CapitaLand’s architectural excellence receives worldwide recognition again with CapitaGreen and d’Leedon accorded international accolades by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
- CapitaLand has won five accolades since 2013
- CapitaGreen crowned the Best Tall Building Award for Asia and Australasia Region
- d’Leedon named a finalist in the Urban Habitat Award category
Singapore, 22 June 2015 – CapitaLand Limited’s commercial building CapitaGreen and residential development d’Leedon have been recognised on the international stage as they made it to the distinguished list of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)’s Awards 2015, which recognise projects that have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of tall buildings and the urban environment, as well as achieve sustainability at the highest and broadest level.
CapitaGreen, the new Grade A premium office building in Singapore’s Central Business District has been awarded the CTBUH 2015 Best Tall Building Award for Asia & Australasia Region. Completed in December 2014, this 40-storey, 242-metre building was jointly developed by CapitaLand, CapitaLand Commercial Trust and Mitsubishi Estate Asia and features the stunning award-winning sustainable design of Toyo Ito, winner of the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2013.
Meanwhile, d’Leedon, an iconic condominium with Singapore’s prominent District 10 address and comprising seven 36-storey towers offering 1,703 apartments and 12 semi-detached houses, was a finalist in the Urban Habitat Award category. Developed by CapitaLand Singapore, Hotel Properties Limited, and two other shareholders, d’Leedon is designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Zaha Hadid and was completed in October 2014.
To date, amongst the world’s real estate companies, CapitaLand has won five prestigious accolades conferred by the CTBUH, the world’s leading resource and not-for-profit organisation focused on the design and construction of tall buildings and future cities. Last year, its landmark condominium The Interlace not only won the inaugural Urban Habitat Award, but was also a finalist in the Best Tall Building Award for the Asia and Australasia Region. In 2013, CapitaLand’s integrated development at Raffles City Chengdu, China, was also a finalist in the Best Tall Building Award for Asia & Australasia Region.
Mr Lim Ming Yan, President & Group CEO of CapitaLand Limited, said: “Aligned with CapitaLand’s credo ‘Building People. Building Communities.’, CapitaLand is committed to improve the economic, environmental and social well-being of its stakeholders through the execution of development projects and management of our operations. We understand how buildings can enrich the lives of homeowners, shoppers, tenants, serviced residence guests and members of the public. Therefore, we have always placed strong importance on incorporating concepts of accessibility, connectivity, safety, lush greenery, healthy indoor air quality, operational efficiency and community bonding into our buildings. It is remarkable that four of our iconic developments – CapitaGreen, d’Leedon, The Interlace, and Raffles City Chengdu – have been awarded a total of five CTBUH accolades since 2013.”
Mr Lim added: “With the CTBUH awards, CapitaLand’s efforts in promoting and developing environmentally sustainable, quality and beautiful buildings that will benefit the communities have been recognised not only regionally, but also internationally. These international awards are an affirmation of the tremendous team effort, commitment and creative and technical excellence of everyone involved. At CapitaLand, we have always tried to create value through product differentiation. Be it working with world-famous architects to design iconic developments to exploring new marketing strategies, we always pride ourselves for being innovative, pushing boundaries and setting new trends in the real estate market, especially in our core markets of Singapore and China.”
CapitaGreen – living, breathing architecture
The concept of “breathing and living architecture” was what inspired Toyo Ito when he was drawing up the plans for CapitaGreen. Ito’s belief that modern-day architecture should be sustainable led him to create a building with several eco-friendly features that would reduce its energy consumption and carbon footprint.
“Our idea is to recover the amount of green land lost to building sites by replacing it with as much or more greenery in the vertical direction,” he explained. “With CapitaGreen, we tried to develop a new ecological building by designing a sky forest at the top of the building, and a way to channel clean air into the building. This building is like a big tree that catches the sun and winds. Office buildings in the 20th century have artificial environments, which are separated from nature. CapitaGreen is a perfect example of a high-rise office which has an indoor environment that is not artificial, but connected with nature”.
On CapitaGreen’s Best Tall Building Award for the Asia and Australasia Region, Mr Antony Wood, Executive Director of the CTBUH, said: “CapitaGreen indicates a viable way forward for the high rise vegetated façade – within the double skin of a tall building, offering solar shade and possible agricultural output, as well as environmental and psychological benefits. The way this “living wall” connects a series of indoor and outdoor communal gardens, culminating in the grand roof terrace, is also commendable.”
Over half of its perimeter façade is covered by living plants, resulting in a 55% green ratio. The energy-efficient, double-skin façade comprising a primary curtain wall of glass and secondary layer of teeming planters cuts solar heat gain by up to 26%. With a net lettable area of 702,000 square feet, CapitaGreen has one of the largest and most efficient column-free floor plates (22,000 square feet) and an exceptionally high raised floor-to-ceiling height of 3.2 metres, offering tenants much flexibility in configuring their office space.
Sky terraces at Levels 5, 14, and 26 bring the outdoors indoors and offer tenants quiet respite from the bustling city below. The Sky Forest on level 40 is marked by a distinctive crown of tropical trees and a distinctive red and white sculptural petalled funnel. These “petals” have been designed as wind scoops to take advantage of the prevailing wind direction to draw in the cooler, cleaner air from above and channel it through a cool void to deliver fresh air to tenants.
d’Leedon – a self-contained development offering world-class amenities
Meanwhile, d’Leedon was a finalist of the Urban Habitat Award which acknowledges projects that demonstrate a positive contribution to the surrounding environment, add to the social sustainability of both their immediate and wider settings, as well as represent design influenced by context, both environmentally and culturally.
Comprising seven 36-storey towers offering 1,703 apartments as well as 12 exclusive semi-detached houses, d’Leedon offers unobstructed views of Singapore’s skyline and large expanses of greenery such as Singapore Botanic Gardens and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and is a stone’s throw away from Orchard Road. With its distinctive curvilinear architectural form, the seven towers gently taper inwards as they merge with the ground, hence occupying only 22% of the site. This frees up a vast amount of land dedicated to even more landscape and lifestyle facilities.
Ms Zaha Hadid said: “Creating homes of the highest standards has always been our ambition and d’Leedon incorporates the same spatial qualities and design principles of our cultural buildings. At d’Leedon, even though it is the largest condominium in Singapore, the design optimises the space made possible for recreation and relaxation. The towers only occupy 22% of the site enabling us to create a true urban resort - a fantastic place to relax and enjoy with family and friends. Besides focusing on the best possible layouts for the apartments, we developed a unique petal-shaped layout for the towers and worked hard to create a unique identity and formal composition for each unit and block, which is coherent within the overall design language of d’Leedon.”
Located in Singapore’s District 10 and near the Farrer Road MRT Station, d’Leedon is a self-contained development offering a myriad of world-class amenities such as two clubhouses, a large gymnasium overlooking an outdoor aqua-gym, two 50-metre lap pools, three party houses, themed gardens, and a 1.7-kilometre jogging route which links up six fitness stations, three tennis courts, a basketball court and a multi-purpose court. The distinctive development has also garnered awards such as Universal Design Mark Platinum and Green Mark GoldPLUS from the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore, as well as the Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters Certification from Singapore’s water agency, PUB.
About Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat is the world’s leading resource for professionals focused on the design and construction of tall buildings and future cities. A not-for-profit organisation based at the Illinois Institute of Technology, the group facilitates the exchange of the latest knowledge available on tall buildings around the world through events, publications and its extensive network of international representatives. Its free database on tall buildings, The Skyscraper Center, is updated daily with detailed information, images and news. The CTBUH also developed the international standards for measuring tall building height and is recognised as the arbiter for bestowing such designations as “The World’s Tallest Building.”
CapitaGreen
138 Market Street
CapitaGreen is an iconic 40-storey, premium Grade A office building located in the heart of Singapore’s Central Business District.
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Pritzker Laureate Toyo Ito designed CapitaGreen like a tree growing towards the sky. Breaking away from conventional Grade A office design, the lush greenery that envelopes the building creates a sustainable office environment that is connected with nature.
Over half of its perimeter façade is covered by living plants, giving it s 55% green ratio. Its innovative, energy-efficient double-skin façade is made up of an outer layer of frameless glass and an inner envelope of double-glazed full-height glass. Between these two layers of glass are planter boxes filled with shrubs and ground-covers. The double-skin façade reduces solar heat gain in the building by 26%, and also serves as the greenhouse for the plants to flourish. Rain water is harvested to irrigate the plants in the building.
Lush greenery can also be found in the sky terraces on the 5th, 14th, and 26th floors, and on the 40th storey rooftop Sky Forest. The crown of the building is marked by a distinctive red and white wind scoop which channels fresh air from the building’s roof top, through its air-conditioning system, to cool its office floors. For its environmentally-sustainable and inclusive design, CapitaGreen was awarded the Green Mark Platinum Award in 2012 and Universal Design GoldPLUS in 2013 by Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority.
Sky terraces at Levels 5, 14, and 26 bring the outdoors indoors and offer tenants quiet respite from the bustling city below. Acting as a lung for the building, the Sky Forest atop the skyscraper is marked by a distinctive crown of tropical trees and a striking red and white sculptural petalled funnel. These “petals” have been designed as wind scoops to take advantage of the prevailing wind direction to draw in the cooler, cleaner air from above. The 6 wind scoops work together with the funnel’s hollow stem that penetrates all 40 storeys of the building to deliver fresh air to tenants via the air-conditioning system. This innovative circulatory system maintains a comfortable temperature in the indoor office environment. On Level 38, a swimming pool and gym facilities invite users to unwind and work out their stress. A rooftop restaurant nestled in the Sky Forest invites diners to savour stunning city views from 40 floors up as they enjoy their meal.
CapitaGreen boasts one of the largest and most efficient, truly column-free floor plates (22,000-26,000 square feet) and the exceptionally high raised floor-to-ceiling height of 3.2 metres.
Artworks
Enhancing the aesthetics of its surroundings is another tenet of CapitaGreen’s design philosophy. Greeting visitors and tenants is an expansive lobby that boasts a triple-height ceiling and handcrafted Kakiotoshi (earth plaster) walls. Sculptures by world-renowned artists are tastefully integrated throughout and around the development to enhance the surroundings and aid way-finding.
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Awards
- Best Tall Building Award for the Asia and Australasia Region 2015 - Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
- BCA Universal Design GoldPLUS (2013) - Building and Construction Authority, Singapore
- BCA Green Mark Platinum (2012) – Building and Construction Authority, Singapore
Developers
- CapitaLand Limited (50%)
- CapitaLand Commercial Trust (40%)
- Mitsubishi Estate Asia (10%)
Concept Architect
Toyo Ito & Associates Architects Project Architect RSP Architects Planners & Engineers (Pte) Ltd
Tenure 99-year leasehold
Net Lettable Area 702,000 square feet
Temporary Occupation Permit Date
18 December 2014
About d’Leedon
District 10
Strategically located in the heart of District 10, d’Leedon sits on an expansive 840,049 square feet, 99-year leasehold site along Leedon Heights. The largest private residential development in Singapore, d’Leedon is also the first high-rise residential project designed by internationally-renowned Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Zaha Hadid.
d’Leedon comprises seven 36-storey towers offering 1,703 apartments as well as 12 exclusive semi-detached houses. Surrounded by good-class bungalows and mainly 12-storey condominiums, it is the only residential site in the vicinity which stands at 36 storeys tall, hence offering unobstructed views of Singapore’s skyline and breathtaking views of large expanses of greenery such as Botanic Gardens and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Given its unique architectural lines and soaring towers, d’Leedon is easily distinguishable as an iconic landmark.
Zaha Hadid’s proposal is generated by the study of the existing alignments, the main axis for Farrer Road and the surrounding good-class bungalows, which are used to draw a series of lines highly connected to the neighbourhood. The flowing lines are organised in bands to position the towers with optimum orientation and views out to the city as well as develop different landscape features and activities.
The landscape articulation is organised in five main bands in response to the existing alignments and the main axis surrounding the site. These are then brought into the site and 9 connected to generate a series of orientation lines. The different landscape themes follow these lines allowing for diverse experience and changing ambiences throughout the whole site - whilst maintaining and facilitating navigation and orientation in relations to both towers and common facilities.
The ground landscape level is visualised as a very green layer, which emphasises the presence of tropical vegetation in the Singapore’s climate. The site levels are organised into a series of terraced plateaus to maximise the area dedicated to communal facilities. Connectivity and navigation within the site and towards the surrounding city are the driving elements for the overall site organisation. Vehicle circulation is minimised by routing part of the main driveway from the entrances of Leedon heights and King’s Road into the basement level, creating a more pedestrian-friendly landscape throughout the whole development.
Landscape Design and Facilities
Water, lush vegetation, sports surfaces, urban plazas and green fields are the elements that characterise the five landscape bands. Each band is dedicated a unique character inspired by the distinct components of mountain ecosystems: Rock, Forest, Water, Foothills and Meadow.
Each band has a different character and ambience, created by using a unique palette of plant species and paving surfaces. The individuality of these bands is further enhanced through the spatial arrangement, lighting and differing facilities on offer. The effect of this striking landscape arrangement offers an unforgettable visual and spatial experience as one passes along or across the bands.
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Rock
With the entrance from King’s Road as its focus, this band has the feel of an open dry country typically in the highlands. It is characterised by upright trees with small leaves, open canopies and with stone presented in its most natural form contrasting with the more manmade elements more common throughout the rest of site.
Forest
This zone represents the traditional natural forest or jungle that occurs throughout the tropics, such as the coastal forest typical of the South China Sea islands. Though it is leafy and lush, the numerous opening and clearings within the canopy allow light to splash onto the ground and provide light for various activity spaces. The plant selection combines trees and palms of different heights and forms showcasing the bewildering selection of plants that grow naturally in Singapore.
Scattered throughout the Forest band are a series of thematic pocket gardens that provide shade and respite for quiet activities such as reading or mere contemplation. Here, one can experience strolling amidst the calm lushness of a coastal forest – all within the development.
Water
Forming the central axis of the site, this zone is a hive of activity and energy. It manifests itself in the form of numerous water features such as lap pools (50m and 75m), dipping pools, jacuzzis, spa pools, gym pool, children’s wet play pool, eco-pond and reflecting pools. Water is used in many forms, from still and reflective, to cascades and fountains. Planting is provided to give dappled shade to the pools and consists of species that are naturally found by water.
Strung along the water band are two clubhouses with multiple facilities such as function rooms, reading rooms, games rooms, karaoke rooms, golf simulator rooms, screening rooms, spa, a large gymnasium, outdoor event spaces, retail areas and restaurants.
Foothills
The largest zone on the site, this area uses some of the less commonly seen species of trees to create a rich, colourful and interesting landscape for the active zones. It is more open than the Forest band, thus allowing for more view corridors.
Within this zone are most of the outdoor facilities including three tennis courts, a basketball court, a multipurpose court, a series of thematic gardens, jogging track, exercise stations, play areas as well as a track for mini-car racing.
Meadow
Splashes of colour from open and light canopied trees brighten up this band. Visible from Farrer Road, this band presents the site to the world and sets the standard for the development within. The entrance from Leedon Heights is a sculptural element that both welcomes and inspires residents and visitors.
Again, this band provides a different setting from the rest of the bands – the main feature being an intriguing giant maze which would be a popular destination.
The design and distribution of the volumes housing the facilities recalls the tower geometries, based on petal patterns in a coherent composition. These emerge from the landscape as a continuum surface, with no distinction between buildings and green areas. The roof becomes floor and the landscape becomes building as part of an integrated system.
Each facility petal is defined with a specific program, yet unified and integrated under a same roof articulation. There is a wide myriad of communal activities, both indoor and outdoor, to cater to all interest and age groups in the various bands. Culminating at the peak of the site are three party houses, each with its own jacuzzi or pool.
Towers
The seven towers sitting within the bands gently taper inwards as they merge with the ground, hence occupying only 22% of the site. This frees up a vast amount of land dedicated to even more landscape and lifestyle facilities.
The residential program is organised into seven towers which grow from private gardens within the site landscape. These organic towers stand out in the park, emerging from the green layer as large scale man-made trees. The lower floors gently taper in to highlight the point where they meet the ground, enabling minimal site coverage and maximum open area as well as the creation of highly private gardens which are unique, given the scale and density of the development.
The towers are subdivided into petals according to the number of units per floor. With this common principle, a series of diverse and unique towers are generated. Vertically along the height of the tower, the generative floor plan on the petal changes shape in relation to the different configuration and typology of the units. This creates a highly innovative architectural statement, where the building fabric follows a series of parameters dictated by site conditions, internal organisation and structural optimisation.
The petals are expressed in three dimensions, thanks to vertical cuts which give definition to the building’s façades and concurrently allow for cross ventilation. The towers culminate at the top with a series of fingers stepped at different heights, which blend the transition between the architectural fabric and the sky. Rotating the buildings across the site and the careful use of balconies and façade panelling produces an incredible amount of diversity across the development, giving each unit a unique and distinguishable location and appearance, both externally and internally.
Amenities
d’Leedon is a self-contained development offering a complete suite of facilities, shops and restaurants. Two clubhouses with function rooms, reading rooms, games rooms, karaoke rooms, golf simulator rooms and screening rooms provide indoor entertainment while those residents who prefer the outdoors can enjoy the wide variety of leisure and lifestyle offerings such as barbeque areas, playgrounds, mini-race track, jacuzzis and themed gardens such as Sculpture Garden and Scent Garden.
For the fitness-conscious, there is a multitude of choices, including a large gymnasium overlooking an outdoor aqua-gym. Complementing the aqua-gym are two 50-metre lap pools straddling across the site. There is also a 1.6km jogging route which links up six fitness stations, three tennis courts, a basketball court as well as a multi-purpose court.
Culminating at the apex of the site are three party houses for social gatherings, each with its own dip pool.
Unit Types
To meet different lifestyle needs and aspirations, d’Leedon offers a wide variety of apartment types, including one bedroom+study, two-bedroom, three-bedroom and four-bedroom units, penthouses, three-storey garden homes and semi-detached garden villas. The units range from 590 to 2,400 square feet in size, while the penthouses and three-storey garden homes are about 2,800 to 6,500 square feet in size.
Along the site’s western boundary adjacent to the good-class bungalows, 12 semi-detached houses, which range from 5,500 to 7,400 square feet in size, will give residents the experience of living in a landed property coupled with the benefits of a wide array of communal facilities.
To encourage multi-generation living within the development, d’Leedon offers 312 units (about 18% of the development) with ageing-in-place provisions which come in varying sizes located at different blocks and levels. Such units come with help-call buttons, additional lowlevel view finder at the main door, step-less bathrooms as well as wider corridors for future installation of grab bars, amongst other user-friendly features. These are uncommon in private residential developments in Singapore. Big families can therefore stay together in the same project, and yet enjoy the privacy of their own space.
Green initiatives to reduce energy and water usage include energy-efficient light fittings and motion sensors in common areas like lift lobbies. Sun pipes will be used to channel natural light into the basement carpark while solar panels will harness renewable energy. Rainwater will be collected to irrigate the development’s landscaping via a sensor-controlled waterefficient drip irrigation system.
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Garden Villas
Twelve strata semi-detached houses are arranged along the western boundary of the site, adjacent to the good-class bungalows. The villa design is the expression of the juxtaposition between solid masses and glazed areas. They are organised along the principle of screening the service zones and maximising transparency for premier spaces such as living and master bedroom. The facade recalls the language of the site facilities in a richer and more refined version, offering the experience of living in a landed property yet with the benefits of a gated community complete with diverse communal facilities.
Accessibility
With a reputable District 10 address, d’Leedon is close to the Orchard Road shopping belt and popular recreational venues such as Dempsey Hill, Holland Village, and Singapore Botanic Gardens. It is also near reputable schools such as Nanyang Primary School, Hwa Chong Institution, Anglo-Chinese School International and National University of Singapore.
d’Leedon is highly accessible and well-served by MRT stations and main connective routes to the city. Besides within walking distance to Farrer Road MRT Station, it is also near Holland Village, Tan Kah Kee, Commonwealth and Botanic Gardens MRT stations.
Awards
- Urban Habitat Award Finalist (Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat)
- Universal Design Mark Platinum (Building and Construction Authority, Singapore)
- Design and Engineering Safety Excellence Award (Building and Construction Authority, Singapore)
- Green Mark GoldPLUS award (Building and Construction Authority, Singapore) Unit type No. of units Approx. Area (sqft) 1 BR + Study 262 592 - 840 2 BR / 2 BR + Study 350 786 – 1,216 3 BR/ 3 BR + Study 792 1,076 – 1,938 4 BR 238 1,615 – 2,465 Penthouse 33 2,885 – 6,265 Garden House 28 3,735 – 6,534 Garden Villa 12 6,695 – 8,708 Total 1,715 13
- Universal Design Mark GoldPLUS award (Building and Construction Authority, Singapore)
- Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters Certification (Public Utilities Board)
Developers
Morganite Pte Ltd
- CapitaLand Singapore (35%)
- Hotel Properties Limited (22.5%)
- A fund managed by Morgan Stanley Real Estate (22.5%)
- Wachovia Development Corporation (a unit of Wells Fargo & Company) (20%)
Lead Designer
Zaha Hadid Architects
Project Architect
RSP Architects Planners & Engineers (Pte) Ltd
Tenure
99-year leasehold
Site Area
840,049 square feet
Temporary Occupation Permit date
21 October 2014
Website
www.dleedon.com.sg