SINGAPORE: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has revealed the design of 8 Shenton Way, a new 63-story tower in Singapore’s central business district owned and developed by Perennial Holdings Private Limited.

8 Shenton Way, which will soar 305 meters, incorporates leading edge post-pandemic design features while offering unparalleled integration of a diverse building program and amenities, befitting one of Asia’s most international, preeminent centers.

The tower has been designed specifically with the tropical climate of Singapore in mind, and will be one of the first post-pandemic mixed-use towers in the world incorporating health and wellness as its primary design drivers.

Nature and sustainability are driving forces behind the design, which is inspired by bamboo forests, echoing the verticality and biophilic elements found in nature.

From the zero-waste manufacture of terracotta to the use of engineered bamboo, the design seeks to minimize both embodied and operational carbon.

Targeting Building Construction Authority of Singapore (BCA) Green Mark Platinum Certification equivalent to a 55% energy reduction compared to the benchmark, 8 Shenton Way is seeking the highest sustainability certification in the region.

8 Shenton Way is the first project under the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore’s CBD Incentive Scheme with such a diversity of components including retail, office, SOHO style units, luxury residential, hotel and function space, gathering a wide variety of building functions within a tight urban footprint.

The new building will reuse part of the existing foundation and infrastructure onsite to minimize material use and embodied carbon during construction.

The façade will be built of energy-efficient glazing, and recyclable aggregates will be used in its concrete structure manufactured through a low-carbon process, while segregating waste and using Singapore Green Building Council-certified materials where available.

The development will integrate dynamic live, work and play elements while elevating luxury in Singapore’s downtown. A public performance and events space with retail, seating and bike racks will activate the street.

Landscaping will extend from the street into the building, creating a seamless green corridor for pedestrians.

On the second floor, an open-air green space with restaurants offers room to gather, surrounded by a biodiverse landscape with plants chosen specifically to attract birds and butterflies.

In total, the design includes more than 10,000 square meters of elevated, public green space, exceeding the footprint of the entire site.

The building façade is characterized by natural materials — champagne-colored terracotta and bamboo along the walls of the sky gardens — with curved edges that create bay windows on nearly every floor, offering vast sightlines of the city and the sea.

In the lobby, wood, stone and terracotta finishes flank artwork and a reflecting pool, with a multi-floor atrium framing the space above.

Landscaped sky gardens located throughout the height of the tower create a place of respite, building occupants ample room for an outdoor escape in the sky.

There are seven terraces altogether, including one for the hotel floors and three for the residential levels, carved out of the building every five to six floors bringing light, air and natural ventilation to prioritize well-being.

The residences occupy the highest levels of the tower, enjoying the most impressive views.

Across more than 148,000 square meters of floor space, 8 Shenton Way incorporates a variety of post-pandemic features, prioritizing tenants’ health.

Contactless technology, anti-microbial materials, enhanced natural air flow and filtration, adaptable interior spaces, and large landscaped outdoor spaces collectively create a robust offering of healthier, wellness-focused spaces in the heart of the city.

To encourage more sustainable modes of transit, the tower will connect to Tanjong Pagar MRT station and two other stations within a five-minute walk.