Forget Marina Bay Sands or Gardens by the Bay; if you’re Singaporean, you’ve probably taken pictures at these places hundreds of times. Leave these iconic places to the tourists, and check out these 5 Instagrammable gems instead – there are sure to take your IG game up a notch.
1. Parkview Square
Photo Credit: The Cool Hunter
Commonly known by locals as the “Batman Building”, Parkview Square sports a majestic exterior overlooking Kampong Glam and Bugis Junction. If you think the exterior is amazing, take a look inside and be blown away by Atlas Bar – named Asia’s best bar in 2019 and home to hundreds of limited edition gin. Parkview Square is also reportedly one of the most expensive office buildings in Singapore, housing the embassies of United Arab Emirates, Austria and Mongolia.
2. Central Fire Station
Photo Credit: BV Wedding
Completed in 1902, the iconic red and white Central Fire Station is popular among Instagram photographers and a common location for wedding shoots. If you’re a parent, be sure to bring your children along on Saturday mornings so they can ride on an engine and take pictures with firemen. After that, you can pop by the mini fire-fighting museum next door and explore all kinds of old trucks, equipment and interactive games. With so much to do, we’re sure the adults will enjoy it as much the little ones.
3. The Interlace
Photo Credit: Arch2O
If you’re an architecture student, we guarantee plus chop that you’ve seen this building in Queenstown, Singapore. The apartment complex consists of 31 apartment blocks stacked in hexagonal arrangements around eight large courtyards, creating a head-turning spectacle. The courtyards even have a water park, jacuzzi pool, spa valley and theatre plaza, and we can’t help but envy anyone who lives there.
4. People’s Park Complex
Photo Credit: State Of Buildings
People’s Park Complex is the perfect architectural idea of urban renewal, and a place where all activities of the city happens under one roof. Located in the heart of Chinatown, People’s Park Complex consists of a mixture of shops, officers and residential units, and was also the first shopping mall of its kind in Southeast Asia. Today, the yellow and green building is an iconic part of Chinatown which not only looks great in pictures, but is also a masterpiece of experimental architecture.
5. School of Art, Design and Media, Nanyang Technological University
Photo Credit: NTU Hey!
Move aside, The Hive! There’s another cool campus building in NTU and that’s the university’s Art, Design and Media (ADM) building. From curving green roofs to the building’s glass façade, the ADM building blends the built and natural environment together seamlessly; and it doesn’t just look good – it’s functional as well! Inside lies a library, classrooms, as well as design studios for ADM students to use.