for a 'vibrant main shopping street' in Singapore. Thus, Far East Organization became the first to venture into the development of Orchard Road, starting off with Far East Shopping Centre in 1974, followed by Lucky Plaza in 1977. In 1978, many expected the 736 strata units and 30-storey commercial cum residential building (Lucky Plaza) to become a 'white elephant', despite that it was then one of the most expensive and largest development undertaken by a private developer. Little did they expect that Lucky Plaza would turn into a huge success in 1978, drawing in waves of eager shoppers, mostly wealthy local shoppers who lived in Tanglin and Cairnhill areas, and Malaysians and Indonesians. Lucky Plaza, designed by BEP Akitek Pte Ltd, pioneered the concept of a modern shopping mall – e.g. open vertical 'bazaar' as; the first multi-storey, fully air-conditioned shopping centre in the world ; first golden bubble lift in South East Asia; well-designed positions of voids, foyers and concourses throughout the Plaza; wide corridors along shopping arcade; wide glass panels on both fronts of the shop for attractive display of goods. Such features won Lucky Plaza a mention in the National Geographic magazine. Furthermore, in the early years of its launch, small-scale businesses and individual shops selling luxury products such as jewellery, antiques, handicrafts and branded watches occupied the storefronts of Lucky Plaza. On March 12, 2013, fast-food chain Jollibee opened its first branch in Singapore on the 6th floor of Lucky Plaza. Back in 2014, there was an oversupply of retail spaces in Singapore. These retail spaces were closer to neighbourhoods and away from the city area. The convenience of these suburban malls caused consumers to stay within their region to shop causing Orchard Road to suffer. In addition, newer malls within the City area have also affected the Lucky Plaza businesses. Tenants in Lucky Plaza also suffered heavy losses from the heavy rain in 2015. The heavy rain resulted in leakages in the ceilings and damaging the property of the unitholders. On 29 December 2019, six Filipino domestic helpers were struck by a car that sped out of control outside Lucky Plaza's apartment block, with two of the victims killed instantly. The 64-year-old driver was arrested for reckless driving causing death. Architecture BEP Akitek Pte Ltd. developed the concept of an open vertical 'bazaar' as to its central position in the middle of the Orchard Road