Hilton hotel to replace all external false ceiling after scare

The Hilton Singapore hotel will be replacing all of the building’s external false ceiling after a false ceiling over its main entrance collapsed in December following heavy rain, injuring at least two people.

The hotel will be progressively replacing the ceiling with perforated metal false ceiling, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said in a statement on Wednesday (Feb 3).

The false ceiling over the hotel’s driveway had collapsed due to the “deterioration of the connections that supported the ceiling system”, according to the investigation report of the professional engineer appointed by the hotel, BCA said.

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

After the incident, BCA issued a Notice to Maintain to Hilton Singapore. The hotel has since carried out repair works to the false ceiling and the professional engineer has certified the area to be safe for public access, BCA said.

The engineer has also inspected and confirmed that the walkway beside the hotel’s main entrance is safe, it added.