New Supreme Court Building, Singapore
by Terence Ong, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Supreme_Court_Building%2C_Singapore.JPG, used under GNU Free Documentation License
New Supreme Court Building
1 Supreme Court Lane
The New Supreme Court Building replaces the old Supreme Court Building located a short distance away, in June 2005. The new building was officially opened by Singapore President S.R. Nathan, on 7 January, 2006.
The New Supreme Court Building sits on the site of the former Colombo Court. It was designed by Norman Foster and Partners, with the local architectural consultants being CPG Corporation. The new complex as a total area of 72,000 square metres. The design of the current Supreme Court building mirrors the Supreme Court's organizational structure. The courtrooms where the High Court hearings take place are contained in the lower levels of the building, from levels two through six. The Court of Appeal, the highest appellate court in the land, is symbolically raised to the apex of the building and houses at the centre of the disc.
The new Supreme Court Building attracted quite a lot of attention among Singaporeans when it opened, not all of which were flattering. Many questioned the purpose of selecting a design from "yet another" foreign architect, in this case (Lord) Norman Foster. Another grievance aired was that the Singapore public had no opportunity to voice their opinion about the design until after it was already approved for construction. It is perhaps a bliss that the new Supreme Court building is hiding behind the more handsome structures such as the old Supreme Court and City Hall.
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