communal areas as well as attractively designed blocks, the rate of construction was slow in relation to the scale of the housing shortage in Singapore. After the People's Action Party came to power in 1959, it embarked on a massive public housing programme, which was one of its signature campaign promises. It replaced the SIT with the Housing and Development Board (HDB). The HDB was given the legal tools and financial resources needed to make great progress in speeding up the building of public housing. Architecturally, this resulted in a relatively homogenous suburban landscape, where satellite new towns (modelled after the British), were built with seemingly endless stacks of slab blocks housing tens of thousands of peoples in small two and three-bedroom flats. Skyscrapers From the 1970s to late 1980s the city was dominated by modern architecture, particularly the Brutalist style. This is seen in some of the older commercial skyscrapers, such as the OCBC Centre by I. M. Pei, as well as many buildings built to house governmental offices and government-linked companies, including the Singapore Land Tower, Temasek Tower, DBS Building, and the CPF Building. Changing international architectural trends also introduced some architectural styles (particularly the postmodernist style) here. Among the tallest buildings in Singapore are One Raffles Place, Republic Plaza, and the twin towers of UOB Plaza. In 2016, the tallest building Tanjong Pagar Centre was built. Due to the proximity to Paya Lebar Airbase, buildings were limited to a height of 280 metres, except for Tanjong Pagar area. The tallest residential building in Singapore is the Marina Bay Tower. Contemporary architecture In the 21st century, Singapore architecture has embraced international architectural stylistic movements from postmodernism and high-tech architecture. In addition, local variants of Critical regionalism have been developed, taking into account Singapore's unique tropical climate and dense urban fabric. Distinctive structures A number of projects were initiated to create distinctive landmark buildings, unique structures, as well as interesting features and attractions in Singapore. Many of these developments can be found in the Marina Bay area, where one objective in its master plan is to create a distinctive image for the waterfronts as international landmarks. These developments include Marina Bay Sands, ArtScience Museum, the Helix Bridge, Gardens by the Bay, and in particular, the show piece arts centre Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay. Others include residential complexes, such as Reflections at Keppel Bay and The Interlace, and