The ULI Awards for Excellence programme is widely regarded as the land use industry’s most prestigious recognition programme worldwide. It seeks to acknowledge and reward “truly superior development efforts” in the disciplines of planning, design and development, which are “worthy of emulation”. Winning projects, representing the highest standards of achievement in the development industry, contribute to a live-work-play environment and are designed to complement and enhance the greater community.

Of the 99 world-wide entries this year, 19 finalists were selected. Two of which are from Asia: The highly acclaimed Roppongi Hills (Tokyo, Japan) and the multi-award winner The Fullerton (Singapore). Ten winners were eventually chosen by the jury with the Fullerton Square Project emerging as the only winning entry from Asia.

“The Fullerton, a historical edifice so inextricably linked to the Singapore story, inspired the creation of a world-class product that preserves its rich heritage, yet captures the mood of the new Millennium with modern hospitality and technology,” said Mr Chia Boon Pin, Chief Operating Officer of Retail & Lifestyle Concepts Business Group and Director of Corporate Affairs, Far East Organization.

“We are deeply honoured by the Urban Land Institute’s conferment of the prestigious Award for Excellence. It reaffirms The Fullerton’s achievements in its pursuit of world class real estate development excellence, a vision that has guided Far East Organization in all its development endeavours,” added Mr Chia.

Originally built in 1924 as a symbol of the colonial government's vision for a classically monumental civic centre, the historic Fullerton building has been transformed into a world-class hotel. Stringent conservation guidelines preserved the facade and interior historical elements. A new two-story commercial complex, One Fullerton, is linked to the historic building by an underground link.

The Fullerton building holds a special place in the hearts of Singaporeans and friends. In its 75-year history, it had been a government institution, a trade and commercial centre and a social epicentre. Today, The Fullerton Singapore continues to carry its legacy and responsibilities to the community with pride.

The restored Fullerton hotel not only preserved the dignity and character of the original building but also celebrates its architectural splendours complemented by innovative contemporary Asian design. The Fullerton building with its Edwardian Baroque neoclassical architecture standing in sharp contrast to the ultra modern nautical design of One Fullerton has become an important Singapore landmark of the new Millennium.

In just under four years of operation, The Fullerton Singapore has not only been weaved into the downtown fabric but has also gained worldwide recognition for excellence in all aspects of its development and business operations.

This independent hotel without any marketing advantages of a hotel chain with established geographical distribution and brand awareness has shown remarkable growth in business. Its success can be seen in its rapidly growing occupancies and rates from launch. It is a valuable, unique asset that has demonstrated financial success as evident in the growth of its returns to the business.

The Fullerton has also helped fulfil the government’s vision of a revitalised Singapore River. The Fullerton Square area, stretching from Fullerton hotel along the Singapore River onwards to One Fullerton and the Merlion Park promenade, is vibrant with its mix of lively activities. It is now a favourite spot for locals and tourists.

The vision and quality of this project have been recognised by the local and international communities with a succession of accolades. The Fullerton Square Project received the highest international recognition for excellence in “all aspects of its creation” with the Fiabci Prix d’Excellence Award 2003 conferred by the International Real Estate Federation based in Paris. The Fullerton Singapore also received the URA Architectural Heritage Award in 2001 for the protection and restoration of Singapore’s built heritage and the Singapore Institute of Architects Architectural Design Awards 2001 (Conservation Category).

The Fullerton Singapore was recently awarded a 39th placing in the highly regarded Institutional Investor World's Best Hotels survey. It is the only independent hotel in Singapore to be ranked amongst the top in this survey and its ranking is an impressive improvement over its 2003 ranking of 54th place. The survey, currently in its 24th year, ranks 80 hotels in 37 cities based on responses from a high-powered panel of discerning travellers made up of senior corporate and financial executives. To ensure the prestige of the awards is upheld, the requirement is for each respondent to have spent an average of 52 nights in hotels over the past year.

Other accolades include: Third Best Hotel in the Top Ten Hotels – Asia category (Conde Nast Traveller 2004); Singapore Service Class Certification in recognition of its practices in organisational excellence; Best New Business Hotel in Asia Pacific 2002 & 2003 (Business Traveller Asia Pacific Awards); Best New Business Hotel in the World 2003 (Business Traveller UK/Europe); One of the World’s Most Prestigious Hotels 2002 (Institutional Investor 22nd Annual World’s Best Hotels Survey); One of the World’s Best New Hotels (Conde Nast Traveller 2002 “Hot List”).

The Fullerton Singapore has indeed responded successfully to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)’s inspired vision for the grand historic building, which was to “create the grandeur of the Ritz, the opulence of the Peninsular and the majesty of the Waldorf Astoria.”

The Urban Land Institute (ULI), www.uli.org, founded in 1936, is a highly respected non-profit research and education organisation with 22,000 members worldwide. The ULI Awards for Excellence is an annual competition where properties around the world are honoured. Winning properties are selected by renowned land use development and design experts. Projects are evaluated on the basis of financial viability, the resourceful use of land, design, relevance to contemporary issues, and sensitivity to the community and environment. The awards recognise the full development process of a project, not just its architecture or design. The criteria for the awards include leadership, contribution to the community, innovations, public/private partnership, environmental protection and enhancement, response to societal needs, and financial success.

Salient Features of The Fullerton Square Project

The S$400 million Fullerton Square Project, winner of the Urban Land Institute 2004 Award for Excellence and the Fiabci Prix d'Excellence 2003, involves the successful restoration and adaptive re-use of the Fullerton Building, a historical civic institution, to a grand world-class heritage hotel, The Fullerton Singapore. It also includes the construction, with its technological and logistical feats, of a modern, trendy al fresco dining and entertainment complex on the waterfront called One Fullerton; as well as an underground link way connecting the two developments.

The Fullerton Singapore is a restored 400-room five-star hotel with a New Asia theme, characterised by majestic neo-classical colonnade and grand entrances. Historical records, archival photographs and stringent conservation guidelines were observed to preserve this external façade and certain internal historical elements of the institutional Fullerton Building. To further reduce the risk and achieve better control in restoration projects, rigorous detailed elemental and spatial studies facilitated by computer-aided design and "virtual walk-through" technology were also undertaken prior to construction.

The restoration involved complex reconfiguration of interior spaces to create the Atrium. Floors were carved out while the historical "coved ceiling" room was carefully propped and braced. The existing structural framework was substantially strengthened to sustain new loads. New openings were also sensitively incorporated into the guestrooms to provide sufficient windows and views for guests whilst retaining the characteristic and distinctive feature of the neo-classical Renaissance architecture. The porte cochere and conservatory at the Presidential Suite, designed in glass and steel, are contemporary statements to distinguish these new additions from the historical fabric.

For a five-star hotel, a sizeable ballroom with 500 seating capacity is a must. To meet this requirement, deep and extensive excavation had to be carried out adjacent to the building, precariously exposing the foundations. Careful shoring and all necessary safety precautions were taken for this process.

An ingenious floating floor was also constructed in conjunction with a mechanical water extract system to keep the basement bone dry and rectify the perennial leaking that existed in the basement of the old Fullerton Building due to the high water table.

In the conversion from "office" to "deluxe hotel", new programmatic requirements necessitated modern interventions that were carried out in the least obtrusive manner, in harmony with and without detracting from the character of the building. Modern mechanical and electrical services were sensitively incorporated without compromising the ornamental ceilings and preserving the purity of the original design.

With The Fullerton Singapore's transformation into a luxury hotel, the grand Edwardian Baroque architecture is complemented with contemporary design in a strong Asian flavour. Today, the successful hotel is also an icon of modern Asian hospitality, fulfilling the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)'s vision of creating a hotel with "the grandeur of the Ritz, the opulence of the Peninsular and the majesty of the Waldorf Astoria". As a testament to the popularity and quality of The Fullerton Singapore, it has won the accolade of being one of the best hotels in the world in numerous awards given by international trade and leisure magazines. It also received the URA Architectural Heritage Award in 2001 for the protection and restoration of Singapore built heritage and the Singapore Institute of Architects Architectural Design Awards 2001 (Conservation Category).

One Fullerton, a new building with 8000 square metres of commercial space, three levels of underground car park and a panoramic view of the waterfront, is inspired by Singapore's marine history as a bustling trading outpost of the former British Empire. Its unique glass and steel architecture in nautical themed design provides a sharp contrast to its historic neighbour, The Fullerton Singapore. At the same time, One Fullerton complements and enhances the offerings of the hotel with its unique outdoor venue options found in its popular al fresco dining and enlivening night entertainment outlets, thereby rejuvenating the surrounding Marina Bay area.

Built on reclaimed land, the excavation of three basement floors at One Fullerton was a technological feat. A special "top and down" construction method was used to fast track superstructure works in parallel with the substructure works. A skin wall tanking structure was also required as double protection against water penetration due to the high water table.

The underground pedestrian link way joining The Fullerton Singapore with One Fullerton is elaborately designed as part of the hotel amenity with luxurious carpeting, soft lighting, airport-styled travellators and an integrated display of historical pictures of the old Fullerton Building.

Constructed beneath a major six-lane thoroughfare, Fullerton Road, this subterranean connection is a logistical feat. Careful planning ensured that the busy Fullerton Road was never closed during the construction period, and large tracts of existing buried municipal services were protected.