23/50: The Concourse

In 1985, due to a backfired high-wage economic policy meant to boost labour productivity, Singapore entered its first recession since its independence. The recession hit and escalated quickly, with GDP growth falling to an alarming -3.5% by the third quarter of the year. But Singaporeans weren't the only ones affected by the recession; The Concourse, originally meant to be the Hong Fok Centre, commenced construction in 1981 but was halted when the recession struck. It was only 2 years later that construction started anew, with architect Paul Rudolph retaining what was already built but redesigning the rest of the building. Today, The Concourse forms a distinct silhouette of the Singapore skyline (especially when viewed from Changi Airport), with its unique aluminium curtain wall system reminiscent of dinner plates stacked on top of one another.