* DESIGN OF
THE YEAR 2023

The project was the winner of an international architectural competition hosted by CapitaLand in 2015. What was the project brief and how did your team respond?

Brian Yang (BY): Essentially, the brief was for a mixed-use development with office space in the heart of the CBD comprising serviced residences, a hawker centre, and parking, among other programmes. We also knew that the goal was for it to be one of the tallest towers in Singapore, and because it sits on quite a significant location, it would also have a major impact on the skyline. While the brief was very clear in terms of what we needed to deliver in a technical sense, it was only after a number of conversations with the client, CapitaLand, that we understood that it was envisioned to be a development that went beyond another typical office tower. Over the years, the CBD had become a place that saw significantly less footfall after office hours. CapitaLand wanted a catalyst that would encourage people to spend more time in the CBD. That was an important idea for us. It was not just about meeting the efficiency of floor area but creating something that would provide the CBD with a space for the community.

Nina Loo (NL): We were the project architects for CapitaSpring, while Brian and his team from the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) were the lead designers. We worked very closely with BIG to ensure their schematic design was compliant with the Singapore authorities. As this is a mixed-use development with different usages and requirements, there is an additional level of complexity compared to a tower of singular use.

Your tower stands out with its sleek facade of pinstriped fins that unfurl to reveal glimpses of sky-high greenery within. Tell us more about the process behind its design and how it performs.

BY: You can think of the tower as a stack of programmes, each one located by virtue of where it wants to be. The offices want to be as high as possible to maximise views and commercial value, while the serviced residences want to be connected to the podium to get access to the amenities. What this creates is also spaces between the two programmes that become social spaces for the diverse residents of the building. We wanted a singular design gesture that would unify these spaces from top to bottom. The pinstripe design could also be pulled apart to reveal the lush and tropical spaces in the sleek and modern tower design. The facade also has a certain amount of depth to perform the role of sun shading. We balanced the function of shading while efficiently offering the tenants and residents views of the city.

Besides the lush greenery, how else was the tower designed to promote sustainability and the wellness of its inhabitants?

BY: From a certification perspective, it was designed to meet the Building and Construction Authority’s Green Mark Platinum requirements using the necessary technical solutions, such as energy-efficient air conditioning, lighting, etc. From a programming perspective, it was important to include end-of-trip facilities, including bicycle parking, shower facilities, and lockers as an integrated part of the design. This would make it effortless for people to find alternative and sustainable modes of transportation. Beyond these items, the tower also provides amenities such as nursing rooms, amphitheatre spaces, jogging tracks, and artworks. We also paid close attention to the design of accessibility measures. In these ways, the tower becomes one that is inviting to the inhabitants and the surrounding community.

CapitaSpring was designed before the pandemic, which has disrupted expectations of work environments since. How has the design held up so far?

BY: The pandemic was unforeseeable, but the tower integrates many features that have enabled it to be successful in a post-pandemic environment. The project brief always envisioned a future-proof integrated development with flexibility, sustainability, and wellness to attract forward-thinking tenants and their employees. The pandemic accelerated the implementation of many of these themes. For instance, office workers in the tower can step out and into an outdoor and naturally ventilated environment in the midst of tropical greenery. This kind of space offers them physical and psychological security. The injection of lifestyle activities has been very effective in turning the tower into a space to live, work, and play in too.

At the end of 2022, about 100 percent of the office and retail space was tenanted to major companies such as JPMorgan Chase. So it certainly has been successful in attracting tenants even in the midst of the pandemic. The serviced residences have very high occupancy rates too. Whenever I try to book some of the better rooms, I fail to do so because they are occupied!

How does your tower meaningfully add to Singapore’s growing number of biophilic skyscrapers and its tropical urbanism?

BY: It has redefined the ambition for what a sky terrace can be and how to effectively integrate it into a skyscraper. The Green Oasis and the rooftop farm are more than just greenery on the facade and in the sky, but meaningful extensions of social and communal spaces.

NL: I think the opening of the green spaces for the public to enjoy is a generous gesture. It increases the green spaces in the densely built-up CBD. You normally need to pay to go up tall buildings to enjoy the views. But what you have at CapitaSpring is a free observatory to see the CBD and the surrounding cityscape. It contributes to the public realm by allowing people to take photographs or enjoy the view.

BY: This layer of publicness is important. On the occasions that I’ve visited the Green Oasis, I’ve seen people working on laptops and using it as a social space. It demonstrates that the tower as a public realm and park exists not just on the ground plane but vertically, elevating it into a three-dimensional city.