Odeon Towers, an office building opposite Raffles Hotel has been extended with the addition of new elements wrapped around the existing tower. The builidng originally had a western-style granite paved civic open plaza, which was very hot and made the building disappear at street level, as the surrounding buildings are party wall developments with no setback. The developer wanted to use this extention to create an identity for the recessive building. The design aims to achieve several objectives: to give Odeon Towers a presence at the street, to create a more ""Asian"" form of urbanism, to continue the street-block and covered walkway, to define a new and more exciting entrance, to create some loft spaces for retail and restaurants that have exciting volumes and good street exposure, and to create a tall signage element that creates a stronger identity for the development. The architectural language developed for the extension is derived from folding and wrapping forms. This strategy plays on the ideas of wrapping and presents, gifts and packaging - a suitable image for a lifestyle retail building. The various attractive materials used on the folding elements give a rich and lustrous impression to the development. Transparent facades, skylights and high, open volumes allow views up into the development from the street, exposing the activities and products within. The design strategy also enhances the particular qualities of the site, which can be observed from multiple viewpoints from the laneways and between the surrounding buildings. By using the wrapping elements

to intrigue passers by and draw the eye around corners and into the development, pedestrians are encouraged to enter the lifestyle areas. The wrapping and folding approach is further explored in the design of the architectural details, creating a synergy between the part and the whole. A huge signage wall was developed to cover the blank party wall of the neighbour, using the coloured fluorescent lights that typically adorn seafood restaurants in Singapore, together with a neon sign that recalled the memory of the art deco Odeon cinema that had occupied the site 20 years before. External areas between the architectural elements create a tropical retail environment, with planting and water provided all around. The rooftop is developed as a function terrace overlooked by the enormous signage element, with full size trees in enormous flowerpots that are suspended within circular skylights over the showroom loft space. The cool, shady lanes, sparkling water and overhanging greenery create an urban quality reminiscent of unstructured but intriguing Asian cities, drawing in passersby and giving office workers a moment of nature. The combination with the neon and fluorescent signage, crisp detailing and reflective materials create a refined version of the kind of chaotic mix of old and new, nature and technology, beauty and chaos that characterise modern Asia. The project has succeeded in creating a new identity for the project, and transforming the perception of the buildng as new and interesting. The blank urban plaza has become a lively extension of the shopping street.