GuocoLand brings largest garden collection to CBD with Guoco Midtown Gardens

• Over 350 species of flora across 3.8 hectares of gardens and landscaping
• Public can have free access to 10 of the 30 gardens and landscaped spaces

Guoco Midtown, the second flagship integrated mixed-use development of GuocoLand Limited (“GuocoLand”), will transform the city’s skyline, as well as its landscape, when completed in phases starting from 2022. Building on its strong track record in green and sustainable developments, GuocoLand has upped the ante by introducing a game-changer with the most extensive privately-developed collection of gardens in the Central Business District (CBD).

Known collectively as Guoco Midtown Gardens, 30 thematic gardens and landscaped spaces spanning 3.8 hectares (ha) will turn the 3.2 ha of prime land in the Beach Road-Bugis district into a new leisure destination. The gardens are ‘weaved’ like a botanic tapestry into Guoco Midtown’s built environment, extending from the ground floor to various levels at the podium and all the way to the rooftops of the towers. Ten of these gardens are publicly accessible, providing the community with a chance to immerse themselves in nature and partake in public events – right in the heart of the city.

Mr Cheng Hsing Yao, Group Managing Director of GuocoLand Singapore, said: “Our vision for Guoco Midtown is to bring about a transformation of the neighbourhood into a new business and lifestyle destination in the CBD. One of the new identities of the future ‘Midtown’ of Singapore is a botanic garden in the city – one that is knitted into the urban fabric of an integrated mixed development.”

“The biophilic design of Guoco Midtown also demonstrates how the private sector can play a role in a whole-of-nation effort to contribute to the Singapore Green Plan 2030. Guoco Midtown’s city in nature concept is built upon these principles to make our city greener, more liveable and promote a sustainable lifestyle with green transportation and green buildings,” added Mr Cheng.

Guoco Midtown is the result of GuocoLand’s collaboration with many preeminent design firms. Australia’s Denton Corker Marshall led by Design Director Adrian Fitzgerald helms the overall site over at Beach Road, while four-time President’s Design Award winner Yip Yuen Hong of ip:li Architects designed the latest addition to Guoco Midtown – the 558-unit Midtown Modern with its twin residential towers and a retail podium. For a list of all design consultants involved in Guoco Midtown, please refer to Annex A.

Ortus Design is the landscape architect tasked with integrating nature into the multiple components of Guoco Midtown, from its office tower, retail clusters to the two residential developments. This is not the first time Mr Chia Jui Siang, Partner at Ortus Design, has collaborated with GuocoLand, having been involved in the landscape design for Goodwood Residence and Martin Modern in his previous employment before setting up Ortus Design.

Mr Chia said: “Guoco Midtown Gardens will show how nature can be weaved into spaces for live-work-play. The botanic tapestry is purposefully designed to achieve a delicate balance between the built-up and the green spaces in the development. It will enhance wellness and productivity of the community, and serve some ecological functions like mitigating heat island effect, collect and purify rainwater for use or as run-off into the city reservoir.”

“We designed the gardens with different themes, framing the views of experience so that there is more sense of exploration. The curation of a diverse range of plant species seeks to evoke curiosity and a sense of awe and mindfulness, while contributing to the natural capital and biodiversity of the place. This is wellness living with nature,” added Mr Chia.

With a total of more than 350 species of plants, including several rare and endangered native species, these gardens are part of GuocoLand’s efforts to create a green destination to connect with the surrounding community through recreation, wellness, in-nature dining, events and placemaking activities.

Some of the publicly accessible thematic gardens include a Native Garden of indigenous plants and orchids; Midtown Market with an epiphyte collection that forms a hanging garden above the public space; Forest Giants Walk with its tall tropical forest trees; Water Garden with a fresh waterside plant collection; and Eucalyptus Plaza for people and cyclists to rest.

Gardens in the city for the public

Directly linked to the Bugis MRT Interchange Station, Guoco Midtown will have three distinctive public spaces – Midtown Square, Midtown Market and Midtown Common. The Midtown community will enjoy unique shopping and dining experiences at these spaces elevated by an abundance of greenery and participate in a curated programme of public events and activities.

Midtown Square is located near the grand arrival of Guoco Midtown’s office tower. Overlooking Midtown Square on Level 3 is the Native Garden, an outdoor botanical library of native plants and orchids, and home to one of the world’s largest orchid species, the Tiger Orchid (Grammatophyllum speciosum).

An ideal space for informal markets, concerts and festival celebrations, Midtown Market, is anchored by the Network Hub and Midtown House, the conserved heritage building of the former Beach Road Police Station (see fig. 2). Visitors can dine al fresco at one of the gastro bars under the collection of epiphytes, or plants with hanging foliage and flowers such as the Curtain Ivy (Cissus verticillate) and Jade Vines (Strongylodon macrobotrys).

Right below Midtown Modern is Midtown Common, a large public space where the community can shop and dine amidst a natural setting. It will further enliven Tan Quee Lan Street, and serve as the de facto gathering point and venue for public energy for the neighbourhood.

Other featured plants in Guoco Midtown’s public areas include Dipterocarp, found at the Forest Giant Walk. It is the world’s tallest tropical tree which averages about 45 metres and can reach over 80 metres at maturity in its natural environment. For a list of selected species of plants found at Guoco Midtown Gardens, please refer to Annex B.

Private sanctuaries for office tenants and residents

Located at Level 7 of the office tower are the Mid Levels Garden spaces comprising a sanctuary garden for relaxing, a bamboo grove with a jogging track and an event space. The Network Pool Terrace on the roof of the Network Hub includes a 40m lap pool and a private dining room. Together, these spaces become an extensive recreation area for executives to participate in personal relaxation activities like jogging, swimming and meditating or in curated events like group exercise classes, poolside cocktail parties and private dining events, all while enjoying nature and views of the Marina Bay.

At the top of the office tower, the Sky Gardens offer even more spectacular views of Marina Bay, Kallang Basin and various city skylines, making it a great place for corporate events or private meditation when there are no events held.

Residents at Midtown Modern will enjoy being surrounded by nature while living in the heart of the city with their own private gardens on Level 3. The landscaping is designed with more than ten thematic gardens comprising almost 200 species of trees and flora, some rare and indigenous, spread over 1 hectare – a rarity for a condominium in the heart of the CBD. Many of the gardens are designed as forests, and plants and trees species are selected to create the atmospheres of Spring, Summer and Autumn. The garden also provides a backdrop to a wide range of amenities including a 50m pool, tennis court, hot spring and a clubhouse, among others.

At the heart of the expansive Level 3 gardens at Midtown Modern is the Grand Lawn, surrounded by the Summer Wood. Residents will enjoy appreciating the white flowers of the intriguing Snake Tree as they fall on the lawn. Besides a selection of tree and plants, the Grand Lawn is ideal for activities such as yoga or just a place to watch the children play.

Owners of the premium business homes at Midtown Bay can also look forward to their own green oases like the Pool Gardens on Level 7 with a 30m lap pool, lawns for exercising and pavilions, or the Sky Terrace on Level 25 with its panoramic views. They can choose to unwind and relax or use them as picture-perfect spaces to work or hold informal business meetings, or to use them to entertain friends and business associates.

Besides adding a critical green lung into the city with Guoco Midtown, GuocoLand will also adopt technologies to conserve water and energy. This includes a fully automated water- efficient irrigation system that will meet 20 per cent of its irrigation needs through rainwater harvesting and sub-soil dripping.

GuocoLand has long been a strong supporter of sustainable principles, and was awarded the Green Mark Champion award in 2020 by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) for achieving a substantial number of Green Mark buildings at Gold level or higher. Guoco Midtown’s office component and residential tower Midtown Bay are both certified Green Mark Platinum, while Midtown Modern is targeted to achieve Green Mark Gold Plus certification in time.

Guoco Midtown is directly connected to the Bugis MRT interchange station served by both the East-West Line and Downtown Line. One of the busiest MRT stations in Singapore, Bugis interchange station sees an average monthly throughput of 3.875 million (East-West Line: 2.7 mil; Downtown Line: 1.175mil). Guoco Midtown is also within walking distance to the North- South and Circle Lines. In addition, it is connected to the wider Beach Road-Bugis vicinity through an underground pedestrian network (UPN) and a network of second-level linkways and bridges, thus offering greater accessibility for the community to visit the gardens and enjoy the surrounding retail and dining options.

Note to editor:

• The full press release, photos with captions, and annexes are available here.

About Guoco Midtown

Guoco Midtown is a 3.2-hectare mixed-use mega-development on Beach Road and Tan Quee Lan Street which will be the epicentre of Singapore’s ‘Midtown’. Coined as a ‘City of the Future’, the development will comprise a 30-storey office tower with 770,00 square feet of premium Grade A office space, three retail clusters, two condominiums with more than 700 luxury apartments – Midtown Bay and Midtown Modern, and a five-storey Network Hub building – a first-of-its-kind purpose-built business and social networking club.

Guoco Midtown will also be home to 30 thematic gardens and public spaces spread over 3.8 hectares from the ground floor to the rooftops of the towers. Guoco Midtown is connected directly to the Bugis interchange MRT station and is expected to bring an additional 10,000 office workers, residents and visitors daily into the district when it is completed in phases between 2022 and 2024. The multi-billion development is led by GuocoLand with a group of investors, Hong Kong-listed Guoco Group, Hong Leong Holdings and Hong Realty.

About GuocoLand Limited

GuocoLand Limited (“GuocoLand”) is a public company listed on the Singapore Exchange since 1978. The principal business activities of its subsidiaries are property development, property investment, hotel operations and property management.

GuocoLand and its subsidiaries (“the GuocoLand Group”) have established property operations in their geographical markets of Singapore, China and Malaysia, comprising residential, hospitality, commercial and retail developments. In 2017, GuocoLand marked its expansion beyond Asia into the new markets of the United Kingdom and Australia through a strategic partnership with Eco World Development Group Berhad in Eco World International Berhad. As a premier property company, GuocoLand is focused on achieving scalability, sustainability and growth in its core markets through its property development, investment and management businesses.

The parent company of GuocoLand is Guoco Group Limited, a company listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited. Guoco Group Limited is a member of the Hong Leong group of companies.

As at 31 December 2020, the GuocoLand Group had total assets of S$11.0 billion and total equity attributable to equity holders of S$4.2 billion.