Raffles Hotel


Raffles Hotel--- It sits in the middle of the commercial district, with huge malls and busy roads, yet when one steps into the courtyards, it seems like the modern world is shut out. Traffic and pedestrian noise is reduced by the intervention of the buildings around the perimeter of the compound. The classical language employed makes for a romantic ambience. It almost seems as though the world is slowing down, with the porticos and verandahs shaded from the scorching afternoon sun, and people enjoying the shade provided.
The hotel lobby at the main building of the compound suggests a sort of grandeur with the grand and majestic wooden stairs, placed right in the middle. It makes for a dramatic entrance. Daylight filters into the lobby. The lobby is at the first of the 3 level, so when daylight hits the first level, it is warm, not hot, and suitably lit. The afternoon sun invariably feels like the morning sun, when the world starts to heat up all over again, after a cooling night.

Diong Fuhan