THE ARTS HOUSE

1 Old Parliament Lane

Singapore 179429

Below :

Color Kinetics LED wall washers proposed for the exterior facade, with contrasting color under the arcades.

AT THE OLD PARLIAMENT 

R  E  D     T   A   P  E

The former Parliament House building, the oldest surviving government building in Singapore, stands on the banks of the Singapore River. This site is where Sir Stamford Raffles first arrived in 1819.

The two-storey Neo-Palladian building was completed in 1827, and reopened on 26th March 2004 as The Arts House at The Old Parliament. Of its' many rooms, Poole Associates was commissioned to design custom furnishings for 4 of these historical rooms....

A space on the second level is to be used for pre and post receptions in conjunction with the Chamber.

This lounge also accommodates a baby grand piano for intimate recitals, and features custom fabricated miniature blue LED crystal chandeliers, for a touch of restrained grandeur. Plush white shag carpets and mint green silk draperies improve acoustics. Plum slip-covered sofas are upholstered in stain resistant Crypton fabric

Available for independent corporate events.

For more information,

visit The Arts House on-line

History : Government Party Conference Room

From 1955 to 1959, this room was a hub of activity as the general office of the Legislative Assembly, the precursor to the Parliament of Singapore. It was subsequently used as a workroom by a team of verbatim reporters. These reporters were tasked with the duty of recording the goings-on in the House. Every word uttered in Parliament is inscribed onto an official record known as the Singapore Parliament Report [SPR] or 'Hansard".

Soon after, the information of the government by the People's Action Party [PAP] in 1959, a space had to be found for the governing party to hold their meetings. This room was eventually assigned to the PAP, and the verbatim reporters vacated the space.

Materials Board

Project Design Team :

Poole Associates Private Limited

Ed Poole, Wong Kim Mei

e:mail contact@poole-associates.com

T 65 | 6536 | 3928

1950's fabric re-created for the project in India.

The Loft : Not realized

This space will be used for informal discussions with performers after an event at the Play Den. [a live action theatre, seating 175]

Also available for corporate functions.

The 1950's veneration of the automobile, speed, and mobility bred a fascination with various images of freedom, such as floating boxes with asymmetrically placed cutouts, spirals, with their connotation of perpetual motion, and semi permeable membranes such as wood grain, suggestive of penetrable boundaries. A perfect design motif for the Loft. This fabric design will be re-created by a textile mill in India, using gold thread on raw silk.

Aerodynamic metal Turbo Tables are finished in sleek polished aluminum. Representative of rockets and space travel.

Leather lounge chairs with integral chrome legs are manufactured in Shanghai. Classic 50's styling.

Classic Lambert floor lamps are used at each seating group.

A donated collection of vintage vinyl records and an antique gramophone have inspired this room to be furnished with a 50's parlance.

For more information,

visit The Arts House website

History : Dr. Goh Keng Swee's Room

This room on the 3rd level of the Parliament House Building was once occupied by Dr. Goh Keng Swee when he was a civil servant gathering statistical data for compiling the 'Cost of Living Index' for Singapore. The room was later occupied by the Parliaments reporters, and later by the Parliament's simultaneous interpreters.

One of Singapore's most important founding fathers, the economics-trained Dr. Goh began his formal political career when he won the 1959 elections as a People's Action Party [PAP] candidate and was appointed Minister of Finance. Throughout his 25years with the government service, Dr. Goh had served as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Minister of Defence and Minister of Education. Under his stewardship, he established a number of instrumental policies and programmes which steered Singapore's growth as a young independent nation - contributing significantly to Singapore's development and success.

Materials Board

Project Design Team :

Poole Associates Private Limited

Ed Poole, Wong Kim Mei,

Anwar Fardullah

e:mail contact@poole-associates.com

T 65 | 6536 | 3928

The Council Room : Not Realized

This space will be used for meetings and viewing of historical items. The Council Room will be recreated in an authentic manner that evokes the ambience of the room as it was, when in use by the State.

A primary design feature will be an artwork created by the Tyler Print Institute.

Currently available for corporate functions [pre-renovation]

For more information,

visit The Arts House website

History : The Council Room

For nearly 40 years from 1959 to 1999, this room was The Office of The Prime Minister of Singapore in Parliament. It was first used by then Prime Minister Mr. Lee Kuan Yew and subsequently by Prime Minister Mr. Goh Chok Tong.

Prior to that, the room was used by Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Lok Weng Chee as his office from 1955 until 1959. Specialists in Legislature, the Clerk and his Assistants advise the Speaker and Members of Parliament on the practices, procedures and privileges of The House. The Clerks also assist with drafting of motions and petitions, publishing the parliamentary papers for sitting days and keeping records of the proceedings and decisions of The House.

The room was subsequently used briefly by the Chief Reporter and Editor before it became the Prime Ministers Room in 1959.