PROJECT TEAMPROJECT WRITERS
Victoria See, Manager, CLC
Kimmy Cheung, Senior Architect, URA
Erwan Xiao, Manager, CLC

45 Maxwell Road
#07-01The URA Centre
Singapore 069118
Tel: +65 6645 9576
http://www.clc.gov.sg/

PROJECT ADVISORS
Michael Koh, Executive Fellow, CLC
Fun Siew Leng, Chief Urban Designer, URA© 2023 by the Centre for Liveable Cities. All rights reserved.

WITH SUPPORT FROM
EditorBrooklyn-media Pte Ltd
Designer FACTORY

Printed on Wood-Free Paper
ISBN 978-981-18-6325-7 (print)
ISBN 978-981-18-6326-4 (e-book)

ABOUT THE CENTRE FOR LIVEABLE CITIESNo part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted inany form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
written permission of the publisher. Every effort has been made to trace all
sources and copyright holders of news articles, figures, and information in thisbook before publication. If any have been inadvertently overlooked, CLC will
ensure that full credit is given at the earliest opportunity.

Set up in 2008 by the Ministry of National Development and the then-Ministryof the Environment and Water Resources, the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC) has
its mission to distil, create and share knowledge on liveable and sustainable
cities. The CLC’s work spans four main areas—Research, Capability Development,
Knowledge Platforms, and Advisory. Through these activities, the CLC hopes toprovide urban leaders and practitioners with the knowledge and support needed
to make our cities better.
CLC is a division of

The e-book can be accessed at

ABOUT THE URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
https://go.gov.sg/clcbook-shapingsingapore

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is Singapore’s land use planning andconsertion agency. URA’s mission is `to make Singapore a great city to live, workand play’. URA strives to create an endearing home and a vibrant city throughlong-term planning and innovation, in partnership with the community. As themain government land sales agent, URA manages the sale and development ofState land to support planning, economic and social objectives. In shaping a
distinctive city, URA also promotes architecture and urban design excellence.

Recommended bibliographic listing:Centre for Liveable Cities. Shaping Singapore through Urban Design.
Singapore: Centre for Liveable Cities, 2023.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

2

3

1
2
3

6
7
8
10

Foreword I • by Hugh Lim
Foreword II • by Koh-Lim Wen Gin
Preface • by Michael Koh and Fun Siew Leng
Introductory Chapter

BEDOK TOWN CENTRE:REJUVENATING AN OLDERHEARTLAND TOWN CENTRE

42
42
48
77

Pre 1970s | Preparing the Land
1972–1980s | First Generation of HDB New Towns
2011–2020 | Remaking Our Heartland 2
The Journey of Rejuvenation Continues

ONE-NORTH:
EXPERIMENTING
WITH NEW IDEAS

84
90
100
130

Ideating and Shaping an Innovation District
Key Urban Design Strategies
Precinct Level Detailed Urban Design Guidelines
A Work in Progress

SINGAPORE RIVER:
DEVELOPING WITH A
SENSE OF HISTORY

138
142
178
193

Creating a Vision
The Singapore River Concept Plan and Its Realisation
Greater Focus on Distinctiveness and Delight
Looking Ahead

201
202

Postscript • by Hwang Yu-Ning
Acknowledgements

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

4CONTENTS

5FOREWORD I
Hugh Lim
Executive Director,
Centre for Liveable Cities

FOREWORD II

Since its inception, the Centre for Liveable Cities’ (CLC) researchin urban systems have unpacked the systematic components thatmake up the city of Singapore, capturing knowledge not only withineach of these systems, but also the threads that link these systems
and how they make sense as a whole. The Centre’s Urban Systems
Studies (USS) series have been and continue to be scoped to venture
deep into the key domains identified under the Singapore Liveability
Framework, and attempt to answer two key questions: how Singapore
transformed itself into a highly liveable city over the last five decades,
and how Singapore can build on our urban development experienceto create knowledge and urban solutions for current and futurechallenges relevant to Singapore and other cities through appliedresearch.

Koh-Lim Wen Gin
Chief Planner & Deputy Chief
Executive Officer(Physical Planning andConservation & Urban Design),
Urban Redevelopment Authority(2001-2008)

In addressing these questions, the Centre recognises that while
public policy and urban planning decisions have been critical in
shaping Singapore’s urban development, the physical manifestationof these in the built environment have also been guided by the
conscientious practice of urban design.
Shaping Singapore through Urban Design aims to touch on urban
design in Singapore, through three case studies of various scales andin areas of varying functions. These include Bedok Town Centre, onenorth and Singapore River.

IPAHS
AGNIS
SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN,cirbaf nabru s’eropagniS sepahs ngised nabrU
stolp talf—saera elbaevil dna evitcnitsid gnipoleved
With the Centre’s mission to distil, create and share knowledge on
dna ,snhopes
wottogalso
nuomakey tnarbiv otni depoleved era dnal fo
liveable and sustainable cities, this publication
the development story of urban design insynthesised;rSingapore
uogiv wen ddaandot detanevujer era setatse erutam
available to other cities. I wish you an enjoyable read.
denigamier era stcirtsid noitavonni dna lairtsudni
srevir elihw ;saera elbissecca ,yldneirf-elpoep htiw
laivivnoc otni strop gniltsub morf demrofsnart era.secaps cilbup
sevlove ngised nabru ,enilpicsid lautxetnoc a sA
eht neewteb spihsrentrap esolc no seiler dna morf
esac hguorhT .srotces elpoep dna etavirp ,cilbup
dna htron-eno ,ertneC nwoT kodeB eht no seiduts
sthgilhgih noitacilbup siht ,reviR eropagniS eht
dna ngised nabru ot hcaorppa euqinu s’eropagniS
dnalsi natilopomsoc eht gnipoleved eht ni elor sti.yadot FOREWORD
ees ew taht noitan
6

Globally, urban design is a very young discipline. While often coupledwith urban planning and undertaken by planning departments, the formal
practice of urban design only emerged in the 1950s. This stands in stark
contrast to the urban planning discipline which was practised as early as
the 1800s and can be traced back even earlier to historic town planning.
Singapore’s early adoption and clear dedication to urban design isparticularly advanced for a nation that had been equally focused on its
post-independence development.
I responded to the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s call for young
architects when it was first established in 1974, and in some way, myjourney with the URA runs parallel alongside the growth of urban designin Singapore. During my time at the Design & Development division, wedeveloped urban design plans for the city centre, and worked closely witha Consultant Urban Designer who had formerly been attached to the United
Nations’ State and City Planning team posted to Singapore.
Looking back now, 1982 and 1990 were milestone years for urban designin this island nation. The year 1982 marked the first year that locals were
given urban design designations. This established the permanence of theurban design discipline in Singapore while we were still under the Design &Development division, and showed clear recognition of the need to develop
local expertise in this area through experience. In 1990, the landmark
decision to create a Conservation and Urban Design division wholly
dedicated to the field further demonstrated Singapore’s commitment to theurban design of our island. In the early 1990s, Development Guide Plans(DGPs) for the 55 planning areas were crafted and shared with the public,a significant step in engaging Singaporeans and creating awareness tothe thought processes that shaping their environment. The advent of the
DGPs served as a basis for the subsequent detailed urban design plans
implemented in strategic areas such as the Central Area. Since then, urban
design and conservation have grown steadily—as closely tied areas ofinterest—to also include urban design guidelines for 11 planning areas in
the Central Area and four growth areas in Singapore, amongst other efforts.

,cirbaf nabru s’eropagniS sepahs ngised nabrU
stolp talf—saera elbaevil dna evitcnitsid gnipoleved
dna ,snwot gnuoy tnarbiv otni depoleved era dnal fo;ruogiv wen dda ot detanevujer era setatse erutam
denigamier era stcirtsid noitavonni dna lairtsudni
srevir elihw ;saera elbissecca ,yldneirf-elpoep htiw
laivivnoc otni strop gniltsub morf demrofsnart era.secaps cilbup
My colleagues and I are honoured to have been a part of Singapore’s
urban design journey and to witness some of our early plans turn into
reality. Given Singapore’s forerunning and ever-growing urban design
initiatives, we are delighted to see our urban design stories recorded inthis publication. The stories share the motivations and thought processes
behind the plans, as well as some of the challenges faced. It reminds us of
the many URA officers who, in collaboration with our service partners andthe private sector, passionately devoted much time to the process overthe decades. The making of this publication has brought back many fondmemories, and I hope that it will be an insightful read for you.

sevlove ngised nabru ,enilpicsid lautxetnoc a sA
eht neewteb spihsrentrap esolc no seiler dna morf
esac hguorhT .srotces elpoep dna etavirp ,cilbup
dna htron-eno ,ertneC nwoT kodeB eht no seiduts
sthgilhgih noitacilbup siht ,reviR eropagniS eht
dna ngised nabru ot hcaorppa euqinu s’eropagniS
dnalsi natilopomsoc eht gnipoleved eht ni elor sti.yadot ees ew taht noit7
anPREFACE
Michael Koh
Executive Fellow,
Centre for Liveable Cities

Fun Siew Leng
Chief Urban Designer,
Urban Redevelopment Authority

strategies used on the ground have enlivened the mature residential
town. The chapter on one-north documents the ongoing planningideas and performance-based urban design guidelines applied in thisdynamic district. This experimental approach emulates its aspirationsof being a leading innovation district and will continue to shape its
future development.

The Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC) seeks to distil, create and shareknowledge on liveable and sustainable cities. Thus far, the Centre’s
research has delved into various urban systems to unpack thesystemic components that make up the city of Singapore.
In recognising the benefits of sound urban design, processes andimplementation on Singapore’s built environment, this publication
marks the Centre’s first foray into documenting the urban designstories of select areas in Singapore. The launch of this series could
not be timelier—2021 saw the 65th anniversary of the first urban
design conference held in 1956. This publication highlights urban
design stories of Singapore’s Central Business District, Singapore
River as a conservation area, Bedok Town Centre as a rejuvenated old
HDB town centre and one-north as an experimental work-in-progress.
The hope is to document the evolution of ideas over time, as well as
notable urban design decisions and projects of various generations
that have contributed to Singapore’s distinct urban environment.

In all, these chapters exemplify the various ways that urban design
has been harnessed as a tool to create unique districts and areas
on our small island. The Centre and the Authority would also like toextend our gratitude to all who have contributed their knowledge,
expertise and time to make this publication possible. We wish you an
enjoyable read.

Initiating what may become a series of case studies, the Centre
has collaborated with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to
produce the chapter on the Singapore River, which could well be
one of the areas with the longest history of urban development in
Singapore. This chapter describes the foundational ideas that show
the potential impact of urban design and demonstrate how it is, hasbeen and can be implemented across the rest of the island.
The Centre and the Authority would like to thank the Housing
and Development Board (HDB) and JTC Corporation (JTC) for theircontributions to the chapters regarding Bedok Town Centre and onenorth respectively. The chapter on Bedok Town Centre elaborates on
the recent rejuvenation of Bedok and exemplifies how urban design

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

8PREFACE

9

URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK:AN INTRODUCTION TO URBAN
DESIGN IN SINGAPORE
Skyline of Singapore
around the Marina Bay.
Source: Wesley Pribadi/
Unsplash

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN10URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK: AN INTRODUCTION TO URBAN DESIGN IN SINGAPORE

11

What is urban design? Often described as the bridge between planningand architecture, yet it encompasses so much more than that. While it isa well-established discipline, some might wonder why it is not easy todefine what urban design is.
First, urban design operates on many different scales. At the macroscale, it is concerned with the urban structure of the city—planning,transport, land use zoning, development intensity and infrastructure
networks. At the meso scale, it focuses on the form of developments,
building heights, open spaces, streetscape and roofscape. And at the
micro scale, urban designers consider elements that most immediately
impact people, such as pavement design, tree planting, signage, street
furniture and lighting.
Second, urban design encompasses many different disciplines
including urban planning, development control, architecture,landscape architecture, engineering, land economics, law and finance,
environmental engineering and placemaking. These disciplines
provide critical inputs at different stages of urban design planningand policy formulation.
Third, urban design is both about the process and the outcome. Since
urban design involves a process of envisioning desired outcomes,
this requires understanding the unique characteristics of a place andits inhabitants, as well as what might be needed to create a better
environment for people to live, work and play in.
Fourth, there is no prescribed formula for a “successful” urban design
plan. Urban design is highly contextual and urban design interventions
can only be successful when they address the specific local needs.
Furthermore, urban design is a long term and iterative process which
evolves over time; what is successful now may be not so as time goes by.
So, why urban design?
Urban design seeks to influence the economic, environmental,social and cultural sustainability outcomes of a particular place. By
determining the physical form, scale and ambience of a space throughoptimising its natural resources, human capital, heritage and cultural
assets, urban design creates memorable places for people that instill
civic pride and ownership, and ultimately, a place to call their own.
A highly contextual practice, this Urban Design Framework seeks tocapture Singapore’s approach to the implementation of urban designideas that have been formative in shaping the city to what it is today.1

GENESIS OF THE URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK
Urban Design globally and locally
The contemporary use of the term “urban design” began to gain
momentum after a series of conferences, entitled Urban Design
Conference hosted by Harvard Graduate School of Design from 1956 to
1970, from which Harvard’s Urban Design programme and many otherurban design university programmes grew out of. The significance of theconference and programme was less in initiating a new area of study,
but rather in its recognition and formalisation of an emerging discourse
supported by the existing writing and opinions of leading international
urban planning thinkers including Josep Lluis Sert, Sigfried Giedion,
Lewis Mumford and Edmund Bacon.2
Subsequent publications including Kevin Lynch’s The Image of the City
(1960) and Gordon Cullen’s The Concise Townscape (1961), Jane Jacob’s
The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961) and Christopher
Alexander’s A Pattern Language: Towns, Building, Construction (1977),
were deemed to be seminal literature for the emerging discipline ofurban design. Largely based on observational and mapping studies,
the urban design literature theorised the perception of space andrelated ideas such as legibility, wayfinding and security in response to
the acceleration of urbanisation or urban renewal of well-establishedcities.3 Drawing upon historical precedents and urban renewal projects,
these experts introduced vocabulary and techniques for understanding
qualities of space in dense urban environments. Over time, thesetechniques have been adopted as a means to pre-emptively shape thespatial experience of a city.

“Urban design was a very new phenomenon at that timethat was just introduced at the conference in Harvard.
It is interesting how its concepts travelled so quickly
to Singapore via the pioneer generation of architects
trained overseas such as Alan Choe, Liu Thai Kher and
Goh Hup Chor (not exhaustive).”— Fun Siew Leng, Chief Urban Designer, URA

Fun Siew Leng
Chief Urban Designer, Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN12URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK: AN INTRODUCTION TO URBAN DESIGN IN SINGAPORE

13

For this reason, it might come as a surprise that a young nation like
Singapore, that had only just received its Independence in 1965, was
not far behind in the implementation of these early ideas. While theseobservational and analytical books were written in response to wellestablished cities, its learning points on the spatial grammar of urban
environments were surprisingly timely for Singapore’s redevelopment
efforts. Perhaps first-hand experiences of urban squalor and a collective
determination to rebuild the city had led to the early recognition andembrace that urban design and urban planning were two parts to thesame whole in achieving the vision for Singapore’s built environment.
The process of its implementation was thus at times open andexperimental but also localised to the urban-renewal circumstancesand conserved urban fabric.

Methodology for the Urban Design Framework
The urban design case studies featured in this publication review
historic information on early urban design ideas in Singapore andtrack the evolution to its current practice and implementation. This wascorroborated with the memories of urban planners and urban designers,
and work of architects to distil the Urban Design Framework specific to
the practice of urban design in Singapore. This framework comprises a
series of city-scale urban design plans and nine urban design elements
which form the toolkit of urban designers in Singapore. At the sametime, this publication recognises that the realisation of urban designin the built environment is made possible only with its stakeholders,and has practical influence that contributes to Singapore achieving the
liveability outcomes of the Singapore Liveability Framework.4 The casestudies that follow demonstrate how these components come together
in different contexts to harness urban design as a tool for achieving
desired outcomes in the urban built environment.

The District Character Plandelineates various districts in
the Central Area based on theirpredominant land use, positioning
and geographical context.
Source: URA, 2019

COMPONENTS OF THE URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK
City-Scale Urban Design Plans
Singapore’s urban design is guided by its aspirations to be a Distinctive,
Dynamic and Delightful city. This can be illustrated through the URA’s
key city-scale urban design plans which have been developed over theyears and have served as the guiding framework for the URA’s urban
design work. These plans highlight how each district in the city canhave its own distinctive character based on its geographic, natural andheritage assets. Even so, these districts can act in harmony to createa city centre that is rich in diversity and at the same time is legible,
connected, accessible and inclusive.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

14District Character Plan
The District Character Plan broadly defines the various districts in theCentral Area based on their predominant land use, positioning andgeographical context. Given that the urban development of Singapore
started in the city, urban planners and designers do not work on
their plans and design from tabula rasa. This plan helps to identify
and guide the development of suitable districts within the city basedon their existing characteristics and future considerations. Visions
based on these districts further inform other urban design plans or
guidelines. To illustrate, the urban design plans and guidelines for
Singapore River leveraged the presence of the river and the low-rise
conserved buildings flanking it.

URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK: AN INTRODUCTION TO URBAN DESIGN IN SINGAPORE

15

The Conservation Plan marks out theconserved buildings within the Central Area
as well as the relevant urban design guidelines
to ensure that buildings complement theconserved ones. Source: URA, 2019
Central Area Boundary
Area with Urban Design Guidelines
by the URA

Conservation Plan
The Conservation Plan identifies the historic and conserved buildingsin the city centre. Consolidating these geographically on a plan helps
to demonstrate the need for special urban design considerations fordevelopments in their vicinity.

The Identity Plan recognises areasin Singapore with endearing
identities and ambience.
Source: URA, 2014
Hillside Villages
Old World Charm
Rustic CoastUrban Villages

Urban Design Plans & Guidelines
for Orchard Planning Area

New Identity Nodes

Identity Plan
Beyond the city centre, the Identity Plan marks out endearing
places in Singapore whose built environment has contributed to
how people associate with the place. The Identity Plan ensuresthat these areas are recognised and that attention is paid tocontextualise their urban design guidelines for these areas even
if they may not contain heritage buildings within them.

Street Block Plan
Conservation Area
1

Monument
Civic District Boundary

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

16URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK: AN INTRODUCTION TO URBAN DESIGN IN SINGAPORE

17

The Landmark and Gateway Plan
leverages urban form to serve as markers
in the city centre and establishes key
vistas. Source: URA, 2014
Central Area Boundary
Approaches

Landmark and Gateway Plan
The Landmark and Gateway Plan identifies key approaches into thecity centre and key sites as markers. Establishing sight lines andvistas assists in curating activity spines, scenic views and skylines.

Key corridors
20

Landmarksa

Gateways

The Building Height Plan assigns buildingheight limits to land parcels within theCentral Area to retain an optimum fabric while
meeting land use needs. Source: URA, 2019
Central Area Boundary
20

250m

*

View cone

Building Height(Number of storeys)
Building Height (Metres SHD)
Subject to Detailed Control
Parks, Open Space, Reserve
Sites or Residential Sites subject
to standard residential Gross
Plot Ratio (GPR)/storey heighttypology

Building Height Plan
The Building Height Plan consolidates the building height controlsof the various districts and street blocks in the city centre. While
there are urban planning considerations in determining the buildingheights of parcels including planning needs, the building heights
are also crafted to complement the surrounding context and giveprominence to landmarks. For example, lower building heights
around a natural feature could help to create prominence for it andthus a sense of orientation within the city. Collectively, the buildingheights shape the skyline of the city.

Conservation Area/Monument
Areas where the relaxationof residential building heights
apply

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN18URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK: AN INTRODUCTION TO URBAN DESIGN IN SINGAPORE

19

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Parks & Waterbodies Plan
The Parks & Waterbodies Plan maps out existing and future blue,
green and open spaces in the city. The plan aims to locate andconnect the parks, open spaces and promenades to form aninterconnected network to ensure good accessibility to these spaces.
It also helps to create focal points and provide a sense of orientationand identity for the districts. By complementing the activity corridors
in the city, these parks and waterbodies can become places where
people recharge and engage in recreation amid nature.

Open/Covered Public SpaceNP

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN20WILKINS ON

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21

ROAD

Urban Design elements
Unique to the practice of urban design is the understanding andability to translate urban planning ideas into tangible forms to shape
the urban environment. Hence, this set of urban design elements
serves as a toolkit for the urban designer to allow them to marry all
the various considerations, such as use and intensity, contextual
relationship and technical codes compliance, and to translate theminto three-dimensional form.
Initially, the urban design framework started with seven elements in
Singapore. However, over time it has expanded to include “greenery”
and “night lighting” as these have become increasingly importantin the pursuit of higher aspirations in the greening of our city as wellas supporting a night time economy within the city. While there areother elements that could been included, these are the urban design
elements that have been prioritised as being core to Singapore’s
urban design efforts and subsequently formalised through its urban
design guidelines provided by the relevant agencies. Specific toSingapore, the following nine urban design elements are therefore
essential in navigating the profession:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

The Night Lighting Plan identifies the
districts within the Central Area for which
district night lighting design strategies
have been adopted to complement its
identity. Source: URA, 2013
Boundary of Night Lighting
Master Plan

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

Urban pattern
Open space
Pedestrian network
Vehicular access
Building form
StreetscapeRoofscapeGreeneryNight lighting

List of Liveability OutcomesNight Lighting Plan
The Night Lighting Plan recognises the ability of lighting to enhance
the architecture and ambience of an area. Differentiated night lighting
guidelines are introduced for different districts to enhance theirdistrict character. For example, in the Civic District, the monuments
and conserved buildings are lit to emphasise their historic building
features in warm tones while the contemporary skyscrapers of theCentral Business District and Marina Bay are lit in cooler tones toemphasise the building crowns, street level public spaces and thelandscaped sky terraces.

22

As a contextual discipline, the nine urban design elements represent
the identification of components of the built environment for a better
understanding of the potential for intervention to enhance themvisually and physically. Their value can be understood in relation
to the outcomes that they help to achieve in the city, namely a morecompetitive economy, sustainable environment and higher qualityof life, as detailed in the Singapore Liveability Framework.

URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK: AN INTRODUCTION TO URBAN DESIGN IN SINGAPORE

23

URBAN DESIGN ELEMENTS

Competitive Economy

Urban Pattern
Types of urban pattern:
1
Grid in New York City’s
Midtown Manhattan
2
Radial in Paris’ Place Charlesde Gaule
3
Organic in Barcelona’s Gothic
Quarter
Source: Snazzy Maps

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Top: Grid urban pattern at the
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Bottom: Bent-grid pattern at onenorth. Source: Victoria See
Right & Extreme right: These
patterns help to form the basis
for inserting parcels and greenery
into the plans for these area.
Source: URA, 2023 (right), JTC(extreme right)

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Urban design enables interest in public space and walkability evenin a densely built city. Urban design elements, such as open spaces,
provide the balance in a built-up area for public and communal
uses contributing to a richer and more granular urban grain of thecity. Well-planned pedestrian networks, well-managed vehicularaccess and convivial streetscapes also contribute to a walkable city.
Corresponding urban design guidelines on the streetscape elements
and active frontages, exemplify the detailed attention paid to ensure
its successful execution and usability.

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The continued greening of Singapore has been enabled by landscaped
open spaces and planted streetscapes, such as the pocket parks,
urban design concept in one-north. Across scales, urban design
simultaneously helps to preserve broad strokes of green corridors andguides the implementation of detailed regulations required to support
it. For example, the segment of the Rail Corridor across the upcoming
Biopolis 6 in one-north is a strategic recognition of the potential forthe sites to be developed while retaining the biodiversity along thattransect.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

3

Urban pattern refers to the way of organising and structuring an urban
area. It seeks to organise the city in a legible and identifiable way
by providing a skeleton for the allocation of land use, the placementof buildings, the location of open spaces and the alignment of
infrastructure works. Carved by circulation networks, the resultant urban
blocks influence the size and geometry of the building footprint andhow buildings are clustered in relation to one another. It thus provides
analytical cues of the city’s development over time and strategic
considerations regarding land use, land parcellation, and infrastructure
provisions, and consequently exemplifies the texture of the urban fabric.
Common urban patterns include the grid, radial, linear and organic
forms, which may be adopted holistically or in combination.

Sustainable Environment

There is no doubt that a city can develop organically, without priorconsideration of these elements, but the hallmark of a city shapedby the invisible hand of urban design is the quality experiences ofeveryday spaces that it offers.

2

1

SO

The emphases on perception of space and aesthetic qualities of
the city in urban design could have economic implications. Carefulplanning of the profile of the skyline and the resultant allowableplot ratio and building height can influence the real estate valuationof an undeveloped plot or a high-level office or residential unit. For
example, tower placement studies were conducted for Shenton Way
in the early years of Singapore’s Independence to ensure that views
towards the coast could be maximised for developments locatedfurther inland. In recent years, scenic views have also been leveraged
for luxury lifestyle experiences, such as rooftop bars and skyrise
dining. Night lighting is an important component in promoting an
exciting and vibrant night-time economy.

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Singapore comprises many different urban patterns. Some of the urban
patterns in Singapore have been influenced by its historic urban fabricsuch as the mixture of fine-grained linear and organic urban patternsin Telok Ayer. Others have been implemented in response to climaticconsiderations to optimise building orientation with respect to thesun direction and wind paths. Advancements in digital technology
and simulation has enabled these studies to be conducted during theplanning process and has been helpful for newly implemented urban
patterns in Marina Bay and one-north.

URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK: AN INTRODUCTION TO URBAN DESIGN IN SINGAPORE

25

While existing and new areas might have different urban patterns,
the continuation and connection of key axes within both can create
seamless transitions and gradual changes to urban grain from thehistoric parts of the city to the newer areas. For example, the key axesof the grid continue from the existing network in the Central BusinessDistrict such that Marina Bay is experienced as a seamless extension.

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SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

Public SpacePark Edge Mitigation
Zone
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Types of open spaces:
1Park at Telok Ayer Green
2
Waterbody at Marina Bay
3
Urban plaza or squarein front of Capital Tower
4
City room at Asia Square
5
Ceremonial green at Padang
6
Courtyard at Raffles Hotel
Source: URA (1, 2, 3, 4, 6),
Bing Hui Yau/Unsplash (5)LX-2-14

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The urban planning and design of one-north as a new development
took the provision of open spaces into account for the developmentof its master plan. For this reason, it has various typologies of open
spaces, including the linear one-north Park and green corridor aswell as specific locational pocket parks within the urban blocks.
Landscaping these open spaces helps in incorporating greenery into
the urban fabric and makes for a more attractive environment, wellsuited to lunch crowds and chance encounters between office workers
in the area. In contrast, the Bedok Town Square was designed to hostcommunity events for the resident population. Its high ceiling andporous design, together with the urban furniture and light greenery,
ensures that this sheltered and lightly shaded urban plaza provides
the opportunity for both spatial relief and activation, creating a focal
point for the community to come together. The riverfront promenadeat Singapore River that connects across the three quays throughunderpasses and pedestrian bridges provide a continuous seamlessriverside experience for pedestrians and cyclists. View corridors
through buildings and pedestrianised malls perpendicular to theriver were introduced to make the riverfront visually and physicallyaccessible from the adjacent roads.

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Open Space

Open space is the intentional absence of built form or the presenceof a void in the urban pattern to provide spatial relief from urban
density. Open spaces are usually comprehensively planned as a
network of spaces in conjunction with pedestrian networks, throughcity-scale urban design plans such as the Parks and Waterbodies
Plan. This helps to provide a sense of orientation at the street level.
They can be landscaped to become the focal points and backdrops
for social interaction and programming. Open spaces include parks,
water bodies, urban plazas, courtyards, city rooms and ceremonial
greens.

Left: Landscape open space in one-north.
Source: Victoria See
Right: Activated open space like Bedok
Town Square. Source: HDB
Bottom: At times, these contribute to an
open space network such as in one-north.
Source: JTC

CC

The urban grid pattern also allows for flexibility in accommodating
developments of various scales. This is particularly suitable forMarina Bay given the tabula rasa nature of its reclaimed land. With
the grid as its foundation, linear parks and open spaces can be easily
introduced through mid-block green spines or adjacent blocks zoned
for parks akin to a checkerboard. In contrast, the vision for one-north
to be a pedestrian-friendly area with intimate streetscape experiences
influenced the grid pattern of the overall development. The result is a“bent-grid” that has taken advantage of curvilinear roads as a means tocurate street-level spatial experiences while benefitting from adjacent
blocks that may be linked up to incorporate the existing greenery into
one-north Park. This exemplifies the potential for urban patterns to
respond to existing site conditions, in this case, the undulating terrain,park and heritage.

0

25

50

150

250m

URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK: AN INTRODUCTION TO URBAN DESIGN IN SINGAPORE

27

Pedestrian Network
Pedestrian network refers to the series of pedestrian paths which
influence the walkability of an urban area. Its extent, completenessand accessibility from surrounding developments facilitate pedestrian
circulation in the vicinity and ensure that the convenience of pedestrians
is accounted for. A comprehensive pedestrian network encourages
seamless movement of people and is well connected to transportation
nodes, open spaces and points of interest. It is critical for pedestrianpaths to observe universal design guidelines to ensure that the city is
traversable and comfortable for all.

Types of pedestrian networks:
1
Promenade along Marina Bay
2
Pedestrian mall in Kampong Glam
3
Galleria in The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
4
Through-block link in LASALLE
College of the Arts
5
Open walkway in Tiong Bahru
estate6
Covered walkway around theperimeter of 71 Robinson Road
7
Covered linkway in Chinatown
8
Elevated linkway connecting 		OUE Downtown with the adjacent 		buildlings
9
Underground network as seenin Marina Bay Link Mall
10
View corridor through One
Fullerton
Source: URA (1, 2, 3, 6, 10)
LASALLE College of the Arts (4),ZR Lin / Unsplash (5),Joshua Tsu / Unsplash (7),Victoria See (8, 9)

1

Areas that might need to accommodate a sudden influx of pedestrians
throughout the day may benefit from multi-storey pedestrian
networks much like in Shenton Way. Complementing street-levelpedestrian networks with underground and second-storey pedestrianlinks, not only builds up the pedestrian capacity of the area toaccommodate peak hour buzz, it also provides uninterrupted
sheltered connectivity amid inclement weather. However, such a
strategy needs to be carefully considered as typically only areas withhigh pedestrian traffic warrant it. Otherwise, two levels of pedestrian
network might run the risk of detracting vibrancy from the street level.
On the other hand, the centralised nature of Bedok Town Centre asa catchall for the commercial and recreation needs of the residents
works well with its hub-and-spoke pedestrian network. In this way,
walkable streets lined with activities act as spokes that extend out
from Bedok Town Centre and help to direct residents toward it asa main commercial centre. This is complemented by walkways andlinkways between HDB blocks that make the otherwise large urban
block more traversable and walkable, and encourage more fluid
pedestrian movement on the ground.

In addition to standard pavements and footpaths, the pedestrian
network includes dedicated pedestrianised spaces such as promenades,
pedestrian malls, gallerias, through-block links, view corridors,
covered walkways and linkways, as well as pedestrian links at levels
other than at street level, such as second-storey pedestrian links,
pedestrian overhead bridges, and underground pedestrian walkways
and underpasses. These pedestrian paths can be lined with retail,commerce, street furniture and programming to weave lines of activity
into the urban fabric to make walking enjoyable and to make it adestination as well. Having more people on the street would mean
more “eyes on the street” which would in turn make for a safer city.5

2

3

4

Vehicular Access5
Drop-off point at Intercontinental
Singapore. Source: URA

6

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

7

8

9

Vehicular access is the management of vehicular ingress oregress and drop-off points and service access of developments
which can have an impact on pedestrian network, building formand streetscape. Well-considered location and a reduction in thenumber of vehicular access can minimise disruption to pedestrian
movement and manage pedestrian-vehicular conflict. Prioritisingpreferred frontages of developments can aid in deciding on
the location of vehicular access to buildings while fostering anuninterrupted and welcoming pedestrian experience. That said,
existing traffic circulation and transport options in the vicinity
are considerations that need to be balanced when planning forvehicular access. Vehicular access may include lay-bys, passenger
pick-up and drop-off (PUDO) points, and parking or service access.
The various functions of these vehicular access help to articulate
the vested transport mode and duration of use so that guidelines
on their placement can be considered more carefully.

10

28

URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK: AN INTRODUCTION TO URBAN DESIGN IN SINGAPORE

29

Building Form

Even though the same factors might be taken into consideration, thesite context and its existing vehicular network may result in different
approaches to the vehicular access for different developments. For
example, the high vehicular volume anticipated in Shenton Way, coupledwith the need for separated vehicular accesses, justifies the placementof vehicular access points along the rear of the developments off a seriesof “service roads” such as Boon Tat Link and Maxwell Link.
On the other hand, while the Bedok Integrated Development similarly
foresaw high vehicular traffic on the road, it also had to account for
its steady stream of bus traffic and private vehicles due to the bus
interchange and private residents accessing the development. It
thus adopted three distinct categories and approaches to segregate
the bus, residential car-parking and mall car-parking, and separated
the former two from the latter. The mall carpark is thus accessed via
the main New Upper Changi Road, which is unconventional for retaildevelopments. This was done in recognition that consolidating all threevehicular access might overload Bedok North Drive. Furthermore, giventhat most pedestrians would be arriving to the area from the existingpedestrianised town centre, the elevated MRT station or the integrated
bus terminal, having a separate vehicular access for mall customers,
would not negatively affect the street-level experience.

Top: Consolidated service accessalong Boon Tat Link, and away fromadjacent main roads like Robinson
Road and Shenton Way. Source:
Victoria See
Middle & Bottom: Separated
vehicular access for residents andbuses along Bedok North Drive, andfor mall-goers along New Upper
Changi Road. Source: Victoria See

Fort

1
Types of vehicular access:1
Tower block at Pinnacle@Duxton
2
Slab block at Tanjong Pagar Plaza
3
Groundscaper as seen in the clusterof low-rise buildings at theSingapore Management University
4
Courtyard block within Raffles Hotel
5
Partywall buildings along
Robinson Road
6
Landmark building at theintersection of Keong Siak Road
and Teck Lim Road.
Source: Isaac Matthew/Unsplash(1), URA (2, 3, 4, 5), David Kubovsky/
Unsplash (6)one-north’s roofscape considers
the relationship of building forms
in relation to their surroundings.
Source: JTC

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

30

2

3

4

5

6

Building form is the three-dimensional expression of the buildingthat gives a development shape and identity. It is informed by plot
ratio, building height restrictions, building envelope control andbuilding typology of individual buildings. Detailed urban design
guidelines on setbacks, building-height and roof design contributeto the building form of developments. Not only will this influence thedesign of spaces and uses within the building, it also safeguards the
public realm surrounding each building. Some common typologies
are slab block, groundscraper, tower block, podium-tower block andcourtyard block.
At a macro scale, it is important to consider building forms as acollection of buildings to ensure that building forms complement
their neighbours, emphasise landmarks, or are strategically placed
to orchestrate distinct skylines and suit climatic considerations.
City-scale urban design plans like the Landmark and Gateway Planare critical for identifying land parcels that might require more uniqueconsiderations to allow for unique and distinctive building forms.
As identified in the Landmark and Gateway Plan, the ArtScience
Museum, with its unique lotus flower building form, creates interest,and gives a sense of identity, place and orientation within the bay.
Detailed control plans may be done at a district level such as thecontrol of roofscape and building heights in one-north to create
an undulating roofscape that promote the legibility and collective
identity of the development. At a localised scale, building height
restrictions may be adapted to ensure that the building can achieve
its allowable gross floor area while respecting the scale of theexisting buildings around it. Such is the case with the tiered building
form of Heartbeat@Bedok, which takes reference from the height ofthe old HDB town centre buildings around it at its lowest and mostouter rim.

BEDOK TOWN CENTRE: REJUVENATING AN OLDER HEARTLAND TOWN CENTRE

31

StreetscapeStreetscape encompasses the spatial experience at the street level,
which can be defined by building edges, façade treatment, street
fronting uses including outdoor dining, public art, landscaping, lighting,and street furniture. More than just residual space between buildings
and vehicular roads, well-designed streetscapes have the potential tocontribute to the vibrancy and walkability of urban areas. A successful
streetscape is defined by the buildings acting in concert over the lengthof the street, has active building fronts inviting people to window
shop and to enter the buildings, and is characterised by attractive
landscaping and street furniture encouraging people to linger.

Marina Bay’s distinctive
silhouettes (left in image)differs from Shenton Way’s
stepped skyline profile (rightin image). At the same time,
both have low-rise buildings
along the bay. Source: URA

The overall profile of building form in an area in turn contributes
to the skyline and identity of the urban environment. The skyline
often comprises a series of skyscrapers and unique architecturalprojects, to emphasise the identity of the city and district.
In part determined by the location of the viewer, the city canthus have multiple skylines that may be associated with it.
Skyline profiles can also give clues to other elements of the city.
For example, when viewed from the coast in the south, the CBD
skyline is defined by two peaks at either end—one at Raffles Placeand the other at Tanjong Pagar. These peaks coincide with thelocations of the MRT stations, reflecting the concentration andhigher development intensity around these transport hubs.
On the other hand, the skyline of the CBD, as seen from either
Civic District or Marina Bay, has a stepped and layered profile withthe historic low-rise colonial buildings in the foreground and thetowering skyscrapers behind as a backdrop. A similar approachis adopted at Marina Bay, with a low- to medium-rise layer inthe foreground, comprising the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands,
the ArtScience Museum and Esplanade Theatres, as well as thehistoric maritime edge at Collyer Quay (including the Customs
Harbour Branch, Clifford Pier and One Fullerton) with the highrise office, residential and hotel towers behind them.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

Inspired by the canyon-like streetscapes along Wall Street in New York,the podium-tower typology became prominent in Singapore’s CBD
during the 1960s and 1970s. Correspondingly, urban design guidelines
to control the podium heights were put in place to ensure that thestreetscape benefitted from the reinforced and continuous street edge
while maintaining a human scale for pedestrians at the street level. Thisis complemented by the street-level streetscape of the covered walkways
inserted into podiums at the street level, which in turn provides
continuous shade for pedestrians in the area.

32

Types of elements inthe streetscape:1
Building edge
2
Façade treatment
3
Use fronting street
4
Art along Singapore River
5
Lighting on the façadeof Orchard Central
6
Advertisement signs anddecorations integrated into
the Mandarin Gallery’sbuilding design
Source: Victoria See (1),
URA (2, 3, 5, 6), STB (4)

1

2

3

4

5

6

URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK: AN INTRODUCTION TO URBAN DESIGN IN SINGAPORE

33

RoofscapeOn the other hand, as a commercial centre for the residential
HDB town, the buildings within Bedok Town Centre were carefully
proportioned such that the width of the pedestrian mall is equal toor wider than the height of the buildings demarcating it. This ensuresthat the space does not feel constricted and pedestrians have a senseof “openness” while going about their daily activities. Furthermore,
the adjacent covered walkways fronting the mall which are lined withshops, together with the generous provision of street furniture, add tothe vibrancy of the streetscape.

Roofscape is related to the visual appearance of the roof area ofbuildings. This is of particular concern in tropical climates, where
there might be a higher dependence on air-conditioning which in turnrequires extensive areas for plant rooms and cooling towers. These
are often placed on roof tops since they are the least commerciallyvaluable area of the building. Without roofscape guidelines, thismay lead to building forms with flat roofs and exposed mechanicalequipment which could be unsightly, especially when viewed fromtaller buildings in the vicinity.

Roofscape of UOB Plaza (left in image)and OCBC Centre (right in image).
Source: Nikhil Soni/Pexel

Left: Roofscapes of South
Beach Tower and Millenia Toweremphasise their building crowns.
Source: Joshua Delica/Unsplash
Right: Pitched tiled roofs line theSingapore River. Source: URA

The roof form, material and colour of individual buildings can havean overall impact on the roofscape. At a macro scale, roofscapes
can help to unify the overall character of an area, and at times, form
the basis for introducing buildings with distinctive roofscapes forinterest and orientation. Viewed from above, coherence in roofscapecan create interesting scenic views. Viewed from afar, well-designed
roofscapes collectively form an attractive skyline. It is thus especially
important for a dense city with many high-rise buildings like
Singapore, to pay close attention to roofscapes. Increasingly, roofs
have also become programmable spaces for high-rise dining andactivities and sky gardens.
The roof areas of buildings along the Singapore River are guided
to include clay tiled pitched roofs to relate to the roofs of theconserved shophouses and warehouses to create a distinct identity
for Singapore River. Given the low-rise character of Singapore River,
its roofscape, when viewed from surrounding high-rises, provides a
distinctive and recognisable urbanscape.

Top: Shenton Way’s streetscapeemphasises the Wall Street-likeatmostphere through its proportions.
Source: Victoria See
Bottom: In Bedok Town Centre,
buildings that are shorter than thewidth of the pedestrian mall create
a convivial atmosphere fitting for aresidential town. Source: Victoria See

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN34

URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK: AN INTRODUCTION TO URBAN DESIGN IN SINGAPORE

35

Greenery
Greening has been a key strategy adopted in Singapore to ensurethat natural elements were incorporated as the city underwent
redevelopment and urbanisation. Today, the vision of Singapore
becoming a City in Nature demonstrates how crucial greenery is to
our urban environment. Married into streetscape, open spaces andeven building form, greenery helps to make spaces more comfortable
and attractive for people. Landscape replacement schemes to replacegreenery lost at ground level due to development and incentive schemes
have amplified greening efforts and biophilic architecture of late, which
has unsuspectingly become a recognisable characteristic of Singapore’s
urban environment to the global community. These schemes andupdated architectural ideas and technologies have allowed greenery to
be integrated into building forms through skyrise planters, sky terraces
and green roofs.

Types of greenery:
Top: Bedok Town Centre.
Source: HDB
Bottom: Sky terraces of
PARKROYAL COLLECTION
Pickering. Source: WOHA
Right: Green roof of Marina
Barrage. Source: URA

Where mature trees have survived the test of time, tree conservation
guidelines come into play to protect them as “heritage trees”. This also
helps to preserve the existing natural assets of the city. For example,
new developments in one-north are required to observe guidelines forbuilding around the heritage trees. The design review panel and JTC
guard the interest of greenery by ensuring that in-depth assessments
are done to justify the felling of existing trees. Where it is unavoidable,urban design guidance for the replacement of plants lost ensuresthat softscape is integrated into the urban environment. This has also
been the case in other new developments that may encroach into the
canopies or root system of “heritage trees” throughout the island.

1Types of night lighting:1
Lighting in the Central BusinessDistrict, with increase
illumination along the bay
2
Lighting to highlight the
Elgin Bridge
3
Close-up and soft lighting toaccentuate the building
features of the National
Museum of Singapore
Source: URA

2

3

Night Lighting
Night lighting is the management of the amount and quality ofnight lighting of buildings to bring out their form and architecturalfeatures as well as those of the streetscape. This is especiallyrelevant to commercial or civic areas, where coordinated lighting
strategies applied on the building form and architectural features
help to enhance the night experience of the area.
For example, the exterior lighting of the buildings in the CBD are
guided by intensity and colour rendering to ensure a consistentand coherent nighttime rendition of the city. The historicalbuildings in the vicinity are accentuated by a warmer colour
rendering which brings out the intricate details of façades likethe colonnaded walkways, the columns and capitals, and carvingson these buildings. In other areas, the light from lamp posts areused to highlight the tree canopies along the Singapore River,and create subtle reflections in the water. The riverwalls are also
illuminated to bring out the presence of water.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN36URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK: AN INTRODUCTION TO URBAN DESIGN IN SINGAPORE

37

PROCESS AND STAKEHOLDERS’ PARTICIPATION
Process
With plans and guidelines in place, the urban design process might
appear to be largely government led in Singapore. That said, there aremany other intermediate reviews such as market consultation with
developers and professionals, public exhibitions and public engagement
exercises that happen behind the scenes which allow feedback from thevarious stakeholders to be considered before plans are formalised as theguidelines.
The URA also actively seeks ideas from professionals, students andinstitutes of higher learning as well as through competitions and design
consultancies. Research and academia also contribute to the urban
design discipline through qualitative urban design studies of certain
areas to identify strengths and weaknesses of existing urban fabrics andto provide recommendations for improving them or to guide future urban
design intentions.
The translation of guidelines into the respective architectural designs adds
another layer of interpretation, or at times, even negotiation if the landparcel has been marked with additional considerations in plans such as
the Landmark and Gateway Plan. For proposed developments in strategicareas or sites, the URA set up the Design Advisory Panel to provide design
development guidance via a peer review process. The panel is chaired by
the URA and comprises members of public and private sector consultants.
Consequently, the urban design of a city is always a work in progress since
it is realised in bits and pieces through the development of individual
buildings and different land parcels. The long periods required for its
realisation is a reason why it should be treasured and the collective
thoughts and effort that went into its making recognised.

STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION IS KEY
TO SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION

The government of Singapore continues to own large tracts of land
which it releases through the Government Land Sale Programme forthe private sector to develop. As one of the key land sales agent for
the government, the URA has been able to ensure that these sites
are developed according to the planning and urban design vision
through planning and urban design conditions imposed through theland tender.

From urban design reality to a sense of place
Placemaking has increasingly taken root in Singapore. Social andcivil organisations that get involved in placemaking activities ensurethat individuals are not just passive beneficiaries of urban design but
rather, active participants by facilitating ground-up feedback on theirpersonal takes and experiences of the spatial environment. In theprivate sector, place-managers also work with business stakeholders
and residents to bring their energy, passion, ideas and resources tomake their districts socially and economically vibrant. Places andspaces can only be successful when people take ownership to tend
to and care for their surroundings, and to make their district
distinctive for them.

1

Urban Design, “Creating Places for People”, https://urbandesign.org.au/

2

Ricard Marshall, “Josep Lluis Sert’s Urban Design Legacy” in The Urban Design Reader, ed. Michael Lariceand Elizabeth Macdonald (New York: Routledge, 2013).

3

William H. Whyte, “Introduction” in The Urban Design Reader, ed. Michael Larice and Elizabeth Macdonald(New York: Routledge, 2013).

4

The Singapore Liveability Framework guides the Centre of Liveable Cities’ research focus and developmentof its knowledge products. It also provides city leaders a lens through which they can analyse their cities andgenerate strategies for high liveability and sustainability. It has identified desired outcomes (i.e. Competitive
Economy, Sustainable Environment, High Quality of Life), and urban systems (i.e. Integrated Master Planning& Development, Dynamic Urban Governance) as key components for liveable city.

5

Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, (New York: Random House, 1961).

From urban design concept to urban design reality
Even though the URA prepares the urban design plans, guidelines andpolicies for the city, and sets precedence for other parts of the island,these urban design visions can only be realised with the participationof the building, real estate and construction industry stakeholders.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN38

URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK: AN INTRODUCTION TO URBAN DESIGN IN SINGAPORE

39

1“It starts with good planning alongside urban design,
which serves to bridge the gap between land-use
planning at the broader level and the design ofindividual developments. This helps to enhance a
town’s identity and character.”— Dr Cheong Koon Hean, CEO of HDB (2010 - 2020)

BEDOK TOWN CENTRE:REJUVENATING AN OLDERHEARTLAND TOWN CENTRE
The recent rejuvenation of the Bedok Town Centre(BTC) builds upon the foundations of the Housing andDevelopment Board’s (HDB) first generation of urban
planning and design, thereby retaining the locality’s
unique character while being updated with new urban
interventions. This makes BTC relevant to today’s needs
while maintaining a continued sense of place and identity
within the hearts and minds of its residents. The evolutionof BTC is documented through interviews with the HDB andthe urban solutions professionals involved, and includes
observations made by the writers. It not only illustrates
the importance of planning and urban design working
hand in hand, but offers many valuable lessons and serves
as an inspiration for the rejuvenation of town centres in
Singapore and around the world.

Adventure Park in Bedok Town Centre
in the 1980s, on the site of the current
Heartbeat@Bedok. Source: HDB

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN40

BEDOK TOWN CENTRE: REJUVENATING AN OLDER HEARTLAND TOWN CENTRE

41

PRE 1970S | PREPARING THE LAND

Map of the East Coast Reclamation
Scheme. Source: HDB

The Bedok New Town is situated just northeast of the East Coast
Reclamation Scheme. During Phases I and II of the reclamation
project from 1966 to 1971, the undulating terrain of the Bedok area
was removed to be used as sand to extend the coastline along East
Coast Road. The first phase contributed to the reclamation of 405
hectares of land from Bedok to Singapore Swimming Club, while thesecond phase added another 53 hectares from Singapore Swimming
Club to the tip of Tanjong Rhu. The resulting levelled land became
the site of Singapore’s fifth new public housing estate, Bedok New
Town. Subsequently, at various points until 1976, continued removalof land from the Bedok area was carried out concurrently with theconstruction of the Bedok New Town. In particular, the hills beside
the then-defunct Bedok Reservoir served as the cut site for Phase IVof the reclamation project, resulting in a 9,000-million-litre capacity
reservoir that has transformed it into what is now Bedok Reservoir.1

1972–1980S | FIRST GENERATION OF HDB NEW TOWNS
Following the 120,669 units of public housing built during the Firstand Second Five-Year Building Programmes from 1960 to 1970, HDB
launched the Third Five-Year Building Programme in 1970 that was set
to build 100,000 units of flats. During this period, the first two newtowns, Queenstown and Toa Payoh, were to be completed and theconstruction of three other new towns in Telok Blangah, Woodlands
and Bedok were to begin.2 This initial target was exceeded by the endof 1975, with a total of about 113,819 units of flats and shops built.3
Bedok New Town Town Plan.
Source: HDB
Public Housing
Commercial
Industrial
Open Space
Schools
Institutional
Public Utilities
Sports & Recreational

Laying the Town Structure
As an improved and measured progression from the two pioneering new
towns, the New Town Structural Model instituted rules on hierarchy anddistribution of the town centre and neighbourhood centres. Its main
goal was to establish self-sufficient towns that would be well-equippedwith facilities for everyday life, thereby saving residents the need totravel daily to the downtown city centre. Based on this new model, eachtown was designed with a central town centre which would serve as a
hub for the neighbourhoods around it. Within each neighbourhood,neighbourhood centres would differentiate themselves by cateringto the socio-communal needs of the community through the likes ofkindergartens, shops and eateries.

HDB’s New Town Structural Model.
Source: Cheong Koon Hean
NC: Neighbourhood Centre
JC: Junior College
SS: Secondary School
NP: Neighbourhood Park
RS: Reserved Site

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN42

BEDOK TOWN CENTRE: REJUVENATING AN OLDER HEARTLAND TOWN CENTRE

43

Establishing the Urban Pattern

Determining the Activity Nodes

Specifically, Bedok adopts a “loop” urban pattern, which becomesincreasingly articulated towards the town centre. It spatialises the“neighbourhood principle” of the New Town Structural Model bysituating the town centre at the geographical centre of the newtown, while the six neighbourhoods encircle it. The neighbourhood
centres are cleverly situated close to the town centre itself, adding
to the gradual build-up of activity and buzz towards the town centre.
An overall checkerboard pattern of low-rise, low-density land use isjuxtaposed against high-rise, high-density residential developments
to provide spatial relief and a more varied skyline. Hierarchy between
the various centres is introduced by locating shopping complexes,
hawker centres and sports facilities at the town centre; and, in thesame vein, light and clean industries are situated at the southwestern
fringes of Bedok New Town.4

It was only as works on Neighbourhoods I and II were progressing
smoothly in 1976 that planning for Neighbourhood IV and the town
centre began. The town centre was initially planned to be the major retailand recreational centre for the eastern end of the East Coast corridor.
These plans were finalised in 1976 as Neighbourhood I was completed
and construction works moved to Neighbourhoods II, III, IV and V as partof the accelerated building programme that year. The town centre wasplanned to be the focal point of the residents’ daily lives, comprising
shopping malls, market and hawker centres, a bus terminal, a library,cinemas, a supermarket, banks, offices, a department store, showrooms
and a polyclinic.9

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44

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SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

Top: Bedok New Town underconstruction. Source: HDB
Right: Neighbourhoods of Bedok New
Town. Source: HDB

AD

Integrating Planning and Urban Design

While this direct plug into the road network contributed to theaccessibility of Bedok town on a broader scale, this likely diminished,
to some degree, the sense of arrival into Bedok from the main road
network. Contrary to broad town planning principles of that time,
Bedok North Road and Bedok South Road wrap tightly around the sixneighbourhoods and serve as both major arterial roads and estateroads around and through the Bedok new town respectively.7 Without
much meandering of local roads, this quickly merges the estate’s road
network to the wider island-wide road network with little hierarchy,
blurring the boundaries of the town and, inevitably, its imageability.
Unintentionally, the higher-speed traffic inevitably promotes transient
vehicular circulation across Bedok Town without fully recognising its
presence as a destination.
In 1976, subsequent studies were done to assess the feasibility ofproviding an extensive network of footpaths for pedestrians andcyclists to travel between neighbourhood centres and recreational
nodes in Bedok New Town.8 These localised, alternative urban
mobility connections form the social paths between neighbourhoods
that residents use daily.

RE

H

Road network within and around Bedok.
Source: OneMap

KRT

The physical development of Bedok New Town began in 1972, starting
first from Neighbourhood I with a concurrent planning process for the
new town.5 In response to government policies requiring progressiverefinement of housing standards, HDB worked towards improving
the road systems and land-use patterns in Bedok New Town.6 This
resulted in the replacement of the existing, winding Upper Changi
Road with a New Upper Changi Road to improve connectivity to theoverall island road network.

DO

BEDOK N O

Connecting to the Larger Vehicular Network

BE

Creating Human-Scale Streetscapes

Top: The low-rise buildings in Bedok Town
Centre in the evenings in the late 1970s.
Source: HDB
Bottom: The low-rise buildings also
contribute to a more human-scale
streetscape. Source: NLB

The completed town centre consists of 3- to 4-storey slab blocks withlong front façades along the main pedestrian circulation, forming acontinuous building edge. This is complemented by the consolidationof service roads and car parks which provide sufficient vehicular accesswhile creating a safe, pedestrian-friendly environment. With active
frontages along the pedestrian mall, the slab blocks also help to conceal
the surface car parks by wrapping around them with their rear façades
facing them. The height of this building edge is kept approximately
equal to the width of the well-proportioned pedestrian mall, or
substantially less than the width of open spaces along it. This scale
and proportion make the streetscape along pedestrian mall akin to an
outdoor room filled with the vibrancy of daily life. Aside from the split-inlevels dividing the pedestrian mall longitudinally into two parallel strips
due to the existing terrain, this slab building typology serves as thefoundation for future rejuvenation and improvements to the streetscape.

BEDOK TOWN CENTRE: REJUVENATING AN OLDER HEARTLAND TOWN CENTRE

45

Providing Pedestrian Connectivity

Using Landmarks to Anchor Activities

The main pedestrian mall runs perpendicularly from the southern edge
to the northern edge of the town centre site, providing connection
between Bedok South Avenue 1 and Bedok North Avenue 2. Several
east-west pedestrian paths have also been delineated by slab blocks
orientated in that direction. In retrospect, short of a few gaps inactivities between Block 410 and 411, these walkways are layered
with rows of neighbourhood shops. From Block 136, there is a gradualbuild-up of activities along the pedestrian paths leading to town centre.
Together with the planned open space network of nature, these arereminders of integrated urban planning and urban design visions andstrategies from the early days.
The land use zoning of Bedok Town
Centre based on Master Plan 2019,with neighbourhood shops (pink)
and green and open spaces (green).
Source: URA, 2023

Left: Artist’s impression of theentrance plaza of Bedok Town
Centre. Source: HDB
Right: The entrance plaza inthe late 1970s. Source: HDB

The entrance plaza to this pedestrian network was situated at theintersection of New Upper Changi Road and Bedok South Avenue 1
along the southern edge of the site. It was emphasised with theL-shaped emporium building to the west and the chamfered building
footprint to the east. This also responded to the chamfered cornersof the plots across the street and helped direct pedestrians into thepedestrian mall of the town centre. Additionally, the warm terracotta
tiles on the chamfered building form and façade contribute to thelandmark quality of the BTC entrance plaza. This was mirrored by theformer Bedok Community Library that was located at the northernend of the pedestrian mall. Together, these two landmarks served asanchors for the main spine of the pedestrian mall, supplemented by aperpendicular pedestrian mall in the east-west direction that was linedwith commercial activity, markets and former cinemas.

Balancing the Needs of Pedestrian Networks and Vehicular Access

Strengthening Nodes: Adventure Park and Bedok MRT Station

A site plan of the Bedok
Town Centre from the early
1980s showing the locationof pedestrianised areas(light orange) in relation to
the internal service roads
within the plot. Source: HDB

As one of the earliest new towns in the east, the BTC was planned to be acentral core of activity to serve the residents around it. This necessitatedimproved connectivity options via road and rail to the rest of Singapore.
With the increased capacity at the bus interchange in the early 1980s,
2-lane service roads fragmented the town centre, resulting in many
pedestrian crossings required within the town centre itself despite it
being a largely pedestrianised area. More significantly, the 6-lane New
Upper Changi Road had reduced the walkability to the town centre fromthe light industrial park south of it. That said, this was a justified tradeoff as the bus interchange was the foremost public transit infrastructure
in Bedok Town during that time, contributing to its bustling nature today.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

46

Around the 1980s, HDB built up on its anchors by introducing anadventure park opposite the then-library building. With changes inlifestyles and tastes, it gradually became less relevant and became
the site of one of the key projects of the recent rejuvenation. Its
redevelopment into an integrated, mixed-use, co-located community hub
came to be called Heartbeat@Bedok.

Adventure Park, circa 1980. Source: HDB

The Bedok MRT station was opened in 1989 at the southern edge of thetown centre in close proximity to the existing bus interchange. Together,
they contributed to the high traffic movement within and around thetown centre, quickly establishing it as a significant transport node in the
East Coast.10
Situated at opposite sides of the pedestrian mall, these two recreational
and transport nodes reinforced the activity at the ends of the pedestrianmall to amplify the pedestrian activity between them. This also helped tonormalise the everyday circulation of residents within the town centre,
which was foundational for the subsequent rejuvenation efforts.

BEDOK TOWN CENTRE: REJUVENATING AN OLDER HEARTLAND TOWN CENTRE

47

“ Bedok Town Centre’s rejuvenation will include new
mixed developments, expanded outdoor recreational
spaces, and spaces for heritage.”11— Mah Bow Tan, Minister for National Development (1999 - 2011)

To achieve these objectives, the HDB developed an overall plan anda set of urban design guidelines for the various consultants of theredevelopment projects—the pedestrian mall, Bedok Town Squareand Interchange Hawker Centre, Bedok Integrated Development andHeartbeat@Bedok. Some of these urban design guidelines wereinserted into the tender briefs for the Government Land Sales (GLS)
site, while other synergistic urban design ideas and opportunities wereleveraged on during the concurrent development timelines of the various
projects. This helped to ensure that the disparate upgrading projects
could be brought together in a coherent and holistic way.

A comprehensive site plan of
the rejuvenated town centre
and its peripheral streets.
Source: HDB

2011–2020 | REMAKING OUR HEARTLAND 2
Under the second phase of the Remaking Our Heartland (ROH)
programme, Bedok, which falls in the East Coast ROH area, underwent
a series of improvements and relocation of facilities linked to andwithin the town centre. The four key themes of ROH2 new towns are“Rejuvenation of Town Centre”, “Outdoor Recreational Choices”,“Improved Connectivity” and “Heartland Heritage”. With respect tothe town centre, these themes were eventually translated into three
conceptual objectives.
The first objective was to tackle the walkability within the town centre
itself and throughout the rest of Bedok town. More than just a meansof convenience and safety, the various projects leveraged on theextensiveness of these pedestrian and cycling webs to bind the town
centre with the town to create a coherent sense of identity and place.
The second objective was to rejuvenate the town centre in response to
the increased resident population of Bedok New Town and its changing
demographics. There was a strategic opportunity to upgrade publicamenities and improve the urban design of the town centre.

Active Community Engagement

An exhibition was held to showcase theplans for the Remaking Our Heartland(ROH2) programme in 2011. Source:
HDB

The vision for the ROH2 programme at BTC and the Heartbeat@Bedok
had been to ensure that a comprehensive range of activities andservices were provided to meet diverse and changing needs of theresidents from the present to up to 30 years into the future. Grassroots
Advisors and their team challenged themselves to be creative bythinking across organisational boundaries on the possibilities
of integrating services to better serve the residents. Together
with grassroots volunteers, they embarked on a parallel series ofconsultation exercises to complement HDB’s launch of the ROH2 planfor the East Coast area. More than 11,000 ideas and views from thecommunity were received and contributed to BTC and Heartbeat@Bedok
that we see today.12

The third objective was to transform the town centre into a lively
environment with a unique identity relating to Bedok’s history andsurrounding context, with the hope of creating a relatable living
environment and cultivating a sense of belonging for its residents.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

48

BEDOK TOWN CENTRE: REJUVENATING AN OLDER HEARTLAND TOWN CENTRE

49

Leading up to the launch of the ROH2 programme, 13,000 people
in the targeted areas, including Hougang, East Coast and Jurong
Lake, were polled in a survey. The launch exhibition in January 2011,
which featured the plans that the HDB had for each rejuvenatedtown, attracted about 77,000 visitors. Through these events, thepublic’s feedback was collected, and the residents made aware of thevarious plans to rejuvenate the BTC as well as to anticipate temporary
disruptions in the area.
Given the mixed ownership and development methods for thevarious plots within the town centre, the success of its rejuvenation
can be attributed to the close collaboration between the HDB andthe various stakeholders that enabled a better translation of urban
design intentions into reality. Even with its internal planning andurban design team, the HDB needed coordination and buy-in fromthe various projects’ stakeholders to implement well-integrated
interfacing and details. Throughout the renovation from 2011 to
2018, the HDB held exhibitions to consult with advisors, grassroot
leaders and the public to obtain ground-up survey feedback. Timely
mini exhibitions were also rolled out to update residents on the
progress of the rejuvenation projects. In addition, the HDB adopted
additional measures to reduce disruption to the daily life of the town
centre, such as redirecting visitors to alternative car parks in thevicinity and alleviating pest issues.13

The Wind Valley node along
the Play Corridor. Source:
Victoria See

In line with the themes “Outdoor Recreational Choices” and “Improved
Connectivity”, one of the main selling points of the East Coast ROH isa dedicated walking and cycling path that connects two destinationparks—Bedok Reservoir Park north of the town centre, and East Coast
Park to the south. Spearheaded by the National Parks Board (NParks)
and the Land Transport Authority (LTA), it was completed in 2018 andshows how public agencies coordinated and implemented their projects
together with the HDB-led rejuvenation of the town centre. A portionof the Outdoor Play Corridor skirts along the western edge of the town
centre and the eastern edge of the industrial park, and consists of four
nodal points where planting, seating and play facilities are located as
rest stops and markers for users. One of the nodal points, The Wind
Valley, is strategically located at the intersection of Bedok North
Avenue 1 and New Upper Changi Road, across from the town centre site.
It serves as a clear landmark to indicate to pedestrians walking along
this extended walking trail where the town centre is located.

Beyond the Town Centre
Establishing the Outdoor Play Corridor

Extending Pedestrian and Cycling Networks into Neighbourhoods

A bicycle crossing introduced in thevicinity. Source: LTA

The East Coast Play Corridor
connects Bedok Reservoir toEast Coast Park, and passes
by the western and southernedge of Bedok Town Centre.
Source: HDB

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

50

Notably, 13 kilometres of dedicated red-painted cycling paths havebeen introduced in Bedok since 2018, with a significant proportion
concentrated around the BTC, Bedok North and Bedok South, covering
approximately 70% of the town centre’s perimeter. This Outdoor Play
Corridor also links to the cycling network in the Bedok area and helps
to facilitate cycling connections to Bedok Reservoir Park and East
Coast Park. These cycling paths and park connectors are part of thegovernment’s island-wide cycling network plan slated for completionby 2030. A new dedicated pedestrian cum bicycle crossing was also
introduced to improve safety by segregating pedestrians and cyclists, aswell as to facilitate high movements of pedestrian and cycling traffic into
BTC and Heartbeat@Bedok.

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51

To complement the above pedestrian and cyclist provisions for asafer road environment, the Silver Zone initiative was introduced in
Bedok North Street 1. As the zone is situated within one of the mature
estates in the country, and with many amenities nearby that attract
senior pedestrians, various road-safety measures were implemented
to keep road users, especially the seniors, safe. The speed limit of
the street was reduced with traffic-calming measures put in place
to keep travelling speeds low within the zone. Pedestrian-crossing
activity was carefully consolidated into key points where it is easierfor motorists and pedestrians to look out for each other. The use ofgreenery subtly prevents pedestrians from crossing at hazardous
points, while simultaneously reinforcing a green landscape.

The cycling map of Bedok Cycling
Network that was released in 2017.
Source: LTA
New Cycling Path
Existing Park Connector
Future Cycling Path
(to be completed beyond 2020)
Play Corridor (NParks)
MRT Line
Schools/Colleges/Polytechnic/
University
Park Space
Amenities“ As it was, Bedok Town benefitted from akeenly planned pedestrian network that has
supported its vibrancy by connecting its town
centre, neighbourhood centres and activity
streets. The recent rejuvenation efforts use
detailed urban design guidelines to ensure
better synergy and integration between theold and the new.”14

Top & Middle: Silver Zone Gateway andtraffic-calming markings. Source: LTA
Bottom: A kerb-less crossing
complemented by channelisation (i.e.
greenery and railings) and traffic-calming
measured (i.e. bus-friendly hump).
Source: LTA

Agencies have also worked together to come up with the Walking
and Cycling Design Guide, which is a set of guidelines showing thebest-design practices for walking and cycling infrastructure. The
cycling network in Bedok town, while exemplary amongst other
HDB towns with existing cycling paths, continues to be enhanced as
more aspects of the Walking and Cycling Design Guide, such as the
allocation of Pedestrian Priority Zone at bus stops and high traffic
areas, are implemented. Indeed, these guidelines are designed todrive long-term improvements in the pedestrian and cycling networkof not just Bedok town but also other townships in Singapore.

— Dr Cheong Koon Hean, CEO of HDB (2010 - 2020)

Top & Bottom: Examples of a segregated
red cycling path and shared cycling pathin Bedok. Source: LTA

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

Situated right beside pedestrian footpaths that span the town, these2-metre-wide, bi-directional, intra-town red cycling paths reduce conflict
between pedestrians and bicycles, allowing for simultaneous pedestrian
and bicycle flows. Wise decisions from the early days to set aside
enough road reserve for pavements have allowed the new initiative
to be incorporated into the existing pedestrian network with ease.
Where space falls short, shared paths between cyclists and pedestrians
are adopted instead to provide wider spaces for both pedestrians
and cyclists to commute on the same path. Paired with the existing
through-block links and covered walkways in the HDB blocks around thetown centre, these urban design strategies contribute to an extensive
pedestrian and cycling network leading to the town centre.

52

Pedestrian Priority Zone guidelines
released in 2019 by the URA.
Source: URA

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53

“As a President’s Design Award designer, we applied forthis grant of money to use on this project. We were very
ambitious, especially with this interesting but challenging
site, and wanted to use this to contribute back to thesociety in this in-between, interstitial space that waspreviously lacking.”15

Heartbeat@Bedok– Look Boon Gee, Founding Director, LOOK Architects

Unifying Streetscape Design
Bedok Integrated
Development
Left & Right: The floorscape wasdesigned based on studying
the movement and volume ofpedestrians across the pedestrianmall. Source: LOOK Architects
Pedestrian crossing pattern
Pedestrian volume

The two anchors as part of the concept
for the East Coast Remaking Our
Heartland. Source: HDB

To improve on the existing pedestrian-mall design, LOOK Architects
first introduced an overall tiling pattern throughout the projects’ sites.
They also added interest to the ground by introducing diagonal material
variations to the consistent pattern, which reflect the natural pedestrian
circulation, which were worked out through mapping pedestrian traffic.
The architects took on the meticulous endeavour to preserve thequotidian routines of existing users of the pedestrian mall and the town
centre. This cost-effective way to create a binding identity was later
adopted by the Town Council and extended to the rest of the BTC.

Rejuvenated Pedestrian Mall as the Key Connector
The two new mid- to high-rise developments at Bedok Town Centre act
as anchors at the two ends of the area. The first consists of the Bedok
Mall, Bedok Residence and Integrated Transport Hub integrated at thesouthwest end of the pedestrian mall, while the second consists ofHeartbeat@Bedok at the northeast end of the pedestrian mall. They
provide a contrast and balance to the scale of the town centre’s built
form, injecting new uses that reinforce BTC as an commercial andcommunity hub. Less than a 5-minute walk apart, these two anchor
nodes help to extend the liveliness along the pedestrian mall thatconnect them.

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Notably, one of the key design strategies was to use 1:25 gradient
ramps throughout the pedestrian mall to eliminate the need for
handrails, which had previously contributed to the jarring andobstructive walking experience, as a result of years of accumulated
alterations along that stretch. As an integral space connecting theentire site, the upgrading of the pedestrian mall was carried out
in phases and facilitated by a Project Working Committee (PWC).
Comprising representatives from the Grassroots Organisations
and local Merchants’ Association, the PWC also scheduled thephases carefully to ensure that festive events could still continue
uninterrupted.

An improvement from the past cacophony of colours, the revisions to
the mall design helped to lend visual consistency and fluidity of space
to the open space in front of Block 212, which approximately marks
the intersection of the two perpendicular pedestrian malls. Termed
the Central Plaza today, it is surrounded by commercial facilities on
the ground floor of the blocks along its perimeter, and enhanced withplanters and seats to create a convivial open space where residents
can gather.

Making the Pedestrian Mall Inclusive for All

Increasing the Greenscape
Top: The open space prior torenovation. Source: HDB
Bottom: The renovation has
transformed the open space along
the pedestrian mall and encouraged
people to linger in the space.
Source: HDB

Top & Bottom: Transformation of
the steps to integrate them withplanters and seats to become morepedestrian-friendly. Source: HDB,LOOK Architects

Top left and top right: Thetransformation of the pedestrian mallresulted in more integrated designs
for the planter boxes, ramps and steps
along the pedestrian mall. Source:
LOOK Architects
Bottom left & bottom right: A sectional
drawing of the pedestrian mall shows
the gradual slope across the site andthe thoughtful provision of seating andrailings at suitable junctures.
Source: LOOK Architects

The continuous low-rise building edge of the old town centre
buildings and the suitably proportioned width of the existingpedestrian mall proved to be a conducive backdrop for a human-scale
outdoor walking environment. To improve on the previous centrally
located planters and numerous steps, the HDB worked closely with
LOOK Architects to integrate wheelchair-friendly gradients into
the mall design, to provide a pleasant and inclusive walk acrossthe otherwise 3-metre level difference from the northern edge andsouthern edge of the town centre site.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

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Top: Previously, the steps andramps circumscribed the planters.
Pedestrians had to meander as theywalked along the pedestrian mall.
Source: HDB
Bottom: These steps and ramps wererelocated to facilitate more strategic
planting that would create directpedestrian paths and increase thegreenery. Source: LOOK Architects

Conserving the existing trees on site, strategically-placed landscaping
line the edges of the pedestrian mall to facilitate smoother pedestrianflows while negotiating the various degrees of publicness from thepedestrian mall to the 5-foot corridor and finally the commercial
shops fronting it.

“ They wanted to chop down all the trees if
possible, but our intervention was to keep
existing trees as much as possible and put
in some trees to complement and reinforce
the greenery into clusters to provide muchneeded shade. There were many meetings
with up 100 to 200 shop owners as some
said that it might block their shop frontage.
Eventually, we calibrated all our planters insuch a way that they did not block smaller
shop fronts and maintained access to thelarger shop fronts even when the planterswere introduced.”16

BEDOK TOWN CENTRE: REJUVENATING AN OLDER HEARTLAND TOWN CENTRE– Look Boon Gee, Founding Director, LOOK Architects

57

The neutral material palette of the pedestrianmall complements the buildings in the town
centre. Source: LOOK Architects

Plans and isometric drawings of theplanter boxes and ramps demonstrate
the level of detail considered for its
design. Source: LOOK Architects

Additional material considerations to ensure that the urban
furniture are vandal-proof, weather-resistant while visuallycalming resulted in a combination of dark timbre and lightcoloured porous pebble surface. The contrast in colours provide
sufficient interest without being too jarring to the eyes.
Another of the architects’ key design strategy, these multifunctional
planters leverage on the hardscape of the planter boxes to abuthigher levels while using the mounding of the low shrubs to gently
slope to the level below. The multi-hued, leopard-hide-like bark andlightly distributed crown of the selected Brazilian Ironwood trees(Libidibia ferrea) further contribute a calming backdrop, turning
what was once deemed a hindrance into a crucial ingredient to thisinterstitial space.

Interestingly, similar urban-design guidelines were implemented
for the new developments that were linked to the pedestrian mall,such as at Heartbeat@Bedok, where the level difference of thesite was mitigated through a slight levelling of the ground andthe inclusion of ramps and seating that are consistent with thevisual style set by LOOK Architects. These design details reflect
the most intricate level of urban design detail that was taken into
consideration, demonstrating the care taken to recognise thespectrum of users and social engagements in its space.

Given Bedok’s elderly population, urban furniture such as seats andshady trees were placed at regular intervals and integrated into theplanter design. This creates a more conducive walking environment
and encourages seniors to traverse the town centre, with plenty ofrest points in between.
At certain locations, where the pedestrian mall is narrow, the seats
are orientated towards the shops along the façade of the slab blocks;
while at wider portions of the pedestrian mall, such as the central
plaza, seats face the open space instead to provide views of the daily
buzz and movement across the open space. Level differences arealso used to introduce different designs of seats, such as those withback support, which also acts as a retaining wall for the plantersbehind. The raised landscaping on the high level provides a senseof enclosure to these seating nooks while benefiting the raised
development with more greenery. Rounded corners for these seatsalso makes them conducive for both young and old.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

58

Top, Middle, Bottom: Urban furnitureand seating arrangements of similar
designs have since been replicatedalong other sections of the pedestrianmall for coherence. Source: Victoria See

This stands as a testament to the pedestrian mall in successfully
adopting urban design strategies to improve on past planningand design within the town centre, from the larger town scale tothe minute, detailed design. It exemplifies the clever recognitionof the latent potential of former design decisions by playing up
on its strengths and ameliorating its weakness to create a betterstreetscape experience for pedestrians.

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Complementing Open Space with Activities“ This project started out with the Bedok
Interchange Hawker Centre and multistorey carpark but eventually, the HDB
expanded the extents of the project
to include space for the town squareand heritage corner. In hindsight, thishas helped to create strong synergies
between the various components within
and beyond this project.”18– Chow Mun Kwan Christopher,
Senior Principal Architect, ADDP Architects LLP
Top: Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre prior
to renovation. Source: HDB
Bottom: With the construction of the Bedok
Interchange Hawker Centre, the Bedok Town
Square has become more welcoming to
the public and better suited for community
events. Source: CLC

Top: The north landmark uses oneof the nodes, Heartbeat@Bedok,
as its backdrop. Source: Victoria See
Bottom: An axometric drawing of
the north landmark.
Source: LOOK Architects

Reinforcing Existing Landmarks
The HDB added four landmarks with welcoming signage anddifferentiated tiling to mark out the ends of the north-south axis
and east-west paths of the pedestrian mall, each designed bydifferent architects based on the proximity to their projects. The
landmarks include the north entrance marker along Bedok North
Street 1, the east entrance, which is the open space opposite
Djitsun Mall, the south entrance, which is the entrance plaza along
New Upper Changi Road, and the west entrance, which is the open
space adjacent to the heritage corner. Notably, the north entrance
marker was designed by LOOK Architects, the design consultantsof the pedestrian mall.17 As visual cues, these markers highlightthe pedestrian mall as the key passage through the town centre.

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60

While the original brief called for a redesign of the Bedok
Interchange Hawker Centre and a multi-storey carpark, it gradually
evolved along the way to include the Bedok Town Square andheritage corner when it was completed in 2016; in essence a
recognition of the need to activate open space. This was in line with
the HDB’s new approach in its Roadmap to Better Living, launchedin 2011, to design community-centric towns. A key feature of thisroadmap was to plan and design town plazas, which would bepartially covered, and have power points available. This would
facilitate the organisation of community activities to promote moreinteraction and raise the buzz factor.
The former hawker centre at Block 207 was moved slightly south toits current location at Block 208B along New Upper Changi Road,
and given increased capacity. The hawker centre is also carefully
shaped to provide a slight sense of enclosure to the spill-over open
space leading up to the Bedok Town Square.

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Considering Topography in Designing Walkable Streetscapesand Convivial Open Spaces
Recognising that the 0.4–0.5 hectare Bedok Town Square was to function
like a scaled-up precinct pavilion, ADDP took into consideration theventilation, lighting and likely activities in the space for their design.
The result is a new-generation town square that features a sheltered plazawith double volume space, clerestories to provide light, industrial fansto create wind flow, seats and power outlets, which has since also been
implemented in Punggol and Yishun under HDB’s “Town Centre with a Town
Plaza” concept.
With about 3.6- to 4-metre difference in the ground level from New Upper
Changi Road to the pedestrian mall, ADDP inverted the design of the roof
to step upwards towards the centre of each node rather than to the rim.
This lends the Bedok Town Square and Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre
a less imposing stature, and proportions the streetscape more relatable.
Added to this were detailed design considerations such as elongated tiles
running parallel to the main pedestrian circulation to lengthen perspectives
and strategically-spaced stair landings to further widen the perceptionof space.
The porous design of Bedok Town Square and Bedok Interchange Hawker
Centre maintain clear sightlines to the commercial activity along the edgeof Bedok Mall that it faces, as well as from New Upper Changi Road, thus
encouraging synergies and an uninterrupted integration of activities.

Process (top) and final designs (bottom) of
the project demonstrating the considerations
taken to ensure that the building form suitedthe proportions of the streetscape and open
space. Source: ADDP

Bedok Town Square

Bedok Integrated
Development

Bedok Town Square

Bedok Integrated
Development

Top: The covered linkway connecting the
Bedok bus terminal with the Bedok Town
Square. Source: Victoria See
Right: A connectivity and linkageplan ensure that sheltered pathways
are provided from the bus terminal
which sits within the Bedok Integrated
Development to the rest of the town
centre. Source: ADDP

Addressing Gaps in Pedestrian Network

Multi-Storey Car Park

Bedok Interchange
Hawker Centre
The ramp located between Bedok
Interchange Hawker Centre and the open
plaza ensures universal accessibility toboth places. Source: ADDP

At a smaller scale, ADDP tucked a ramp neatly between the open space
and the Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre to simultaneously address
barrier-free access and shelter from the elements for both pedestrians
and hawker centre goers. With the popularity of the Bedok Interchange
Hawker Centre, this has pre-empted otherwise amplified crowd levels
and overloaded pedestrian circulation, especially in the event of wet
weather.

Multi-Storey Car Park

Bedok Interchange
Hawker Centre

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

The decision to place Bedok Town Square at its present location was
supported by pedestrian flow studies of BTC in the 2000s. By mapping
the activity levels at various times of the day, the HDB identified themain entrance of the old bus interchange as an area of high-traffic
volume that had developed over time.19 Key sheltered connections
that were required of this project were the southwestern link to Block
209, the southern link to the bus stop, and the western link to the bus
terminal in the Bedok Integrated Development. To further integrate withthe existing HDB blocks along the pedestrian mall, ADDP also proposed
additional links to provide shelter from the Bedok Town Square to thecovered corridors of Block 205 and Block 208.

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63

Integrating Street Furniture and Landscaping“ We had coordinated with our neighbouring
developer, m/s Bedok Mall, facilitated by the
HDB, to integrate the designs together. They
shared with us their finishes, landscaping andprecise location of the Bedok Bus Terminal
entrance. Their feedback was also essential in
the placement of the planter boxes to ensure
clear sightlines to the facing shops even amidst
the lush landscaping that we had hoped toachieve. Such integration between neighbouring
developments would have otherwise beendifficult for private developments.”20
Top, Middle, Bottom: Carefully placedplanter boxes help to curate sightlines
to the shop frontages of the Bedok
Integrated Development. “Floating”
standalone benches reduces bulk in the
open space and a sense of openness.
Source: Victoria See (Top, Bottom),
ADDP (Middle)

Top: Heritage boards at the Bedok Town
Centre heritage corner make reference
to the history of the area. Source: ADDP
Bottom: Kolek races used to be heldin the Bedok area in the past.
Source: NAS/MCI (Courtesy of National
Archives of Singapore, Collection of
Ministry of Information and the Arts)– Chow Mun Kwan Christopher,
Senior Principal Architect, ADDP Architects LLP

To integrate the project with the adjacent Bedok Integrated Development,
ADDP worked with DCA Architects to ascertain suitable placement of planterboxes to curate sightlines toward the shop frontages from the open space
while mitigating level differences between plots and to strategically obscureblank and service sections of the eastern façade of the Bedok Integrated
Development. With the objective of further minimising clutter, ADDP also
designed multi-purpose planter boxes with seating, as well as a combinationof on-grade tree species with light crowns such as Spiny Black Olive (Bucida
molineti) and low-lying plants like Bird’s Nest Fern (Asplenium nidus) andOsmoxylon Geelvinkianum. Strategically positioned, stand-alone benches
also complement the overall street furniture to ensure that there is sufficient
provision of shaded street furniture for lingering and enjoying the space.
To tie the rejuvenated town centre in with the rest of the East Coast ROH, aheritage corner located adjacent to the Bedok Town Square features several
heritage boards with information on the history of the Bedok-East Coast area.
Drawing links to Bedok’s past as a coastal area,21 these heritage boards aremodelled after the Malay perahu boat structure and mark the start of the
Bedok Heritage Trail, which was jointly storyboarded by the National Heritage
Board (NHB) and the HDB. In addition, as an open space north of Bedok Town
Square, the heritage corner also absorbs the spill-over of activity in the town
square during popular events.

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64

Left & Right: Bedok Residences stacked
atop the Integrated Transport Hub andBedok Mall. Source: DCA Architects

Bedok Integrated Development
Completed in 2013, the Bedok Mall and Bedok Residence is partiallysituated on the southwestern Mixed Commercial and Residential zoning of
the town centre site and the bus interchange, where it acts as an anchor
to some of the town centre’s dominant activities. Along with the Bedok
Integrated Transport Hub, which was officially opened in late 2014, thisfully integrated commercial-residential-infrastructure development, as
designed by DCA Architects Pte Ltd, stacks three floors of retail with an
air-conditioned transport hub and eight blocks of 15-storey residences.

Weaving Pedestrian Paths and Identity into the Town Centre“ One of the most important outcomes that wegot out from here was that we worked quite
closely with our stakeholders who gave great
support. Even though the HDB had planningand urban design intentions upfront, we stillneeded to coordinate with the consultants ofeach project closely, in terms of details andinterfacing. This aspect made the rejuvenation
quite challenging, but even more rewarding.”22– Wong Li Eng, Director (Urban Design Department 1), HDB

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Overlaying Pedestrian Networks onto High-Traffic Areas
This is topped off with the careful placement of pedestrian crossings
across the 4-lane Bedok North Drive, notably from DjitSun Mall to
the west entrance of the refurbished pedestrian mall. Shaped tocomplement the curvature of Bedok North Drive, a series of elongatedplanter boxes are spaced out along the edge of the road to shield people
in the pedestrian mall from the vehicular traffic while allowing incoming
pedestrians to filter into the pedestrianised town centre. It also helps
to contribute to a sense of enclosure at the west-entrance plaza andcreates a continuity of softscape from the older Block 204 to the newer
Bedok Mall along Bedok North Drive.

Top: The main corridor along the front
façade of Bedok Mall has been designed
to accommodate a higher pedestrian
footfall and to be visible for mall-goers.
Source: CapitaLand
Right: The ground-storey plan of
Bedok Integrated Development.
Source: DCA Architects

Taking advantage of its proximity to the Bedok MRT station entrance
along New Upper Changi Road, the HDB expressed their desire forthe design of the integrated development to maintain a physicaland visual corridor through Bedok Mall from the bus interchange to
Bedok Town Square, which had been planned to its east. Working
collaboratively with consultants, the HDB negotiated the location ofcommercial activities on the ground floor fronting the Town Square,guiding the Bedok Mall developer and architect to locate activitygenerating uses to front the Town Square. This was to ensure thecreation of visual interest and to enhance the vibrancy of the Town
Plaza, while shielding the Bedok Town Square from the car-parkramps and bus interchange.
Today, this has proven to be beneficial for both, encouraging
synergies with the open space while increasing footfall for the
shops along that façade. With such a challenging site to work with,a programmatic brief to integrate, and various codes to comply with,
it is no wonder that the developer and architects decided toconcentrate the commercial uses along the public-facing façades byreserving the back two façades for services and residents’ privacy.
To emphasise its activity and enhance its visual appeal, this corridor
has been celebrated by CapitaLand, an advocate for public art,
through the commissioning of Kim Gyung Min, a Korean pop artist,
to make Shopping with the Family, a crowd-pleasing sculpture of anenlarged family of five walking at its intersection with the MRT station
entrance. Visible from the main road, this has become an identity
marker for people arriving by bus and contributes to a sense of place.

Top: Street-level entrance to Bedok
bus interchange. Source: DCA
Architects
Middle: Design idea for the ramp andstairs to meet the needs of Bedok
Integrated Development and Bedok
Town Square. Source: DCA Architects
Bottom: Actual implementation of thedesign. Source: Victoria See

Perhaps due to the design of the existing MRT station infrastructure,
the integration of the new bus interchange to the MRT station itself israther circuitous, especially for passengers switching between the MRT
and the bus at this Integrated Transport Hub. As it was, passengers
previously already had to descend from the aboveground train platform
into an underground tunnel to cross the major arterial New Upper Chang
Road before emerging at street level via the MRT station exit. Those
who wished to switch to an alternative mode of public transport would
therefore have to counter-intuitively ascend upwards again to reachthe bus interchange concourse. The existing level difference acrossthe site to match the level of Bedok North Drive resulted in the bus
interchange concourse being elevated approximately 3 metres higher
than the ground level of the pedestrian path along New Upper Changi
Road. As such, the developers, CapitaLand, purchased the subterranean
lot to facilitate an underground connection from the basement levelof the mall to the MRT underpass. This enabled public transit users totransfer between the MRT and the buses more smoothly and within the
stipulated transfer time.

“ This is another interesting story because the bus interchange
footprint was so extensive that we were only left with a tiny
sliver of land next to the HDB town plaza. After accommodating
the HDB’s suggestion to have activity-generating uses anda sheltered walkway, we did not have enough width for thebarrier-free ramp to mitigate the level difference between
New Upper Changi Road and Bedok North Drive. We had toengage our friendly HDB neighbour, who allowed us to build
the accessible ramps on their town plaza side.”23– Khoo Poh Bin, Deputy Managing Director, DCA Architects

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67

To further support the accessibility of the transport hub, DCA Architects
negotiated with the HDB to incorporate a barrier-free ramp that would
wind beyond the plot boundaries into the next plot of land designatedfor the Town Square. Rather than being bounded by stringent
regulations, DCA Architects worked closely with HDB and agencies toaddress building and development requirements, such as compulsory
green buffers between developments. As a result, waivers were granted
to blur the boundaries between the Bedok Integrated Development andthe town square, as it was clear that it would not only bring the various
projects together but, more importantly, benefit the public.

Managing Vehicular Access
To facilitate the construction, the old bus interchange was temporarily
relocated to the western part of the town centre site to free up space
for the development. Bedok North Drive, which was not a through-road
previously, was also widened and traffic-calmed with the help of the LTA
to facilitate the expected multi-modal traffic along Bedok North Street 1.

“In the conditions of tender, bus ingress and egress were from
opposite sides and the commercial vehicular entry indicatedat the current bus ingress. But when we did the traffic study,
we found that it was very congested and the level of service
could not meet with the criteria. Furthermore, the 3-metre
level difference (between New Upper Changi Road and Bedok
North Drive) would have required a very long ramp for buses.
As such, we proposed to the LTA to swap the commercial
ingress/egress to New Upper Changi Road and the bus ingress
via Bedok North Drive.”24– Khoo Poh Bin, Deputy Managing Director, DCA Architects
In light of these complex intersections of multi-modal transport, tradeoffs such as having two façades predominantly for vehicular access toaccommodate heavy vehicular circulation and ramp requirements areunderstandable. To compensate for the loss of mature trees along New
Upper Changi Road, DCA Architects went the extra mile by introducing
landscaping above the newly designed shelter over the integrated MRT
entrance and bus stop.25

RESIDENTIALDROP OFFFirst-storey plan of the Bedok
Integrated Development
showing the planning of thebus interchange. Source: DCA
Architects

Counter to the tender conditions regarding vehicular access, which
had requested for bus ingress from New Upper Changi Road with bus
egress onto Bedok North Drive, DCA Architects proposed that the public
entrance for mall-goers be located along New Upper Changi Road
instead, to circumvent the anticipated increase in resident, pedestrianand vehicular traffic. Supported by the traffic study commissioned by thearchitects, this strategy paired the bus interchange vehicular entry withthat of the resident carpark entry to take advantage of the bus drivers’
routine familiarity with the town-centre roads to minimise disruption to
the residents of the new residential block and the surrounding areas.

Top: To replace the trees removed
during this construction, the architects
designed planters within thedevelopment and atop the bus stop.
Source: Victoria See
Right: The connection between the
MRT exit and bus stop has become
more seamless after the renovation.
Source: DCA Architects

BeforeAfter

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Top: Informal pedestrian circulation on the site
prior to construction. Source: ONG&ONG
Bottom: The main pedestrian paths into
Heartbeat@Bedok formalises these former
informal circulation. Source: ONG&ONG

Heartbeat@Bedok has become a key node
in Bedok Town Centre. Source: ONG&ONG

Heartbeat@Bedok Co-Located Community Hub
Sited at the former adventure park, Heartbeat@Bedok is the second principle
activity node within the town centre. As a 7-storey, co-located community hub
comprising a sports complex, a polyclinic, a library and eldercare amenities,
it freed up many other plots within and beyond the town centre for future
development.

As Heartbeat@Bedok was to be a co-located community hub,the HDB expressed their urban design intentions through aconceptual plan and building section that would feature a clear
pedestrian space on the ground floor with facilities housed on
the eastern side of the plot. This was in line with the mantra“Residents first; Good public space” during their planning phase,to free up the ground floor space for residents to gather andbuild community bonds.26 The catchphrase and the sectional
urban design intent were subsequently re-interpreted andangled diagonally to create intersecting linkages through thesite, building on the past and current pedestrian circulations
while creating porosity at street level and a seamless pedestrianexperience. Taking a leaf from the activity-lined pedestrian mall,these internal linkages are lined with activity-generating uses
such as food outlets, a pharmacy and Sport Singapore (SportSG)
amenities. At the same time, it distinguishes itself by contrasting
the formal and orthogonal pedestrian mall with its more angularand informal shortcuts for pedestrians walking to and from thepedestrian crossings along Bedok North Street 1.
Ultimately, the architects achieved 58-62% pedestrian porosity,
exceeding the goal of 50%, which justified doing away withfocusing the pedestrian connectivity through the atrium. The
architects also addressed security concerns by locating thesecurity post along the main linkage, between the atriums, andmaking sure that the curvature of the walls allowed for a clear
180° view of the open space. Coupling this with the open-groundfloor plane and intersecting pedestrian connections through thebuilding, the visual porosity of the site has been preserved.

Plugging into Pedestrian Networks
FLOOR PLANS

Site plan and first-storeyplans of Heartbeat@Bedok.
Source: ONG&ONG

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Human-Scale Green Building Form

“ In the traditional stacking approach, you have the biggest
programme or massing at the podium, and then you havesmaller towers at the top. But to look at that in terms ofcreating porosity and creating shaded areas for activities,
usage and ventilation, we inverted that. And therefore, thatis how we started achieving this massing approach.”27– Ahsvinkumar Kantilal, Group Chief Executive Officer, ONG&ONG
Viewing Heartbeat@Bedok as an inextricable part of the pedestrian
network in BTC, the architects even took on the grey colour andmateriality of the paving from the redesigned pedestrian mall which
had been completed before it. This has created a seamless transition
into Heartbeat@Bedok, complemented by 1:26 railing-free ramps tonegotiate level differences along the interfacing edges between thisdevelopment and the pedestrian mall.

Top: The building form of Heartbeat@Bedok
has been designed to be comparable to theheights of the surrounding blocks.
Source: Victoria See
Right: The urban design guidelines for thisplot informed the sloping overall building
envelope of Heartbeat@Bedok.
Source: ONG&ONG

Noting that it would be the only new development directly facing
the extant town centre buildings, the HDB underwent a seriesof sectional studies and massing models to test out the scaleof the development prior to writing the urban design guidelines
for this plot. The result was a tiered built form with the upper
floorplates kept to the middle of the plot, cascading gradually
downwards to the outer fringes, where 4-storey restrictions had
been imposed. This helped to ensure that the overall built form ofHeartbeat@Bedok sat nicely into the existing low-rise town centre
context without compromising on its development capacity. The
green façade facing these blocks also responded to the HDB’sconcerns about the need to design attractive façades that face theresidential blocks.

Incorporating Sheltered Open SpaceTop: The atrium of Heartbeat@Bedok
being used for a Silat showcase.
Source: Heartbeat@Bedok Management
Office, People’s Association
Right: An artist’s impression of how theHeartbeat@Bedok atrium could be used.
Source: ONG&ONG

The main diagonal thoroughfare from the southeast corner tothe northwest corner of the site widens at the ends to create two
community spaces at both ends of the compound. This has helped
pedestrian activity from the pedestrian mall and the Bedok North
Hawker Centre flow more naturally into Heartbeat@Bedok. While dim
at times due to its elongated proportions, the 3-storey-high atrium
spaces fronting the pedestrian mall are ideal for community activities
that benefit from additional standing capacity on the upper levels.
Its size and proportions are justified by community activities such asline dancing that had been test-fitted into the space during the designphase of the project.28 Since its opening, the various types of activity
in the space has gone beyond what had been imagined including
hosting events such as badminton tournaments.

“ The only step that you see is at the back, facing the existing
commercial strip, because of the difference of level. Apartfrom that, we even changed the colour palette of the level one
floor finishes at the last minute so that the grey and the blackthat Boon Gee (of LOOK Architects who were undertaking the
Bedok Mall project) was using was subsequently used and it
flowed into the first storey of the Heartbeat, so that the wholething looks as one, rather than having a very clear line that
divides two architects’ work.”29– Ashvinkumar Kantilal, Group CEO, ONG&ONG

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73

Coupling this with the HDB’s planning guideline for 50% pedestrian
porosity on the ground level and SportSG’s request for a total of four
swimming pools, ONG&ONG ideated an overall “inverted podiumand-block” massing strategy to cater to the swimming pools’ large
footprint, while facilitating pedestrian connectivity. The landscapearchitects from the firm’s landscape division also built on thisregulation to introduce low-maintenance landscaping along the tiered
façades of the complex, softening the edges, breaking down the scaleof the development further and replacing the greenery from the site’s
past life as an adventure park.

Well-Planned Vehicular AccessWith regard to vehicular access, the HDB also proposed that thevehicular access points be kept close to the main road—Bedok
North Street 1—in the early stages of the project to ensure thatthe western and southern façades of the complex would remainpedestrian friendly and barrier-free. During the design process,when the consultants’ designs pulled the internal-service driveway
too far into the development, the HDB stepped in to negotiate tomaintain seamless connections to the pedestrian mall on the twohighlighted façades.30 Eventually, a consensus was reached to allow
for a polyclinic emergency pick-up point midway into the east edgeof the development while concentrating most vehicular access to thenortheast corner of the plot. Thanks to the foresight of the architects,
this kept emergency circulation separate from the regular vehiculartraffic, and also made the polyclinic suitable for use as an isolation
facility, as offered by the then-Minister of Parliament (MP) Lee Yi
Shyan to the Ministry of Health (MOH) at the start of the COVID-19
pandemic.

The 45°-sloping window
detail reduces the glare from
Heartbeat@Bedok’s internal
lighting onto the surrounding
blocks at night. Source:
ONG&ONG

Sensitive Night Lighting
While lighting considerations were not required of the architects’design, ONG&ONG went the extra mile to introduce 45°-sloping windows
along their façade, both as a passive-design detail for shading andto reduce glare from the lighted spaces in the evening, taking into
consideration the late closing hours of the library. Simulation studies
were also carried out to ensure that its immediate neighbours in theresidential block located approximately 12 to 16 metres away would notexperience excessive amounts of glare and light pollution.31

Right: The first-storey vehicular access planand concept design for Heartbeat@Bedok
to accommodate vehicular separation.
Source: ONG&ONG

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75

THE JOURNEY OF REJUVENATION CONTINUESIn retrospect, the row of shops at the foot of the residential blocks along
Bedok North Avenue 2 and at Block 136 acts as activity spines that build
up the buzz and anticipation towards the lively town centre. Apart froma few gaps in activity-generating uses along these pedestrian pathways,
possibly due to the orientation of the slab blocks, such urban typologies
emulate the high-street effect which make the town-centre pedestrianmall even more suited as both a passage and a destination. Recent
traffic-calming efforts along Bedok North Street 1 and Bedok North
Drive, like the intentional insertion of pedestrian crossings paired withthe strategic placement of open spaces, also demonstrate the potential
for urban design to create walkable streetscapes in environments withhigh vehicular traffic.

Recent Improvements

Pedestrian-only Zone (POZ) with bicycle
parking outside the zone and POZ
markings. Source: LTA
Pedestrian Only Zone
A seniors’ event at Bedok Town Square
during HDB Community Week in 2019.
Source: HDB

P

Placemaking
Even with intentionally-designed public spaces such as these, it isimportant to ensure its use and activation through “software”. As
the first of this new generation of town squares, the HDB pioneereda local Town Plaza Activation Team comprising of HDB, People’s
Association (PA) officers, grassroot leaders, schools and the National
Arts Council. The team was tasked specifically to seek out activities
and events, including community-led events, that could be held in
the town square. As such, the Bedok Town Square has since been
enlivened with activities including community job fairs, appreciation
events and even mass yoga sessions.32 In fact, going beyond
integration through urban design, a unified multi-agency place
management strategy for the various open spaces can help to amplify
the vitality of the disparate activities planned across the BTC. Thiscan include a rotation of informal buskers or a series of multi-location
health and wellness events.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

76

Bicycle Parking Areas

POZ markings along the pedestrianmall. Source: LTA

As BTC continues to evolve and adapt to the needs of its residents, thecommunity has been experimenting with new initiatives. For example,
there were concerns about cyclists riding through the busy town
centre that is frequented by the elderly. This was especially at places
where many pedestrians congregate. To give priority to pedestrians, aPedestrian-only Zone (POZ) trial was implemented in the BTC in 2020.
The LTA had worked collaboratively with the Town Council and thecommunity to demarcate the most sensitive areas for the trial. Morebicycle racks were provided just outside the POZ to encourage riders topark their bicycles instead of cycling in the Zone. These commendable
synergies that have evolved overtime serve as reminders that thepotential of urban design can truly be maximised if planned in advance,alongside meticulous urban planning.

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77

Hopes for the Future
Given that the urban planning discipline is inherently contingent on the
evolving needs of the community and the market, the strength of urban
design stands out in its ability to improve the built environment. Just as
the light industrial park to the south of the town centre had previously
been the workplace of many of the squatters resettled in Bedok new
town in the early years, it would be ideal if the current and future
working community there could similarly feel a sense of belonging to thetown centre and the town.33 No doubt its transfer of ownership from the
HDB, the 6-lane major arterial road and overhead MRT line might pose as
challenges to this connection, but the rejuvenated town centre stands asa testimony to the benefits of inter-agency, public-private collaborations
and thoughtful urban design.
While the existing sports complex remains in use, there are plans toredevelop the western side of the plot as a stadium at a later time, inline with its sports and recreation zoning. Separated from the town
centre by Bedok North Avenue 3, it will be interesting to see how the
HDB may take advantage of the extensive pedestrian network branchingout of BTC to facilitate synergies between the town centre and the new
sports complex.

1

HDB Annual Report 1974/75, (Singapore: Housing &Development Board, 1975).

2

HDB Annual Report 1970, (Singapore: Housing &Development Board, 1970).

3

4Cheong Koon Hean, “The Evolution of HDB Towns”, in
50 Years of Urban Planning in Singapore, ed. Heng Chye
Kiang (Singapore: NUS Press, 2016).

5

HDB Annual Report 1972, (Singapore: Housing &Development Board, 1972).

6

7

HDB Annual Report 1974/75.
Liu Thai Ker, Lau Woh Cheong and Loh Choon Tong, “NewTowns in Singapore”, in A Place to Live: More Effective
Low-Cost Housing in Asia, ed. Yeung Yue Man (Ottawa:International Development Research Centre, 1983).

8

HDB Annual Report 1975/76.

9

HDB Annual Report 1976/77, (Singapore: Housing &Development Board, 1977).

10

11

12

With its past successes, it will be crucial for the HDB to exercise its
keen coordination to stitch together that interface through new urbandesign strategies. Urban design guidelines have been issued for theupcoming Build-To-Order (BTO) HDB flats west of the Bedok Integrated
Development to be connected to the Bedok Integrated Development.
Together with the residential development planned to eventually bebuilt on the site existing sport complex, Bedok Town itself will soon
experience an increase in a younger resident population. It is hoped that
future planning and urban design efforts for those developments, alongwith continued improvements within the town centre, will bring together
the community of existing and new incoming residents together, and win
the hearts and minds of the people.

HDB Annual Report 1975/76, (Singapore: Housing &Development Board, 1976).

Wong Li Eng, “Interview by CLC”, Centre for Liveable
Cities, Ministry of National Development, 14 August 2020,
transcript, accession number CLC/058/2020/002.
Ministry of National Development, “Speech by Mr Mah
Bow Tan, Minister for National Development, at Committeeof Supply Debate”, National Archives of Singapore, 6
February 2009, transcript, https://www.nas.gov.sg/
archivesonline/speeches/record-details/7ffb8ec4-115d11e3-83d5-0050568939ad
People’s Association, “Heartbeat@Bedok serves
residents’ needs better with integrated programmes andservices under one roof”, National Archives of Singapore,
2 February 2018, transcript, https://www.nas.gov.sg/
archivesonline/speeches/record-details/72f67e3d-0bfe11e8-a2a9-001a4a5ba61b

13

Wong, CLC Interview.

14

Cheong Koon Hean, “Singapore: Housing a Nation”,
Urban Solutions Issue 1, July 2012.

15

Look Boon Gee, “Interview by CLC”, Centre for Liveable
Cities, Ministry of National Development, 28 September
2020, transcript, accession number CLC/058/2020/006.

16

Look, CLC Interview.

17

Look, CLC Interview.

18

Chow Mun Kwan Christopher, “Interview by CLC”, Centre
for Liveable Cities, Ministry of National Development,
4 February 2021, transcript, accession number
CLC/058/2021/016.

19

Chow, CLC Interview.

20

Chow, CLC Interview.

21

Wong, CLC Interview.

22

Wong, CLC Interview.

23

Khoo Poh Bin, “Interview by CLC”, Centre for Liveable
Cities, Ministry of National Development, 5 October 2020,
transcript, accession number CLC/058/2020/007.

24

Khoo, CLC Interview.

25

Khoo, CLC Interview.

26

Ashvinkumar Kantilal and Robert Brodeth, “Interview
by CLC”, Centre for Liveable Cities, Ministry of National
Development, 23 August 2020, transcript, accession
number CLC/058/2020/005.

27

Kantilal and Brodeth, CLC Interview.

28

Kantilal and Brodeth, CLC Interview.

29

Kantilal and Brodeth, CLC Interview.

30

Wong, CLC Interview.

31

Kantilal and Brodeth, CLC Interview.

32

Joanna Tan, “Crafting and Activating New Civic Spaces”,
Urban Solution Issue 11, May 2017, 104-9,
https://www.clc.gov.sg/docs/default-source/urbansolutions/urb-sol-iss-11-pdfs/case_study-sg-remakingbedok.pdf

33

HDB Annual Report 1972.

At a macro scale, it will be interesting to see agencies build further
on the reputation of BTC as a walkable and lively activity node, anda transport hub in the east, to plan future developments that coverdifferent time scales. This can entail rethinking the potential of older
spaces such as the heavy vehicle park, while considering new uses thatcan engage the community more to ensure sustained vibrancy in the
town centre in the long run.

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79

Artist’s impression of Bedok Town Square.
Source: ADDP

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BEDOK TOWN CENTRE: REJUVENATING AN OLDER HEARTLAND TOWN CENTRE

81

2“JTC’s one-north urban design guidelines were very
different from the other urban design guidelines
in Singapore. Some differences include fencelessstreetscapes, reduced setbacks and cobblestone roads.
Together, the guidelines were intended to drive several
outcomes envisioned for one-north–dynamic mixed use,
seamless connectivity, constant rejuvenation and aunique identity for the area. All of these come together
into one important goal, which is to create an inclusiveand vibrant community.”1— Chong Lit Cheong, former CEO, JTC

ONE-NORTH:
EXPERIMENTING
WITH NEW IDEAS
As a relatively young area, the urban design of
one-north embodies a spirit of experimentationthat strives to break new grounds in defining
a unique pedestrian experience. This chapter
tracks the evolving urban character of one-north’s
streets across the last two decades, using selectedbuildings as case studies to demonstrate how
they were shaped by carefully crafted guidelines
while responding to individual development needs
and requirements, within a unique undulating
topography and distinct context.

Instrumental Plot - Rochester Park, Ayer Rajah
and Tanglin Halt, 1970. Source: Singapore
Land Authority, National Archives

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82

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS83

In the early 2000s, development parcels such as the then newly
reclaimed Marina Bay area of the CBD were larger than previously
available sites. Concurrently, underground spaces were increasingly
becoming a key part of urban design solutions to encourage the buildingof pedestrian networks at alternative levels, in response to the needfor shelter from the hot and wet tropical climate. As emerging car-lite
initiatives brought walkability back into focus, publicly accessible
interior gardens and courtyards within large development plots began
to sprout. The conceptualisation of one-north as a pedestrian-centric
district came from the intersection of these ideas.

Strategic Decisions: A Lineageof Business Parks and Science Parks

Location and site plan of
one-north. Source: JTC“ When it comes to the urban design for onenorth, we need to set some context from thetertiary industrial parks before it. Science
Park 1, International Business Park and Changi
Business Park took reference from Silicon
Valley to create a nice, pleasant businesscampus. But when one-north came about, we
asked ourselves, ‘Are we talking about morebuildings or are we talking about innovation,community?’”2

IDEATING AND SHAPING AN INNOVATION DISTRICT– Arthur Aw, former Director (Land Planning Group) of JTC
In the 1980s and 1990s, science parks and business parks were
the predominant tertiary industrial estate typology in Singapore,supporting high-tech industries and research and development (R&D)
companies. Notably, the Singapore Science Park, located across the
Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) south of one-north, was constructedin the 1980s and in operation by 1990. The urban design of theSingapore Science Park’s well-connected pedestrian pathway systems
and coordinated landscaping set the tone for the prototypical R&D
workplace environment. This type of design distinguished itself from its
predecessors—the local manufacturing industrial estates—as a lushly
landscaped working environment. The Park attracted knowledge-based
multinational corporations (MNCs), small and medium enterprises(SMEs), as well as local research institutions.

Situating one-northUnlike the typically centralised downtown locations of tertiary
workplaces, one-north is located west of Singapore’s Central BusinessDistrict (CBD), in an area surrounded by public housing estates,
educational institutions and business parks. Curiously, the agency
which initially pushed for this idea was the Economic Development
Board (EDB), not a built environment agency, as is usually the case.
The impetus for creating this innovation district was due largely to
Singapore’s desire to nurture the tertiary research industry and nudge
it from phase-based research towards applied research, with theeventual goal of commercialisation and market delivery.

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85

A Master Plan that Adapts to Changing Times

Similarly, in the 1990s, the 37-hectare International Business Park
(IBP) and 71-hectare Changi Business Park (CBP) adopted a similarurban design strategy, albeit with tighter controls on the designof building edges and streetscapes. IBP and CBP were required
to allocate 40% and 20% respectively of the development forgreenery or landscaping. However, greenery in the development
was limited to landscaping around each building, along roadsidefootpaths and in small park spaces. Only five surface carpark lots
were permitted on the street level, with the rest of the parking
lots housed in the basement. The strict development control
guidelines at that time also did not permit white or commercial
land to be housed within the business-park zoning. So, while thebusiness parks had a rather pedestrian-friendly environment,
there had been little pedestrian activity within the developments.
Eventually in 2000, when the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s(URA) development control guidelines allowed for a maximum of
15% white/commercial land quantum, new parcels of businesspark land were able to utilise up to 15% of the white land for retailand food and beverage (F&B) purposes.

At present, one-north is about 20 years into its development and isbarely at the halfway mark of its intended timeline for completion. Its
gradual transition from masterplan to reality has also brought about
a need to rebrand conceptual urban design ideas that had guided thecreation of zones and placement of key nodes, into understandable andrelatable names for the public. The change of working terms such as
Xchanges to Precincts, and epicentres to Activity Nodes are examplesof the shifts in nomenclature that JTC had adopted. For this reason,
literature describing JTC’s urban design guidelines and early concepts
for one-north may still use these early terms, which might differ fromthe common understanding of them. For relatability, this chapter adopts
the recent terms but nevertheless acknowledges the concepts and ideasthat the earlier terms were intended to represent.
Covering approximately 200 hectares, one-north is divided into multiple
Precincts, according to the site context including topography, existing
greenery, presence of black-and-white bungalows, and the brownfieldsite of Ayer Rajah Industrial Estate. A mix of uses was curated for each
Precinct, which would represent a particular industry in order to better
foster the business ecosystem within the district. The developmentof each Precinct was then grouped into phases to prioritise thedevelopment of key precincts that would build an initial critical mass.
one-north was envisaged to be a pioneer for a car-lite district, with anaggressive target to achieve a public transport mode share of 85%.
The unique streetscapes in one-north were thus designed to fulfil thiscar-lite vision and to create a pedestrian-centric environment.

In hindsight, while the science parks and business parks marked
a significant transition from the traditional industrial estatetypology to the buildings in a green landscape in terms of theoverall urban design strategy, their ground floor areas remainedlargely dedicated to surface car parking, with little allowance forpedestrian activity at street level.3
one-north thus signified a paradigm shift in thinking in that it
explored the possibility of leveraging urban planning and design
to create an attractive pedestrian-centric urban environment for
the tenants of knowledge based industries. This urban design
vision essentially pivoted the focus from buildings to community,and from infrastructure to its users. Spaces between buildings
were designed to allow pedestrians to weave through the district
seamlessly. Questions such as “What kind of spaces would thepeople of one-north prefer to inhabit and use?” became theimpetus for its urban design. To introduce vibrancy to the estate
and activate the ground, the masterplan had to be moved awayfrom a single overarching type of zoning typical of industrial
estates, in favour of a pixelated mixed-use zoning. For this reason,
the architecture and urban design strategies became key tools in
shaping this pioneering local tertiary industrial urban typology.

The multiple Precincts within
one-north. Source: JTC

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ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

87

Seeding the Precinct

part of the Precinct in one-north, JTC gives recognition to Singapore’s
industrial history, while providing low-cost location options for start ups
and SMEs involved in test-bedding technology. Historically, companies
use Block 71 as interim premises until they have developed broader
strategic planning goals and are ready to relocate to a larger venue.

Tapping on its prime location, the one-north master plan draws upon thestrengths of its existing neighbours, infrastructure, and assets—naturaland heritage—to build distinct yet targeted identities for its Precincts.
The Vista was designated to house corporate and business functions aswell as lifestyle support, and built upon the ease of access rendered by
the Buona Vista Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) interchange and the nearby
bus interchange. The relatively smaller footprint of the development plot
in Biopolis were planned for seeding bio-medical research industries,
while the larger development plot of the Fusionopolis was dedicatedfor the info-communication industries. With the growing demand fora dedicated area to host the media industry, Mediapolis was planned
subsequently as a dedicated Precinct to seed this industry.

Constant Rejuvenation
Vista

Biopolis

Heritage areas or existing greens—Rochester Park, Nepal Hill, Wessex
and the Rail Corridor—were marked out and the sites’ features conserved
to contribute to their respective Precinct’s identities. For example,
the colonial-style walk-up apartments and semi-detached houses at
Wessex, located at the east of one-north, were planned to preserve thehistory of the site. Nestled amidst lush greenery off Portsdown Road,
the 26 blocks of walk-up apartments and 58 semi-detached houses
provide unique housing options for tenants. To further encourage thoseworking nearby to take up residence in this estate, employees from thebiomedical sciences, infocomm technology, media, physical sciencesand engineering industries in one-north are given priority in theirapplications to stay in Wessex.
Right from the start, three Precincts were earmarked for the second
phase of one-north’s development, to cater for changes in the country’s
focus on economy, industry and technology. Created by renowned
architect and urban designer, Zaha Hadid, the original master plan
built in flexibility to support evolving needs that would be identified
through the ongoing review of the master plan. This allows adjustments
to be made to meet new needs while strategically securing connections
between neighbours and building up infrastructure. For example, thefuture Precinct—north of the intersection of the AYE and North Buona
Vista Road (yellow in the figure on page 87)—is intended to eventually
integrate with the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Kent Ridge
campus across the expressway, to facilitate more research collaboration
between both parties.

Fusionopolis

FutureExchange
Mediapolis
Ayer Rajah

Plan of Constant Rejuvenation.
Source: JTC

One of the main development strategies for growing the critical massof industries in one-north is seeding. Each Precinct is marked by an
Activity Node that acts as the first in a series of developments for the
district. Often strategically located close to existing or upcoming public
transport or activity nodes, the intention is to prioritise development
for the streets, buildings and key public spaces in the Activity Nodes.
At one-north, the Biopolis for bio-medical institutions, Fusionopolis forinfo-communication industries and Mediapolis for the media hub are theActivity Nodes where seeding typically occurs.
The strategy for seeding ensures that complete infrastructure andfacilities are available for the tenants in their respective industry
clusters—within Biopolis, Fusionopolis and Mediapolis—while the restof one-north develops. However, this has led to an uneven realisationof the seamless pedestrian street connectivity envisioned throughout
one-north during its interim development state. Coupled with the factthat there are some parcels of land with existing leases that have yet
to expire, and are thus not due for redevelopment in the near future,
enforcing a consistent pedestrian experience and fully realising the
car-lite vision the developers had for one-north has been challenging.

Furthermore, the Ayer Rajah area, which consists of the former Ayer
Rajah Industrial estate from 1970s, will be redeveloped over timethrough infill and potential adaptive re-use of existing buildings tohouse the growing demand for emerging industries with cutting-edge
research and technology. Block 71, which is part of the Launchpad
cluster, is one of the oldest light industrial buildings of the flatted
factory typology in Singapore. In making this old light industrial area

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89

KEY URBAN DESIGN STRATEGIESThe Urban Design Guidelines (UDGs) developed by JTC ensure that thephysical building form, especially the proposed activities and treatment
for ground-floor public-facing areas of each development, are alignedwith the overall vision for a pedestrian-centric district with a uniqueurban character at one-north. Broadly, there are key UDGs for the wholeof one-north as part of the collective identity of the entire district, as
well as specific guidelines for each Precinct that form the foundations
for their distinct urban character.
The key UDGs also provide guidance for co-creation to achieve theseobjectives through the urban fabric (i.e., the “bent grid”) which focuseson the streetscape, pedestrian network, public spaces; and the building
form which is made up of three elements, i.e., the “ground-scape”,
which refers to the ground-floor, “middle-scape”, meaning the mid-levelmassing and building façades, and the “roofscape”, which refers to theapex of the building. Together, these elements create tightly-woven,intimate urban forms which promote connectivity and social interaction
above the street level, and provide both physical and visual integration
with adjacent developments.

The bent-grid concept
influenced the urban
design guidelines for thebuilding forms in one-north.
Source: URA

The “bent grid”, consisting of a grid that was created taking into
consideration the existing site topography and retained buildings,
was a key feature in the winning master plan of one-north. The“bent grid” throughout one-north creates an atypical experiencefor pedestrians, with the hope of encouraging chance interactions
and exchange of ideas among the people working and living there.
This stemmed from the belief that the value of one-north would be
its research community as much as its infrastructure. In essence,the curvilinear street network was to facilitate more than justvehicular traffic; it was designed as a web of walking experiences
to stimulate ambling conversations, staying true to its identity as
an innovation hub.

Bent grid: Creating Unique Urban Pattern
to Augment Pedestrian Network

1

2

3

4

“ We realised that the “bent grid” works thebest. Not only does it manoeuvre aroundthe undulating terrain, it also createdcurves that draw people into a sudden
relief space where people can meet. We callit serendipity on the “bent grid”, yet thereis organisation in terms of orientation andlegibility even on the ground.”4Top:
1
Forcefield Line2
Extensive figure ground3
Bent grid4
Seeding non-contiguous
development. Source: JTC
Right: Bent grid concept.
Source: JTC

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN– Arthur Aw, former Director (Land Planning Group) of JTC

90

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS91

At times, the bent grid resulted
in interstitial spaces that became
pedestrianised areas for events andgatherings. Source: Victoria See

While most other urban patterns of new districts in Singapore
adopt a rigid urban block design based on an efficient vehicularroad network, the more fluid urban pattern of one-north issimultaneously represented in the building forms and open spaces.
This urban pattern is even manifested in three-dimensional form,
from ground to roof. To ensure that the urban form translates into
the actual streetscape experience, the urban density was kept
highly-concentrated—with buildings placed close together to frame
the streets at a more intimate scale. This required a departurefrom conventional planning regulations such as setback controls
which would have otherwise interfered with the high-density urban
typology. To achieve this urban quality, JTC obtained waivers fromthe URA and National Parks Board (NParks) for one-north to have an
overarching zero building-setback guideline. This in turn helped tocreate a more intimate streetscape and walkable area.
Today, the district bears some resemblance to the original “bent grid”
conceived by Zaha Hadid, albeit with some smaller development plots
accrued to become larger, more economically-viable parcels. In such
instances, site planning of the development was crucial to ensure thatthe intended fine-grained pedestrian network could still be achieved
alongside high ground-floor porosity through strategic placement ofpedestrian paths, through-block links and public spaces.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

92

Pedestrian network plan.
Source: JTC
Main Pedestrian Thoroughfare
Secondary Pedestrian Thoroughfare
Heritage Road
one-north Park
Heritage Clusters

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

Redefining Streetscape for Pedestrian-Centric Environment
Creating a pedestrian-centric environment involved designing a
network comprising covered walkways under buildings and externalcovered linkways to create a continuous and comprehensive shelteredpedestrian network. Coupled with the human-scale walkability of theurban pattern and the streetscape, the street-level interactions are
not hindered by rain or heat. In addition, a series of pedestrian links
cut perpendicularly across the one-north Park like a green spine,
linking the developments from Fusionopolis to Biopolis.

93Ground-scape: An Inclusive and Vibrant Pedestrian Environment
There is approximately 25 m between the highest points and thelowest lying areas of the undulating terrain of one-north. Without
clear sightlines, the lack of a common ground plane can pose awayfinding challenge, with varying ground levels for each building,and even multiple ground floors for larger development plots on
steeper gradients. Yet, this also presented opportunities for bringing
footfall into multiple levels of such developments. Buildings suchas one-north Residences, the new mixed-use Biomedical Sciencesdevelopment, and the upcoming Elementum (Biopolis Phase 6), havecapitalised on the significant level differences across their parcels totheir advantage, thanks to the ground-scape urban design strategy
that creates an inclusive “urban living room” for each development
through high ground-floor porosity including public spaces and mainpedestrian thoroughfares. Keeping activity-generating uses on the
ground floor, and linking them to the street and pedestrian network
help foster social interaction and vibrancy. Aside from concentrating
the network of activity-generating uses strategically, the masterplan also taps on the existing greenery and aggregated the greeneryprovision from each development into the adjacent one-north Park.
This linear park runs across and connects the various Precincts with
its surrounding communities, NParks’ Park Connector Network (PCN)
and the Rail Corridor.
Today, due to the lengthy multi-phased master plan, the one-northPark remains largely underutilised. It currently functions mainly as alandscaped open space rather than an activated “green living room”.
However, NParks and JTC continue to enhance, improve and activate
developments fringing the one-north Park to co-create programmes
and placemaking activities. The park also provides the potential forthe fringing developments to be activated through activity-generatinguses or place making that leverage on the existing greenery.

Narrow streets and through-block
link in Biopolis. Source: Victoria See

The buildings in one-north have through-block links as well as public
spaces with landscaping and street furniture, and are often fronted bycafes and restaurants. The streets around the buildings in Biopolis arealso generally narrower than a typical streetscape in Singapore, while still
maintaining the functional width requirement for carriageways. Some of
the carriageways are paved with cobblestone instead of asphalt, to suggestthat the street is primarily meant for pedestrians; the cobbled roads are
signals for vehicles to slow down and give way to pedestrians.
The boundaries between streets and pedestrian walkways in one-north
are lined with custom bollards that integrate into the landscape andare less conspicuous than the standard ones seen around Singapore.
Vehicular access and service and utility areas are limited to minor roads
and secondary façades respectively, to protect the visual aesthetic of themain façades of the buildings along the street frontage and public spaces.
To further promote a walkable environment, centralised basement hubparking as well as interconnected basement car park of each development
were designed to reduce vehicular traffic and volume on the streets.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

94

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

95

Middle-scape: Shaping Building Form for Interaction
and Unique District Identity

Roofscape: An Undulating Skyline that Reflects the Site Context

Roof scape akin to a carpet
height control. Source: JTC

Left: Middle-scape controls helped tocreate pockets of spaces for verticalgreenery in the middle sections of thebuilding. Source: JTC
Right: A pocket of vertical green on
the upper floors of the Metropolis.
Source: Victoria See

Based on the original master plan concept, the undulating plane across theentire one-north does not only occur in the ground-scape but can also befound in the roofscape, which is made up of the apexes of the buildings.
The roofscape of one-north is designed to reflect the existing topography
while also weaving in with key green public spaces such as Rochester Park,
Nepal Hill, Wessex, one-north Park and the Rail Corridor. Akin to a roof
carpet, the roofscape is intended to be a series of subtle sweeping arcs
formed by the building roofs’ outlines. This in turn reinforces the collective
visual identity of one-north, especially when viewed from the surrounding
major roads, as well as its streets, main public spaces and parks.

The middle-scape is one of the main urban design strategies that makes
one-north’s overall urban character and identity unique. Middle-scaperefers to the mid-level massing and façades of buildings in one-north,where their vertical surfaces define the shape and proportions of thespaces in between buildings, and is defined by guidelines for building
envelopes and façade surfaces. The aim of the design of the middlescape is to create a sense of place and relationship between buildings
and communities above the street level, and to define the uniquestreetscape of each Precinct while also augmenting the “bent grid”
urban fabric for pedestrian experience.

The roofscape introduces an additional layer of communal spaces andprogramming in the sky. The mechanical service machinery that are usuallyplaced atop buildings, are, in one-north, hidden behind high roof parapets
and screens to keep them out of sight.

The building envelope guideline such as built-to-line essentially lists the
proportion—as a percentage—that each building edge may deviate fromthe building line to ensure that each development mass will respondsensitively to the surrounding neighbours and natural assets such as
the one-north Park and heritage areas. This guideline gives architects
and developers room to propose and design different and interestingbuilding envelopes as long as the quantitative percentage measure is
met to ensure visual porosity.

The options as to where to locate a building’s roof vertices are determinedby the maximum allowable height platform level of based on urban
design intent of each development parcel in relation to the surrounding
developments and site context. Working around this constraint, thearchitects of individual buildings within one-north were able to exercise
their creativity in achieving the visual effect of a sweeping and continuous
skyline across the roofscape, demonstrating that it is possible to design
innovative buildings that respond to the site context in line with the design
guidelines.

In applying the façade surface-controls guideline, JTC also preserves
the continuous street edge and resultant sense of enclosure, which are
key features in one-north, to create the framed streetscape and urban
living room effect as explained in the “bent grid” urban design strategy.
As such, protrusions such as awnings or shelters are seldom allowedbeyond the parcel boundary lines, as any columns used to support theawnings or shelters may disrupt the visual contiguity of the street edge.
Where they are permitted, awnings and shelters are strategically placed,with clear objectives in mind.

“ The guiding principle of this roofscape is to augment
the undulating terrain. We had to tie the developments
together in order to project the undulating terrain to theroof level. So, if you walk along the one-north Park, you
can see this undulating terrain actually work together
with the profile of the park itself.”5– Aloysius Iwan Handono, Deputy Director, Urban Planning & Architecture Division, JTC

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

96

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

97

Facilitating Development through the Design Review PanelAs the majority of one-north was developed in collaboration with theprivate sector, it was critical to allow flexibility and adaptability toanticipate market changes and make well informed adjustments to meet
new private sector demands without compromising the master plan
concept or the urban design intent. To implement the one-north UDG,
JTC took proactive and adaptive approaches to allow the co-creation of
the vision with both the private sectors and community.
The key UDGs were translated into more refined guidelines at thePrecinct level and were specifically tailored to individual land parcels,taking into consideration factors such as site context, nature ofdevelopment, and business needs. These UDGs are issued as part oftender or lease conditions to developers and form the basis for decision
making by a panel of experts known as the Design Review Panel (DRP).
As each development has a unique land use, building typology,
business activity and operation requirement, site conditions, etc., thisapproach ensures that the UDGs will be relevant and adaptable to eachdevelopment’s needs. The key private sector companies that would beoccupying the buildings were engaged throughout the process, from site
selection, to design pre-consultation during the Design Review Process,all the way to the completion of the project. This active engagement
marked another fundamental paradigm shift in the effort of shepherding
and safeguarding the master plan vision as well as the implementationof strategic urban design intent to achieve the desired outcomes.

“ The challenge is to create a robust design review process andalso to enforce it. Because at the end of the day, whatever thearchitects put on the drawing board, it may not be the sameas what they build on site. This design review process starts
very early. When there is a company supported by economic
agencies that wants to come into one-north, JTC starts by
tailoring the UDGs more finely according to the businessneed. Supported by a deep knowledge of their operations
and business needs, and the existing master plan and UDGs,
JTC would be better able to tune the UDGs to accommodate
their operational needs while safeguarding the urban design
intent itself.”6– Aloysius Iwan Handono, Deputy Director, Urban Planning & Architecture Division, JTC

Applying both quantitative and qualitative approaches, the UDGs
were broken down into primary and secondary guidelines. Primary
guidelines are mandatory and must be strictly adhered to, whilesecondary guidelines prioritise planning and urban design intentions
over the precise forms. This allows for potential solutions that may
achieve the intended outcomes through alternative design means.
As such, so long as the general intent of the guidelines is achieved,
the architects and developers were given the liberty to experimentwith the architectural design in collaboration with JTC’s Planner,pending the DRP’s approval. Each development plan had to undergosite inspections before obtaining the Building and Construction
Authority’s (BCA) Certificate of Statutory Completion (CSC), to ensurethat compliance to the UDG as well as design improvements approvedby the DRP had been successfully delivered.

Throughout the process, JTC worked closely with the developers and thearchitects of each development throughout the various design stages tobalance the tension between adhering to the UDGs, optimising businessand operational requirements, and allowing flexibility and innovation inarchitectural design.

The DRP therefore played a critical role in ensuring that the overall
visions and strategic goals for one-north were upheld by reviewing thearchitectural design of each development. The panel played a criticalrole in facilitating the exchange of ideas between architect, developer
and JTC, and to advise on ways to refine the UDGs and the one-northmaster plan, so that one-north would remain relevant over time.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

98

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

99

PRECINCT LEVEL DETAILED URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES

Biopolis was planned to be predominantly a work environment
with a significant portion of the floor area dedicated to supporting
high-quality business park spaces and wet laboratories for R&D
institutions. Unlike Fusionopolis and Vista, Biopolis has no
dedicated live-and-learn land uses. This is due to the nuisancebuffer required for the biomedical related R&D activities. The
workspaces were first seeded in the Epicentre which is made up of
JTC’s Biopolis Phase 1 development —a cluster of seven buildings
integrated with public spaces, F&Bs, a basement hub-parking
and running on a district cooling system. Today, the biomedical
facilities in the Xchange have grown significantly up to Biopolis
Phase 6.

Just as each Precinct was planned to target a different industry, the UDGs
were also tweaked to dovetail the existing and surrounding context toensure that each Precinct retained some unique qualities of their own. The
aforementioned urban design strategies thus serve a broad base for all thePrecincts, with the differentiating characteristics for Biopolis, Fusionopolis,
Vista, and Mediapolis detailed below.

Biopolis
Biopolis is an approximately 18.7-hectare area strategically located next
to the Buona Vista MRT interchange. It benefits from the high footfall from
Holland Village across its boundary along Commonwealth Avenue West. The
Biopolis serves mainly the biomedical and life science industries and wasenvisioned to be a mid-rise urban-research campus enveloped by the RailCorridor to its north and one-north Park to its south. For this reason, it sets
itself apart from the other Precincts by drawing nature and greenery into its
urban fabric and forms. Chiefly, the urban design strategy for Biopolis taps
on its adjacency to the green spaces in creating a soft yet active networkof public open spaces at the street level for pedestrians. Seeded by thebusiness park buildings, Biopolis has successfully cemented its reputation
as a well recognised biomedical hub.

This Precinct has been planned to include a corridor for
Autonomous Vehicles to facilitate first/last mile pedestrian
movements around one-north. All developments within the
Biopolis are also connected to all the other developments within
the Precinct as well as to the adjacent MRT stations. The current
On-Demand bus service will also be replaced by an autonomous
system in the near future.

Providing a High-Quality Work Environment

In contrast, the Business Park land use situated in LX-3, LX-4 along
one-north Park, and LX-5 along the Rail Corridor stand to benefit
from embracing and activating these expansive green spaceand heritage corridor. The easy access that these developments
have to prime urban greenery can create conducive working
environments and communal spaces that will attract talents andworkers in the industries as well as draw the communities from thevicinity together.

The northern part of the Precinct LX-1, right of the exit of the
Buona Vista MRT interchange, has been designated for more highintensity mixed-use developments, with a large proportion set
aside for commercial (office) use.

LX-1-1
LX-1-2LX-2-15HELIOS

LX-2-1NANOS

LX-2-2

CHROMOS

LX-2-3CENTROS

LX-2-4LX-5-1
MATRIX

LX-2-5

LX-3-1
one-north PARKP5

PROTEOS

LX-5-2LX-2-6
LX-2-8Biopolis land-use plan.
Source: JTC

GENOME

LX-2-9BIOPOLIS 2

LX-3-2Business Park
Residential with
Commercial
on 1st storey only

LX-2-7

LX-2-11
LX-2-12

LX-2-10

LX-5-3LX-2-13
LX-2-14P6

LX-4-1

LX-4-2

Commercial
White
Park

P7

LX-4-3

Open Space
Proposed PMS Reserve
LanduseSHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

100

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

101

Vehicular Access & Pedestrian Network:
Creating Walkable Streets

ROAD

)
(U/C

En
tra
nce
CC
L

BU
ON
A

P6

LX-4-2

NT

CE

ES

CR

PORTSDO
WN

50

150

0

250m

Pedestrian Network

25

50

Open Space Network

The public transport nodes at LX-1, Commonwealth Avenue andNorth Buona Vista Road help to bring vehicular traffic into Biopolis,
and the two way North Buona Vista Drive and Biopolis Drive help
to direct traffic to the various buildings within the Precinct. The
secondary roads which are minor connections with narrower
widths, coupled with the zero building setback, create a more
walkable corridor in Biopolis. This primary pedestrian flow is thendirected towards the green spine at one-north Park to encourageinteraction with nature. More pedestrian crossings are placed
where the streets are wide to facilitate pedestrian movement.
Together, the careful planning of vehicular access and projectedpedestrian flows help to reduce conflict between people and cars,
which is especially important given Biopolis’ prime location at theintersection of MRT lines and major roads.

Biopolis public space and greenery planand retail distribution plan. Source: JTC
Open Space Network
Park
Pocket park
Green corridor
Public space
Park edge mitigation zone
Action zone
Retail Distribution
Contiguous retail frontage
Distributed retail frontage

BridgeCovered walkway
Pedestrian crossing

102

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

EDIC

AL

LX-2-11

LX-5-3VE

LX-2-13

LX-2-12

LX-2-14

LINK

LX-4-2

NT

CE

ES

CR

RO
AD

BIOPOLIS 2

LX-2-10GRO

LX-4-3
rth

no
e25

ET

LX-2-9BIOM

th

LX-4-1

rth

P7
on

0

Tertiary pedestrian flow

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

BN
VC
CL

ce
an
En
tr

eon

To Central Xchange

one-nor

LX-2-14

LX-4-3

no

no
eon

250m

VIS
TA

ROAD

)

P7

LX-2-12

RO
AD

rth

rth

LX-4-3LX-3-2LX-2-13LINK

PORTSDO
WN

LX-5-3VE

th

LX-4-1BIOPOLIS 2

LX-2-10

GRO

K

NT

CE

ES

CR

LX-2-11LIN

LX-4-2AL

IS

Secondary pedestrian flow

P6

EDIC

STRE

GENOMEDRIVE

Primary pedestrian flow

one-nor

LX-2-14

LINK

LX-2-9BIOM

LX-5-2PROTEOS

LX-2-6

LX-2-8ET

L
PO

Pedestrian Network

LX-2-13

P5

PO LX-2-5
L
LX-2-7 IS

BIO

Proposed PMS reserve

VE

one-north PARK

LX-5-1

MATRIXBIO

BIOPOLIS

Proposed ingress/egress point

LX-3-2STRE

WA
Y

LX-2-4

ROAD

Existing historical roadLX-5-3

GENOMEIS

CENTROSBIOPOLIS

Secondary addressing road

BIOPOLIS 2

LX-2-10NANOS

LX-2-2

POL

K

Primary addressing road150

LX-2-15

LX-3-1LIN

Main district thoroughfare

50

TA
VIS

LX-2-3

LX-5-2PROTEOS

LX-2-6

LX-2-8GRO

LX-2-12RO
AD

MATRIXIS

Regional road network

LX-2-11

BIO

L
PO

Road Network

25

DRIVE

B UO
NA

LX-5-1

DRIVE

0

MOE

BIO

P7

NO
RT
H

LX-1-1BIO

BIOPOLIS

LX-4-3

AL

WA
Y

ROAD

PORTSDO
WN

TH

E

LX-1-2

CHROMOSCENTROSBIOPOLIS

NT

CE

ES

CR

EDIC

LTH

LX-2-1PO LX-2-5
L
LX-2-7 IS

ET

LX-2-9BIOM

th

LX-4-1P5

EA

NU

LX-2-2

IS

K

P6

LX-4-2

one-north PARK

LIN

one-nor

LX-2-14IS

LX-2-13

STRE

DRIVE

LX-3-2

LX-5-2PROTEOS

LX-2-6GENOME

NW

AV
E

NANOS

LX-2-4LX-3-1

LPO

LX-5-3VE

LX-2-12Road Network

PO LX-2-5
L
LX-2-7 IS

ROAD

BIOPOLIS 2

LX-2-10

LX-5-1

MATRIX

BIO

LX-2-8GROMOHELIOS

POL

LX-2-3

BIO

K

LIN

P5

LX-2-15

CHROMOSWAY
BIOPOLIS

one-north PARK

R
NO

DRIVE

TA
VIS

BIO

LX-2-2LX-2-4
BIOPOLIS

IS

AL

LX-2-11

RO
AD

Biopolis streets, public transport andpedestrian network plan. Source: JTC

LX-1-1

MOE

B UO
NA

M

LX-2-1ISET

LX-2-9EDIC

th

LX-4-1

PORTSDO
WN

P7

BIOM

LINK

P6

STRE

E MOVER SYSTE

LX-1-2NANOS

CENTROS

LX-3-1

LX-5-2PROTEOS

LX-2-6GENOME

DRIVE

ROAD

one-nor

L
PO

LX-2-5PO LX-2-5
L
LX-2-7 IS

BIO

MATRIX
MATRIX

LX-2-3

LX-5-1BIOPOLIS

BIO

LX-2-8LX-3-2NO
RT
H

PROPOSED PEOPLSTATIONHELIOSPOL

CHROMOSWAY

BIOPOLIS

P5

TH

LX-2-15BIO

BUONA VISTA MRT

E

LX-2-1

LX-2-2IS

CENTROS

LX-2-4one-north PARK

R
NO

DRIVE

NANOS

LTH

(U/C

LX-1-1

TA
VIS

B UO
NA

EA

AV
EN
U

HELIOS

POL

LX-3-1E

LX-1-2
MOE

CO
M

NW

no

NO
RT
H

M

MO

e-

TH

STATIONE MOVER SYSTE

NU

LX-2-1
CHROMOSPROPOSED PEOPLAV
E

HELIOS

LX-2-3

LTH

150

250m

on

LX-2-15BIO

BUONA VISTA MRT

EA

BU
ON
A

BU
ON
A

R
NO

DRIVE

TA
VIS

B UO
NA

NW

(U/C
BN
VC
CL

an
En
tr

LX-1-1

LX-1-2
MOE

CO
M

MO

)

To Vista Xchange

E

ce

VIS
TA

NO
RT
H

M

VIS
TA

)

NU

(U/C

TH

E MOVER SYSTE

AV
E

CC
L

BN
VC
CL

BU
ON
A

R
NO

PROPOSED PEOPLSTATIONVISTA

BUONA VISTA MRT

BN
VC
CL

LTH

ROAD

EA

CC
L

CO
M

NW

En
tra
nce

ROAD

MO

CC
L

CO
M
BUONA VISTA MRTSTATIONPROPOSED PEOPLE MOVER SYSTEM

Ground-Scape: Integrating with Nature

0

25

50

150

250m

Retail Distribution

Similar to the open space and greenery urban design strategies in
Fusionopolis and Vista, the Biopolis boasts an evenly distributed
network of public spaces, green corridors and action zones, which
ensure that almost every building in Biopolis has some element ofpublic space on the ground level for pedestrians to enjoy.
At the district scale, green corridors along Biopolis Street, Biopolis
Grove and Portsdown Road weave into Biopolis to connect one-northPark, the Rail Corridor and the local-access roads throughout thePrecinct. This helps to provide convenient and direct pedestrian
access to one-north Park and the Rail Corridor. A series of small andintimate pocket parks are placed at prominent corners of specificland parcels along the main pedestrian walkways; these act asintermediate nodes for pedestrians. Overlaying retail distribution
onto such spaces create opportunities for alfresco dining or rest
stops, such as the corner café at the Centros building (LX2-4). Retailor F&B shop frontages, outdoor refreshment areas (ORAs) andkiosks have also helped add activity in areas where distributed retail
outlets are situated. The different retail frontages result in multiple
combinations and synergies, which help add variety to the street-level
experience, and differentiate it from other districts.

103

In view of the high volume of pedestrian traffic from the Buona Vista
MRT interchange, the Metropolis—on parcel LX1-1—was designatedas the urban lobby to absorb excess pedestrian volume and tousher the pedestrians into one-north. As such, clear guidance wasgiven to ensure that ceiling heights of the Metropolis were kept
sufficiently high to convey a generous sense of space and arrival
before funnelling pedestrians towards the linear pedestrianised
spaces created within Biopolis. This through-block link serves as alandscaped interstitial space for researchers and visitors to linger andshare ideas.

Middle-Scape: Curating Streetscapes,
Sightlines and Scenic Views

LX-1-1
LX-1-2LX-2-15HELIOS

LX-2-1NANOS

LX-2-2

CHROMOS

LX-2-3CENTROS

one-north PARK

P5

LX-5-1

LX-2-4
MATRIX

LX-3-1

LX-2-5
LX-2-7

PROTEOS

LX-5-2LX-2-6
LX-2-8GENOME

LX-2-9BIOPOLIS 2

LX-3-2LX-2-10

LX-2-11

LX-5-3LX-2-13

LX-2-1210m setback
middle-scape green
10m setback

LX-2-14
P6

P7

LX-4-1

middle-scape sky volume
middle-scape green
middle-scape sky volume

LX-4-2

LX-4-35m
park edge
5m
zone
park edge
one-north park mitigation
one-north park

Building Envelope

Greenery integrated into Wilmar
International’s new Global
Headquarters. Source: Wilmar
International

Biopolis built-to-building line plan &middle-scape sky volumes. Source: JTC
100% Built-to-building LineA 5-metre wide park edge mitigation zone was instituted fordevelopments fronting one-north Park. This zone required affecteddevelopments to adopt additional landscaping to subtly transition
from the public one-north Park into the private green spaces along
the development. Most importantly, it called for these developments
to take reference from the ground levels of the park edge to createa physically and visually seamless ground-scape. The Wilmar HQ on
parcel LX4-1 shows how a development augments and integrates
seamlessly into the one-north Park: Fusionopolis North. In this case,the developer had voluntarily proposed ideas to enhance the onenorth Park Fusionopolis North and worked closely with NParks on theconcept and implementation.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

104

70% Built-to-building Line
50% Built-to-building Line
Middle-scape Sky Volume
Primary Building Height in metres
AMSI

mitigation zone

LX-3-2LX-3-2

biopolisroadbiopolisroadbiomedical

grove

biomedical

grove

LX-2-8proposedLX-2-8PMS
proposed
PMS

Conceptual Section C-C
Conceptual Section C-C

To complement the high level of pedestrian activity anticipatedon the ground, the buildings in Biopolis were required to adhere
closely to built-to-line to provide a sense of enclosure for public
activities at the street level. The closeness of the buildings andthe completeness of the street edge created shared open spaces
which were conducive for inhabiting and social interaction. For
example, a 100% built-to-line applied to the building edges along
primary pedestrian routes such as Biopolis Road, which was also
built to face the Rail Corridor in anticipation of it being used as
an activated pedestrian space. Recommendations were made for>70% and >50% built-to-line along other building edges to give
sufficient room for designing unusual façades that can create
interesting contrast in streetscapes for key pedestrian paths suchas Biopolis Road.
In particular for Biopolis, sky volumes, which are akin to skyrise
greenery and terraces, were introduced along the building edges
facing one-north Park. This created sightlines framing scenic viewsof the park through urban windows to allow the lush landscape tobe appreciated even from within the densely built Biopolis.

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

105

Roofscape: Defining the Skyline Profile of the District
Green Corridors

UDG in Action: Elementum (Biopolis Phase 6),
Integrated with the Rail Corridor

Biopolis Epicentre

LX-3-1

LX-2-1HELIOS

LX-2-4CENTROS

LX-3-2
LX-4-3LX-4-1

proposed
PMS station

P7

cornerarticulation at

biopolis roadconnection to CCL station

biopolis epicentre

phase Z.robiopolis road

V I B R A N T

P L E A S A N T

V I B R A N T

E N E R G Y

S P E E D

An artist’s impression of Biopolis 6.
Source: DCA Architects

Elementum, which features a modular and flexible lab design, is thelatest addition to the biomedical science community in one-north. It is
located at the northern tip of Biopolis and is a new extension beyond
the initial boundaries of Biopolis. At the point of writing, the projectis still under development but is featured here to showcase thesignificance of nature in Biopolis’ ground-scape.
Biopolis roof scapediagrammatically, in aerialview and from street level.
Source: JTC

With the anticipated low rise sports facilities at LX-4, the roofscapeof Biopolis sets itself apart from the Precinct by bringing the skyline
close to the ground at one end before gradually sloping upwards
towards the perimeter along Commonwealth Avenue and North Buona
Vista Road. Aside from providing spatial relief towards the centre of
one-north, this design optimises the catchment around the Buona
Vista MRT interchange as a major transport node by intensifying
land-use at the northern and north eastern boundaries of one-north.

“ In this project, JTC envisaged the ground floor
plane to be all communal, as will be all future
plots. From the first phase of Biopolis, theylearnt that there were not enough communal
spaces based on the initial master plan.
With this project, I suppose they are taking
advantage of the rail corridor to make thewhole area livelier through programming, sothat there may be more people lingering in thespace even during weekday lunches.”7– Kenneth Kong, Director, DCA Architects

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN106

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

107

The architects for Elementum—DCA Architects in collaboration with
SOM—applied JTC’s UDGs by dedicating the majority of the street
level to publicly accessible spaces. This reflects the lessons learnt
from the success of the earlier Biopolis phases, where intimate,internal pedestrian thoroughfares helped to make the street level
more vibrant and engaging. Biopolis Phase 6 was designed withthe anticipation that the future rail corridor that will run along thenorthern edge will bring additional footfall. More than just a matterof people-centric urban design, this was to meet the increased
commercial viability and vibrancy of the F&B spaces planned on
the street level of this development.

An action zone along the northern edge of Biopolis was planned
so that it would integrate the ground-scape of the Precinct withrustic rail corridor as part of its urban design intent. The plan takes
into consideration the progressive opening of the rail corridor to
public with the removal of the old fence lines along the KTM line.
DCA Architects have envisioned the rail corridor area to be linedwith facilities and street furniture to encourage both activity andinteraction with nature.

Biopolis 6 vehicular access.
Source: DCA Architects
Primary pedestrian circulation
Secondary pedestrian circulation
Vehicular circulation

DCA Architects’ illustration of the future space shows elevated cafes
overlooking the future park connector, with the café level connecting
to the raised terrain of the earlier phases of Metropolis and Biopolis
southwest of the site. This is another example that illustrates how
the concept of thickened ground is applied—through careful siteplanning to ensure that the buildings, when anchored into undulating
terrain, would not alienate users from the surrounding area and key
circulation routes in the district. Visual porosity, an elevated F&B anda spacious covered ground-floor plaza are all features that help tointensify the vibrancy of the Precinct.

Rail corridor

Extension of Green Infrastructure

Gateway at Buona Vista Node andConnection to Metropolis Village

Village and Public Space Programming

Top row: Artist’s impressions of the viewof Biopolis 6 from the rail corridor. Source:
SOM, ATCHAIN
Bottom row: Urban design integration
diagrams were used to conceptualise how
Biopolis 6 could relate to the surrounding
environment, transport infrastructure andprogramming. Source: DCA Architects

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN108

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

109

Strategic Direction: Providing a Work-Live Environment“ The way it’s designed, the communal activities and spaces
take precedence over the commercial programme. The lobby
leading to the functional spaces is given only a small area,
so we had to do a bit of design gymnastics with regards tothe levels to allow trucks to get in, to follow the brief by JTC
not to have service areas seen from the communal spaces.
This means we have to put the substations and the bincentres into the basement.”8

CX-1-4CX-1-1P5
CX-1-6

CX-1-9
CX-4-3CX-1-7CX-4-2CX-4-1– Kenneth Kong, Director, DCA Architects

CX-1-8CX-3-1In the same vein, other first-storey ancillary functions like the bincentre and substations were also brought down to the basement tofree up the first-floor frontage. This is typically more expensive toimplement because delivery trucks require more headroom, whichthen requires the building of deeper basements. As evident in the restof one-north, the price paid for such upfront costs brings rewards inthe long term, as it allows the project to be better integrated with theactivated pedestrian network.9

Education
Flexible Land use

CX-2-3CX-3-5Residential with RetailCX-2-2P7

CX-2-4SW1
CX-3-7CX-2-5ParkOpen SpaceLand use

The land use in Fusionopolis is representative of one-north’s
fine-grained mixed-use of work, live, play and learn in one precinct,
with a variety of uses including business parks, commercial offices,co-living spaces, a corporate university, retail and F&B. The businesspark and commercial offices are designated for the ICT, science andengineering industry cluster which are concentrated around the
one-north MRT station and Corporate Universities at Nepal Hill.

Fusionopolis

Hotel, co-living and residential uses are distributed along thepark’s edge to provide easy access by the residents, while the land
designated for education use includes a corporate university that has
been strategically positioned to tap on a diverse range of synergies
with its adjacent land uses.

Extending across 30 hectares, Fusionopolis focuses on infocomm,science and engineering industries. Its activity node, Fusionopolis
One, houses key research institutions in these disciplines and isdirectly connected to the one-north MRT station. The buildings in
Fusionopolis then extend northwards by skirting around Nepal Hill
and the existing alignment of historical Portsdown Road, further
accentuating the curvilinear nature of the “bent grid” and its benefitsin accommodating natural topography.

110

6

Hotel
Commercial

CX-2-1CX-3-9

CX-3-2Business ParkP6

CX-4-1

Fusionopolis and Nepal Hill land use plan
during the early stages of the one-northdevelopment. Source: JTC
CX-3-

Much like a microcosm of Biopolis’ complementary vehicular accessand pedestrian network strategy, the pedestrian-friendly groundscape of Biopolis Phase 6 is only possible with careful vehicularaccess planning. Thus, to ensure that vehicles are kept separated
from main public spaces and to create a safe and seamless at-grade
environment for pedestrians, basement parking was stipulated as adesign requirement.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

CX-1-5Regarded as the jewel of Fusionopolis, the urban design intent for
Nepal Hill was to remain partly hidden to preserve a calming andalluring quality. This also creates interest in the overall building form
with the high-rise and densely built Fusionopolis area contrastingwith the low-rise and sparsely built Nepal Hill. The conserved
bungalows within Nepal Hill are currently used by Unilever Four Acres
Singapore as part of their corporate university campus, the company’s
only global hub for the leadership development outside of London.

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

111

Vehicular Access and Pedestrian Network:
Reducing Conflict between People and Cars

CX-1-4CX-1-1CX-1-4CX-1-1CX-1-5CX-1-5P5

CX-4-3P5

CX-1-6

CX-1-9

CX-4-3CX-1-7CX-4-2CX-1-7CX-4-2CX-4-1

CX-4-1CX-1-8CX-3-1P6

CX-1-8CX-3-1

CX-4-1CX-2-1CX-3-9CX-3-

CX-2-3P7

CX-2-3CX-3-

6

CX-3-2

6

P6

CX-4-1CX-2-1CX-3-9

CX-3-2CX-1-6

CX-1-9

CX-3-5

P7

CX-3-5CX-2-2CX-2-2CX-2-4SW1

CX-2-4SW1
CX-3-7

Road Network
Top row: Central Xchange streets, public
transport and pedestrian network plan.
Source: JTC
Right: Pedestrian link between buildings
help to complement the pedestrian
movement above street level. Source:
Victoria See
Road Network
Regional Road Network
Main District ThoroughfarePrimary AccessSecondary Access

CX-2-5CX-3-7CX-2-5Pedestrian Network

Unlike Biopolis, two main roads—Fusionopolis Way and one-northGateway—run through Fusionopolis as the main thoroughfare toserve higher density developments. While this helps to provide easy
access and arrival by car to the site, it poses a challenge to beinga pedestrian-friendly environment. As with other areas within the
district, the Precinct adopts the strategy of using through-block links,
pedestrian overhead bridges, and dedicated access to basement car
parks to minimise disruption by vehicular traffic and service access,while ensuring that the rest of local access roads are pedestrianfriendly.

Top: Car-centric road design for
the five-lane one-north Gateway.
Source: Victoria See
Bottom: Pedestrian friendly designfor the two-lane Central Xchange
Green. Source: Victoria See

Local access roads such as Slim Barracks Rise, Central Exchange
Green, Fusionopolis Walk and Fusionopolis View serve as muchneeded primary pedestrian routes, contributing to a safe walking
environment for pedestrians in area. Special cross-sections havealso been designed to accommodate wider pedestrian paths, shadytrees and a distinct absence of road dividers to facilitate pedestriancrossing and movement.

Drop-off Point
Ingress/Egress
Pedestrian Network
Primary Pedestrian Flow
Secondary Pedestrian Flow
BridgeCovered Walkway
Pedestrian Crossing

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN112

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

113

Ground-Scape: Activating Streets Leading to Open Spaces

CX-1-4CX-1-1CX-1-4CX-1-1CX-1-5CX-1-5P5P5

CX-1-6

CX-1-9
CX-4-3CX-1-6

CX-1-9
CX-4-3CX-1-7CX-4-2CX-1-7CX-4-2CX-4-1

CX-4-1CX-1-8CX-3-1P6

CX-1-8CX-3-1

CX-4-1CX-2-1CX-3-9CX-3-

CX-2-3P7

CX-2-3CX-3-

6

CX-3-2

6

P6

CX-4-1CX-2-1CX-3-9

CX-3-2

UDG in Action: Fusionopolis One,
Activity Node of Fusionopolis

CX-3-5

P7

CX-3-5CX-2-2CX-2-2CX-2-4SW1

CX-2-4SW1
CX-2-5CX-3-7CX-2-5CX-3-7

Fusionopolis One. Source: JTC
Open Space Network
Fusionopolis public space andgreenery plan and retail distribution
plan. Source: JTC
Open Space Network and Action Zone
Park
Public space
Action zones
Retail Distribution
RetailRetail Distribution

As activity nodes for Fusionopolis, Fusionopolis One (CX3-5) and the
Galaxis (CX3-6 and CX3-9) are located at the heart of the Precinct
where the public space, action zone and pedestrian flow intersect.
Galaxis features a generous curvilinear plaza shaped by its four iconic
towers. Meanwhile, the curved profile of the Connexis and Symbiosis
towers of Fusionopolis One, designed by the renowned Japanesearchitect, Kisho Kurokawa, demonstrate the built-to-line concept bybringing together two perpendicular pedestrian flows, creating a
sense of enclosure for the pedestrian plaza.

To achieve a sustained liveliness in Fusionopolis, two distinct
strategies are used. The first is the almost-continuous line retailfrontage along the primary pedestrian circulation along Slim Barracks
Rise, Central Exchange Green and the main through-block links in
CX-2. Shops, ORAs and kiosks that are intentionally situated along
this route activate the space for a vibrant pedestrian experience, as itleads to the landscaped open space at one-north Park.

The strong spatial cues from this curved plaza are also present in
the subsequent neighbouring developments comprising the Innovis,
Kinesis, Synthesis of Fusionopolis Two (CX2-2) and the Nexus@onenorth (CX2-4). The pedestrian plaza continues from the epicentre andleads towards one-north Park (P7).

The second is a generous ground-floor porosity that allows for the
consolidation of action zones and public spaces running in a northsouth direction through Nepal Hill, as well as eastwards towards
one-north Park: Biopolis (P5), Fusionopolis North (P6), Fusionopolis
South (P7). The interstitial spaces between the heritage bungalowsserve as potential sites for programming social and cultural activities
in the low rise and naturally green areas.

Together, the three public spaces, shaped by strong building edges,
add to a collective sense of enclosure, and are lined up perfectly
so that even though the 4-lane Fusionopolis Way cuts across thisotherwise largely pedestrian space, the sightlines toward the mainplaza at Fusionopolis are unbroken and still entice pedestrians towalk further towards one-north Park.

In certain areas such as at one-north MRT station, the ground-scapeis once again thickened through the creation of large amounts ofhuman activity both on the street level and underground. This uniquemulti-level pedestrian activation exemplifies the strengths of anactivity node in creating prominence for the Precinct.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

114

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

115

At the endpoint of the ground-scape, an ovoid retail space intended
to be for full retail use was translated into a 2-storey F&B space toactivate the plaza. Above this ovoid F&B space, a spherical shaped
Genexis theatre sits at the heart of the three towers in Fusionopolis
One, adding interest to its middle-scape.

Public plaza is marked with a circular
structure with a differentiated façade,and leading to more enclosed spaces of
respite. Source: Victoria See

UDG in Action: one-north Residences,a Fenceless Residential Development

Having embellished its ground-scape and middle-scape, Fusionopolis
One is also one of the developments earmarked to have a seriesof sky gardens and pedestrian bridges to connect its various
buildings with its neighbouring plots, to give it an equally richroofscape. Perhaps given its location at the intersection of two major
thoroughfares, Ayer Rajah Avenue and Fusionopolis Way, a proposal
was made to have two bridges connect Fusionopolis One to the otherparcel of land across these two roads. This would help ensure that thearea remains pedestrian-friendly even in lieu of anticipated heavier
vehicular traffic. To date, only the bridge across Fusionopolis Way
has been built to connect the Fusionopolis One’s buildings throughthe Galaxis to Fusionopolis Two’s buildings. This bridge follows thecurved profile of the pedestrian space below it and cleverly intersects
with the ovoid retail space, to increase footfall and use.

The pedestrian bridge andpedestrianised public space at
Fusionopolis One. Source: Victoria See

one-north Residences. Source: P&T“ We felt that the detailed urban design
guidelines gave us support to implementa more interesting design, without whichdevelopers would generally prefer astandardised architectural solution due
to cost and efficiency.”10– Kong Choong Kit, Group Director, P&T consultants
one-north Residences is the first fenceless private residential
development in Singapore, with UDGs playing a key role in driving
the design of the development. The architects, P&T Consultants,
together with the developer, UOL, won the bid to build one-north
Residences through a design competition. The competition had set
a high weightage for design criteria, which ensured that the final
scheme not only met the master-plan requirements, but adhered torigorous design guidelines. Even so, the architects felt that the UDGs
help to spur their creativity, as it stipulated that the architect had to
be innovative in their proposed solution for the site.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

116

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

117

VistaUnlike most other condominiums in Singapore, the detailed UDGS
for this development required the condominium to not be fenced as
the development would be alienated from the environment and cut
off from the pedestrian network. As such, one-north Residences isembraced within porous street-level thoroughfare and its open groundlevel even widens the pedestrian area to enhance the walkability ofthe streetscape. This is a laudable prototype showing how a clever
implementation of the UDGs can help to boost the street character forthe district.

Vista is located at the northern most end of one-north and spans
approximately 18 hectares. Encompassing the Buona Vista MRTinterchange within its bounds, it caters to the corporate, business andlifestyle needs of one-north. Vista is also strategically positioned as
the Sub-Regional Centre of the Queenstown Planning Area.
With its dominant public facing role, Vista differentiates itself from
Biopolis and Fusionopolis through its strong emphasis on public
spaces which encourage interaction with visitors to the area. Most
notably, Vista is often associated with Star Vista and Rochester Mall,each of which represent a unique shopping-mall typology.

The plaza-like thoroughfare that traverses through one-north Residencesserves as a link between one-north Park and Fusionopolis since its
boundaries are fenceless. Fencing around one-north Residences would
also have cut off several important pedestrian flows in one-north’s
pedestrian network. Instead, its porous grounds now connects Biopolis
and Fusionopolis.
Top: one-north Residences as afenceless development allows for wide
public spaces and pedestrian paths.
Source: P&T
Bottom: SoHo units in one-north
Residences enjoy ground-floor frontages
and access. Source: P&T

Sub-Regional Centre: Providing a Live-Work-Play Environment

As with a number of other developments in one-north, basement parking
with vehicular access is discretely sited at the edge of the site, reducing
vehicular presence at the street level. This leaves room for accessthrough multiple frontages, where people and mingle and interact in the
public courtyards and adjacent park spaces. This unusual quality thengave rise to the sprouting of ground-floor SOHO units facing the publicpedestrian thoroughfare, embodying the Precinct’s work-live-play-learn
strategic direction.

VX-1-1VX-1-2VX-5-1

VX-5-2
VX-6-1
VX-4-1VX-1-5A

VX-1-3A

VX-1-4VX-8-1

VX-8-2
VX-2

Vista Xchange land use plan.
Source: JTC

VX-4-2

Commercial and RetailVX-3-1

Residential with Retail
Flexible Land use
Fusionopolis roofscapeacross one-north Residences.
Source: JTC

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGNPark

The sloped topography of one-north Residences has one side facing
one-north Park, which is elevated on a higher terrain. The developers
took advantage of this to create different levels of access to theresidences thereby achieving a thickened ground, as encouraged in themaster plan. The thickened ground helps to add interest and variation
to the ground-scape for the immediate plots around. With the future
bridge, one-north Residences will be connected to Nepal Park, providing
another east-west connection perpendicular to one-north Park.11

118

VX-3-2

Open Space

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

119

At the time of its conception, Vista was planned largely forwhite-land uses, and was to retain flexibility to adapt to changing
needs, in view of its strategic proximity to the Buona Vista MRTinterchange and its position as the Sub-Regional Centre. The
Ministry of Education and the Metropolis, which are located in theVista area, houses mainly administrative and corporate functionsof MNCs. This cluster acts as a gateway for attracting visitors andworkers alike into Biopolis and hence one-north.

Vehicular Access and Pedestrian Network:
Linking the District with a Regional Transport Hub

VX-1-1Developments constructed in VX to date are the GlaxoSmithKline
Asia House on VX5-2, Star Vista on VX6-1, and Rochester Mall andPark Avenue Rochester on VX-2. These developments incorporate
land uses that differ from the ones originally planned, testifying to
the flexibility built into the master plan and UDGs meant to support
one-north’s evolving nature.
The land-use plan for VX incorporates transects of open spacecutting through parcels such as VX1-5 and VX-2, and along theedges of parcels like VX6-1. The effect of this arrangement can beclearly felt on the ground, as these open spaces branch out fromthe park lands along Vista Exchange Green as it extends from
one-north Park. In lieu of its adjacency to the public transportnode, this has given it a more public-friendly nature, and shaped
the public plaza in Star Vista, which is easily accessible from theintersection of Vista Exchange Green and Rochester Drive, thereby
encouraging high footfall.

VX-1-2VX-5-1

As sub-precincts, VX-1 was marked for commercial and retailuses, to build on the anticipated high foot traffic at the public
transport node, VX-3 and VX-5 along North Buona Vista Road
and Commonwealth Avenue were respectively earmarked forresidential and retail use, as these are at a distance that would
provide enough privacy for the residents, yet remain walkable to
Buona Vista MRT interchange. The heritage bungalows located in
Rochester Park (VX-4) were accorded flexible land use to ensurethat the bungalows could be sustainability conserved and theambience of the park and surrounding area maintained.

VX-1-1

VX-5-2

VX-6-1VX-1-5VX-4-1VX-1-5

VX-1-3
VX-1-4VX-8-1

VX-2

VX-1-3

VX-4-2VX-1-4VX-8-1

VX-8-2

VX-2

VX-8-2VX-4-2VX-3-1
VX-3-2VX-3-1
VX-3-2

Road Network

Vista Xchange streets, public
transport and pedestrian network
plan. Source: JTC
Road Network
Regional road network
Main district thoroughfarePrimary accessSecondary access
Drop-off point
Ingress/egress
Pedestrian Network
Primary pedestrian flow
Secondary pedestrian flow
Covered walkway
Pedestrian crossing

120

VX-5-2

VX-6-1
VX-4-1

BridgeSHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

VX-1-2VX-5-1

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

Pedestrian Network

In anticipation of heavy vehicular and pedestrian traffic, there
is a 4-lane main vehicular road at Vista Exchange Green thatprovides secondary access between the Commonwealth Avenue
West and North Buona Vista Road. This helps to ease traffic on
the other roads within the Precinct, making those roads morepedestrian friendly. The small street in Rochester Park has beenleft unchanged to preserve its quaint and walkable characteristic.
In this vein, the pedestrian network taps on a combinationof strategies including the small street in Rochester Park,
the landscaped path along Vista Exchange Green and theaforementioned open space parcels. Pedestrian crossings
were also built along Vista Exchange Green to facilitate easeof movement between the pedestrian and vehicular network.
In future, there are plans for an iconic one-north Bridge which
will span across North Buona Vista Road to facilitate pedestrianflows between Vista and Biopolis, and through one-north Park:
Rochester East, Rochester West (P4 and P5).

121

Ground-Scape: Activating Spaces for Social Interaction

WEST

BUONA VISTA MRT

L2

c
L3

c
L3

L1b

DO
VE R

VX-8-2VX-4-2
L4

NO

R

SE

VX-4-2

A

L4

TH
DOVER

A

R

VX-8-2

TH

VX-2

VX-3-2

CLO

SE

EAST

VX-1-4VX-8-1

ON

NO

L5

VX-1-5
VX-1-3TA
VIS

BU

VX-3-1

VX-3-2CLO

VX-8-2

VX-2

ON

BU

L3a

L9

TA
VIS

VX-4-1VX-1-4VX-8-1

RISE

RISE

VX-2

VX-6-1VX-1-5

VX-1-3

L3b

L8

RO
AD

DO
VE R

L3a

VX-5-2STATION

VX-6-1

VX-4-1VX-1-4

L9

VX-3-1VX-1-5VX-5-1VX-1-2BUONA VISTA MRT

VX-5-2VX-1-3L3b

VX-8-1

L5

VX-5-1STATION

VX-6-1

VX-4-1
L8

DOVER

VX-1-2VX-5-2VX-1-2EXISTING SUBSTATION

L1b

VX-5-1VX-1-1OCOMM

EXISTING SUBSTATION

RO
AD

VX-1-1O

COMM

VX-1-1

WEST

E

AVENU

H
NWEALT

L2

E

AVENU

H
NWEALT

Middle-Scape: Shaping Dramatic Buildings

VX-4-2EAST

VX-3-102550Open Space Network

150

250m

0

25

50

150

250m

Retail Distribution

VX-3-2
Vista public space and greeneryplan and retail distribution plan.
Source: JTC
Open Space Network and Action Zone
Park
Public space
Urban lobby
Action zones
Retail Distribution
RetailVista mirrors the placement of the urban lobby in Biopolis being
locating at the mouth of the Buona Vista MRT interchange. The
generous reserve of public space built on open land helps toencourage a network of pedestrian activity, and thereby generate
opportunities for engagement. A continuous line of retail shops
located along these public spaces further encourage vibrancy
evenly across Vista, distinguishing it from the more modest
placement of retail units in the other Precincts. The interstitialspaces between the heritage bungalows also create variation in
the spaces within the action zone.

0Vista built-to-building line plan.
Source: JTC
Primary Built-to-building Line
Secondary Built-to-buildingLine
Protrusion allowed
Primary Building Height in
mAMSL

25

50

150

250m

The UDGs for Vista explicitly allows for protrusions in its middle
scape, especially for inward-facing façades. Coupled with the primarybuilt-to-building line along the main roads such as North Buona Vista
Road and the road along the MRT viaduct, this strategy has helped tosuggest a holistic urban block for the entire Precinct while allowing
for interesting forms within the block. For this reason, 10 storeys ofresidences extend from Rochester Mall across the Rochester Drive tocreate an unusual building form and a more interesting streetscape.
Secondary built-to-line suggests building lines within the parcel tofurther break the development down to deliver a more human scale
experience on the ground and lower storeys. The naturally ventilated
design of Star Vista, whose ground floor comprises a series ofpedestrianised paths carved out of the overall building form is
an application of this concept.

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ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

123

Conserving Heritage Buildings as Landmarks

1 Terrace: Hilltop

2 Terrace: Street Character

3 Terrace: Recreational Character

Left: Urban design guidelines on thebuffer of greenery to be introduced aroundconservation bungalows. Source: JTC
Right: Urban design guidelines on the
proportions of new extensions in relation
to the conservation bungalows. Source: JTC

4 Terrace: Street Character

Vista Xchange built to building
line plan. Source: JTC
Retained bungalows

From the onset, JTC considered appending the conservation
bungalows in Rochester Park with more ORAs. Applying theprinciples of maximum retention, sensitive restoration and careful
rehabilitation of the site, these UDGs ensured that the conservation
bungalows would not be outshone by its new extensions, while
giving flexibility and space for adaptive reuse. A 5-metre buffer areaaround each bungalow also helped to maintain appropriate spacingfrom driveways for lush landscapes to grow around it.

Demolished bungalows
New fabric in heritage
Existing fabric
New fabric in heritage/
Rochester district
Building line
Direction of programmatic
extension

Terraced programmatic distribution

With VX-6 having one of highest ground levels in one-north, theterrain of Vista provides opportunities for a terraced programming.
When viewed from the hilltop, amidst the heritage bungalows, theterraced terrain looks even more layered and nuanced. Over time,
programming of the sightlines of each additional development canfurther enrich this view of Vista.

Top & Bottom: Outdoor refreshment area
at Rochester Park. Source: JTC

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN124

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

125

UDG in Action: Rochester Commons,
Combination of New and Old
Interestingly, some of these bungalows have since taken on a newform as an upcoming integrated development known as the Rochester
Commons. This development combines parcels previously listed
as VX3-1 with parts of VX-2 and VX4-2 into an old-new mixed-use
development comprising offices, education, hotel and retail. This
combination of land uses differs from the initially planned residential
and retail uses—again reflecting the fluid nature of the master plan toadapt to changing needs.

Top: Rochester Commons
Driveway. Source: CapitaLand
Middle: Pedestrian and vehicular
circulation plan for the groundfloor of the Rochester commonsdemonstrating the intended
arrival from the roads and bus
stop. Source: Hexacon
Bottom: Knowledge Trail.
Source: CapitaLand
Right: Site plan of the bungalows
at Rochester Commons.
Source: DCA Architects
Rochester Commons Campus.
Source: CapitaLand

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGNAs the first development within the VX-3 sub-precinct, the Rochester
Commons set a precedence for its future neighbouring development
in terms of ground-level design and location of public spaces.
Working around the UDGs’ requirement to provide vehicular accessfrom Rochester Park Road as well as underground service areas, theproject proposed for the public space to be located along North Buona
Vista Road, abutting the boundary of the adjacent parcel. By doing so,
the architects of the project—DCA Architects—saw the potential forthe public space to double in size not only for Rochester Commons,
but for its future neighbouring development, should that plot of land
reciprocate and mirror their plans for their boundary. The proposed
location, which is easily accessible from the existing bus stop,allowed the architects to leverage URA’s Privately Owned Public Space
scheme and obtain gross floor area exemptions for the development.

126

At first glance, the project abides by the primary built-to-line bycreating a continuous street edge to demarcate the perimeter ofVista along the main road, much like other projects in one-north.
However, the flexible land-use parcels behind the tower and theallowance for protrusions stipulated for Vista, gave rise to thedesign of a Shared Executive Learning Centre, which will havea roof-top outdoor event space branching out onto a publicly
accessible boardwalk leading to nearby heritage bungalows,
known as a Knowledge Trail.
The first use of such a boardwalk design to connect new
developments to conserved bungalows while touching the park
has been supported by JTC. That said, in line with the intent topreserve the visibility of the bungalows, JTC suggested that thedesign and materials selected for the Knowledge Trail roof besuch that pedestrians on the street could still have sightlines ofthe bungalows. Light fins and a curvilinear roof profile were thus
proposed by the architect to achieve this, while allowing for lightto filter into the Knowledge Trail.12

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

127

Mediapolis: Repositioning the Precinct

confidentiality demanded by studios. These factors contradicted theoverall goal for open and publicly accessible streetscapes designed
for pedestrians championed in one-north. JTC then worked with
Infinite Studios to put in design mitigations to address these potential
disamenities, while meeting the urban design intent for public facing
areas within the development.
That said, the benefits of seeding developments in one-north havehelped put some UDGs in action even before the rest of the Precincts
were developed. Early buy-in regarding the buffer park was sought andgiven by the client and architects—Infinite Studios and DP Architects
respectively. This helped to set the tone for the green spine that today
sweeps across the northern edge of Mediapolis towards the historic
Portsdown Road. In so doing, it helped lock in the idea for subsequentdevelopments to follow suit, thereby ensuring that the legacy of ideas
is passed down over time.

Mediapolis master plan andurban design strategies. Source:
Bernard Tschumi, JTC

Infinite Studios.
Source: DCA Architects

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN“All parties agreed that it was not right to havethe trucks entering and exiting next to thebuffer park. We felt that a better interface
between the development and nature would
be beneficial for the people. It was thus a
conscious decision to keep the vehicularaccess away for a more people friendly edge.” 13

Beyond the issue of ensuring consistency in urban design, thedevelopers of one-north saw the opportunity to seed the media
industry into the heart of one-north. The industry was young andmodest at the time of seeing and large scale media companies were
yet to be active in Singapore. Compared to neighbouring countries in
the region, Singapore’s media industry lacked the necessary skillsets
and infrastructure to compete at a world class level. But flexibility androbustness of the one-north master plan and urban design strategies
were adaptable enough to accommodate a different industry profilethat one-north was to host. Seeding select parcels for the media
industry keeps the site ready for future evolution and growth. The
lesson learnt is that the original visionary ideas are not set in stoneand should not be implemented just for the sake of doing so.

– Chin Thoe Chong, Director, DP Architects
MediaCorp, the key tenant of Mediapolis, has nevertheless benefitted
from the generous allocation of space for the media industry. Most
notably, its urban form comprises a platform which has potential toconnect one-north Park across the Ayer Rajah Expressway, with thebroader vision of facilitating dual use, as a public park and an event
space for place making, with the one-north Park area adjacent to it.

The incompatibilities between the one-north’s building requirements
and the work-related requirements of the media companies began tosurface when talks with a seeding media company—Infinite Studios—commenced. Planners had reviewed the land area needed to meetthe needs of the company including soundstages and formulated
the required parcellation accordingly. The need for large and flexible
back-stages meant that ground-level services were necessary for theease of transport and set up of media equipment. These requirements
conflict with design guidelines that limited vehicular access andpreferred basement services as are prevalent throughout the restof one-north. Furthermore, filming environments require high andopaque fences around large plots of land to provide a high level of128

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

129

A WORK IN PROGRESS

across other countries including Australia, China, Malaysia, Philippines
and Thailand. The introduction of Lyf in one-north may attract young
local professionals, expatriates and perhaps even short-term working
travellers, thanks to its network of developments in the region. In sodoing, one-north is essentially opening itself up to a cosmopolitan livein population, who likely share the same forward thinking perspectives
as this innovation district.

Building Community through Place-Making
one-north has been seeding unique F&B concepts to help shape its
distinct look and feel. Timbre+, which is located along Ayer Rajah
Crescent beside the Launchpad@one-north, marries the start up
nature of its vibrant vicinity with the F&B and entertainment industry.
Today, it is recognised for its unusual blend of food stalls and music
performances in the local food scene. A bona fide part of one-north as
an innovation district, it also has an F&B incubator programme that setsaside stalls for new food entrepreneurs to test out their culinary ideas.

In the same vein, while the upcoming HDB Build-To-Order (BTO) estates
are not situated within one-north itself, there are BTO estates around thenearby Alexandra area, suggesting a likely increase in young couples
and families living in the vicinity. As this has the potential to bringhigher footfalls into one-north, it might prove worthwhile to look atways to rework the Mediapolis, Wessex and Ayer Rajah area to suit thelifestyle of the new residents living in the neighbourhood.

Shaping the Future
As custodian of one-north, JTC has set the tone for the urban design anddevelopment of the estate since the early stages of masterplan’s life
cycle. Today, the detailed UDGs set by JTC continue to steer and steward
one-north towards its grand vision, while staying nimble and adaptable
to changing circumstances.

Timbre+, a food hall catering to
the working population in onenorth, is known for its vibrant foodand music scene. Source: JTC

The case studies and built examples listed here are proof that a strong
set of UDGs, coupled with creative buy-in and a rigorous implementation
processes, can turn site constraints into opportunities. One great
example of this is the undulating terrain of one-north which was
originally thought to be an impediment to pedestrian circulation, but
has now been translated into valuable features stitched across multiple
access levels for enhanced vibrancy.

In addition, one-north has been able to leverage its pedestrian-centricurban environment to step up car-lite initiatives. In 2019, about 60
metres of Fusionopolis Way were converted temporarily into pedestrianonly streets as a car-free weekend. Within two days of trial, community
activities such as pop up installations and alfresco dining were also
allowed to spill out onto the roads. This helped to seal one-north’s
reputation as a hub that is willing to experiment with new place-making
ideas. JTC has also made plans for 6 km worth of 1.5-metre footpaths to
be widened by one to two metres, to accommodate covered linkways andcycling paths.

While the vision evoked by the entire master plan has yet to becompletely fleshed out, one-north in its present state already bears
witness to a semblance of what the complete picture may look likewhen the entire development has come to fruition. In essence, thevision is of an innovation district with segments of beautiful vistas,
pleasant walks and breezy thoroughfares. Intended as a business andwork environment, the unhurried development timeline set in matureand modern Singapore could well be one of the few opportunities forthis generation to witness such a comprehensively master-planned,
urban-designed and architecturally-designed development as it unfolds.
The UDGs are set to continue to evolve, drawing from past setbacks
and successes, the experimental urban design ideas captured within
will remain a treasured embodiment of this age of innovation,
and a testament to the pay-offs that come from a willingness to try
something new.

Upcoming Projects
Increasing Residential Footfall
Beyond being an innovation district, one-north has also recently added a
co-living development to the area to synergise alternative living models
for potential residents. Lyf is a global provider of co-living spaces inFukuoka and Singapore, with ongoing developments in major cities

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

130

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

131

ANNEX: GLOSSARY OF EXPERIMENTALURBAN DESIGN IDEAS
TermPrecinctDefinition

Activity node refers to the central location of social activity within aprecinct.

GroundscapeGround-scape refers to the multi-levelled ground floor of one-northbuildings due to height variations in its natural topography.

MiddlescapeMiddle-scape refers to the mid-level massing and façades ofbuildings in one-north, where their vertical surfaces define theshape and proportions of the spaces in between buildings.

Urban
lobby

Roofscape refers to the apex of each building, which act like piecesof a larger puzzle—a continuous undulating surface across the
district that can be appreciated from afar.

2

Arthur Aw, “Interview by CLC”, Centre for Liveable Cities,
Ministry of National Development, 23 August 2020,
transcript, accession number CLC/058/2020/005.

3

Ibid.

4

Ibid.

5

Aloysius Iwan Handono and Tang Hsiao Ling, “Interview
by CLC”, Centre for Liveable Cities, Ministry of National
Development, 27 August 2020, transcript, accession number
CLC/058/2020/003.

6

Ibid.

7

Kenneth Kong Yau Kwan, “Interview by CLC”, Centre for
Liveable Cities, Ministry of National Development,
27 October 2020, transcript, accession number
CLC/058/2020/011.

8

Ibid.

9

Ibid.

10

Richard Soon and Kong Choong Kit, “Interview by CLC”,
Centre for Liveable Cities, Ministry of National Development,
5 February 2021, transcript, accession
number CLC/058/2021/017.

11

Ibid.

12

Sim Ming Howe, “Interview by CLC”, Centre for Liveable
Cities, Ministry of National Development, 8 March 2021,
transcript, accession number CLC/058/2021/018.

13

Chin Thoe Chong, “Interview by CLC”, Centre for Liveable
Cities, Ministry of National Development, 25 November 2020,
transcript, accession number CLC/058/2020/014.

Urban Lobby refers to the high volume public space embedded
within building clusters. They contain amenities that generate
activities and user engagement.

Mitigation
Zone

Mitigation zone refers to the area between the outdoor and indoor
public space of an individual parcel such as the covered walkway,
lobby, public plaza with seamless integration between thebuildings and its external surroundings.

Built-toline

Built-to-line refers to building envelope guidelines which create a
distinctive and continuous street wall.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

Chong Lit Cheong, “Interview by CLC”, Centre for Liveable
Cities, Ministry of National Development, 18 July 2018,transcript, accession number CLC/047/2018/008.

Precinct refers to the sub-districts of one-north, as defined in the
key map (see page 87).

Activity
Node

Roofscape1

132

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

133

one-north. Source: JTC

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN134

ONE-NORTH: EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS

135

3

“ It should be a way of life to keep the water clean, tokeep every stream, every culvert and every rivulet,
free from unnecessary pollution. In 10 years let us
have fishing in [the] Singapore River and fishing in
the Kallang River. It can be done.”1— Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Ministerof Singapore (1959 to 1990 )SINGAPORE RIVER:
DEVELOPING WITH A
SENSE OF HISTORY
Today, the Singapore River is a vibrant activity
corridor which capitalises on its riverfront location
and unique historical character. It has a strong
identity which has been built up over time, andits attractiveness as a place for leisure activities
and quality waterfront housing did not come about
by chance. The successful transformation froma working river to what it is today is a result of
decades of planning with a clear vision and sensitive
urban design on various scales. The Singapore River
exemplifies Singapore’s integrated planning, urban
design and conservation approach to transform thecity and serves as an inspiration for many precincts
both locally and overseas.

Fullerton Building and the Anderson Bridge
across the Singapore River in the 1940s.
Source: NAS

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN136

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY137

CREATING A VISION

The Need to Give New Economic ValueThe Singapore River Clean-Up –Marking the Start of the Transformation

With the removal of polluting trades and industries, the Singapore
River was successfully cleaned up. However, vibrance brought about
by those activities were also removed. There was a pressing need toreview the use of land adjacent to the Singapore River to give it a newlease on life.

The transformation of the Singapore River started in 1977 when
Singapore’s then-Prime Minister, the late Lee Kuan Yew, threw down
the challenge to clean up both the Singapore and Kallang Rivers.
The Singapore River’s close proximity to the fast-developing Central
Business District and its loss of relevance as the centre for trade,since it could no longer cater to modern shipping activities, createdboth a need and opportunity to clean up the polluted waters.
Responding to this challenge, a campaign involving several
government agencies was undertaken to remove sources of pollution.2
Squatters and farmers were resettled, backyard trades and industries
relocated and street hawkers re-sited. The clean-up took 10 years,
spanning from 1977 to 1987.
The Central Area Structure
Plan published in 1978.
Source: URA, 1978/79

As Singapore’s population continued to increase, careful planning of
the limited land resources was required—in particular, the planningand redevelopment of the strategic Central Area as the businessand financial hub for Singapore to support economic growth.3 This
need drove the formulation of the Central Area Structure Plan in
1978, which showed the Singapore River as a mixed-use precinct
with a commercial core of hotels at the upriver end. In addition to
the positioning of key precincts, the plan also envisaged a system
of major and minor open spaces supported by a comprehensive
pedestrian network through the provision of pedestrian walkways,
pedestrian malls, underpasses, and so on. Under this plan, theexisting service roads and loading/unloading areas fronting theriver were planned to be transformed into tree-lined promenades forstrolling, boating and perhaps even fishing4 as part of the pedestrian
network.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) was tasked with planning
the redevelopment of the Singapore River area with the aim of giving
it a new identity and vitality ahead of the completion of the cleanup in 1987. The broad vision was to enhance its attractiveness to
the residents and tourists, and to highlight the Singapore River as avaluable and unique feature of Singapore’s cityscape.5 At that time,
there was a general thinking that even as Singapore develops intoa cosmopolitan city, some existing precincts and historic buildings
should be kept in order to retain its history for future generations.
This tied in with the URA’s plans for conserving select areas in parallel
to preparing concept plans for development areas such as the Marina
Centre and Orchard Road.

Major Arterial Road
Commercial
Residential
Mixed Development
Residential/Commercial
Mixed Development
Residential/industrial
Open Space
Institutional Use
Singapore River/Marina
Bay/Marina Channel“ Singapore’s future urban redevelopment needs toenvisage the transformation of Singapore into amodern metropolis with high standards in design,building and construction while retaining its
unique and desirable local characteristics.”6– Koh Cher Siang, Acting Chairman, URA (1980)

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN138SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

139

The Conservation of Historic Districts as a Timely Approachfor Singapore’s Development

Public Competition: Ideas Wanted for the Conservationof the Singapore River in 1983

In the late 1970s, when Singapore’s economy was experiencing somesluggishness, tourism was seen as a key driver to move the economy
forward. However, there was a lack of suitable tourist attractions
then. Pamelia Lee, who was with the Singapore Tourism Board at thetime, helped to use tourism to make a strong case for conservationof historic districts so that visitors coming to Singapore could see
the rich culture and heritage of the country through the conservedbuildings. While tourism was a key driving factor, the benefit ofproviding Singaporeans with a sense of identity and history provided
additional motivation for the conservation of historic buildings.

Given that the preliminary intent to retain the districts’ historic characterand the conservation of key buildings while creating a new identity wasa relatively new concept then, a public competition, jointly organised by
the URA and the Singapore Institute of Planners (SIP), was called in 1983
for the conservation and adaptive reuse of Boat Quay and Empress Place
to “foster interest in the conservation of historical sites in Singapore”.9
Right: Location plan for
public competition in
1983. Source: URA, 2022

Area B“ That’s why we were able to save all thesebuildings. That’s why we have Singapore
River with its buildings being conserved.”7

Area A
SingaporeRiver– Goh Hup Chor, Deputy Chief Planner, URA (1989 - 1996)

As aptly shared in Mrs Pamelia Lee’s chapter “50 Years of Urban
Planning & Tourism”:“ Singapore’s planners in the 1980s drew generous lines. Hence, today,
Chinatown, Little India, and Kampong Glam are good-sized historic
districts. In Singapore, visitors get to enjoy not only one street, butalso a collection of streets and multiple rows of shophouses…weare also grateful that the stepping of building heights took place so
our historic areas enjoy light and air and are not overwhelmed bysurrounding high-rise buildings. We are so glad that familiar places
still exist and are recognisable!”8

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

140

An artist’s impression of a proposed
Chinese Inn with internal courtyards
introduced by demolishing the rear
portions of two rows of back-to-backshophouses. The illustration was partof the BuYeTian proposal submitted in
1983. Source: Bu Ye Tian Enterprises
Pte Ltd (now dissolved) and William Lim
Associates, 1983

Given its strategic location, the competition attracted a lot of interest
and gained the attention of several groups who were interested in thepotential for adaptive reuse of the buildings at Boat Quay. On the same
day as the launch of the public competition, a group of businessmen
and professionals who called themselves “Bu Ye Tian Enterprises”
made public a $52 million conservation proposal for Boat Quay.10 The
proposal “BuYeTian”—which literally means “without night and day”—
aimed to turn two rows of shophouses and the surrounding area into acommercially feasible cultural centre.11
The public competition and the publicity generated by the BuYeTian
proposal helped to acquaint the general public with the idea ofconserving the old buildings at Boat Quay. The competition affirmed
support for the conservation approach with The Straits Times
proclaiming that “What the young ones want…[is a] modern cityflavoured with the past” in the headline of a 1983 article.12 The positive
response and unexpected enthusiasm from the younger generation
helped crystalise the approach and even catalysed efforts to feature
the history of the districts as part of the Singapore River Concept Plan.

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

141

THE SINGAPORE RIVER CONCEPT PLAN AND ITS REALISATION
In 1984, the URA drew up the Functional Zone Plan which identified
main development areas within the Central Area. Each area had a set of
guidelines on land usage and the permittable form, size and height ofbuildings, or in other words, a building envelope, to strengthen the overall
structure of the city.13 This meant that the plan was not simply conceived
with two-dimensional allocation of plots off a map, but sculpted according
to a three-dimensional vision for the city.

“ We tried to address the three-dimensional aspectsof planning places, taking the land use into
consideration and then giving it a three-dimensional
form, focusing more on the external, focusing moreon the public areas, focusing more on how people
would see the city, rather than on controlling theindividual plots.”14– William Ong, Director (Project Services), URA (1992 - 1994 )In 1985, building on the 1978 Central Area Structure Plan and the
Functional Zone Plan from the year before, the URA further developed andcrystalised the approach for the Central Area with high-density corridors
along MRT routes, while retaining the low-rise fine-grained historic
districts, as part of the Central Area Structure Plan.

“ We set lofty but realistic visions. The goal is to do something
good for the people and good for the land–for the people,
make it liveable, prosperous, and happy; for the land, makeit sustainable, with good ecology etc…. Every plan and every
building must convey a message, so that when people come, they
understand what this building is about and how it is organised.
When you come to a city, you understand how the city is laid out,
very easy to read the city and you don’t get lost.”15– Dr Liu Thai Ker, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Planner, URA (1989 - 1992 )The Central Area Structure Plan 1985
showing the historic district blending
harmoniously with intensively
developed areas along the MRT routes.
Source: URA, 1985
Intensive Development Area
Major Green SpaceHistoric District
Major Roads
MRT Stations

The Functional Zone
Plan published in 1984.
Source: URA, 1984
Commercial(Office/Banking)Commercial(Office/Shopping/Hotel)
Mixed Development(Commercial/Residential)
Residential
Institutional/Civic/
CulturalOpen Space/Recreational
Industrial/Warehouse
MRT Station Development

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGNAt this point, the Singapore River was at its last stage of its physicaltransformation in terms of the clean-up. The URA’s 10th anniversary
annual report outlined an intention to reinvigorate the area by giving it
a new lease of life with new developments, adaptive reuse of buildingsthat merit conservation, and carrying out environmental improvement
along both of its banks to encourage recreational activities and apedestrian-friendly environment.16

142

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

143

Singapore River Concept Plan

• Clarke Quay: to retain the cluster of warehouses and shophouses
to be used for restaurants, dance and music studios, health fitness
clubs, commercial schools and showrooms.

Guided by the 1985 Central Area Structure Plan, the URA formulated
the Singapore River Concept Plan, which was unveiled to the public on
8 September 1985.17 This plan included the positioning of the three
quays, with the development approach customised for each quay thattook into consideration the differences in land ownership between theareas, and worked into an overall vision for a network of pedestrianmalls and promenades.

• Robertson Quay: to have hotels, residential and entertainment
areas. Some warehouses in this area would be retained andintegrated in new development where possible.

Analysis plan showing thethree quays in The Singapore
River Concept Plan 1985.
Source: URA, 1985
Pedestrian Mall
Pedestrian Link

The Singapore River Concept
Plan 1985. Source: URA, 1985

Open SpaceThe objectives outlined in the 1985 Singapore River Concept Plan,
were to:a) Create a new identity and character for the Singapore Riverby retaining old buildings of architectural merit and historicalimportance, developing new buildings to carefully controlled scale
and introducing river-oriented activities;b) Make the best use of the land along the riverbanks such that all
developments would enhance the character of this importantnatural asset of the city; andc) Give the river a new economic role by generating activities which
will meet the recreational and leisure needs of both tourists andSingaporeans.
Under the plan, the Singapore River was divided into three quayswith the existing character of each quay taken into consideration.
The proposed strategic aim for each quay was:
• Boat Quay: to have small hotels, shops, restaurants andentertainment venues. The existing shophouses were to be retained
to form a charming contrast to the high-rise towers of the Golden
Shoe Business District. Food establishments and retail shops were
to be located on the first storey of the shophouses.
SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

144

In addition, both banks of the river were envisaged to be converted
to landscaped pedestrian malls. Under the Singapore River Concept
Plan, the implementation strategy for a public-private partnership was
outlined as well. The Singapore government’s role was to provide theplanning framework, infrastructural facilities or support and to oversee
the actual implementation of the projects.
The approach to retain the historic character of the Singapore Riverhelped set the tone for its urban renewal. Conservation and sensitive
urban design worked together to weave the old and new into a strong
identity, distinctive from the other precincts, which the Singapore River
has today.

“ Good urban design not only helps the city to function
efficiently, but also shapes a distinct cityscape andimprove the quality of the living environment.”18– Michael Koh, Group Director (Urban Planning & Design), URA (2003 - 2006)

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

145

Shophouses–a Unique Typology in Southeast Asia
The shophouse is a unique typology that had been created by the
British in Southeast Asia. As described in Singapore: A Pictorial
History, 1819-2000:“…the plan called for a network of roads and streets of specified
widths laid out at right angles, for uniform plots of land to be
divided and sold for a linear arrangement of commercial buildings
and linked shophouses of specific width and uniform façades
not exceeding three storeys. An arcade-like covered passage–the
5-foot way—was introduced for the sake of regularity, conformity
and weather protection.”19– Gretchen Liu, journalist, author and editor

Boat Quay in the 1950s. Source:
NAS, Courtesy of Arthur B. Reich

The 5-foot way was introduced in the Raffles Town Plan, and soon
became an important feature of Singapore’s unique shophouses.
As the various communities evolved over time, six architectural
styles for shophouses emerged, yet all retained the 5-foot way as
a consistent design feature. In addition, the Plan also allocatedland south of the Singapore River for the Chinese ethnic group
and Boat Quay became a key trading area. Even today, Boat Quay
has a mixture of early, transitional and art deco styles with astrong Chinese influence since many of these shophouses were
owned by Chinese merchants.

Conserving and Developing at Compatible Scale
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the upper
floors.floors.

Late shophousestyle style
Late shophouse
This istheismostThisthe most
spectacular
style,style,spectacularparticularlyin theinuse
particularly
theof
use ofornamentation.
Brightly
ornamentation.
Brightly
colouredceramic
tiles, tiles,
colouredceramic
plasterbouquets
and andplasterbouquets
otherotherdetails
are evidence
details
are evidenceof theofbuilder’sartistry.
the builder’sartistry.

As laid out in Raffles’ 1822 Town Plan of Singapore, also known as
explained:“I identified
the different
stylesHe explained:“I identified
the different
stylesthe Jackson Plan, buildings generally included 5-footHe
ways
to protect
to showthat thatevery
singleshophousein anyto show
every
singleshophousein anypedestrians from the tropical sun and rain. The 5-footparticular
way
was
a
key
stylestyleis important.
EachEach
one oneis isparticularis important.
feature of the shophouse and warehouse typology and
gave
rise
to
a timetime
connectedtoa toparticularin history
and andtheythey
connected
a particularin history
contributeto thecharacterof districts
all contributeto special
the special
characterof districts
network of sheltered walkways lining the streets and allriverfront.

SecondTransitional
SecondTransitional
shophousestyle styleshophouse
This style
has ahas aThis stylestreamlined
designas asstreamlined
designdesigners
and builders
designers
and builders
beganbegan
to simply
the theto simply
ornamentation.
This This
ornamentation.
simplification
may have
simplification
may havebeen beena reaction
to theto thea reaction
exuberant
spirit spiritof theoflate
exuberant
the latestyle styleor may
due
or be
may
beto
due toeconomics.
economics.

Art Deco
shophousestyle style
Art Deco
shophouse

Modernshophousestyle style
Modernshophouse

Buildingsof thisare areBuildings
ofstylethis styletypifiedby thetypified
bystreamlining
the streamliningof classicalmotifs.
Greaterof classicalmotifs.
Greater
attentionis givento theto theattentionis given
proportional
beautyand andproportional
beautyelevational
composition
elevational
compositionof theofwhole
row ofthe wholerow ofshophouses.
shophouses.

This style
the theThis features
style features
innovativeuse ofusevery
innovativeof thinvery thinconcretefins andvents
concretefinsairandair ventson theonbuilding
façadethe building
façadethat arethatboth
are functional
both functionaland decorative.
The styleand decorative.
The stylereflects
the post-war
reflects
the post-war
economicsituation
and andeconomicsituationneed needfor modern
facilities.
for modern
facilities.

1930-1960
1930-1960
1930-1960

1950-1960
1950-1960
1950-1960

as aaswhole.”
These
six styles
remaintoday
a whole.”These
six styles
remaintoday
as aasclear
and andsimpleway wayof understanding
a clearsimpleof understanding
These building forms and the sheltered pedestrian network
providedaSingapore’s
shophouses.
Singapore’s
shophouses.

basis and inspiration for the subsequent urban design strategies thatTo decision
makers,
HupHup
ChorChorlearntto broach
To decision
makers,learntto broachwere adopted for Singapore River under the Singapore
River
Concept
conversations
about
conservationin businessconversations
about
conservationin business
Plan, which were in turn translated into the detailed Development
Guide
terms.
“A keychallenge
waswashowhow
do youterms.
“A keychallenge
do youconvince
decisionmakerson theof ofconvince
decisionmakerson valuethe value
Plan (DGP).

conservation
and andaddress
the fearof theof ofconservation
address
the fearof loss
the lossdevelopment
potential.
development
potential.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGNWithWiththe reclaimed
landlandat Marina
Bay Bay
as an
the reclaimed
at Marina
as anextensionof theBusiness
District,
we weextensionof Central
the Central
Business
District,showedthat thatthe lossof development
potential
showedthe lossof development
potential
waswasnot soBy building
moremore
notdevastating.
so devastating.
By building
intenselyin theBay Bay
area,area,
the historic
intenselyin Marina
the Marina
the historic
districts
could
be retained.
districts
could
be retained.

146

1840-1900

1840-1900
1840-1900

Early 1900s

Early 1900s
Early 1900s

The six architectural styles
Conviction,
partnership,
experience
Conviction,
partnership,
experienceof shophouses in Singapore.
Source: URA, 2019

1900-1940
1900-1940
1900-1940

Late
1930s
Late 1930s
Late 1930s

Anothercruciallessonis partnership.
He said:
Anothercruciallessonis partnership.
He said:“You“You
needneedpartnership.
Partnership
leads
to to
partnership.
Partnershipleads
ownership.
If youhavehave
ownership,
thenthenthere
ownership.
If youownership,
thereis sustainability.
PartPartof ensuring
sustainability
is sustainability.
of ensuring
sustainability
is toiscreate
meaningout ofthat thatto create
meaningouttheof buildings
the buildings
we saved.
we saved.

Reflecting
on principles
that thatremainrelevant
for for
Reflecting
on principles
remainrelevant
current
and andfutureplanners
and andarchitects,
HupHupcurrent
futureplannersarchitects,
ChorChorsaid:said:“Regardlessof changing
demands“Regardlessof changing
demands
and andtastes,we mustremainconvicted
and andtastes,we mustremainconvicted
committed
to thevaluesand and WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY
committed
to professional
theprofessional
valuesSINGAPORE
RIVER:DEVELOPING
beliefs
that that
we arein asinarchitects
and andbeliefs
we trained
are trained
as architects
At thattime,time,
our focus
waswason saving
the theAt thatour focus
on savingplanners.
planners.
buildings.
Now,Now,
it is itabout
ensuring
placesbuildings.
is about
ensuring
placescontinueto comealivealive
and andthrive.
continueto comethrive.

Stitchingup up
StitchingLooking
to thewhatwhat
moremore
can canwe do?
Looking
to future,
the future,
we do?
HupHup
ChorChor
wishesthat that
historic
districts
could
be be
wisheshistoric
districts
could
betterstitched
up together
to createa seamlessbetterstitched
up together
to createa seamlesswalkingexperience.
“I hopeto seegreaterwalkingexperience.
“I hopeto seegreaterlinkagesand andconnections
betweenour historic
linkagesconnections
betweenour historic
districts
especiallyin thecentre,stitching
districts
especiallyin city
the city
centre,stitchingthemthem
up intoa networkof diverse
areasthat thatyou you
up intoa networkof diverseareas
can canwalkwalk
continuously.
Once
you you
are inhistoric
continuously.
Oncearea ina historic
district,
you youshouldbe ableto walk
to thedistrict,shouldbe ableto walk
to next
the next

147

Urban Pattern: Retaining the Historic Fabric
The development of Golden Shoe Area, which occurred in the 1970s
to 1980s, saw the amalgamation of privately-owned land parcels thatformed larger plots for redevelopment to cater to new office needs.
This was in contrast to the approach taken for the Singapore River,which sought to retain the historic fabric of streets, and maintain thefine grain of smaller street blocks characteristic of the time when it
was first developed, with the exception of Robertson Quay, where
there had already been a mix of large and small plots. The narrowroads serving the shophouses and warehouses were retained and not
widened according to more modern guidelines. Some streets werepedestrianised in order to retain their original scale.

“ We got bolder by each day. At the start, we only identified
the front row of Boat Quay to be conserved, but not theCircular Road side. As we worked further on it, our appetite
got better and we decided we shall conserve the whole area
to be more meaningful. But it was not easy, especially with
the number of owners involved. We gave them deadlines tomake planning submissions, start work and complete to get
Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP). I had to personally holdmany rounds of meetings with the owners and put pressure
on them. We had a big plan to monitor the progress of every
shophouse one by one to keep track of the progress.”20– Koh-Lim Wen Gin, Chief Planner and DCEO, URA (2001 - 2008)

Schematic section showing theretention of the building envelope andthe demolion of the rear extensions
in the Planning and Development
Guidelines for Boat Quay Conservation
Area 1985. Source: URA, 1985
A Nolli Map of Singapore Rivershowing the street blocks ofconserved bulidngs along theexisting streets to retain the urban
fabric. Source: URA, 2022

Boat Quay

External Envelop Control

Earmarked in the Singapore River Concept Plan as one of the three pilot
areas in the first phase to kickstart the repositioning of Singapore River,the overall intention for Boat Quay was to restore its surrounding 3- and4-storey shophouses and to inject new uses. In terms of the physicalform, these shophouses were meant to form a charming contrast to thehigh-rise towers of the Golden Shoe area.
Even though the guidelines for Boat Quay were first released in 1985
and were soon followed by various engagements with the owners
organised by the URA, most of the restoration works only started in
1989. The conservation and adaptive reuse was for the entire area atBoat Quay and involved several street blocks, ensuring that shophouses
fronting Circular Road, Lorong Telok and North Canal Road were
included, thereby retaining the historic character in both architectureand street layout.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGNTo demonstrate the commitment to transform the area, a series of projects
to improve the public amenities for the area and to support the adaptive
reuse of these shophouses were undertaken. One of the works carried out
was the restoration of the back lane between Circular Road and Boat Quayso that supporting underground infrastructure, including sewer pipes andelectricity lines, could be brought into the area to serve these shophouses.
The shophouse owners were given a deadline to demolish their own backto-back rear extensions so that supporting infrastructure required for the
new uses could be provided. Removing these extensions, which had been
added and modified over many years, also helped to restore the buildings
to their original design.

148

Existing façade to be retained

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

Existing façade to be retained149

Earlier Plan for Boat Quay as One Comprehensive Development
The URA had initially planned for Boat Quay to be developed in an
integrated manner despite the individual ownership of 117 shophouses
as outlined in the Planning and Development Guidelines for Boat Quay
Conservation Area of 1985. The intention was to have all the owners
jointly submit proposals to restore their shophouses, with the works tostart by September 1988. While the front façades were to be conserved,
the initial concept for Boat Quay was to have large rear courtyards foreach block of shophouses as shown in the schematic plan on the left.
The shophouse owners had the option to submit proposals in one of thefollowing ways:

Schematic plan showing the conceptof creating courtyards for each block
if shophouse owners agree to jointly
develop as outlines in the Planning andDevelopment Guidelines for Boat Quay
Conservation Area 1985. Source: URA, 1985
Landscaped open space
Internal landscaped courtyard
Internal covered linka) Three separate developments consisting of Parcels I, II and III;b) Two separate developments consisting of either• Parcel I and II combined, Parcel III separate; or• Parcel II and III combined, Parcel I separate; orc) One single development consisting of Parcel I, II and III combined.
However, given the number of owners involved, achieving a consensus
proved challenging, and the middle-block owners broke away from theoverall project. The URA was quick to adapt to the situation and revised
their guidelines in July 1988 to allow for individual owners to makesubmissions to restore and rehabilitate their buildings.
Allowing for some flexibility enabled businesses to continue to function,
while still achieving the planning goals, which were governed by clear
development timelines and consequences for not complying. To ensure
the revitalisation of the area, properties that did not comply withrequirements faced being acquired.

“ If buildings are not rehabilitated by 1991, the government may
be compelled to take measures to help it achieve its objectives
for the Singapore River area. One of the measures it may becompelled to consider is the acquisition of the properties.”21– Spokesman of the URA, in a press release dated 31 Mar 1989
Concurrently, the URA also successfully tendered out the buildings at
Clarke Quay, with conditions on their conservation and injected themwith new uses. This boosted the confidence of the neighbouring Boat
Quay shophouse owners regarding the commercial value, viability of
restoration and adaptive reuse of their properties.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

150“ It was my belief that the Government should never acquire
properties, carry out the restoration works and then sellback to businesses. My argument was that while we know
how to restore the old buildings, we do not know how to use
the buildings. Only the businessmen do. So we should leave
the works to them so that the works would suit their businessneeds, with them observing the guidelines. We can give thema moratorium before we consider acquisition.”22– Goh Hup Chor, Deputy Chief Planner, URA (1989 - 1996)

Policies and Incentives to Facilitate the Boat Quay Restoration
As many buildings in Boat Quay were under the Rent Control Act, thetenants were paying rent at a much lower rate than market rates.23 As
a result, there was little incentive or means for the owners to upkeep
their buildings given the low income they received from rental. With thelifting of rent control for conserved properties in October 1988, ownersof rent-controlled properties began to repossess their properties andobtain approvals to carry out conservation and restoration works thatenabled landlords to use their properties for more profitable and highervalue uses.24
In addition, the URA also worked with other agencies to encourageowners to restore their buildings through various incentives, which
included:• Waiver of Development Charges: Development Charge25 is a tax
that owners have to pay for the enhancement in land use. The
waiver of this tax resulted in substantial savings for the owners;• Elimination of carparking requirements: The deficiency charge
for carpark lots at a one-time rate of $32,000 per lot wastherefore not applicable, resulting in cost savings; and• Provision of assistance to owners who needed to relocate theirelderly single-person tenants through the Tenants’ Compensation
Board.
Together with the gazetting of the Conservation Master Plan in 1989,
these efforts provided the impetus for the old shophouses to berehabilitated and for conservation in general to proceed at a faster pace.

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

151

Clarke Quay
Prior to conversion, Clarke Quay consisted of predominantly low-risewarehouses. Since the buildings and land parcels were mostly owned by
the Singapore government, the development approach for Clarke Quay wasdifferent from that of Boat Quay. These parcels were sold through the URA’s
Government Land Sales programme, with specific conditions to realise
the plans for the area. While Clarke Quay’s development approach wasdifferent, the intention to keep the historic fabric was clearly demonstrated
even as government sold the land to a single developer to undertake theredevelopment.

A. Clarke Quay Festival Village

Empress Place. Source: URA

In 1989, the URA sold more than 50 units of warehouses and shophouses—
located on the north bank of the Singapore River—under one tenderpackage to redevelop the area. These buildings were located on fiveparcels of land with local access roads separating them. The intention was
to “revitalise Clarke Quay into a bustling entertainment and commercial
hub with developments thematically related to the river”.27 Old streets suchas Clarke Street and Read Street, and the riverfront, were pedestrianised
and the existing warehouses and shophouses restored, thus retaining
the historic fabric. As part of the sale of the site, tender submissions wererequired to include a proposed design and business concept which would
be taken into consideration in addition to the tender bid price. The site was
eventually awarded to Real Estate Holdings Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of DBS
Land, whose proposal aimed to bring back the charm of the old days withdesign elements that complemented the conserved buildings, extending
to public furniture such as seating and lighting to reflect the 1930s design
sensibilities. These features would then support carefully curated activities
to generate vitality for the area.28 For example, the developer also docked
several restored tongkangs at the quayside for use as dining venues,
while also acting as a reminder of the river’s past as a centre for trade andcommerce and enhancing the historic character of the riverfront.

Empress Place
As highlighted in the Singapore River Concept Plan, North Boat Quay—
now called Empress Place—had been the government and civic centreof the island. The historical buildings set within picturesque open
spaces in this area captured the feel of old Singapore well, warranting
its preservation. In 1986, the URA further developed and completed themaster plan for the civic and cultural centre called the Heritage Link,
which included the adaptive reuse of the cluster of buildings aroundthe Empress Place Building, Asian Civilisation Museum (ACM), Victoria
Concert Hall and Theatre, Old Parliament House, and The Arts House.26
These buildings were eventually gazetted as National Monuments
and were turned into arts and culture venues. Whilst these National
Monuments were given a new lease of life, the surrounding open spaces
were retained, to complement the buildings and provide a setting forthem. Similarly, the new Parliament Complex, which was undergoingdevelopment in the early 1990s, followed the URA’s urban design
guidelines to ensure that it was compatible with the adjacent nationalmonuments, to mirror their building envelop with a large forecourt
fronting the building.

Aerial view of the warehouses andshophouses at Clarke Quay in 1984,
before conservation. Source: URA, 1984

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN152

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

153

Parcel E

Clarke Quay Festival Village: Key Milestone
in the Strategic Repositioning of Singapore River
The sale of Clarke Quay attracted substantial interest from theprivate sector, with 126 tender packets sold. With a tendered
price of $54 million in 1989 and a total development cost of $186
million committed, this project marked a key milestone for therepositioning of the river, as it demonstrated that these dilapidated
old utilitarian buildings could be repurposed to have a greater
visual appeal and new commercial uses. This helped to pave theway for future conservation and adaptive reuse of old buildings byshowing that they had a potential commercial value proposition.
The successful transformation of Clarke Quay highlighted theimportance of public-private partnerships to the rejuvenation of theSingapore River.

Top: Restored warehouses alongpedestrianised streets at Clarke Quay.
Source: URA, 1994
Bottom: Revitalised warehouses andriverfront promenade at Clarke Quay
Festival Village. Source: URA, 1994

Merc
hant
Road

Parcel D
Parcel C“ The government, through [the] URA as theconservation authority, draws up the masterplan and the guidelines. It also provides
some infrastructure and environmental
improvements to the conservation areas.
The private sector provides the enterpriseand the creativity. Together, we produce
refreshing designs for the adaptive reuse of
the historic buildings. Rather than tearing
down the historic buildings, we restore themand preserve their unique and architecturalcharacter. In the process, we also preserve
the anchors and bearings that remind us of
our roots and our sense of history.”29

Parcel H

Parcel G

B. Riverside Village
On the south side of the Singapore River, a handful of buildingsof architectural value were conserved. Taking an old-and-new
development approach, the new buildings were guided to be
low rise and specifically kept between four to seven storeys andintegrated with the old conserved buildings. When the URA soldthese land parcels at the Riverside Village in the early 1990s, they
were sold as separate parcels rather than amalgamating themas a single large plot. The existing roads in the area, including
Cumming Street, Angus Street and Fisher Street, were converted topedestrian use. The integration of old and new buildings coupledwith the pedestrianised streets helped to retain the historic fabricof the area and create a village-like atmosphere.

– Peter Sung, Minister of State for National Development (1988 - 1991)
Top: View of a physical model of the Riverside
Village, showing a juxtaposition of conserved
and new developments on various parcels.
Source: URA
Bottom: Various parcels released under
the Government Land Sales programme atRiverside Village. Source: URA, 1991

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN154

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

155

Robertson Quay

Retention of buildings as shown in the
Planning and Development Guidelines
for Robertson Quay. Source: URA, 1985
RETENTION OF BUILDING
Existing building with goodarchitectural value
Extent of the façades/building to be retained

Planned for hotel and residential use, with some shopping andinstitutional or cultural activities, Robertson Quay was envisaged tohave a more relaxed and tranquil atmosphere than Boat Quay and
Clarke Quay, especially since it was located upriver, farthest from thebustling, vibrant Raffles Place at the river mouth. The warehousesin the Robertson Quay area were mostly large and solidly built, andthose determined to be of good architectural value were proposed
for retention, with some to be integrated with new buildings. The
warehouses earmarked for retention and adaptive reuse determined
the parcel sizes, with some parcels amalgamated to make themsuitable for redevelopment as residential or hotel developments.

– Chan Sau Yan Sonny, Founder and Director, CSYA

Given that there were a substantial number of privately-owned plotsat Robertson Quay, with many of them having long proportions,the approach taken was to retain the front grids of some of thewarehouses without necessarily retaining the whole building. By
doing this, property owners had more flexibility in redeveloping theirplot for other purposes while keeping the envelope and some featuresof the original warehouses. The retained features provided stylistic
continuity that maintained the unique character of the riverfront,
and the flexible approach helped owners overcome the technicalchallenge of having a low platform level as the old warehousebuildings were adapted to support new uses.30

Some of the former warehouses which were retained in their
entirety were gazetted for conservation in 2014. These included
the Warehouse Hotel along Havelock Road and the Jiak Kim Street
warehouses.

Top: Redeveloped sites featuring thismixed height typology along the river
include The Quayside and River Place.
Source: URA
Right: Schematic section showing the
maximum 4- and 10-storey buildingheight typology at Robertson Quay.
Source: URA

Parcellation plan of Robertson Quayas part of the Singapore River Concept
Plan 1985. Source: URA, 1985
Parcellation Boundary& Parcel Reference
Private Land
State Land
URA Land
PUB LandRecently Constructed
Buildings

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN“ It was an enlightened strategy of the URA to allow for partial
redevelopment of the warehouse site after retaining a portionof the warehouse up to a depth of 16 m. This enabled theinsertion of the communal facilities in the space between
the warehouse on the riverfront and the new extension at theback. This adaptive reuse of the old and the new served torevitalise and conserve the ambience of the place.”31

156

Since an old-and-new approach was adopted for Robertson Quay
and with most of the land privately owned, the urban design
guidelines allowed the owners to maximise the development
potential of their plots while ensuring the new developments
would keep the low-rise aesthetic for the riverfront which werecharacterised by the conserved buildings. The Robertson Quay
Envelope Control guidelines addressed this by having mixed 4- and10-storey building height typologies. The portion of the buildings
fronting the river were limited to a maximum of 4 storeys and theremaining portions away from the riverfront were permitted to riseup to a maximum of 10 storeys. The benefit of these urban design
guidelines on the building height was threefold. First, it ensured
that new buildings were sympathetic to the shophouses andwarehouses in scale so as to not overshadow them. Second, it kept
developments along the riverfront at a human scale; and third, it
enhanced the aesthetic appeal of the river by not crowding it withtall riverside structures.

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

157

Comparison with Buildings Prior
to the Singapore River Concept Plan

UE Square: An Architect’s Response to Proximity
to the River

The development of the Singapore River as laid out in the Singapore
River Concept Plan took a more sympathetic approach to the existing
fabric, and was a clear departure from the earlier sale of sites along
the riverbanks, such as the Hill Street Centre, Liang Court andRiverwalk Galleria.

Although planning approval for the UE Square was givenin the 1990s, there were some earlier commitments on theoffice quantum and overall gross plot ratio (GPR) prior to theSingapore River Concept Plan and the Robertson Quay planningand development guidelines. Height control for Robertson
Quay, which was set to a maximum of 10 storeys, did not apply
to UE Square site since it was one street block away from theriver and fronted River Valley Road. Taking reference from the
nearby Liang Court development, the site was allowed to have amaximum height of 96 m Singapore Height Datum (SHD), which
is approximately 26 storeys.

The Hill Street Centre and Liang Court were sold in 1968 and 1977
respectively, prior to the River clean-up. The Hill Street Centre inparticular, was built as a resettlement centre to introduce a newmodern way of high-rise, high-density living and working in the city.
Both developments took up their entire street block and remain incontrast with the surrounding finer grain shophouses even today.

The stepped building height at UE Square, in
response to the developments along the river.
Source: Victoria See, 2022

The Riverwalk

Top: High Street Centre standing incontrast to the surrounding urban fabricin the early 1980s. Source: URA
Bottom: Liang Court in the 1980s.
Source: NAS, 1986

The Riverwalk, formerly known as the Riverwalk Galleria, was soldin 1979, after the start of the River Clean Up, as part of the eighth
Sale of Site programme. While the development had a podium-tower
topology, its design featured a terraced façade fronting the river
for the shopping mall. Unlike Liang Court and High Street Centre,
where a service access separated the building and the riverfront,
the Riverwalk was guided to have active uses fronting the river witha promenade between the building and the river. The façade wasarticulated and terraced as part of the design requirements seeking
to breakdown the scale of the development. This was an earlyexample of the urban design response to reposition the river as an
asset.

With some of these initial planned projects, the urban designprinciples and approaches were further developed and translated
into the Development Guide Plan (DGP) for the Singapore River which
was released in 1994 after a public exhibition and an extensive
dialogue where feedback was sought from both the general public
and industry professionals. The overall vision for the Singapore
River was more clearly articulated as an exciting activity corridor
that capitalises on the riverfront and reflects the unique historicalcharacter of the area. Various urban design guidelines such as theRobertson Quay Envelope Control Plan were put in place and public
infrastructure planned with the release of the DGP to create a more
holistic riverfront environment.

Left: Riverwalk Galleria’s
terraced façade fronting
the River in the mid-1980s.
Source: URA, 1987
Right: Riverwalk Galleria
opposite the High Street
Centre taken in 1995,
showing the evolution ofurban design ideas within a
few years. Source: NAS, 1995

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

While there was no specific urban design guideline to request
for a stepped profile for the various towers, Professor Kenzo
Tange, the architect of the development, devised a stepped
profile for the residential towers, which were located closer
to the river, and a taller office tower fronting River Valley
Road. In addition, the proposed design responded well tothe surrounding environment with its low-rise building edge
which runs along Unity Street and Mohammed Sultan Road.
The foresight of Tange ensured that the building profile would
match well with its neighbouring sites, which are limited toa 4-storey building height since these sites were within the
Robertson Quay Envelope Control area.

158

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

159

Streetscape: Shaping with the Building Edge and Activities
The historic setting around the Singapore River consisted of well-defined
streetscapes with buildings neatly lined up along the road and bustlingwith activities at the street level. This aesthetic formed the basis for theurban design guidelines pertaining to how buildings should relate to
the street.

Building Edge and Height
Taking reference from the typology of the 2- to 3-storey shophouses andthe warehouses which were built up to their front property boundary andlined the river’s edge, guidelines for new developments at the Singapore
River are to abut the boundary line fronting the river with a minimumbuilding height of two storeys and a maximum of four storeys to ensure
a low-rise character along the waterfront and to be sympathetic to theadjacent buildings. Coupled with the tree-lined promenade fronting
these developments, these low-rise buildings have given the streetscapea consistently well-defined, human-scale character.
Riverside Point and the Swissotel Merchant Court, sold in 1992 and 1993
respectively, were two of the earliest sites sold for new development
fronting the river after the Singapore River Concept Plan. Both sites wererequired to have a low-rise building abutting its boundary line fronting theriver, maintaining the tone and character of a well-defined streetscape,which would contribute to the river promenade.
Top: Low-rise building frontage framed byshophouses at Boat Quay. Source: URA, 2017
Bottom: Retained warehouse façades lining
the promenade. Source: URA, 2015

This low-rise building height requirement has been consistently applied
and realised through the URA’s Government Land Sales programme, andhas also guided the redevelopment of the privately owned parcels at
Robertson Quay.

Proposed locations of landscaped
courtyards as shown in the Planningand Development Guidelines forRobertson Quay. Source: URA, 1985

Scale and Activities
To ensure that newer developments were moderately sized and to help
them relate to the character of shophouses, covered walkways on the first
storey were required to have colonnades. In addition, developers wereencouraged to design their façade to work in harmony with the conservedbuildings, particularly in terms of the scale, proportion and architectural
treatment, to create a cohesive look at the street level.
In support of streetscapes characterised by the low-rise buildings along
the promenade, internal courtyards were encouraged to meet open spacerequirements. In the Planning and Development Guidelines for theRobertson Quay area, some specified development plots were required toprovide these courtyards.32
Well-defined streetscapes were not limited to developments withcommercial components in the Robertson Quay Planning and Development
Guidelines. Residential developments along the Singapore River were also
required to conform to this aesthetic. The River Place development deviatedfrom a typical pure residential development by including a building edge
with the 4-storey residential block facing the promenade.
As the riverfront was envisaged as an active corridor, buildings wererequired to have activity-generating uses, including shops and F&B outlets,
and to ensure that no service areas were on the promenade side. This
helped direct activities and movement to the promenade area.

Low-rise building frontage of The Pier at
Robertson Quay. Source: URA, 2008

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN160

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

161

View Corridors: Connecting to the River Visually
As the river is the key asset of the precinct, urban design guidelines
were formulated to maintain views towards the river so that theSingapore River could be seen even from developments that were further
away. Apart from maintaining the views of the river along the streets
perpendicular to it, larger developments were required to have view
corridors to provide this visual connection to the river, which also helps
provide a sense of orientation.

Coherent roofscape of clay-tiled pitched roofs
which contributes to the character of Robertson
Quay. Source: URA, 2023

The very first parcel of land sold along the riverfront at Clarke Quay was
eventually developed into Riverside Point. For this site, the urban design
guidelines specified that the structure on this elongated parcel shouldhave a central gap to allow views towards, and access to, the river. This
resulted in a central open-air plaza with a block on either side, linked
by bridges, allowing views of the river from the road and street blockbehind Riverside Point. Many of the subsequent developments along
the river, in particular the buildings with a larger frontage, including
The Quayside, Grand Corpthorne Hotel and The Central, were also
required to provide similar view corridors. These view corridors also
serve as direct pedestrian connections to the riverfront through thedevelopments.

Roofscape: Creating a Coherent Expression
to Enhance the Identity
While walking along the riverside, a unique skyline of clay-tiled pitchedroofs can be seen on the buildings by the river. This is one of mosteasily recognisable features of shophouses and warehouses in the area.
Therefore, to preserve and build on the existing character of the area, all
new developments along the river at Robertson Quay were also required
to have clay-tiled pitched roofs. Echoing the past and keeping roofscapestyle consistent has contributed to creating a strong identity for theSingapore River, setting it apart from other precincts in Singapore.

Tensile Structure

Top: The modern mono-pitched roofof River Place complements both theroofscape and its architecture.
Source: URA, 2003
Bottom: The pitched roof of The Pier
with its tensile structure helps to create
a visual harmony with the rest of its
building design. Source: URA, 2012

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

While all new developments are required to have a clay-tiled pitchedroof, sufficient flexibility is given to allow the roof design to blend withthe overall architectural design and functional requirements of thedevelopment, including allowing flat roofs for rooftop gardens. For
example, the River Place features a large mono-pitched roof of darker
toned clay tiles, which complements the rest of its architectural design.
The Pier, another development which took advantage of this design
flexibility, features a set of tensile canopies stretched with pitchedframes to provide shelter and allow air flow for the tennis court which
is located on the roof-top. While the material differs, this roof design isstill in harmony with the surrounding developments.

162

As the Singapore River is in close proximity to the historically significant
Fort Canning Park, a deliberate effort was made to maintain the view ofFort Canning from across the river. For instance, as part of the condition
for sale of the site above the Clarke Quay MRT station, where The Central
has since been constructed, a view corridor of at least 10-metre wide
and three storeys high had to be provided. This presented a clear viewof Fort Canning and the Singapore River through the shopping mall at
the street level.
Left: The control plan showing therequirement for a view corridor of
the River and Fort Canning Park.
Source: URA, 1999
Right: The realised view corridor
that provides visual connection
from within the shopping mall.
Source: URA, 2014
Preferred view corridor
location and orientation

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163

Good Urban Design with Large City Rooms Requires
the Buy-In from Architects and Building Owners
Part of the UOB Plaza was developed in 1973, before the Singapore
River Concept Plan was developed. It was a key development in theGolden Shoe as it fronted the Singapore River. When the owners
submitted plans for UOB Plaza One in the 1980s, the URA required
the taller tower, which would join to the existing UOB Plaza Two
tower, to provide a double-volume void in the building to facilitatepedestrian movement, and provide views towards the river fromRaffles Place and Battery Road. The architect for the development,
Professor Kenzo Tange, understood the potential benefits of the
URA’s requirement and revised the design to accommodate it. Whilethe change in design was initially not accepted by the owner, it
was eventually adopted and the area has become a popular andrecognised public space in the Central Business District today.
Left: View corridor which also
serves as a through-block linkat UOB Plaza that provides thevisual connection to the Riverand Empress Place, across theriver. Source: URA, 2021
Right: Activities at the UOB
Plaza as part of St. Patrick’s
Day celebrations. Source:
Unteroffizier, Dreamstime,
2018
The pedestrian promenade along
Robertson Quay, which is enjoyedby many today, used to be aservice road. Source: URA“ …there was at first strong resistance fromthe building owners for such a provision since
they deemed this view corridor as losing prime
ground floor space for its commercial activities.
The owners eventually agreed with thisprovision after consulting a feng shui master on
Tange’s revised design with the view corridor. It
was said that this void has good feng shui as it
facilitates the flow of energy from the river andwill benefit the owners.”33

Creating a Pedestrian-Friendly Environment
With the Singapore River set to be an activity corridor for all, it was
important to set it up as a safe and convenient destination that would
provide an enjoyable experience for users. The idea to make the riverbanks a pedestrian-friendly environment had been laid out in the
Singapore River Concept Plan and URA implemented the Boat Quay
promenade as early as the 1980s. However, many of the public realm
works were carried out only after the release of the Development Guide
Plan 1994 where the idea was given more substance. The Singapore
River Environmental Design Master Plan 1995 provided a greater levelof detail to better guide the works that would improve the experiencefor pedestrians along the river banks.34 Investing in such public
infrastructure has been a key strategy in gaining the confidence andinterest of the private sector in order to harness private funds in theriver district’s rejuvenation effort.

– Ole Johan Dale, Principle Architect, URA (1975 - 1988 )SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN164

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

165

Improving Accessibility Towards the River
Vehicular Access: From Service Road to Promenade
Due to its origins as a working river and a centre for trade, theSingapore River had local access roads lined along its edge. Theseriverfront access roads facilitated the movement of goods from thelighters to the warehouses and other parts of Singapore. In turning
the Singapore River into an active corridor for pedestrians, theSingapore River Concept Plan outlined the conversion of these roads
on both banks of the river into vehicle-free, landscaped pedestrian
promenades. This conversion, which provided convenient pedestrian
access along the riverfront, took many years to realise as it was acomplex initiative which required a lot of coordination.
The riverfront access road at Boat Quay was the first to be earmarked
for conversion into a tree-lined pedestrian promenade as ademonstration to the individual owners of Boat Quay shophousesof the Singapore government’s commitment to the transformation of
the Singapore River. The conversion to the promenade started in May
1986 and was carefully orchestrated to comprise two phases. The firstphase created a 6- to 7-metre-wide promenade along the river edge.
This allowed vehicular access to continue to front the shophouses tocater for conserved shophouses which were going through restoration
works at the same time. Upon completion of the first phase in October
1986, the built environment along Boat Quay was dramaticallytransformed from an utilitarian strip of land for cars to a promenadewith distinct historical flavour. Phase 2 of the works started in 1992
after the shophouses had been restored. The full extent of theBoat Quay promenade was eventually realised in 1993. This wascomplemented by the promenade across the river as part of the
Clarke Quay Festival Village, which opened in end 1993.
Top: Service access road along thefront of Boat Quay shophouses in the
mid-1980s. Source: URA, 1986
Middle: The promenade in 1989 after
the completion of Phase 1 works.
Source: URA, 1989
Bottom: Completion of the promenadein Boat Quay in the early 1990s.
Source: URA

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

Continuous PromenadeWith the completion of the Boat Quay promenade, the URA
directed the UOB Plaza to implement a promenade as part of its
redevelopment, and for successful tenderers for the Riverside Point
and Merchant Court Hotel sites to construct the portions of thepromenade fronting their developments as part of the conditions ofsale. By 1993, substantial portions of the riverfront promenade had
been completed. By this time, pedestrians were able to walk along the
portions of promenade between Boat Quay and Clarke Quay as they
were linked up with the underpasses below Coleman Bridge as partof the bridge’s reconstruction in 1987. However, even though it was
relatively straightforward to walk along the completed promenade,the walk from Boat Quay to Robertson Quay still took more than two

166“ Obstacle course awaits those who want to take a walkalong the river. The trek includes trudging across fields
in ankle-deep mud, tackling slippery slopes, ploughing
through knee-high lalang and even climbing over somefencing…near the Singapore Warehouse, the bank was
sloping and the path was only about a metre wide…”35– Sharon Chin and Cheryl Tan, Reporters, The Straits Times (1993 )hours, as many sections had not yet been converted. Walking
along the riverfront was an adventurous task even for active andable adults.
At that point, it would have been unthinkable for anyone to take aleisurely stroll along the riverfront. Noting this issue of an unsafe
and unpleasant journey along the riverfront, the Development Guide
Plan 1994 set out the vision that strolling along the riverbank will
be a key part of this new atmosphere, with a peaceful and natural
ambience. The Singapore government then embarked on theimplementation of public works to achieve this.
In 1997, the government announced that it would be undertaking
more infrastructure works to improve and rejuvenate the Singapore
River for the public.36 A continuous riverside promenade would
help to develop the area into a unique and lively active corridor
where people could stroll along or linger by the river, as envisioned
in the Development Guide Plan. The approach for the promenade
implementation, in particular at Robertson Quay, was similar to
how the overall river has been developed through public-private
partnerships. Where redevelopments have not yet occurred or where
there were no private sites fronting the river, the URA and then Public
Works Department (PWD) undertook the implementation of an interim
promenade, which comprised a 2.5-metre walkway, tree planting
and lighting. In addition, underpasses were provided under major
vehicular bridges, including Elgin Bridge, Clemenceau Avenue Bridge
and Saiboo Bridge, to facilitate undisrupted access along the entire
length of river.

A. Design of the Promenade
The design of the promenade took reference from the original riverwall profile at different stretches of the river. Along the promenade’s
total length of 3 km on each bank, there are variations in the designof each subzone. Careful attention was given to the different designs
along the promenade as well as to the overall design.

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

167

zone respectively—to mitigate the differences in platform levels
between developments and the riverfront. While the concept fora two-tiered promenade was consistent throughout the river, key
elements, such as primary tree planting and public walkways,
were varied in their location, based on the river wall profile. There
was also a conscious effort to differentiate the characters ofthe different quays, with deliberate choices of paving materials
and planting selections. For example, with all plants to be local
species, the Tabebuia Rosea was selected as the primary plant forRobertson Quay and the Dalbergia Oliveri for Boat Quay and Clarke
Quay. Tabebuia Rosea was chosen for its flowering properties to
add hue and colour variation to Robertson Quay, which was more
residential in nature.

Boat Quay Promenade Design
The Chinese-inspired design for the promenade along Boat Quay tookreference from shophouses which displayed various styles of Chinesearchitecture. One key characteristic of Chinese shophouse architecture
was the solid edging of the 5-foot way which typically consists of
1-foot wide granite blocks. The material choice of solid granite slabs,
which were imported from Fujian in China, related to the existing
granite edging and the original granite riverbanks. The pattern took
inspiration from traditional Chinese gardens, and a darker shade of
granite was used for the river edge to give visual stability and to act
as a psychological indication of the edge. The overall level was also
raised continuously by three quay steps to prevent the flooding of thepromenade in the event of an unusually high tide.
The Dalbergia Oliveri was selected as the primary tree species to beplanted along this row. This local species was chosen to enhance thetropical identity of the riverfront, as its feathery crown softened thehardscape effectively without blocking the views toward the Empress
Place area.

Top & Bottom: Design of the bollards andchains, and railings, that were inspired bySingapore’s maritime history. Source: URA

These design guidelines provided a framework for consistent key
elements along the entire length of the promenade while allowing
some flexibility in the design details so that different sections
would relate to their adjacent developments. As portions of thepromenade would be implemented by different parties, the URA
also ensured that platform levels for the walkways were either
consistent or that the differences were mitigated with ramps toensure pedestrian friendliness.
Even the safety barriers along the river’s edge were developed
after careful consideration and were specifically designed for theSingapore River. These barriers consist of bollards linked withchains, and railings, with their design taking inspiration from thearea’s maritime history, helping to create an identity which reflects
the Singapore River’s heritage as a maritime hub. In some sections
with river steps, railings were omitted to provide opportunities forthe public to sit on the steps and get closer to the water.

Left & Right: Sectional drawing, from the
Design and Implementation Guidelines
for Singapore River, showing the key
elements of the promenade with the riverrelated zone and development-relatedzone based on the river profile of a sloped
embankment and straight wall.
Source: URA, 1999

Design Guidelines for Public and Private Partnership Projects
The completed promenade along Boat Quay and in front of UOB Plaza,
Riverside Point and Merchant Court Hotel set an example for subsequent
implementation to the other parts of the promenade. The generalapproach taken was that developments should be based on publicprivate partnerships and guided by the Singapore River Environmental
Design Master Plan. The guidelines drawn up by the URA required thatthe private sector include the promenade along their riverfront edge aspart of any future redevelopment of their sites.
The promenade was designed to have an upper tier and a lower tier—often regarded as the development-related zone and river-related

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

168

River steps without safety barriers
enable the public to sit closer to thewaterfront. Source: URA, 2015

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY169

B. Restoration of the Riverwall

Across the Two Banks

While the restoration of the river wall was first mooted in 1974, actual
works did not start until 1992. When developing the plans for works
to strengthen the river wall, a conscious effort was made to retain
its character so that there would be a strong reference to its history.
Today, the historic river steps along the crescent-shaped Boat Quay
remain and harken to its past as the place where coolies loaded andunloaded goods from lighters. Similar steps are also present on thesouth bank of Clarke Quay. The other parts of the river wall have a
vertical profile, apart from some upriver sections of Robertson Quay,
where a sloped embankment profile was retained to feature more
greenery and have a softer feel.37 These different profiles of the riverwall serve as a reminder of the past, and help to differentiate thecharacteristics of each quay. The design of the promenade and thelocation of outdoor refreshment areas (ORAs) also relate closely tothe river wall profiles.

Complementing the continuous promenade along each bank, theaccessibility across the two banks have also improved significantly withvarious works carried out over time. The Singapore River, being the centreof trade in the past, had enjoyed good accessibility with bridges built acrossit to facilitate the movement of goods. Today, there are 12 pedestrian andvehicular bridges between the mouth of the river at Empress Place andfurther upriver at Robertson Quay.

A plan with an overview ofthe various types of river wall
profiles implemented along
the river. Source: URA, 2018

Bridges along Singapore River:1
Anderson Bridge (1910)
2
Cavenagh Bridge (1868/69,
refurbished 1987)
3
Elgin Bridge (1929)
4
Coleman Bridge (old 1886
bridge widened and rebuilt in1990)
5Read Bridge (1889, restored in
1990s)
6
Ord Bridge (1886, raised andrestored 1999)
7
Clemenceau Bridge (1920)
8
Alkaff Bridge (1997)
9
Pulau Saigon Bridge (1997)
10
Robertson Bridge (1998)
11
Jiak Kim Bridge (1999)
12
Kim Seng Bridge (1951)
Sources: URA
Pedestrian Bridge
Pedestrian and Vehicular Bridge

SlopedUpper stretch ofRoberston Quay

A. Restoration of the Old Bridges

VerticalClarke Quay and thelower stretch ofRobertson Quay

As part of the approach to retain the history of the river, all but one of theold bridges were restored either during the River Clean Up or progressively
in the 1990s. The restoration of the old bridges built connections to the past
for future generations.38 By late 1993, in addition to their restoration, somebridges were also illuminated as part of the Civic District Lighting Plan. This
plan was conceptualised by renowned French lighting designer Louis Clairand commissioned by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). The last phaseof restoration and refurbishment was completed in 1998 with Ord Bridge
and Read Bridge, and included the raising of the Ord Bridge by 1 m to allowboats to pass through. This, together with the dredging of the riverbed
that was completed in end 1999, allowed for boats to travel upriver to theRobertson Quay area. The raising of Ord Bridge and dredging of the river
were critical in facilitating the water activities along the entire river.

SteppedUpper stretch of Clarke
Quay and Boat Quay

B. Building New Bridges
Top: Elgin Bridge is one of thebridges along the Singapore Riverthat have been granted the statusof a National Monument. Source:
Bing Hui Yau/Unsplash
Bottom: Robertson Bridge is oneof the new bridges that has been
built to improve the pedestrian
accessibility between the twobanks. Source: URA

Right: The sloped, vertical and stepped
embankment profiles that contribute to
the different characters of the various
river sections. Source: URA, 2018SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

170

When the Development Guide Plan was being developed, it was recognisedthat accessibility across the two banks at the upriver stretch of theSingapore River was an issue. Hence, new bridges were proposed atRobertson Quay. These bridges were strategically positioned to serve theresidents in the area and provide a convenient link to the key roads inthe area. The new bridges were designed by the then PWD with a modern
and simple design, to contrast with the restored old bridges. The bridges
were completed in 1998, and also incorporated lighting to illuminate thesuperstructure.

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

171

For instance, part of Rodyk Road was converted into a pedestrianmall under the URA’s guidance for the redevelopment of the adjacentsite, whereas the entire Teck Guan Street, which is located between
The Pier and Riverside View, has been pedestrainised with vehicularaccess now being sited away from this street. This pedestrian mallthen connects to the courtyard of Robertson Walk. The strategy of
having these pedestrianised streets and public spaces off the mainriverfront promenade has created a more layered experience, making
it more intriguing.

Top: The pedestrian mall at Rodyk Street,
which was implemented when The Watermark
was developed, provides convenient access to
the riverfront for the residents in the vicinity.
Source: URA, 2021
Bottom: The pedestrian mall at Teck Guan
Street, which was implemented when The Pier
was developed, provides convenient access to
the riverfront and is a lively “side street” with
ORAs today. Source: URA, 2012

The Green and Blue Plan, as shown in the
Singapore River Development Guide Plan,
outlines the locations of the pedestrian mallsin relation to the river. Source: URA, 1994
Promenade/Formal Pedestrian
Mall/Walkway/Plaza
Other Green SpacePark and Garden
Waterbody*

Indicative Position of Boat
Landing Point

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

Beyond closing roads, space was also set aside for use as pedestrianmalls within development plots. For example, for the land parcels at
Nanson Road—presently The Quayside—one of the conditions for thesale of site was for the two parcels to set aside space for a pedestrianmall which would be connected to the riverfront. This space was
eventually developed as a through-block link in The Quayside when
the two parcels were developed as a single development. The
pedestrian connection from the Martin Road and River Valley area
was subsequently strengthened with the provision of a pedestrianmall by requiring a 16-metre-wide set-back as part of the sale of thesite at Nanson Road, where Studio M stands today.

Bringing Pedestrians to the Promenadewith Side Streets and Pedestrian Malls
A key urban design strategy was to provide easy pedestrian
access to the promenade and riverfront. Hence, as outlined in
the Development Guide Plan, a network of pedestrian malls andwalkways connecting with the promenade was developed. This
provided residents living further away with convenient and directaccess to the river. As part of this effort to facilitate pedestrian
access to the river, parts of the roads perpendicular to the river
have been converted to pedestrian malls.

172

Pedestrian mall/through-block link
Left: The through-block link at The
Quayside lined with activity generating
uses, and framing a view towards theriver. Source: URA, 2021
Right: A control plan showing therequirements for a pedestrian mallunder the Sale of Site programme.
Source: URA, 1993

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY173

To complement these activity nodes, informative signs were placed at
strategic locations to tell the story of the Singapore River, as part of
the works completed in 1999. These signs highlighted the history of
the Singapore River, the specific location, as well as places of interestin the vicinity, providing a sense of orientation along the promenade.
Over time, the National Heritage Board (NHB) updated some ofthese signs as part of Singapore’s Golden Jubilee (SG50) in 2015 tostrengthen the storytelling for the Singapore River and to develop
a walking trail.

Promenade as an Active Corridor
Open Spaces and Focal Points
A series of open spaces and focal points along the promenade were
included in the Singapore River Concept Plan. Focal points wereenvisaged at each quay to help with orientation and as social spaces
for the visitors and residents. These were eventually developed totake on different functions to bring activity to the riverside. Somehave become boat-landing points and others have become small
gathering spots or outdoor attractions.

A pedestrian mall leading to a courtyard
at Robertson Walk. Source: STB
Indicative locations for the focal points inrelation to the promenade at each quay as
shown in the Singapore River Concept Plan
1985. Source: URA, 1985

Left: The open space near the Alkaff Bridge is
one of the focal points identified, which serves
as a social space for residents in Robertson
Quay. Source: URA, 2014
Right: One of the focal points has also givenrise to opportunities to introduce a small
outdoor attraction. Source: STB

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

Outdoor Refreshment Areas (ORAs)

These focal points along the promenade are complemented by open
spaces at the adjacent developments. As the designed streetscaperequires a low-rise building at the edge fronting the river, theprovision of open spaces within the development boundary generally
takes the form of courtyards. This idea was described as part of theconditions of sale for the sites along the river and translated into
courtyards at several developments in Robertson Quay including
Robertson Walk, Robertson Blue and Riverview Village. Some of thesehave become attractive spaces that the public can enjoy.

As part of the strategy to have an active corridor along the riverfront,
ORAs were introduced to facilitate alfresco dining and take advantageof the attractive setting and encourage activity along the riverside.
Alfresco dining has been part of the lifestyle in the tropics since theearly colonial days with street vendors providing makeshift seats
for their patrons to have a quick meal. These scenes of dining in theoutdoors, coupled with people going about with their daily lives,
were what made the streets vibrant and full of life in the past.

Top: Hawker stalls used to be set up
along the Singapore River in the 1970s.
Source: NHB
Bottom: Boat Quay promenade has
become a popular dining destination for
locals and tourists alike.
Source: URA, 1994

174

ORAs were conceptualised from the beginning when the URA planned
the development of the promenade. Upon the completion of theBoat Quay promenade in 1993, the URA briefed owners on the useof the promenade for ORAs. Guidelines were drawn up to define theextent to which an ORA could be deployed and the scale of structures
allowed. Light structures such as free-standing umbrellas were
initially permitted. Agreements were worked out between various
government agencies to facilitate the ORAs which were locatedon State land. The ORAs at Boat Quay became very popular anddemonstrated that such uses were attractive to both visitors andbusinesses.

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

175

ORAs under awnings that complement
the character of Robertson Quay.
Source: Victoria See

After the success of the ORAs along Boat Quay, more were introduced
in a comprehensive manner along the Singapore River to enliven theriverfront. In 1999, the URA released guidelines to encourage ORAs
along the Singapore River promenade. Guidelines were drawn up
to guide the ORA uses based on their context, both in terms of thephysical space available as well as the ambience of the area. As aresult, there were some differences between the quays in terms of
the extent and locations allowed in relation to the promenade
design and especially if there were conserved buildings. In addition
to technical requirements from agencies, considerations were also
given to ensure that the design of the ORAs did not excessively block
the views of the first-storey users, and to ensure easy public accessbetween the development and the public walkway. The guidelines
were regularly reviewed over time to stay relevant. For instance, in
2013, the guidelines were revised to further enhance the characterof Robertson Quay by allowing only retractable awnings mounted
from building façade, thereby differentiating the Robertson Quay
ORAs from those at Clarke Quay and Boat Quay, where free-standing
structures are allowed.

An Attractive Venue for Major Events

Top: People gathered at the Singapore
River to enjoy the Million Dollar Duck Race.
Source: URA, 2000
Bottom: Singapore River Regatta dragonboat race held. Source: URA, 20111999 was an important year for the transformation of the Singapore
River as it marked the year of completion of infrastructure works andthe formation of an integrated network along the entire river, bothalong the promenade and in the water. It marked the beginning of
the river’s new life as an activity corridor. By the end of the 1990s,
the Singapore River had become the venue of choice for some of
the largest nationwide activities promoted by the STB. The Milliondollar Duck Race in 2000 created a tremendous buzz that people still
remember today. The Singapore Buskers Festival, which took place
annually from 1997 to 2004, also became increasingly popular overtime, attracting 22 international acts and 150 local performers in its
final year.

NOVEMBER 2019
NOVEMBER 2019

Guidelines showing the placementof an ORA and its structures in relation
to promenade design at Robertson
Quay (left) and Clarke Quay (right).
Source: URA, 2014

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN176

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

177

Redevelopment as Rivergate: A Green Node

Robertson WalkRiverGate

Teck Guan Street

UE Square

Liang Court (former)

The Pier

Clarke Quay
Festival Village

Singapore Tyler
Print Institute

The Riverwalk

TheatreWorks

High Street Centre
Empress Place
Site for Rivière

River PlaceRiverside
Village

Robertson Blue
Rodyk Street

The Central

The Quayside
Singapore
Repertory
TheatreAn artist’s impression showing theSingapore River with its three quays
developed in line with the vision set
out in the Singapore River Concept Plan
1985. Source: URA, 2010

UOB Plaza

GREATER FOCUS ON DISTINCTIVENESS AND DELIGHT
By the end of the 1990s, with many of the redevelopments and government-led
works completed, the URA’s plan for the Singapore River as an active corridor
was shaping up. In the larger context of Singapore at that time, there was ageneral call for greater distinctiveness and an emphasis on playing up the
local identity, resulting in the significant evolution along Singapore River inthe 2000s.

Encourage More Distinctiveness in Design
The Landmark and Gateway Plan was first released in 2001 and was
subsequently incorporated into the Master Plan 2003. The Landmark and
Gateway Plan identified key routes to create a curated experience of thecity centre. Strategic sites were earmarked to orient the people upon theirapproach to the city, and create a heightened sense of arrival into the city
centre. Landmarks were carefully curated to build up a sense of anticipation
for the destination along the routes. The Singapore River had been identified
as a key route in this plan, with several sites along the river identified as
landmark sites, and owners of these sites were encouraged to create more
distinctive buildings that would enhance the visual appeal of the river district.
In tandem with the formulation of the Landmark and Gateway Plan, the URA
set up the Design Guidelines Waiver Committee (DGWC) to review proposals
with innovative and creative designs which required waivers from prevailingdesign guidelines. Chaired by the URA, the DGWC comprised members fromprivate architectural firms who would determine if there was sufficient meritin the proposed design to warrant a deviation from the prevailing guidelines.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

178

Top: Trademart, the multi-storey warehouse,made way for the RiverGate condominium.
Source: URA, 1991
Bottom: RiverGate features extensive
landscaping and skyrise greenery.
Source: URA, 2009

The proposal for the former Trademart site at the Robertson Quay and
Kim Seng area successfully obtained approval to deviate from someof the urban design guidelines. The proposal was for the conversionof an existing warehouse site to a residential development withcommercial use on the first storey—in line with the Master Plan.
The proposed residential development, named RiverGate, features
distinctive communal sky terraces throughout the tower blocks andvertical green façades. Such high-rise greenery was an innovative
concept in the early 2000s, and the project was one of the firstresidential developments to include such extensive greenery in its
design. The concept created by the Australian design consultant,
Cox Architecture, was for the development to be a upriver green nodethat also extends upwards. To realise this concept, the developers
required that certain urban design guidelines for Robertson Quay be
waived—specifically on the 4- and 10-storey building-height control,
and the requirement of a minimum 2-storey building height abutting
the site boundary fronting the promenade. The concept sketches
below illustrate the building forms originally required and how thefinal proposal deviated from the original guidelines.

The typical 4- and 10-storey urban massing
along Robertson Quay (left) in comparison to
proposed urban massing by COX Architecture(right). The latter’s design proposal opened
up the ground plan for more landscaping
which enhanced the public domain.
Source: COX Architecture, 2002
Internal road network required
from Martin RoadSet back to allow view across river
bend and enhancement of riverfront

Urban Wall

Tower Form

10-storey slab blocks

Four storeys alongedge, need for special
links to waterfront tocreate views and open
space

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY179

In addition to the unique vertical greenery on the residential
towers, the design also proposed seamless integration between thepedestrian promenade in the public domain, and the landscapingthat was within the private boundary. The separation between the twodomains would be unnoticeable as the development did not have any
obvious boundary wall, unlike most private residential developments
in Singapore. This way, not only could the private landscaping
contribute to the public promenade with its extensive greenery, it
would also widen the river promenade visually. These features wouldchange the atmosphere of the area and complement Kim Seng Park
which is located adjacent to the development. Considering thesebenefits, the DGWC found the proposal justifiable and supported
the request for waivers from the urban design guidelines.

Left: Artist’s impression of the seamlessintegration between the landscape of
the private condominium and the publicdomain along the river promenade.
Source: COX Architecture, 2002
Right: The publicly accessible riverpromenade, integrating seamlessly withthe greenery within the boundary of theprivate condominium. Source: URA
Towards Kim Seng Park
N

Open SpaceThe second storey of the ORA gives a new
vantage point of the Singapore River.
Source: URA, 2023

Pedestrian mall towards Martin Road

Having freed up the ground for more greenery, the maximum buildingheight was changed from 10 storeys to 43 storeys. The innovative
proposal for RiverGate created added value for the developer andprovided increased amenities for all the residents. More importantly,
it contributed significantly to the transformation of Robertson Quay,
enhancing the area with its distinctive development and expanding
the public domain.

Open space in front of the activity-generating
use at the RiverGate has become a popularspot for residents. Source: URA, 2011

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGNThe URA had made provisions for the inclusion of food and beverage
establishments within the redevelopment parcel. However, insteadof siting such activity-generating uses along the entire river frontage,
the food and beverage establishments were localised at the area
where the river promenade intersects with the pedestrian mall linking
to Martin Road. This draws foot traffic naturally to the establishments,
while freeing up the riverfront to facilitate a gradual transition fromthe bustle of commercial activity to the more leisurely atmosphereof Kim Seng Park further upriver. The open space, coupled with thefood and beverage establishments, have made this area an attractive
and popular public space for both residents and the public visiting or
passing through the area.

180

ORA Pods at The Central:
A New Vantage Point to Enjoy Views
The Central is another project which had also proposed a uniquefeature to contribute actively to the experience of the promenade.
The site had been identified for a landmark development given
its strategic location directly above Clarke Quay MRT station andproximity to the Fort Canning Park. In designing its ORAs, thedeveloper and architect took advantage of the view of the low-rise
Clarke Quay Festival Village that the site had to offer, by proposing
2-storey ORA structures within the 15-metre-wide pedestrian mall,where permanent building structures were typically not allowed.
Considering its strategic location and in keeping with the more vibrantcharacter of this part of the river, these 2-storey ORA structures were
supported by the DGWC. The ORAs would provide a new vantage
point of the river and and are themselves attractive visual features
along the promenade. Due to the success of these ORAs and how they
have enhanced the area, current ORA guidelines allow such 2-storey
structures to be more widely adopted at Clarke Quay.

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

181

Clarke Quay Festival Village’s Rejuvenation:
Flexibility in Design to Create a Unique Destination

Top: With the ORA structures detachedfrom the conserved building façades,
pedestrians walking along thepromenade are better able to appreciate
the conserved buildings in totality.
Source: URA, 2018
Bottom: View of the “angel” structures
against the conserved buildings in
Clarke Quay. Source: URA, 2018

More Delightful Experience Along the PromenadeIn early 2000s, after close to a decade of family-themed entertainment anduse, the owners of the Clarke Quay Festival Village—CapitaLand Group—
saw a need to reposition and rejuvenate the area to fully capitalise on theunique riverfront location. Shifting to a more cosmopolitan outlook andresponding to a booming entertainment scene for working adults, the area
was repurposed to be a vibrant entertainment destination in a major revamp
led by the design consultant Alsop Architects. The revamp included a largescale urban intervention with umbrella-like steel structures, informallyreferred to as “angels”. These cushioned canopies were made with Ethylene
Tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) and extended over the shophouses to provide
shelter to the streets from both rain and the sunshine. The canopies of theshade structures, which were decorated with tree-leaf motifs, helped reduce
solar penetration. Together with slow rotating fans within the structure, theinternal streets have been cooled by several degrees, which has createda more comfortable environment. In addition, more elaborate structures,
which were organic in form and akin to “lily pads and bluebells”, were also
added to define the ORAs. Although the structures partially obstructed theviews of the conserved shophouses from across the river and their design
contrasted with the existing buildings, the overall proposal was approved.
Since the structures were independent from the conserved buildings, theconserved shophouses could still be appreciated in totality by pedestrians
walking along the public footpath between the ORAs and the shophouses.
Since these structures could be removed or updated without permanently
affecting the conserved buildings, the flexibility to make such extensivechanges was accorded to the owners, so as to encourage them to rejuvenate
the area when required.

“ We knew the new structures would be controversial with somepeople seeing them as a modern intrusion into this clusterof conserved buildings. We came from the perspective oftransforming the place. It was not so much in the appearance, but
the ambience that these insertions created, making Clarke Quay
as a backdrop that is more fun and relaxed. The structures are also
not touching the conserved buildings, making clear what is old andwhat is new, which we thought was the appropriate approach.”39– Poon Hin Kong, Senior Advisor of Project Development & Design
at CapitaLand Development Singapore (2020 to 2022).

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGNAll the key infrastructure works to link up the quays and to makea continuous and accessible promenade were completed by
1999. Through the introduction of the ORAs and other initiatives
progressively over time, the URA had successfully converted theriverside into a popular and well-utilised recreational area.

182

Greater Vibrancy Through the Arts

The sculpture, First
Generation, by Chong Fah
Cheong. Source: STB

Encouraging Public Art
Recognising that public art can contribute greatly to the sense ofplace and identity of the city, in 2002, the URA released the Public
Sculptures Master Plan to provide a comprehensive guide for the
implementation of public sculptures in the city centre. The plan
identified key routes and sites in the Central Area where public
sculptures could be installed, to enhance the attractiveness of ourcity, to bring an added creative dimension to our experience, and toenhance the image of the place. The Singapore River was identified
as one of these key routes.
Capitalising on the conserved buildings and other significant
historical features including the river wall, the Singapore River
was conceptualised as an open concept museum by the STB.

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

183

Commissioned by the STB for what was titled the “People of theRiver” series, four life-sized bronze sculptures depicting the life of
the early inhabitants along the river were installed between 2000 and2001 with stakeholder support, to provide an immersive experience
for the visitors. These sculptures provide insights into the historicalsignificance and humble beginnings of Singapore River.
Complementing this series were various sculptures installed bymembers of the private sector, including earlier sculptures suchas the UOB’s Bird by Fernando Botero and Homage to Newton
by Salvador Dali at UOB Plaza. In 2007, another developer—City
Developments Limited—took advantage of the Public Art Tax Incentive
Scheme (PATIS) to commission a public sculpture—The Reed—along
the Teck Guan Street pedestrian mall fronting its development—
The Pier. The display of public sculptures continues to help markimportant milestones for Singapore today. As part of Singapore’s
Golden Jubilee (SG50), new public sculptures were commissioned
along the Singapore River, such as the interactive 24 Hours in
Singapore by Baet Yeok Kuan at the grounds of the Asian Civilisation
Museum (ACM). Another notable series is the sculptures along the
ACM promenade, which pay tribute to ASEAN’s key political leaders.
While these sculptures are of different genres, collectively, they
add to the cultural richness of the Singapore River, adding points
of interest to the public spaces along the river promenade.
Top: The River Merchants by Aw Tee Hong.
Source: STB, courtesy of Mindy Tan
Middle: A Great Emporium by Malcom Koh.
Source: URA, 2014
Bottom: From Chettiars to Financiers by
Chern Lian Shan. Source: URA, 2022

Left: Singapore Repertory Theatre.
Right: Singapore Tyler Print Institute.
Source: Victoria See, 2022

Housing the Arts
As early as 1992, the URA had identified two sets of state-owned
warehouses, one on Merbau Road and the other on Caseen Street
at Robertson Quay, as having notable architectural merit and to beconsidered under the National Arts Councils (NAC) Arts Housing
Scheme to house local arts groups. Earmarking some of thesewarehouses for arts and culture related uses would help to bringdiversity to the area and allow for better appreciation of the heritagebuildings. And so, these sites were zoned for Civic and Community
Institutions under the Singapore River Development Guide Plan.
The KC Arts Centre—previously known as the DBS Arts Centre—at
20 Merbau Road, was the first of the former warehouses that wasconverted, and it has been home to the Singapore Repertory Theatre(SRT) since 2001. The Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI), led byrenowned New York-based master printer Ken Tyler, took over theriver-fronting Caseen Street warehouses and opened its doors in2002 as an art gallery and workshop which focuses in the art ofprintmaking. The adjoining warehouses fronting 72-73 Mohammed
Sultan Road later became the home for TheatreWorks which focuseson contemporary performing arts and has a black-box theatre fitted
within the voluminous space of their building. These facilities
provide venues for the public to enjoy and experience different
genres of the arts, enriching the variety of experiences which canbe found by the river.

Left: The Reed Sculpture by Peter
Chen. Source: Victoria See, 2021
Right: 24 Hours in Singapore by
Baet Yeok Kuan. Source: URA

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN184

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

185

Better Night Lighting
In 2006, as part of the wider strategy to enhance the character ofthe city centre and to take advantage of Singapore’s cooler evenings
during which more people are likely to be outdoors, the URA
commissioned the Lighting Planner Associates (LPA)—a consultancy
headed by internationally renowned lighting designer, Kaoru Mende—
to develop a Lighting Master Plan for the Singapore city centre.
This served as an update and extension to the Civic District Lighting
Plan that was developed in 1999 and governed the lighting of key
buildings and streets within the Civic District.
As a strategy under the Lighting Master Plan, each precinct had adifferent focus and was given unique lighting treatments within thegeneral theme of featuring the tropical greenery. The night lighting
for the Singapore River was intended to highlight the water, connect
the three quays, create dynamic lighting for residual spaces such as
bridge underpasses, and make the entire waterfront safer and visually
exciting. Guided by the Lighting Master Plan, lighting works werecarried out in collaboration with the STB for the tree-lined promenadein 2008, lighting the trees, river wall, bridges and underpasses. The
night lighting successfully strengthened the unique character of theriverfront and greatly improved the ambience of the river, enhancing
its appeal at night.

Night lighting
enhances the overall
ambience along theriver promenade byhighlighting the waterand greenery. Source:
URA, 2009SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

Top left and top right:
Lighting along the riverwall
and for the greenery.
Source: URA, 2009
Bottom left and bottom
right: Lighting along theriver steps. Source: URA,
2009

BeforeAfter

BeforeAfter

Lighting on Cavenagh
Bridge highlights its
features. Source: URA

186

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY187

ORAs had been allowed to use the open spaces which had previously
been set aside, limiting access to the riverfront. As part of the
improvement works, two open spaces, which provided the publicwith good vantage points to rest and view the adjacent Civic District
and Marina Bay, were re-established.

Revamp of ORA Structures at Boat Quay

Top: ORAs with small scale umbrella
structures that are in line with thevision for alfresco dining.
Source: URA, 1999
Bottom: ORAs with bulky structures
blocking the view of the river andEmpress Place. Source: URA, 2014

Bulky ORA structures blocking
the view of the shophouses.
Source: URA, 2014

The Boat Quay promenade was one of the earliest areas in thecity where the use of outdoor spaces for alfresco dining had beenpromoted through the use of ORAs. After the introduction of the ORAs
along the Boat Quay promenade in 1993, their physical character
continued to evolve. The original intention for the ORAs was tocapitalise on the riverfront for the views and breeze, and to allow foralfresco dining under the sky for better appreciation of the riverfront.
Given Singapore’s tropical weather, small scale umbrellas or tent
structures were subsequently allowed as part of the guidelines toprovide some shade and shelter for the ORAs. The structures grew
bulkier over time and began limiting both views and air movementin the vicinity, including obscuring the view of the conserved
shophouses and the river which were supposed to be a featureof the area.
Recognising that the Boat Quay promenade had deviated too muchfrom the original urban design intention, the URA carried out a roundof environmental improvement works in 2016, following extensive
consultation with the business and property owners to develop acollective vision for Boat Quay. Stakeholders were keen to bring backthe attractiveness of the river and were supportive of the design
intent which would promote a greater appreciation of the riverfront
and the conserved shophouses. To achieve these goals, improvement
works were carried out to address several issues.

Second, the lightweight and elegant ORA structures were designed
to provide unobstructed views of the shophouses from across theriver, and a clear view of Empress Place on the opposite bank. The
canopies for the ORAs were also designed to be retractable to provide
the option for the ORA to be fully open to the sky in good weather. To
complement the non-uniform nature of the conserved shophouses,
the URA deliberately introduced height variations as part of thedesign of the ORA structures, to correspond with the first-storey
height of the shophouse opposite each ORA. To further this nonuniform aesthetic, the owners of the shophouses could choose thecolour of the fabric for their ORAs from a fixed palette of options.
Top: ORA with views to the river andEmpress Place.
Bottom: Open space for non-diners
to enjoy the view as well. Source:
URA, 2016

First, it was important to recover the open spaces along Boat Quay.
Due to the popularity of alfresco dinning and to be more pro-business,

Third, infrastructure supporting the ORAs had to be addressed.
The ORAs were originally envisaged to be open-air areas with minimalneed for additional lighting beyond the promenade street lamps.
Therefore, no electrical service for the ORA had been installed.
Over time, ORA operators had pulled overhead electrical cables fromtheir shophouses to supply electricity for lighting and fans. These
cables were overhanging across the pedestrian walkway, which was
unsafe and added to visual clutter along the promenade. Recognising
the need for electrical services at the ORAs, the redesign included
underground electrical cabling and associated works for individual
metering as part of the infrastructure works.

Lightweight ORA structures
improve visibility and allow for the
shophouses to be appreciated froma distance. Source: STB

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN188

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

189

Close Partnership with Stakeholders for Placemaking
Detailed Design of the new ORA Structures

ORA structures designedwith integrated features.
Source: URA, 2016

Taking a more collaborative approach with stakeholders hashelped them develop a greater sense of ownership. This has
enabled the URA to partner the stakeholders to develop initiatives
that were relevant and improve the area noticeably.

The design of the new ORA structures at the Boat Quay promenade
was carried out with close attention to details, to create practicaland efficient facilities. To address the needs of the businesses while
giving a more coordinated look and feel, the new ORA structures
were designed to incorporate space for common business and shop
design elements, allowing the businesses some design flexibility
within a defined framework. The ORA structures adopt a kits-ofpart concept, with a standard provision of several items including amenu display lectern, a frame or space for business signs, planters
to enhance greenery, and ramp and step access. In addition, all thewiring for electrical points and lights are concealed in the structural
frame and beneath the raised flooring for a neater look and ease ofmaintenance. The menu display lectern at each ORA also houses
a distribution board and electricity meter to easily track electricity
consumption.

From the early 2000s, the image of Boat Quay had gradually
deteriorated as businesses competed with each other, adopting
increasingly aggressive marketing tactics, such as extensive touting,which had a negative effect on the ambience of the area. It was clearthat there was a pressing need to foster closer partnership amongst
all stakeholders, public and private. Recognising this, the URA worked
with some of the key stakeholders who were passionate about this
precinct to establish the Singapore River One (SRO), a non-profit
company which does place management for the Singapore River
precinct. SRO provides a platform for stakeholders to be involved in
new initiatives, allowing a ground-up approach.

Examples of murals at the underpasses in 2021.
Top: The Back to the Past mural, in theunderpass below the Elgin Bridge, depicts
a mixture of the modern with the past andrecreates the environment of yesteryears.
Source: SRO, 2021
Bottom: The Gaia mural depicts the stories
of history, urban folktales and environmental
messages. Source: SRO, 2021

Space forsignboard

Structure integrated withelectrical services

Since its establishment in 2012, SRO has successfully forgedstronger partnerships with its stakeholders, most notably in morecoordinated marketing and business development programming,such as the Singapore River Festival, to increase patronage of thearea. For Boat Quay in particular, SRO galvanised the stakeholders totake a more active role in contributing ideas for the ORA revamp andchampioned the regular weekend closure of Circular Road to create amore enjoyable visitor experience. SRO also developed public realm
programmes to enhance the identity of the river district, increase
visitor numbers and encourage repeat visits. These programmes
include art murals at the pedestrian underpasses which add vibrance
to the otherwise utilitarian connections between the different quays
and has helped to add to the concept of an open museum. These
programmes also help engage the community including local artists
and stakeholders, building a stronger sense of ownership of the area.
The public spaces set aside under the Singapore River Concept Plan
have proven to be popular social spaces, especially for the residents
in the area. Capitalising on its connections with businesses, SRO
collaborated with private sponsors to introduce street furniture in
the form of children’s playsets and public benches at the Robertson
Quay area to serve the residents and visitors alike. Programmes suchas these, the result of a more community-led approach in designingand improving public spaces, help ensure the sustained vitality andattractiveness of the Singapore River.

Lectern for menu integrated
with electricity distribution
board

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

Barrier-freeaccess to ORA

190

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY191

LOOKING AHEAD“ Public-private partnerships are always complex
but when executed successfully, it can be very
powerful. In this case, [the] Singapore River isa good example of a successful public-private
partnership. The continuous rejuvenation
undertaken by the public sector has been
one of the main contributors to bringing
the riverfront to life. The public walkways,
cycling paths, interacting seamlessly withthe programming on the commercial side hasenhanced the businesses along the river. People
from all over Singapore congregate along theriverfront, as a sense of escape from their busy
lives, benefitting the commercial tenants andbringing energy to the river.”40

More than three decades after the River Clean-Up, the Singapore River
is today a vibrant activity corridor with a unique pedestrian-friendly
environment and a rich heritage.
With few vacant sites still available along the riverfront, it is especially
important that new development or rejuvenation projects becomplementary to the existing context and strengthen the character ofthis important historic urban waterfront. As the river district transforms
and evolves, the strategic plans and implementation strategies will needto adapt to maintain relevance. A number of key projects, which are
currently in the pipeline, are aimed at further enhancing and updating the
district and helping reinforce the river’s status as an asset to Singapore.

Rivière at Jiak Kim Street at the Former Site for Zouk
As part of Government Land Sale programme, a set of three former
warehouses at Jiak Kim Street and the adjoining vacant land were sold asa single plot for a residential development with some commercial use.
The set of buildings at Jiak Kim Street, which comprised some of thefirst few warehouses to be revitalised at Robertson Quay in 1991, hadbeen occupied by Singapore’s homegrown and internationally reputednightclub Zouk. However, over the years, as Robertson Quay moved toa more residential focus, in line with the Singapore River Concept Plan,
the popular nightclub had became increasingly incompatible with thearea, and relocated to a more suitable venue at the end of 2016.

– Kishin RK, CEO, RB Capital Group and founding
Board Member of SRO ( 2012 - present )Top: Artist’s impression of the Rivièrewith conserved buildings and low-risebuildings along the river. Source: Frasers
Properties, 2022
Bottom: Artist’s impression of theinterface of the private landscaped areawith the publicly accessible promenade.
Source: Frasers Properties, 2022

With the buildings being part of the integrated development on this plot,
this set of unique conserved warehouses will be restored to their originalform, which included voluminous double-storey spaces and timber roof
trusses. These former warehouses will be utilised for public-facing,
activity generating uses so that the architecture can be appreciated by
the general public.
The new development is governed by the following key urban design
strategies. First, the development has to provide a pedestrian
walkway through the site to connect Jiak Kim Street to Jiak Kim Bridge,
improving the connectivity from Havelock Road to the river. Next, thedevelopment must be seamlessly integrated with the public promenade.
In addition, the buildings fronting the river must be low rise to keep tothe area’s character and to blend with the conserved warehouses interms of scale.

Left: Blocks for the Future, a children’s
playset, located at Robertson Quay.
Source: URA, 2018
Right: The Route, a public seating,at Robertson Quay. Source: SRO, 2018SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN192

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

193

FORT
CANNINGPARK

The former Liang Court development was built prior to the River
Clean-Up, and while there have been previous rounds of rejuvenation,
its overall building form had remained essentially the same since its
completion in the late 1970s (see box story on page 158). In 2019,the new owners of the site, a consortium formed by City Development
Limited, CapitaLand and Ascott Residence Trust, decided that it wastime to redevelop the Liang Court site to better capitalise on the river
frontage and close proximity to Fort Canning Park. Given that theexisting gross floor area would need to be honoured, the URA directed
the development to create a more porous street level and depart fromits current monolithic podium-tower typology. This redevelopment
would present opportunities to implement some of the urban design
strategies that are congruous with the Singapore River Concept Plan.

NATIONAL
ARCHIVES OFSINGAPORE

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First, the development will rejuvenate its river promenade. The
existing access road fronting the river will be removed, allowing for awider pedestrian promenade. With the removal of the service accessand back-of-house areas currently fronting the river, the building
will be able to establish a better relationship with the promenade.
Together with the river taxi landing point, this part of the promenadehas the potential to be an activity node.
Second, a public space within the site will provide public pedestrian
access to the river from River Valley Road. The departure from theformer monolithic design of the site will help provide the visual andphysical porosity between the river and Fort Canning Park.

194

FORMER THONG CHAIMEDICAL INSTITUTIONROADTO PEARL’S HILLSTATE
COURTS

Round Island Route

Artist’s impression of Canninghill Piers
with its riverfront portion turned into apublic space. Source: CapitaLand andCity Developments Limited 2022

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

HA
VE

EU
T
NE ON
G
W
SE
BR
N
ID
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ST
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Pedestrian access throughCanninghill Piers will forma part of the hill-to-hillconnection between Fort
Canning Park and Pearl’s Hill.
Source: URA, 2021

KE

CHIN SWEEESTATERIVERSIDEVILLAGERO

AD

CLARKEQUAY

READ
BRIDGEM

OLD HILL STREETPOLICESTATION

VA
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OR

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CANNINGHILLLPIERSSIN G AP

Artist’s impression of the pedestrian accessthrough the parcel to create an attractive
public space. Source: CapitaLand and City
Developments Limited 2022

IN
CANN G RISE

Canninghill Piers at River Valley Road
at the Former Liang Court

The Singapore River has become a key activity corridor and is alsopart of the 150-kilometre-long Round Island Route (RIR), bringing new
amenities and vitality to the Singapore River. Given the increased usage
and the need to maintain safety, the clay tile paving of the promenadeat Robertson Quay has been changed to be consistent with the granite
paving that had been adopted for the promenade at Clarke Quay. Thisdeviates from the initial intention to differentiate the characters of thequays through the promenade paving. When these guidelines for thepaving materials for the promenade were drawn up, the characters of thethree quays were not yet developed. The varied paving types were seen
as a means to help differentiate the quays. Today, the quays have theirown established identities, and a unifying element such as a continuous
paving type does not detract from the differentiated identity of thedifferent quays.

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

195

Conclusion

1

2

Urban design has and continues to play a key role in thetransformation of the Singapore River, differentiating it fromother precincts in Singapore and creating a unique environment
with an ambience that people can enjoy. Urban design has been
carried out at many levels for the Singapore River Planning area,from broader aspects such as the building forms, open spaces,and pedestrian network, to a more granular level, such as details
in the promenade design. At both macro and micro level, designconcepts have been exercised with a lot of care and thought, forexample, with the promenade design and choice of trees. Withan even greater appreciation of the public realm by the generalpublic today, and the call for a stronger national identity andownership, there is a growing need to look beyond the hardware
and infrastructure as the river continues to evolve. Working withstakeholders such as SRO, to chart the way forward for better
public spaces and programming, while serving the need of the
stakeholders, will make the public realm more appealing and theSingapore River a place that Singaporeans are proud of.

3

URA Annual Report 1977/78, (Singapore: URA, 1978).
Ibid.

Goh, CLC interview.

23

Ministry of Communications and Information, “Government
announces measures to phase out rent control” 24 October 1988,
press release, https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/speeches/record-details/7b3957b5-115d-11e3-83d5-0050568939ad.

24

Rent control for conservation areas was lifted under the Controlled
Premises (Special Provisions) Act, which was first enacted in1970 to enable owners to recover possession of rent-controlled
properties for the development purposes in designated areas such
as Golden Shoe Area.

25

Development Charge has been replaced by Land Betterment
Charge (LBC) with effect from 1 August 2022.

5

URA Annual Report 1981/82, (Singapore: URA, 1982).

26

Skyline Nov/Dec 1986, (Singapore: URA, 1986).

URA Annual Report 1979/80, (Singapore: URA, 1980).

27

Skyline Mar/Apr 1989, (Singapore: URA, 1989).

7

Goh Hup Chor, “Interview by CLC”, Centre for Liveable Cities,
Ministry of National Development, 17 December 2013,transcript, accession number CLC/017/2013/005.

28

Skyline Nov/Dec 1988, (Singapore: URA, 1988).

29

Former Minister of State for National Development, Peter Sung,
mentioned at the signing of the Clarke Quake sale of sites. Skyline
Jan/Feb 1990, (Singapore: URA, 1990).

30

The platform levels of the old warehouses were low in relation to
the promenade level. If kept at that low level, there will be risk offlooding.

31

The Robertson Blue was one of the first privately owned sites toredevelop a set of retained warehouses. Sonny Chan, “Interview by
CLC”, Centre for Liveable Cities, Ministry of National Development,
24 June 2021, transcript, accession number CLC/058/2021/019.

32

The Planning and Development Guidelines for Robertson Quay
area preceded the Robertson Quay Envelope Control Plan in 1994.

33

Ole Johan Dale, “Interview by CLC”, Centre for Liveable Cities,
Ministry of National Development, 20 November 2020, transcript,
accession number CLC/058/2020/013.

34

The Singapore River Environmental Design Master Plan was an
outcome by the Singapore River Steering Committee, chaired by
the URA, that was set up in 1992 to drive and monitor the progressof the redevelopment works of the Singapore River. It was intended
to illustrate and coordinate the design and implementation of allenvironmental improvements works along the Singapore River thatinvolved both the government agencies and private sectors.

35

Sharon Chin and Cheryl Tan, “Riverside Trek – Obstacle course
awaits those who want to take a walk along the river”, The
Straits Times, 20 April 1993, 25, http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/
newspapers/Digitised/Page/straitstimes19930420-1.1.25.

89Pamelia Lee, “50 Years of Urban Planning and Tourism”, in 50
Years of Urban Planning in Singapore, ed. Heng Chye Kiang(Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Company, 2016).
“Ideas wanted for conservation of Singapore River”, The
Business Times, 6 May 1983, http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/
newspapers/Digitised/Article/biztimes19830506-1.2.14.3.

10

M. Gretchen, “New Face Plan for Boat Quay”, The Straits Times, 6
May 1983, http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/
Article/straitstimes19830506-1.2.2.

11

Mok Wei Wei and Justin Zhuang, “Totally Contextual”: The
Architecture of Mok Wei Wei, Mok Wei Wei: Works by W Architects(Singapore: Thames & Hudson, 2021).
Irene Ngoo, “What the young ones want… modern cityflavoured with the past”, The Straits Times, 4 September 1983,
http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Page/
straitstimes19830904-1.1.14.

13

Skyline Jul/Aug 1984, (Singapore: URA, 1984).

14

William Ong Wei Young, “Interview by CLC”, Centre for Liveable
Cities, Ministry of National Development, 19 October 2020,
transcript, accession number CLC/ 058/2020/009.

15

Liu Thai Ker, “Interview by CLC”, Centre for Liveable Cities,
Ministry of National Development, 9 October 2014, transcript,
accession number CLC/022/2014/003.

16

URA Annual Report 1983/84, (Singapore: URA, 1984).

36

Skyline Sep/Oct 1997, (Singapore: URA, 1997).

17

Ministry of Communications and Information, “Redevelopmentof the Singapore River Area”, 8 September 1985, press
release, https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/speeches/recorddetails/37eeaea4-a160-11e9-9972-001a4a5ba61b.

37

18

Stephanie Yeo, “Designing the look of the city”, The Straits
Times, 8 April 1995, http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/
Digitised/Page/straitstimes19950408-1.1.56.

Parts of the original straight wall profile fronting Asian Civilisation
Museum has been altered to create wide river steps to bring the
public closer to the river, which is part of the public terrace that
leads to the newly created entrance fronting the river promenade,giving the entrance more prominence.

38

Five of the bridges have been subsequently gazetted forconservation in December 2009. These were the Anderson Bridge,
Cavenagh Bridge, Elgin Bridge, Ord Bridge and Read Bridge.

39

Poon Hin Kong, “Interview by CLC”, Centre for Liveable Cities,
Ministry of National Development, 2 July 2021, transcript,
accession number CLC/058/2021/020.

40

Kishin RK, “Interview by CLC”, Centre for Liveable Cities,
Ministry of National Development, 6 July 2021, transcript,
accession number CLC/058/2021/021.

20

21

196

22

6

19

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

The clean-up of the Singapore River and the Kallang Basin
involved many government agencies, including Ministry of
the Environment, Ministry of National Development, Ministryof Trade and Industry, Ministry of Communications andInformation, Ministry of Law, Housing and Development Board,
Urban Redevelopment Authority, Jurong Town Corporation,
Primary Production Department, Port of Singapore Authority,
Public Works Department and Parks and Recreation Department.

4

12

Left: A new granite paving along
the promenade in Robertson Quay
has helped to give it an identity as asegment of the Round Island Route(RIR) in Singapore. Source: URA, 2021
Right: Programming by stakeholders,such as the mid-autumn festival
community walk, would enrich theSingapore River experience.
Source: SRO

Then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew at the opening of the Upper
Pierce Reservoir on 27 February 1977.

Gretchen Liu, Singapore A Pictorial History 1819–2000(Singapore: Editions Didier Millet, 2001).
Koh-Lim Wen Gin, “Interview by CLC”, Centre for Liveable Cities,
Ministry of National Development, 9 November 2020, transcript,
accession number CLC/058/2020/012.
“Rehabilitation of shophouses on land bounded by Boat Quay,
South Canal Road, Circular Road and South Bridge Road”, Press
Release, 31 March 1989.

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

197

View of Singapore River from the river mouth.
Source: Shawnn Tan/Unsplash

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN198

SINGAPORE RIVER: DEVELOPING WITH A SENSE OF HISTORY

199

POSTSCRIPT
Hwang Yu-Ning
Chief Planner & Deputy Chief
Executive Officer, Urban
Redevelopment Authority(2017–2023)

The impact of urban design in sculpting a distinctive and liveable built
environment in Singapore is clear, and over time has been recognisedby many.
Urban design in Singapore is realised through close cooperationand collaboration with developers, architects, as well as other built
environment professionals, turning guidelines into reality.
The work of the urban designer is never complete. As a contextual
discipline, urban design will continue to evolve based on changing
contexts. This may include immediate changes such as thedevelopment and redevelopment of land parcels and buildings to
support new uses and meet needs, or as part of longer-term planningto address unfolding trends such an ageing population, and also
to prepare for disruptions that may arise due to climate change. In
step with changing contexts, the URA has rolled out urban design
guidelines to encourage and, in some instances, mandate theincorporation of various elements to enhance our built environment.
These elements include urban greenery, public spaces, shelteredlinkways, better mobility networks with barrier-free access, just to
name a few.
Going forward, we need to be even more data-informed in our urban
design. Through both spatial and data analytics, we can gain richinsights into how people interact with the built environment, suchas the way we use public spaces and how our guidelines impact
developments such as the effect of urban greenery requirements.
The URA Design & Planning Lab has put in place various analytics
tools to help our urban designers make more informed decisions toshape our physical environment positively. We will continue to strive
to take full advantage of the advancements in urban design andplanning technologies to further enhance Singapore’s urban design
expertise for a built environment that is considered and designed
more holistically, as well as adaptable to future circumstances.
I want to thank the team who put this publication together torecord our short yet rich urban design heritage. It documents thefoundational work done at the Singapore River, as well as at newer
districts like one-north and Bedok Town, to showcase the diversity
and complexity of urban design in shaping the identity of places.
Singapore’s urban design effort will surely continue to expand as ourisland nation continues to develop. I hope that this publication will
spark your excitement for the future of urban design in Singapore as
much as it has in us.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

200

POST-SCRIPT201

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The project team from the Centre for Liveable Cities would like to extend our deepest gratitude
to the following key partner agencies, supporting organisations and interviewees, for theirsupport and contributions (in alphabetical order):SPECIAL THANKS
Cheong Koon Hean, Hugh Lim, Hwang Yu-Ning, Khoo Teng Chye, Koh-Lim Wen Gin, Liu Thai Ker
KEY PARTNER AGENCIESUrban Redevelopment Authority

Andrew David Fassam, Humphrey Sew,
Kimmy Cheung, Lim Wei Qi, Teh Lai Yip, Yap Lay Bee

Housing & Development Board

Chou Mei, See Yong Feng, Wong Li Eng

JTC Corporation

Aloysius Iwan Handono, Tang Hsiao Ling

SUPPORTING AGENCIESLand Transport Authority
National Parks Board
INTERVIEWEES
Arthur Aw Chye Eng
Ashvinkumar Kantilal (ONG&ONG)
Chin Thoe Chong (DP Architects)
Christopher Chow (ADDP Architects)
Goh Hup Chor
Kenneth Kong Yau Kwan (DCA Architects)
Khoo Poh Bin (DCA Architects)
Kishin RK (RB Capital)
Koh-Lim Wen Gin
Kong Choong Kit (P & T Group)
Kuan Chee Yung (CPG Consultants)
Look Boon Gee (LOOK Architects)
Ole Johan Dale
Poon Hin Kong (CapitaLand)
Richard Soon (P & T Group)
Robert Brodeth (ONG&ONG)
Sim Ming Howe (DCA Architects)
Sonny Chan (CYSA)Tan Teck Min
William Ong
The project team would like to extend their gratitude to the following former colleagues
from the Centre for Liveable Cities and the Urban Redevelopment Authority who havesupported and contributed to the making of this publication – Annette De Souza, Calvin Dai,
Chelsea Sia, Luther Seet, See Boon Ping, and Twu Shih Min. The project team would
also like to acknowledge the following people who have supported this publication—
Koo Tin Chew Vincent and Seah Chee Huang.

SHAPING SINGAPORE THROUGH URBAN DESIGN

202