The Facade Atlas
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Former Ford Factory

Location
Singapore,Singapore
Design firm
Emile Brizay (verify)
Typology
Industrial / automobile factory
Years
1940–1941
Status
Complete

Facade facts

Facade summary
The front facade is a two-storey Art Deco and Streamline Moderne composition featuring prominent horizontal ribbon windows,concrete sun-shading ledges, and a central symmetrical entrance tower with vertical Art Deco fins.
Documented intention
The design aimed to project a modern, progressive corporate image for Ford in Southeast Asia, using the then-contemporary Art Deco and Streamline Moderne styles to emphasize industrial efficiency and modernity.
Street relationship
Set back from Upper Bukit Timah Road, the building is situated on a slope, elevating its prominent Art Deco facade to make a bold visual statement to passing vehicular traffic.
Climate relationship
The continuous cantilevered concrete canopies above the windows act as passive shading devices (brise-soleil/eyebrows) to shield the interiors from the intense tropical sun and heavy rain of Singapore.
Window pattern
Continuous horizontal bands flanking the central entrance bay on both the ground and first floors.
Glazing
Single glazing
Depth
Shallow depth, with flat facade surfaces punctuated by projecting horizontal concrete eyebrows and a slightly projecting central entrance block.
Rhythm
Symmetrical and repetitive horizontal rhythm on the wings, balanced by a singular vertical gesture at the center.
Reinforced Concrete
Reinforced Concrete — Structure and decorative elements — Smooth plastered and painted
Steel
Steel — Window frames — Painted
Glass
Glass — Windows — Clear
Cast-in-place reinforced concrete
The primary structural framework of the administrative block is composed of cast-in-place reinforced concrete columns and slabs.
Steel-framed ribbon window system
Multi-pane industrial steel window frames,typical of the Crittall style, integrated directly into the concrete structural openings.

Tags

Ribbon Windows

Description

The facade of the Former Ford Factory consists of a two-storey administrative front block that conceals the large factory warehouse behind. The administrative block features a strong horizontal emphasis typical of Streamline Moderne architecture, achieved through continuous bands of multi-pane steel-framed casement windows (ribbon windows) and cantilevered concrete canopies (eyebrows) that run along the length of the building. This horizontality is dramatically punctuated by a central, symmetrical Art Deco entrance bay. The entrance features a projecting canopy and three tall, vertical concrete fins rising above the doorway, creating a vertical focal point. The facade is finished in a smooth white plaster over reinforced concrete. Behind this front block, the main assembly factory facade is characterized by steel-framed sawtooth roofs designed to capture northern daylight.

Visual analysis

The juxtaposition of the strong verticality of the central entrance with the continuous horizontal bands of the flanking wings creates a balanced, classical symmetry wrapped in a modernist envelope.

Gallery

Sources

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