A climate-neutral skyscraper appears in Singapore

Photo from: Capita Spring Office

In Singapore, a vertical garden city project has been realised. A 280 m tall glass and steel tower-shaped building with a large public space on the ground floor, offices and residential flats embodies the idea of a sustainable home with all the amenities and necessary infrastructure, green spaces, sports fields and its own rooftop farm.

The creators of Capita Springs — as the building is called — were inspired by the idea of a vertical garden city, developed in the late 1940s by French architect Le Corbusier. He pioneered the Unité d’Habitation building in Marseille, France, a kind of ‘city within a city’. This idea is still echoed in contemporary architectural trends.

Capita Springs project was designed by Dutch and Italian architects Bjarke Ingels (BIG) and Carlo Ratti (CRI) in collaboration with ARUP Singapore. What makes Capita Springs special is that its primary function is to be an oasis in a bustling city. Much importance is given to creating a natural environment that is both relaxing and conducive to work. In general, Capita Springs has everything necessary for life. That is to say, a person can live, work and relax inside a single building.

The ground floor of the Capita Springs high-rise tower is a public space with an 18-metre high ceiling — the City Room. It houses restaurants and separate lobbies for residential and commercial areas. Urban dwellers also need this space because of Singapore’s climate: frequent heat and heavy rains.

Capita Springs has 29 floors of office space. Another eight floors are devoted to public spaces: a gym, a Jacuzzi, a swimming pool, a social kitchen (a common phenomenon in Singapore — a place to eat and work for the poor) and a barbecue area. Between the residential and commercial floors is a 35-metre garden for walking and relaxing. It is intended that the Capita Springs urban rooftop farm will supply the restaurants and cafés in the building with produce.

In addition Capita Springs has a car park, 165 parking spaces with 600 m long bicycle paths running around the perimeter of the building. And the paths merge with the cycling network in the city centre and connect cyclists to public transport stations, bus interchanges, shopping centres, schools and so on, thus forming a cohesive whole with the city.

Capita Springs has been awarded Green Mark Platinum and Universal Design GoldPLUS certification by the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore. The project is fully compliant with the sustainable transport concept outlined in Singapore’s Green Plan 2030.

Cover photo: Capita Spring Office