Ravi Chandran
GuocoLand Limited (“GuocoLand”) announced on Sep 13 that its flagship mixed-use development Guoco Tower has clinched the 2019 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Global Awards for Excellence, widely recognized as one of the development industry’s most prestigious awards programs on an international level.
Guoco Tower emerged as the only project from Singapore amongst the 11 winners. Other recipients of the award include projects from countries such as the United States, China, and Russia. Winning projects demonstrate a comprehensive level of quality and a forward-looking approach to development and design. Notably, the award also recognised Guoco Tower’s continual efforts in placemaking – where the development has gone above and beyond for the community, and has been a catalyst in the rejuvenation of Tanjong Pagar.
Even during the early design stage, the development was constructed with the users in mind, with a strong focus on building a place that the community would feel connected to. Guoco Tower is Singapore’s tallest building at 290m, a mixed-use development that seamlessly integrates premium Grade A offices, dedicated retail and F&B space, the 5-star Sofitel Singapore City Centre, luxurious homes at Wallich Residence, and an Urban Park.
Serving as the benchmark for future projects, Guoco Tower presents an urban solution to increasing land scarcity in Singapore by creating a high-density development that is also highly liveable. As the gateway linking the Central Business District to the Tanjong Pagar district, Guoco Tower provides greater connectivity in the area, enhancing the liveability of 300,000 office workers with wider food options, accessibility to amenities and public transport, and placemaking activities.
Guoco Tower has created a dynamic community and has become a key catalyst in the area’s rejuvenation. The Urban Park was specially designed to bring ample public space to a dense urban center at Tanjong Pagar.
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Instead of maximising the commercial space for rental, 150,000 sq ft was set aside for the Urban Park, which includes the 30,000 sq ft City Room. The Urban Park is sheltered with a 16-metre high glass canopy that comes with in-built sound and lighting systems, and can accommodate up to 2,000 people.
GuocoLand is fully committed to support the Live-Work-Play concept through a series of events programming at the Urban Park. They focus on three core pillars – fitness, music and play. These have created opportunities for people to connect and engage during the work week, and on weekends.
For example, Guoco Tower collaborated with Japan Rail Café for multiple events, including “The Sakura Lounge” and “Autumn in the Train” which had Japanese delicacies, live music performances and free screenings of crowd-favourite films. Yogafest World Edition in January 2019 saw hundreds of yoga enthusiasts under the guidance of locally-established and international instructors. Weekly group fitness programmes like Zumba and Body Combat organised by anchor tenant Virgin Active have also been well-received by the community.
On the precinct front, GuocoLand has taken an active lead in partnering various stakeholders for the Tanjong Pagar pilot Business Improvement District (BID), which launched on 7 September 2019. Stakeholders have come together with tailored initiatives such as obstacle challenges and free yoga classes to further inject life into the area through placemaking. Common public areas have been activated to enhance the recreation and entertainment offerings, and showcase the area’s rich history, heritage and culture.
Mr Cheng Hsing Yao, Group Managing Director of GuocoLand Singapore said, “The Urban Land Institute Global Awards for Excellence affirms our vision for Guoco Tower to be a premier quality business and lifestyle hub. It has injected a fresh vibrancy, and helped to elevate the value and positioning of the Tanjong Pagar district. We envision Guoco Midtown to do the same for the Beach Road area. When it is completed, it will also have exciting public spaces that will attract many people to Guoco Midtown.”
With its success at Guoco Tower, GuocoLand will continue to implement these placemaking strategies for Guoco Midtown. The mixed-use development is poised to become the new social heart for the Beach Road area, where it will foster community street life by providing a series of public spaces that can adapt and cater to different public activities and events.
In June 2019, Guoco Tower was selected as the only development from Singapore to win the ULI Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence. Other notable awards that Guoco Tower clinched this year include the Award of Excellence Winner for Urban Habitat: Single-Site Scale by The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH); and Best Design Land Transport Integration by Land Transport Authority. Both awards recognise Guoco Tower’s efforts in creating a positive impact on its surrounding environment. These include creating seamless connections between the development, neighbourhood and various transport nodes; as well as enhancing the lifestyle and convenience for tenants, residents and visitors.
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