CapitaLand’s iconic megastructure Raffles City Chongqing on track to wow the world from 2018
Backed by Chongqing Connectivity Initiative and One Belt One Road, Singapore’s largest single development in China receives strong support as symbol of close Sino-Singapore collaboration
Singapore, 3 September 2016 – CapitaLand welcomed today the visit by Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to the development site of Raffles City Chongqing. The 1.12-million-square-metre (sq m) megastructure towering aloft Chao Tian Men, the crown jewel of Chongqing in southwest China, is an architectural marvel, a global landmark and more importantly a symbol of close Sino-Singapore collaboration. In a progress report to Prime Minister Lee, CapitaLand updated that the iconic Raffles City Chongqing, Singapore’s largest single development in China at RMB24 billion (about S$4.9 billion), is on track for completion in phases from 2018 onwards.
Mr Lim Ming Yan, President and Group CEO of CapitaLand, said: “Raffles City Chongqing is an iconic landmark at the gateway to China’s western region. The project has taken on added significance with the establishment of the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative (CCI) and the development of One Belt One Road (OBOR), which have further enhanced Chongqing’s strategic position. As one of the key projects symbolising strong bilateral collaboration, the development of Raffles City Chongqing has been receiving strong support and is on track to open in phases from 2018. When completed, Raffles City Chongqing will complement the CCI and OBOR as a hub for international and domestic companies to partake in the growth story of Chongqing. We will also be setting up the Sino-Singapore Collaboration Centre with the Yuzhong District government at Raffles City Chongqing to facilitate the provision of leading-edge modern services to the city.”
Featuring architectural breakthroughs and cutting edge science and building technology, Raffles City Chongqing stands as one of the biggest engineering marvels being built around the world today. From advance district cooling systems, composite outrigger design, innovative structural seismic design to the adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM), CapitaLand has deployed numerous award-winning innovations and new technologies to advance its construction and to increase efficiency during the planning, design and construction stages.
Mr Lim added: “As the biggest and most complex Raffles City development that CapitaLand has undertaken, Raffles City Chongqing is set to be one of the most ingenious and aweinspiring modern structures of all time. We are drawing on CapitaLand’s 30 years of experience in integrated developments and 22 years of local knowledge in China, to tackle the project’s immense scale, complex design and unique site conditions. We have also put in place our best resources that include in-house talents supported by a team of leading building design and engineering consultants. Since groundbreaking in September 2012, Raffles City Chongqing has completed site excavation and is now steadily proceeding with the structural works. The development is on track to be completed in phases from 2018.”
Designed by star architect Moshe Safdie, Raffles City Chongqing comprises a shopping mall and eight towers for residential, office, serviced residence and hotel use, with a total construction floor area of 1.12 million sq m and gross floor area (excluding car park and transport hub) of about 817,000 sq m. The two tallest towers stand at 350 metres, offering captivating views of the bustling Chongqing cityscape. The development’s design draws inspiration from the region’s thousand years of waterway transportation culture and takes the form of powerful sails upon the river, symbolising a great city surging forward. A distinctive architectural feature is the 13,000 sq m The Conservatory. Wrapped in a 300-metre translucent glass structure, it links four of the eight towers. Standing at a height of 250 metres, approximately 400 metres above sea level, The Conservatory will house a viewing deck, an infinity sky pool and notable F&B establishments, offering stunning views of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers.
Mr Lucas Loh, CEO of CapitaLand China, said: “Raffles City Chongqing occupies a strategic location on the Chao Tian Men site in Yuzhong District, at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, highly regarded as the crown jewel of Chongqing. Located next to the traditional Jie Fang Bei CBD, it boasts excellent connectivity as it is fully integrated with a transport hub that comprises a metro station, bus interchange, ferry terminal and cruise centre. The expected sales launch of our residential tower by the end of this year will present a keenly awaited opportunity for investors to own a piece of this iconic architecture at Chao Tian Men, one of the most sought after addresses in the whole of China. It will also appeal to foresighted buyers who appreciate the value of Raffles City Chongqing, which stands to grow in tandem with the city of Chongqing.”
Raffles City Chongqing is also an exemplary sustainable building. It has been accorded the LEED-CS (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – Core & Shell) pre-certification at the Gold Level by the United States Green Building Council. LEED is a green building certification programme that recognises best-in-class building strategies and practices. Raffles City Chongqing is Chongqing’s largest development to receive the Gold certification. Its sustainable measures include optimising shades to reduce heat, using a high efficiency irrigation system to conserve water, recycling construction waste, using building materials with recycled content, and installing carbon dioxide sensors at office areas with fresh air control. CapitaLand has also partnered Singapore Power to provide an advanced district cooling system for the integrated development, which will generate substantial energy savings and utility cost avoidance.
It has been 30 years since CapitaLand launched its flagship integrated development brand Raffles City in Singapore. As the largest development then linking the Central Business District in Shenton Way to the shopping belt in Orchard Road, Raffles City Singapore boldly transformed Singapore’s city landscape when it opened in 1986 and created a global sensation with the world’s tallest hotel then. The success of Raffles City Singapore has since paved the way for the brand to be exported to China and today, the portfolio comprises a total of nine Raffles City developments, of which eight are located in China. Collectively, the nine Raffles City developments in Singapore and China span about 4 million square metres and will be worth about S$15.0 billion (about RMB73.8 billion) when fully completed.