 2 June 1951. It is the only worldwide real estate association that represents all of the real estate...
Prix d' Excellence awards for excellence in all aspects of real estate development (Overall winner and Commercial / Retail winner) in 1999. Suntec has claimed other prizes, including the 1998 Tourism Award from the Singapore Tourism BoardSingapore Tourism BoardThe Singapore Tourism Board is a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Singapore, tasked to promote the country's tourism industry.-History:...
. - Suntec City has been featured three times on The Amazing RaceThe Amazing RaceThe Amazing Race is a reality television game show in which teams of two people, who have some form of a preexisting personal relationship, race around the world in competition with other teams...
reality televisionReality televisionReality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show. Once on the US version Season 3The Amazing Race 3The Amazing Race 3 is the third installment of the reality television show, The Amazing Race. This season featured 12 teams of two, with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world, making it the first season to have 12 teams...
and twice on the Asian version in both Season 1The Amazing Race Asia 1The Amazing Race Asia 1 is the first season of the reality television game show The Amazing Race Asia. The show features ten teams of two, with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around Asia and Pacific Rim to win US$100,000. Applications were accepted through March 31, 2006...
and Season 2The Amazing Race Asia 2The Amazing Race Asia 2 is the second season of the reality television game show The Amazing Race Asia. The show features ten teams of two, with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world to win US$100,000....
. - At the centre of Suntec City lies the Fountain of WealthFountain of WealthThe Fountain of Wealth is listed by the Guinness Book of Records in 1998 as the largest fountain in the world. It is located in one of Singapore's largest shopping malls, Suntec City....
, which Suntec claims to be the largest fountain in the world; this claim has however been contested, with Fountain Hills in ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
also claiming the title. The Guinness World RecordsGuinness World RecordsGuinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
has recently withdrawn the "Largest Fountain" category from its website.
Suntec City Office Tower
Suntec City office towers compromises of five buildings across Towers One to Five with. Four 45-storey and one 18-storey tower make up the 5 office towers at Suntec City. The latter has 28,000 square feet of net lettable floor area on each floor while the 45-storey towers consists of floor plates ranging from 10,000 to 14,000 square feet. In total, there are about 2.3 million square feet of office space.Suntec City Mall
Suntec City Mall (Chinese: 新达城广场) is a shopping centre in SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, located within the Marina Centre
Marina Centre
Marina Centre is a zone of reclaimed land within the Downtown Core in the southern part of Singapore. Together with the Marina South area, it encloses the sheltered Marina Bay....
subzone of the Downtown Core Planning Area. Opened in 1994 together with initial phases of the Suntec City development, it was the largest shopping centre in Singapore with 888000 square feet (82,497.9 m²) of retail space until the opening of VivoCity
VivoCity
VivoCity is the largest shopping mall in Singapore. Located in the HarbourFront precinct, it was designed by the Japanese architect Toyo Ito. Its name is derived from the word vivacity...
in 2006. It also offers a club house called the Suntec City Guild House located on the fifth storey.
Zoning
The large size of the mall boasts some 360 outlets spread over 4 floors in an L-shaped configuration. To help shoppers to navigate around the mall, it was divided into four zones, namely:- The Galleria (Chinese: 画廊区), located on the ground floor of the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, offering high-end international labels targeted specifically at convention delegates and tourists.
- The Tropics (Chinese: 热带区) offers a more wide-ranging choice of outlets for a wider budget range, with added emphasise on lifestyle merchandise and services.
- The Fountain Terrace (Chinese: 喷泉区) is located around the Fountain of WealthFountain of WealthThe Fountain of Wealth is listed by the Guinness Book of Records in 1998 as the largest fountain in the world. It is located in one of Singapore's largest shopping malls, Suntec City....
, and specialises in food and beverage outlets.
- The Entertainment Centre (Chinese: 娱乐区) at the north-eastern end of the mall is dedicated to entertainment-related tenants such as a 5-theatre cineplex, a fitness centre, a gaming arcade, as well as the site of CarrefourCarrefourCarrefour S.A. is an international hypermarket chain headquartered in Levallois-Perret, France. It is one of the largest hypermarket chains in the world...
's first outlet in Singapore, occupying 13,006 square metres (140,000 square feet) over two floors.
Notable retail outlets
Major tenants- CarrefourCarrefourCarrefour S.A. is an international hypermarket chain headquartered in Levallois-Perret, France. It is one of the largest hypermarket chains in the world...
- WE CinemasWE CinemasWE Cinemas WE Cinemas WE Cinemas (Chinese 荣华戏院） is a Singaporean cinema operator managed by Eng Wah Global Pte Ltd. It was previously called Eng Wah Cinemas, but on 19 April 2011, it was renamed to WE Cinemas.-History:...
- Toys 'R' US
- Harvey NormanHarvey NormanHarvey Norman is a large Australian-based retailer of electrical, computer, furniture, entertainment and bedding goods. It is effectively a franchise and the main brand owned by Harvey Norman Holdings Limited...
- Fountain Food Terrace
Fashion
- Topshop Topman
- MangoMango (clothing)Mango, stylized MANGO, is a clothing design and manufacturing company. Isak Andic is the president.Its goal is "to be present in every city" in the world...
- Charis Asher
- RaoulRaoul-In media:* Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny, character in The Phantom of the Opera* Raoul , the second single by indie band The Automatic* Raoul EP, the extended play featuring b-sides from The Automatic's first album Not Accepted Anywhere...
- Hush PuppiesHush PuppiesHush Puppies is an international brand of contemporary, casual footwear for men, women and children. The shoes have been described as "the classic American brushed-suede shoes with the lightweight crepe sole". A division of Wolverine Worldwide, Hush Puppies is headquartered in Rockford, Michigan...
- TopshopTopshopTopshop is a British clothes retailer with shops in over 20 countries and online operations in a number of its markets. Its sales come primarily from women's clothing and fashion accessories...
- AshworthAshworth (clothing)-History:In 1987, recognizing a niche in the golf market, John Ashworth founded the Ashworth Golf Company. Traveling from the west coast of California to the PGA show in Orlando, John Ashworth set up a 10x10 booth and for the first time showcased the Ashworth line, an asspirational collection of...
- Polo Jeans Co
- Promod
- Springfield
- Guess
- La Senza
Sports
- Royal Sporting House
- Golf House
- The North Face
- NikeNike, Inc.Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
by B.I.R.D - AdidasAdidasAdidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
Concept Store - World of Golf
Leisure, gifts and hobbies
- Otaku House
- The Wallet Shop
- Caesar's
- Times the Bookshop
Food and beverage
- Crystal Jade
- Tony Roma'sTony Roma'sTony Roma's is a casual dining chain restaurant specializing in baby back ribs . The first location was established in 1972 in North Miami, Florida, by the founder, and today there are roughly 260 locations in 27 countries comprising 32 territories...
- Balithai
- McDonald'sMcDonald'sMcDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
- KFCKFCKFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
- Burger KingBurger KingBurger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
- Pizza HutPizza HutPizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
- Kuishin-bo
- Ichiban Boshi
- Shin-Kushiya
- Siam Kitchen
- Qiji
- SubwaySubway (restaurant)Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
- Ben & Jerry'sBen & Jerry'sBen & Jerry's is an American ice cream company, a division of the British-Dutch Unilever conglomerate, that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and ice cream novelty products, manufactured by Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings, Inc., headquartered in South Burlington, Vermont, United...
- Seoul Yummy
- The Donut Factory
Health and beauty
- The Natural Source
- The Body ShopThe Body ShopThe Body Shop International plc, known as The Body Shop, has 2,400 stores in 61 countries, and is the second largest cosmetic franchise in the world, following O Boticario, a Brazilian company...
- I Nuovi Cosmetics
- Crabtree & EvelynCrabtree & EvelynCrabtree & Evelyn is an American retailer of body and home products with stores globally. According to its website, Crabtree & Evelyn uses over 160 “natural botanical ingredients” in its skin care products. It is wholly owned by KLK, Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad., a Malaysian company that also owns...
- Guardian
- Smile Inc. Dental Surgeons
Entertainment
- ROCK Auditorium
Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre
The Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre (Chinese: 新達城新加坡國際會議展覽中心) was officially opened on 1 November 1994, and was previously known as the Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre (SICEC). Its current name was adopted in 2004 as part of a rebranding exercise. The convention centre has a total of 100,000 square metres of space, over multiple levels.Initially part of the entire Suntec City development, the building is now separately owned by privately-held ARA Harmony Fund and managed by ARA Singapore.
History
It is one of the largest multi-purpose convention and exhibition facilities in the centre of the city, the ICC has hosted some of the world’s biggest meetings, exhibitions and conventions – including the International Monetary FundInternational Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
's (IMF) World Bank Congress in 1994.
Originally developed as part of the entire Suntec City, it was sold to private investors forming the ARA Harmony Fund, with SuntecREIT holding a 60.8% stake at a total cost of $139.75 million. The ARA Harmony Fund is a single-asset private fund that owns 100% of the venue.
In 2010, City Harvest Church
City Harvest Church
City Harvest Church or CHC is a non-denominational megachurch in Singapore with an average of 23,256 attendees in the month of December 2010....
reportedly acquired a substantial minority stake in the ARA Harmony Fund. The investment seeks to secure sustainable long-term use of the convention halls as a regular church venue through a co-own and lease model.
The church plans to offset rental costs with annual dividends by acquiring stakes in the single-asset private fund. It is expected to cost $310 million, including committed and future rentals, share acquisition, renovation and shifting costs over a number of years. While the shareholding details are not known, with the announcement of SuntecREIT's shareholdering at 60.8%, the maximum possible stakeholding by City Harvest Church is 39.2%.
Facilities
The centre is located in the central business district of Singapore. It has one of Asia's largest column-free space, in the form of multi-purpose convention halls each with 12,000 square metres of column-free space. A convention hall on level 6 and an exhibition hall on Level 4, each offers 12,000 square metres of space. The exhibition hall can be divided into 4 smaller halls, while level 6 can be divided into three halls.The building also boasts a theatre, meeting rooms and ballrooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors, as well as food courts, restaurants, retail stores and a large lobby and event registration counters on the ground floor. 2 basement levels provide ample parking.
Events
Several high-profile events and exhibitions have been held in the venue, and they include the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1994 and the World Economic ForumWorld Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
's East Asia Economic Summit, which has been held there several times. Other major events held at the venue include: the Asian Casinos Expo, CAREER
Career
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....
, IT Show, Modern Living, NATAS Travel Fair, Singapore Motorshow, VoiceComm, the International Food Festival, COMEX IT Fair, the World Stamp Championship, IAAPA Asian Expo, the World Down Syndrome Congress, Anime Festival Asia
Anime Festival Asia
Anime Festival Asia is an anime convention that is organized by Sozo and Dentsu. It was first organized in 2008, during which singers Ichirou Mizuki and May'n were invited as the star highlights...
and the World Cyber Games
World Cyber Games
The World Cyber Games is an international competitive video-gaming event operated by South Korean company World Cyber Games Inc., and sponsored by Samsung and Microsoft...
.
In 2006, several Singapore 2006 events, including the 61st Annual Meetings
Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group
The IMF and World Bank meet each autumn in what is officially known as the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group and each spring in the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group...
of the Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
and the World Bank Group
World Bank Group
The World Bank Group is a family of five international organizations that makes leveraged loans, generally to poor countries.The Bank came into formal existence on 27 December 1945 following international ratification of the Bretton Woods agreements, which emerged from the United Nations Monetary...
, were being held at the venue. Several events of the 2010 Youth Olympic Games
2010 Summer Youth Olympics
The 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, officially known as the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games , were an international multi-sport event for youths that took place in the city-state of Singapore from 14 to 26 August 2010, in the XXIX Olympiad. They were the inaugural Summer Youth Olympics, a major...
will also be the focus of the Convention Centre.