CapitaSpring / BIG + Carlo Ratti Associati

Architects: Bjarke Ingels Group, Carlo Ratti Associati
Area: 93000 m²
Year: 2022
Photographs: Finbarr Fallon
Partners in Charge: Bjarke Ingels, Brian Yang
Project Leaders: Gorka Calzada Medina, Martino Hutz, Song He
Project Managers: Eric Li, Günther Weber
Big Sustainability: Tore Banke, Anders Holden Deleuran
Big Landscape: Dina Brændstrup, Kirsty Badenoch, Ulla Hornsyld
Team: Aime Desert, Aleksander Wadas, Aleksandra Domian, Alessandro Zanini, Anke Kristina Schramm, Augusto Lavieri Zamperlini, Dalma Ujvari, David Schwarzman, David Vega y Rojo, Davide Tarditi, Dimitrie Grigorescu, Dominika Trybe, Elise Cauchard, Eriko Maekawa, Espen Vik, Ewa Szajda, Federica Locati, Filippo Lorenzi, Francisco Castellanos, Frederik Skou Jensen, Gabrielé Ubareviciute, Guoyu Liu, Helen Chen, Jacek Baczkowski, Jakub Wlodarczyk, Jonas Käckenmester, Julieta Muzzillo, Luca Pileri, Luis Torsten Wagenführer, Lukas Kerner, Malgorzata Mutkowska, Maria Teresa Fernandez Rojo, Matilde Tavanti, Moa Carlsson, Nataly Timotheou, Niu Jing, Orges Guga, Patrycja Lyszczyk, Pedro Savio jobim Pinheiro, Philip Rufus Knauf, Praewa Samachai, Qamelliah Nassir, Rahul Girish, Ramon Julio Muros Cortes, Rebecca Carrai, Roberto Fabbri, Samuel Rubio Sanchez, Shuhei Kamiya, Sofiia Rokmaniko, Sorcha Burke, Steen Kortbæk Svendsen, Szymon Kolecki, Teodor Fratila Cristian, Viktoria Millentrup, Vilius Linge, Vinish Sethi, Weijia Lu, Xin Su, Xinying Zhang, Zari van de Merwe, Zhen Tong :
Collaborators: Carlo Ratti Associati, RSP Architects Planners & Engineers (Pte) Ltd, ARUP Singapore Pte Ltd, Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner (S.E.Asia) Pte Ltd, Arcadis Singapore Pte Ltd, COEN Design International Pte Ltd, Takenouchi Webb Pte Ltd, Nipek Pte Ltd, Asylum Creative Ptd Ltd, Jacobs International Consultants Pte Ltd, Ignesis Consultants Pte Ltd, PH Consulting Pte Ltd, TSM Consultancy Pte Ltd, Dragages Singapore Pte Ltd, Meinhardt Singapore Pte Ltd, Squire Mech Pte Ltd.
Country: Singapore

CapitaSpring, designed by BIG and Carlo Ratti Associati, is a 280-meter-tall mixed-use high-rise in Singapore’s financial district, integrating offices, a serviced residence, restaurants, and sky gardens. Certified Green Mark Platinum & Universal Design GoldPLUS, the 93,000 m² tower replaces a former car park and hawker center, featuring over 80,000 plants and a Green Plot Ratio of 1:1.4 with 8,300 m² of landscaped space. It restores part of Market Street as a green pedestrian zone, while the 18-meter-high City Room links to offices, residences, and dining. The Green Oasis, a 35-meter open-air garden, spans four levels, mimicking a tropical rainforest. The 1-Arden Food Forest on the rooftop grows 150+ edible plant species for on-site restaurants. Supporting Singapore’s Green Plan 2030, the building includes 165 bicycle lots, end-of-trip facilities, and a 600-meter cycling path connecting to the city’s network.

Capitaspring / big + carlo ratti associati

CapitaSpring is a 280-meter-tall high-rise that advances Singapore’s vertical urbanism by integrating a diverse mix of restaurants, office spaces, a Citadines serviced residence, and sky gardens extending from the ground level to the 51st floor. In 2018, the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore awarded the building Green Mark Platinum and Universal Design GoldPLUS certifications.

Situated in the heart of Singapore’s financial district on the site of a former public car park and hawker center, the 93,000 m² mixed-use high-rise features a dynamic composition of orthogonal lines, abundant greenery, and contrasting textures.

At various elevations, the building’s vertical elements are strategically pulled apart, revealing glimpses of green oases flourishing at the base, core, and rooftop sky garden. Enhancing Singapore’s identity as a garden city, the tower accommodates over 80,000 plants, achieving a Green Plot Ratio of more than 1:1.4—equivalent to a total landscaped area exceeding 8,300 square meters (90,000 square feet), or 140% of its site area.

At street level, CapitaSpring reintroduces a section of the historically significant Market Street to the public realm by transforming it into a pedestrian-friendly zone. This expansion incorporates landscaped areas, providing much-needed green space within the high-density CBD, benefiting both neighboring tenants and passersby.

Winding garden paths form natural entryways into the City Room, an 18-meter-high open space at the tower’s base that provides shelter from tropical sunlight and rain. This area serves as a welcoming hub, guiding tenants to separate lobbies for the offices and residences, while also inviting shoppers and diners into the food center within the podium. The Market Street Hawker Center has been recreated on the second and third floors, featuring 56 food stalls, reinforcing the site’s role as a key destination for Singapore’s culinary scene and preserving its cultural and community significance.

The first eight floors of the tower are designated for the serviced residence, offering a variety of amenities, including a swimming pool, jacuzzi, jogging track, gymnasium, social kitchen, resident’s lounge, and barbecue pits. The top 29 floors accommodate premium office spaces that provide panoramic views of the Singapore River and Marina Bay.

At the core of the building, between the structured hardscape of the offices and residences, are four interconnected levels of organic softscape known as the Green Oasis, a 35-meter open-air garden designed for work, casual strolls, relaxation, exercise, and events. Integrating nature vertically into the architecture, the Green Oasis addresses spatial constraints while providing tenants and residents with ample green spaces, enriching the sleek modern design with the ever-present tropical landscape of the region.

The Green Oasis features a vertical softscape that replicates the natural hierarchy of tropical rainforests, with plant growth structured according to light availability. Shade-tolerant species with large leaves are positioned on the rainforest floor, where minimal direct sunlight is needed. As the vegetation ascends toward the canopy layer, trees develop smaller leaves, adapting to increased light exposure at the “roof” of the rainforest.

CapitaSpring’s rooftop garden, offering panoramic city views, houses the 1-Arden Food Forest. This urban farm cultivates over 150 species of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers across five thematic plots, providing fresh ingredients for the building’s restaurants.

The building supports the sustainable transport goals of the Singapore Green Plan 2030 with 165 bicycle lots, fully equipped end-of-trip facilities, and a 600-meter cycling path along Malacca Street and Phillip Street. This path integrates into the Central Area cycling network, linking to Singapore’s broader cycling infrastructure.