Paragon To Get $82m Makeover

Source : The Straits Times, Jan 8, 2008

NEW LOOK, MORE SPACE

PARAGON Shopping Centre will soon sport a new look.

The icon along Singapore's Orchard Road shopping strip is embarking on an $82-million makeover that will give it a new facade and more retail and office space by the end of the year.

Its new front will include pop-out glass boxes that will lift shopfronts above the ground level.

Stores at the front of the building will sport windows three times taller than the current ones.

And a yet-to-be-disclosed flagship store will make its mark with a five-storey high shopfront.

The makeover 'will provide these tenants with significant visibility and brand expression,' said Mrs Linda Kwan, Paragon's general manager.

The new look for the mall at the junction of Orchard and Bideford roads is the work of DP Architects, which oversaw the integration of Paragon and the former Promenade into a single mall in 2003.

DP aims to create a modern and upmarket look for Paragon, to reflect its status as a leading mall for international luxury goods.

The latest renovation will also add 11,600 sq ft to Paragon's nett lettable area, which now stands at 650,000 sq ft. Besides the extra retail space, two more floors, or 29,000 sq ft, will also be added for use as offices and medical clinics.

The mall will remain open during the renovation.