The PUB Building, located near Singapore's main shopping belt of Orchard Road, was built to accommodate several departments of the Public Utilities Board which had outgrown its office space in City Hall.

[3] The proposal by the now-defunct Singapore architectural firm Group 2 Architects (1970–1978), formed by Ong Chin Bee and Tan Puay Huat, won.

However, Group 2 Architect's winning design, in the jury's words, allowed "natural form and function to achieve character and dignity" for the building.

[4] The development of the form of the PUB Building was mannerist, however, in contrast to the inherent logic evident in La Tourette, and to some degree in the City Hall.

The architects sought to create an approachable building that reflected the role of the PUB as a public supplier of gas and electricity, and this led them to choose strong horizontal elements for the design.

[4] It was the combination of design features intended to reflect the climate, together with an objective of making the floor areas congruent with the size of the administrative elements of the utility that occupied them, that resulted in the building's distinctive structural profile.

[9] It is entered via wide steps under columns that are three- or four-storeys high,[3] and these pilotis create a sense of space for the naturally ventilated public lobby areas.

[9] The original design of the Singapore Power Building was executed virtually without later alteration although it would later be surrounded by hotels, the Somerset MRT station and shopping complexes.

[12] The structural framework of the building utilises a simple system of reinforced concrete beams and slabs, and was originally clad in square mosaic and rectangular ceramic tiles on its walls and columns.