Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has revealed its design for 8 Shenton Way—a mixed-use tower that will stand 63 stories and 305 meters (1,000 feet) high, becoming Singapore’s tallest skyscraper. The design team also plans to make the building one of Asia’s most sustainable skyscrapers.
Inspired by the tropical climate and its bamboo forests, the design creates an indoor-outdoor vertical community with public spaces, offices, retail, a hotel, and luxury residences. The building facade includes natural materials—such as bamboo on the walls of the gardens located every five or six floors—with bay windows on almost every floor. The residences are situated on the tower’s highest levels, providing occupants with panoramic views of Singapore and the sea.
The design team chose materials to minimize both embodied and operational carbon—from the zero-waste manufacture of terracotta to the use of engineered bamboo. The facade will be made of energy-efficient glazing, and the concrete structure will include recyclable aggregates. Reusing part of the existing foundation and onsite infrastructure also will reduce material use and embodied carbon during construction.
The street level will include a public performance and events space with retail, seating, and bike racks. Landscaping will extend from the street into the tower, creating a green corridor for pedestrians. On the second floor, an open-air green space with restaurants will be surrounded by plants selected to attract birds and butterflies. In all, the design features more than 10,000 square meters (more than 107,639 square feet) of elevated, public green space—larger than the site’s footprint.
8 Shenton Way is scheduled for completion in 2028.
On the Building Team:
Owner and developer: Perennial Holdings Private Limited and its consortium of investors
Design architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
Architect of record: DCA Architects
Related Stories
High-rise Construction | Apr 14, 2022
Seattle’s high-rise convention center nears completion
The new Washington State Convention Center Summit Building—billed as the first high-rise convention center in North America—is on track to complete most of its construction later this year.
Multifamily Housing | Apr 7, 2022
Ken Soble Tower becomes world’s largest residential Passive House retrofit
The project team for the 18-story high-rise for seniors slashed the building’s greenhouse gas emissions by 94 percent and its heating energy demand by 91 percent.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 28, 2022
Singapore’s new Irwell Hill residences will be built around heritage rain trees
The recently unveiled design of Irwell Hill, twin 36-story residence towers, calls for the development to be situated among copious greenery including preserved heritage rain trees.
Legislation | Mar 28, 2022
LEED Platinum office tower faces millions in fines due to New York’s Local Law 97
One Bryant Park, also known as the Bank of America Tower, in Manhattan faces an estimated $2.4 million in annual fines when New York City’s York’s Local Law 97 goes into effect.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 15, 2022
A 42-story tower envelops residents in Vancouver’s natural beauty
The city of Vancouver is world-renowned for the stunning nature that surrounds it: water, beaches, mountains. A 42-story tower, Fifteen Fifteen, will envelop residents in that natural beauty.
Projects | Mar 11, 2022
Studying science in the sky
In sharp contrast to other types of commercial real estate, the life sciences market is booming, according to SGA, an architecture firm based in Boston and New York that has extensive experience designing life sciences buildings.
Urban Planning | Nov 11, 2021
Reimagining the concrete and steel jungle, SOM sees buildings that absorb more carbon than they emit
The firm presented its case for a cleaner built environment during the Climate Change conference in Scotland.
High-rise Construction | Nov 2, 2021
SUMMIT One Vanderbilt completes in NYC
Snøhetta designed the project.
Laboratories | Aug 30, 2021
Science in the sky: Designing high-rise research labs
Recognizing the inherent socioeconomic and environmental benefits of high-density design, research corporations have boldly embraced high-rise research labs.
High-rise Construction | Aug 25, 2021
Summit One Vanderbilt immersive experience and observatory set to open
The project is located in the crown of One Vanderbilt.