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| Sunday, 11 September 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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The durian-shaped concert hall
Today we feature another opera house, which is closer to us, and which is a landmark in its own right. This is known as the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, and is to the four million population of Singapore, what the Sydney Opera House is to the Australians. The Esplanade is situated on the waterfront overlooking the Marina Bay at the spot where the Singapore River flows into the sea. It has been designed as a multi-functional cultural centre where many different activities can take place at the same time. The building takes a unique form with two huge dome-shaped latticed supporting structures which resemble insect eyes. They glitter and create special light effects depending on the sunlight. The lattice also has triangular aluminium panels and windows which open and close according to their relative position to the sun. The premises located on six acres of land has got two major convention rooms, a concert hall which can house 1,800, a theatre which houses 2,000, a medium-sized auditorium which can accommodate 850 and a smaller one housing 450, a rehearsal studio which can hold 250 people, many recital rooms, as well as outdoor performing spaces. Its horse shoe-shaped auditorium has one of the largest stages in the country. It also comprises a shopping mall with over 1,000 shops, 350 cosmopolitan food outlets and 5,000 hotel rooms. A library which is described as Singapore's finest arts library with archives of literature and audio visual material covering music, dance, films and theatre is another component of the complex. The Esplanade is known as the most exciting performing arts venue in the country, and has showcased a wide variety of local and international performances such as musicals, concerts, dances and theatre. It is lovingly referred to as "the durian" by the locals, as the shape of the building is similar to this foul-smelling fruit which is said to taste divine. An international competition was carried out in 1992 to select the architect for the project for which about 32 companies had applied. The project was awarded to Michael Wilford and Partners which carried out the construction with DP Architects Pte. Ltd. It finally saw completion in 2002. The building was designed at a cost of over 1.3 billion Singapore dollars to "express harmony with nature". However, the architecture hasn't been warmly welcomed by everyone, with some criticising that it is too Western-oriented. However, most Singaporeans believe that the building will play a key role in the country becoming Asia's city of culture with it being strategically placed between the business and entertainment district on one side, and the old city on the other. The architects wanted a building which is instantly recognisable and provides a good view of the city. The Esplanade has certainly achieved both these objectives. ############# Dawson Tower - tribute to a road builder
This is the highest point in the climb - the Kadugannawa Pass, which was the lookout point in the former Sinhala kingdom. This tunnel has been a landmark for over 175 years. Until about 25 years ago, all motor traffic to and from Kandy went through this tunnel. When it was found that the new long vehicles could not negotiate the sharp hairpin bend, another road was constructed with a wider bend and no overhead encumbrances. When the climb is over, and the travellers approach Kadugannawa town, they will see to their right, a tall white column on the side of the cliff. One gets a better view of the column when travelling in the opposite direction from Kadugannawa town. This is the Dawson Tower, erected to commemorate Captain Dawson, who built the Colombo-Kandy Road. Governor Edward Barnes wanted a new road built to Kandy as the old road was long and circuitous. The old road was along the Kelani Valley, via Ruwanwella to the Ma Oya valley, then up the incline to Gampola and on to Kandy. After the Kandyan rebellion of 1818, the Governor wanted to have tighter control of the Kandyan territory (the old Sinhala Kingdom) and for this, a shorter and more direct road to Kandy to move troops and government officers quickly, was essential. Governor Barnes appointed Captain William Francis Dawson of the Royal Engineers to execute this task. Captain Dawson studied the terrain, marked out the route and planned the building of the road, phase by phase. Work commenced in 1820 and was carried out under his immediate supervision. The stress and strain of working in a hot and humid climate and exposure to the frequent changes of weather and to diseases as he worked through jungle land, brought about his premature death on March 29, 1829, when the road to Kandy was still not complete. Folklore says Captain Dawson was bitten by a snake and had to be taken to Colombo where he died. Captain Dawson was a popular and much admired and respected man. His friends and admirers decided to erect this column or tower to commemorate his service in this gigantic task, and they chose this spot on the top of the Kadugannawa Pass, as the best place for a memorial to him. No better spot could have been chosen. The road upto the point is testimony to his engineering skills. He worked without bulldozers, backhoes and other machinery and the technical know-how that today's road builders have. When you next pass through Kadugannawa, ask your parents to turn to the Gampola Road. A few yards from the turn is a narrow road on the right which will lead you to the Dawson Column. - Sumana Saparamadu. |
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| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
We have already featured the Sydney Opera House in Australia in this
page as a landmark, not only among global constructions, but also as a
prominent stage for international artistic events. 
Anyone travelling to Kandy along the Colombo-Kandy Road has to
negotiate many bends - some of them hairpin bends - as they go up the
Kadugannawa incline. At the last and sharpest of these bends, the road
forks; and one goes through a tunnel, wide and high enough for a bus or
lorry to pass. The other road makes a wider bend and goes a few feet over
the rock. 
