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| Raffles City off Carver Street, Bras Basah |
I met up with fellow sketchers Parka and Eve and proceeded to sketch
this scene off Carver Street at Bras Basah.
I remember Raffles City and the hotel within the compound: The then
Westin Stamford and the Westin Hotel was the pride and and joy of the nation
for a while. At the time of its opening, it held the reputation of being the
tallest hotel in the world.
Designed by the internationally renown I. M. Pei, it was laid out
and intended to be a city with a city. In its original incarnation, it had a
central atrium (now occupied by Shanghai Tang, Agnes B and other boutiques) representing
a metaphorical park, which opens to a tremendous skylight. The height of the triple
volume space held space frames, which in turn held floodlights that faded in
and out simulating cloud cast. It was a beautifully poetic space.
That graceful arena has since been replaced by economy.
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