SINGAPORE - The Maritime House building in Tanjong Pagar, known as a hotel exclusively for seafarers transiting through Singapore, will be torn down and redeveloped by late 2024, according to tender documents put up by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) in late March.
A project brief in the tender, which closes on April 23, estimates $30 million in construction costs for the revamp. The redeveloped Maritime House will continue providing accommodation for seafarers while also functioning as a one-stop destination for international training, research and forums.
There will also be consultancy fees. In response to queries, MPA cited the general wear and tear of the building, with rising maintenance costs over the years, as reasons for engaging a consultant for the preliminary design and redevelopment of Maritime House.
Maritime House accommodated the head office of the former National Maritime Board from 1984 till 1996, when the board merged with other government departments to form MPA.
According to the tender, the Urban Redevelopment Authority has agreed that the 15-storey building's gross plot ratio, or intensity of land usage, can be increased from 2.75 to 3.5. Values above 2.8 indicate the potential for a very high-density development, to be built to above 36 storeys.
"MPA's preliminary plan is to increase the floor space of Maritime House by about 30 per cent in order to better serve the accommodation needs of seafarers and to set aside space in the building for complementary use such as training," a spokesman said.
This will increase the gross floor area of Maritime House, located in Cantonment Road, from 7,428 sq m to 9,625 sq m.
This expansion will cater for about 2,160 sq m of amenities, 1,030 sq m of office space, and 190 hotel rooms - up from the current 46.
The engaged consultant will also have to design the accommodation rooms and reception such that they can be used as an isolation or stay-home notice facility during pandemics.
Besides accommodation for seafarers, the building currently houses Mariners' Corner, a Hainanese Western restaurant founded in 1984, along with a clinic, lounge, gym, student enrichment centre and the Singapore Maritime Foundation.
The MPA spokesman said the authority has informed these tenants at Maritime House, along with the operator of the accommodation, of its plans; and will continue to engage them on the redevelopment process.
