Embracing luck

With a possible collective sale looming and no sign of a conservation campaign, the fate of Tan Boon Liat Building hangs in the balance

- Alyssa Woo

The possibility of Tan Boon Liat Building being demolished is a "very sad" one for Mrs Judy Chok, the widow of architect Chok Yan Hoi, who designed the building in the 1970s.

"One has to embrace change, but sometimes I feel we shouldn't change for change's sake," the 83-year-old tells The Straits Times on the phone. "But I'm grateful I can still go down to certain places and still have fond memories, and see the legacies he left behind for us."

Her husband died in 2013 after a battle with cancer. He is survived by Mrs Chok, two daughters and four grandchildren.

Built in 1976, the blue 15-storey Tan Boon Liat Building in Outram Road was put up for public tender on Feb 3 by its advisory and marketing agent, commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield. The minimum asking price is $1.15 billion and the tender closes on March 18.

Mrs Chok recalls her husband being "quite excited" about his first industrial building project. With it being one of the first few high-rise industrial developments commissioned by the private sector, he was spurred to design a building that would stand out, resulting in one with angular "wings" on the sides of the structure.

She says: "To him, it was like two arms opening up and embracing luck. The owners were Chinese and very traditional, so they were also very conscious of fengshui and that kind of thing. When he showed them the draft, they were so excited."

VERSATILE ARCHITECT

After completing Tan Boon Liat Building, Mr Chok oversaw a few more flatted factories, including one in Jalan Pemimpin.

Other works in his portfolio included housing estates and projects, such as Thomson Hills Estate in Upper Thomson Road.