Shaw House

Location: Shaw House (350 Orchard Road, Singapore 238367)

Brief Introduction:

Shaw House is a modern shopping mall and the home of Lido Cinema, along Orchard road Singapore. The main hall, Lido 1, has a capacity of over 900, which was renovated in 2004. In order to allow a blockbuster to be seen in several halls at one time, the projection booth has the ability to "interlock" one print in more than one hall. Now, Lido 1 has equipped itself with Dolby Digital Surround, with EX sound system, and is also a 2K DIGITAL hall. Lido 2 is also now a 2K DIGITAL hall capable of screening digital movies. Lido 3 is an E-cinema. Hence, in all, now most halls in Lido cinema is able to screen digital movies.

It is the main store of Isetan in Singapore, which occupies five storeys. It has a Japanese supermarket -- Isetan, in the basement, and has offices on the upper floors of the building. There is also the Lido Cineplex with 8 screens on Levels 5 and 6. On the 4th level, Shaw House has three restaurants, which includes Crystal Jade, and one cafe. While outside Lido cineplex, there is a food court as well as a McDonald's express kiosk. In the basement of the building, there is a small McCafe outlet, and MOS Burger and Pepper Lunch restaurants. The car park of the building is connected to the Shaw Centre. The Shaw House uses high technology as there is a giant LED screen on Shaw Centre facing Orchard Road.

History:

Lido Cinema was constructed in 1958 as a 10-storey office block, and had its official opening by Lim Yew Hock on 22 November 1958. At official opening as a cinema in 1993, the cineplex started with only 5 halls, but was expanded with another 3 halls in 1997 so that to keep up with the high demands of the cinema market.


In mid 2010, more plans were made to add in 2 more 3D theatres and 1 IMAX theatre. Therefore, The Cineplex closed in late 2010 for renovations to add the new and better  theatres. On the 5 May 2011, it then is reopened again.

Land use:

Shaw House was previously nothing but vacant land with an Esso petrol station until 1952, it is now one of the popular places to watch movie blockbusters. This building is more than 3 stories high and at the highest level is the well known cinema which is the main focus of the building. Shaw House is a high density land use building.

Transformation through time and space:

1958- Shaw House is a shopping mall and houses the Lido Cinema. Lido Cinema was built in 1958 as a 10-storey office block.

1980s- In the late 1980s, the old Lido Cinema was torn down and decided to build a 21-storey building with a basement.

1990s- The building also houses the Lido Cineplex with 8 screens on Levels 5 and 6. At its opening in 1993, the cineplex started with only 5 halls, but was expanded with another 3 halls in 1997 to keep up with the demands of the cinema market.

2004- The main hall, Lido 1, has a capacity of over 900, which was renovated in 2004. It was the first hall in the country to be THX certified with SDDS, DTS, Dolby Digital and Dolby SR.

2010 – 2011 - Plans were made to add in 2 more 3D theatres and 1 IMAX theatre. The Cineplex closed in late 2010 for renovations to add the new theatres. It reopened on the 5 May 2011.The latter officially opened on the 19 May 2011 to screen its first movie, Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides.

Compare and Contrast:

Shaw House is different in the past and now in terms of its size. In the past, it was only a 10-storey building with 5 cinema halls. However, presently, it appears as a 22-storey building which includes 11 cinema halls in total. This tells us that Shaw House was doing well during its early years and therefore was torn down to be rebuilt into a high-rise building.