Hilton Hotel to replace external false ceilings after recent collapse

SINGAPORE — The Hilton Singapore hotel will be replacing all its external false ceilings following an incident in December last year, when parts of its driveway’s ceiling collapsed after heavy rain, hurting at least two people.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said this as it revealed that inspections done by the Professional Engineer appointed by the hotel show that the cause of the collapsed false ceiling was the deterioration of connections that supported the ceiling system.

“This led to uneven distribution of load on the ceiling system, resulting in the collapse of the false ceiling,” said a BCA spokesperson.

Repair works to the affected false ceiling at the main entrance of the hotel have been completed, and the area has been certified safe by the Professional Engineer for public access, the spokesperson added.

The hotel will be replacing all its external false ceilings with perforated metal false ceilings, said the BCA spokesperson.

The incident at the hotel driveway last year came amid a string of accidents that hit the Orchard Road shopping belt in December.

For instance, Orchard Central mall suffered a blackout caused by water seepage from a downpour while Christmas decorations at two spots in the area caught fire.