Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has unveiled the design for a 63-story tower at Singaporewhich is expected to be built as “one of Asia’s most enduring skyscrapers and Singapore’s tallest skyscraper”.
Called 8 Shenton Way, the 305 meters mixed use Skyscraper is inspired by bamboo forests, creating a vertical indoor-outdoor community with mixed-use programming; public spaces, offices, shops, a hotel and luxury residences.
Scheduled to be built at the intersection of Singapore’s Central Business District (CBD) and Marina Bay, the tower will be added to the historic Tanjong Pagar district and form part of the emerging Deep South waterfront.
The tower, aiming to be “one of the skyline’s most recognizable landmarks”, is distinguished by a series of garden terraces that promote the lush tropical landscape of Shenton Way, Anson Road and Maxwell Road into the sky. .
Covering an area of over 148,000 square meters, the tower offers expansive public spaces, offices, retail, hotel and luxury residences with unparalleled panoramic views of the South China Sea, the heritage district to the north and proximity to the Tanjong Pagar district, known for its Michelin recommended restaurants.
“8 Shenton Way will be the newest landmark on Singapore’s skyline, a next-generation tower for the city,” said SMO Partner Mustafa Abadan.
“Designed specifically with Singapore’s tropical climate in mind, this building will be one of the world’s first post-pandemic mixed-use towers, with health and well-being as key design drivers. Seeking to achieve latest and most rigorous sustainability standards, our design will set a new paradigm for resilient and elegant skyscraper design in Singapore and beyond,” added Abadan.
SMOThe skyscraper puts nature and sustainability at the heart of the design. Inspired by bamboo forests, several features are based on a biophilic principle that brings in vertical elements found in nature.
The design team prefers to use materials – from the zero-waste manufacturing of terracotta to the use of engineered bamboo – to reduce both embodied and operational carbon.
To achieve this, the design of the tower aims to target Singapore Building Construction Authority (BCA) Green Mark Platinum Certification — Equivalent to 55% energy reduction compared to baseline.
The project is aiming for the highest sustainability certification in the region.
“8 Shenton Way is the first project under the Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority’s CBD Incentive Scheme with such a diversity of components, including retail, offices, SOHO-style units, luxury residences, a hotel and event space,” SOM said.
“Bringing together this wide variety of building functions in a narrow urban footprint, 8 Shenton Way will be a highly efficient skyscraper that optimizes its location in the heart of the city.
In construction, SOM will reuse some of the existing foundation and infrastructure on site, minimizing material usage and embodied carbon.
Additionally, the tower’s facade will be made of energy-efficient glazing, while its concrete will incorporate recyclable aggregates made using a low-carbon process, segregating waste and using materials certified by the Singapore Green Building Council where necessary. is possible.
“Coming out of the pandemic, this moment presents a rare and exciting opportunity for architects to explore new approaches to creating health-focused places,” said Nic Medrano, director of SOM Design.
“Singapore is an incredible canvas to do this, with its excellent quality of life, abundance of green spaces and diverse cultures. Our design weaves together nature, heritage, connections to public transport, the life of luxury, healthy workplaces and vibrant public spaces in a thriving center for the community,” added Medrano.
By integrating public performance and event spaces with retail units into the project, other components such as seating and bike racks are expected to activate the street.
The landscaping extends from the street to the building to create a seamless green corridor and transition for pedestrians.
An open-air green space is placed on the second floor with restaurants to provide a gathering place, incorporating a biodiversity landscape with plants chosen specifically to attract birds and butterflies.
The public green space will cover over 10,000 square meters, exceeding the entire footprint of the site.
Natural materials, such as champagne-colored terracotta and bamboo along the sky garden walls, adorn the building’s facade, which has curved edges. These curved edges also guide the floor-to-ceiling windows on almost every floor, providing expansive views of the city and sea.
Materials used in the lobby consist of wood, stone, and terracotta finishing flank artwork and a reflecting pool, with a multi-story atrium framing the space above.
At all levels there will be landscaped gardens, providing building occupants with ample space for an outdoor escape into the sky. The design plan consists of seven terraces in total – one for the hotel floors and three for the residential levels.
Health and wellness become the overarching design principles that guide the design. Light air, natural ventilation and well-being are ensured by sculpted floors every five to six floors.
Residential units are designed at the highest levels of the tower, to provide occupants with the most impressive views.
While the design scheme incorporates a variety of post-pandemic features, prioritizing tenant health, other inputs like touchless technology, antimicrobial materials, enhanced natural airflow and filtration, Adaptable interior spaces and large landscaped exterior spaces are collectively offered to form one of the robust, healthier and wellness-focused spaces in the heart of the city.
“To encourage more sustainable modes of transport, the tower will connect to Singapore’s underground pedestrian network, including direct underground connectivity to the Tanjong Pagar Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station, as well as two additional MRT stations within five-minute walk: the Maxwell MRT station, which will serve the Thomson-East Coast Line and is due to enter service in November this year, and the Prince Edward MRT station, which will close the loop between Harbourfront and Marina Bay MRT stations on the Circle Line in 2026,” SOM explained.
“Car parks for bicycles and electric vehicles will also be provided,” continues the firm.
The project is developed by Perennial Holdings Private Limited and its consortium of investors.
While SOM is an architectural design consultant, the Singapore-based architecture firm DCA Architects is the architect of 8 Shenton Way. The project is expected to be completed in 2028.
SOM also designs a cloud-like headquarters controlled by users for technology company Alibaba in Shanghai. SOM has completed a new mixed-use office tower, called 800 Fulton Marketin Chicago, United States.
All images © SOM | Bezier.
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