Singapore’s historic Fullerton Building, built in 1928, recently began a new chapter in its illustrious history with its restoration into the city’s landmark hotel, the Fullerton. One of the most prestigious hotels in Singapore, the Fullerton has also been recognized as one of the finest in the world.
A unique element of the Fullerton restoration project included three new fiber-optic chandeliers for the hotel’s 7,524-sq.-ft. (700 sq. m) ballroom. Martin’s architectural dealer in the area, Pacific Technical Products Pte Ltd (PTP), took on the illumination project, installing an abundance of fiber optic for the three distinctive chandeliers; 12 Martin FiberSource QFX 150s are used to power the elegant lights.
Hirsch Bedner Associates created the chandelier design in accordance with the hotel’s request for a grand fixture befitting the six-star standard of the Fullerton. The chandeliers were manufactured by Ricardo Lighting (HK) Ltd with the lighting concept completed by Project Lighting Design (Stephen Gough)
. CY Fun of PTP says, "There are two sizes of chandelier. One is 6m in diameter and the other two are 3m in diameter. The larger chandelier is powered by eight Martin FiberSource QFX 150s and contains 2,080 points of fiber optics. The 3m chandeliers are powered by two FiberSource QFX 150s each and include 740 points of fiber optic. The average fiber length is between 1.5 and 3m. "The chandelier frame," he continues, "is made of brass in a polished nickel finish and the panels are made of alabaster. Due to the size of the fixture, the alabaster panels had to be supplied in segments. The fixture was assembled in layers from inner to outer.
"The optics were inserted in the predrilled panels off-site," he says. "During assembly, extreme care was taken to ensure that the fibers were not tangled or broken. Another factor was to ensure that the incandescent lamps did not come into contact with the fiber.
"Each lot of fiber from the illuminator had to be properly sized. Fiber cable that was too long would have slack fibers, and fiber cables that were too short would leave gaps between points in the alabaster. All in all, it was a challenging installation and all credit should be given to Ricardo Lighting for a job well done."
In its heyday, the Fullerton Building enjoyed a strategic location at the mouth of the bustling Singapore River, making it the focal point of commercial activity. Housing some of Singapore’s most notable offices over the years, the Fullerton Building has played an important role in ensuring that Singapore has remained a major trading hub in Southeast Asia.
The Fullerton Hotel won the 2001 URA Architectural Heritage Award, the result of three years of painstaking restoration work, as well as the 2002 Business Traveller Asia Pacific Award for Best New Business Hotel in Asia Pacific. It has been designated One of the World's Most Prestigious Hotels by the Institutional Investor Annual Survey and appears on Condé Nast Traveler’s "Hot List" as One of the World's Top New Hotels.