Yahoo Finance New tallest skyscraper in Singapore?
[Update 27 Oct 2022]
A super penthouse has taken pole position of highest building in Singapore. There’s not much to know yet about the luxurious new development – the Architectural Design Consultants from American architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) are keeping their lips sealed about the project, even during the building’s grand unveiling of its design on October 27.
The only thing SOM’s consulting partner Mustafa Abadan and design principal Nicolas Medrano revealed was that the super penthouse will sit on the top floor of the new 305m, 63-storey mixed-use tower. Reaching the unit will take less than a minute by lift.
Drawing inspiration from Singapore’s tropical climate
According to SOM’s architects, the new development will be designed with primary themes of nature and sustainability, taking cues from bamboo forests and echoing the verticality and biophilic elements found in nature by using engineered bamboo and zero-waste manufacture of terracotta to create an indoor-outdoor vertical community.
Part of the existing foundation and infrastructure on-site will be preserved to reduce material use and to minimise the carbon footprint during construction. SOM hopes to obtain the highest sustainability certification from the Building Construction Authority of Singapore (BCA) – the Green Mark Platinum Certification – equivalent to a 55% energy reduction compared to the benchmark.
“By seeking to achieve the city’s newest and most rigorous sustainability standards, our design will establish a new paradigm for resilient and elegant high-rise design in Singapore and beyond.” said SOM Partner Mustafa Abadan.
SOM is known for designing Dubai’s Burj Khalifa tower and Guoco Tower.
Emphasis on natural lighting and ventilation
The new mixed-use development is projected to span more than 148,000 sqm of floor space, housing a vertical community of public and event spaces, three floors of retail units and nineteen floors of office units. Luxury residences will sit on the highest levels 27 to 63, and the hotel will occupy levels 24 to 26.
To infuse the building with light, air and natural ventilation, seven terraces are carved out of the building every five to six floors throughout the hotel and residential levels.
Natural materials such as champagne-colored terracotta and bamboo will line the walls of the sky gardens, with curved edges that create bay windows on nearly every floor, looking out to the city and the sea. This theme is mirrored in the lobby, with wood, stone and terracotta finishes flanking the artwork.
Occupants can take respite outdoors in the many landscaped sky gardens scattered throughout the tower, or lounge in the pool, with a multi-floor atrium framing the space above.
Connectivity
Tanjong Pagar MRT will connect directly to the building via an underground walkway, while Maxwell MRT and Prince Edward MRT will be within a five-minute walk. Both will commence service in November 2022 and 2026 respectively.
Pedestrians can enjoy a seamless lush green corridor with landscaping extending from the street into the building. In total, the design includes more than 10,000 sqm of elevated, public green space – exceeding the footprint of the entire site.
Located at 8 Shenton Way, the luxurious new development is poised to be one of the most identifiable landmarks on the skyline and will offer unparalleled panoramic views of the South China Sea.
The new super development is owned and developed by Perennial Holdings Private Limited and its consortium of investors, with a projected completion date of 2028.
Move over, Guoco Tower. There’s a new tallest building in town taking over the AXA Tower.
Chinese multinational technology company Alibaba and a consortium led by Singapore-based real estate company Perennial Holdings, are forming a joint venture to construct the tallest skyscraper in Singapore.
It will be built on 8 Shenton Way, the site of the former 50-storey AXA Tower in the Central Business District, located opposite Tanjong Pagar MRT.
Alibaba Group bought a 50% stake in AXA Tower during the pandemic in May 2020, valuing the property at S$1.68 billion. It is an anchor tenant at the current tower.
On 7 July, URA gave the green light for a 63-storey mixed-used development with a maximum height of 305 metres – the highest ever granted Singapore Height Datum (SHD) for developers in the entire history of Singapore.
In comparison, Guoco Tower, which currently holds the title of the tallest building in Singapore, stands at an imposing height of 284 metres. The new tower will be almost 7.4% taller. Both towers are connected to the Tanjong Pagar MRT station.
Reaching new heights
Originally built in 1986 as the Treasury building, the AXA Tower is currently the tallest cylindrical building in the world. The new skyscraper will consist of commercial, hotel and residential units.
The future tower sits on a site spanning almost 118,230 sqft with a plot ratio of 13.51, giving it a maximum permissible total gross floor area (GFA) of around 1,597,905 sqft. A 25% additional GFA of 310,350 sqft is included under the CBD Incentive Scheme.
The initiative was introduced in 2019 to encourage older CBD office buildings to be redeveloped into mixed-use developments to inject more diversity and vibrancy into the area to turn it into prime real estate.
946,863 sqft (59%) of the 63-storey block will be dedicated to commercial space, with retail and F&B businesses running in basement 1 and on the first and second levels. More than half of the project’s GFA is expected to be taken up by offices.
Above the offices will be a small cluster of 11 hotel suites over 72,925 sqft (4.5%), with 215 residential apartments featuring sky terraces taking up 531,961 sqft (33.2%) above the suites. The rest of the space (3.1%) will be allotted to amenities, such as residential and hotel balconies, indoor recreational space and rooftop outdoor refreshment areas (ORAs).
Planning permission for the additional ORA GFA is granted for ten years, commencing from 7 July 2022.
With a balance of 59 years (from July 1982), the new project will also pay for a lease extension to top up to a fresh 99 years.
The development is projected to be completed by 2028.
AXA Tower: Connectivity
The site is well-served by a handful of MRT stations – Tanjong Pagar MRT (182m) is connected via an underground pedestrian link, while Prince Edward MRT (281m), Telok Ayer MRT (305m) and Shenton Way MRT (451m) are a short walk away.
AXA Tower: Amenities and schools
Residents can access amenities at Cold Storage Altez or China Square (331m) or FairPrice Finest at Finest Amara (421m).
There are only two education options: Outram Secondary School is 305m away while Cantonment Primary School is 1249m away.
Are you excited for the new iconic skyscraper? Let us know in the comments section below.
If you found this article helpful, check out Is Singtel’s Comcentre redevelopment similar to what McDonald’s did in the US? and 5 reasons why you shouldn’t rule out investing in commercial property.
The post New tallest skyscraper in Singapore? appeared first on .
