One Pearl Bank, Singapore

One Pearl Bank was officially launched on July 2019.

The two 39-storey arc-shaped towers will replace the horseshoe form Pearl Bank Apartments built in the early 1970s.  In line with Singapore’s goal of increasing downtown housing density, the new towers allow an increase from 272 to 774 apartments.

Positioned on a prominent site on Pearl’s Hill, the towers are conceived as beacons for the city.  This role is emphasized by the towers’ extended roof crown that is brightly lit in the evening.

The towers feature a world-first; a series of ‘sky allotments’ arrayed vertically.  Placed every four storeys, the 18 sky allotment gardens include almost 200 individual plots allowing residents to cultivate home-grown produce.  One of the social ambitions of the project is that the shared endeavor of the gardening will play a role in fostering communal life within each tower.

The sky allotments are complemented by extensive landscaping and planting – with over 500 trees from 35 species which includes mid-tower sky terraces and lushly planted roof gardens. The towers are linked at roof level by two dramatic arc-shaped bridges that establish a continuous social space across the two towers.

The towers themselves are formed from gently curving arcs that optimize views across the city.  Apartments feature generous balconies many with sunken planters.  Balconies are positioned within a double-skin system that allows for variation and difference within a coherent gridded façade.

At ground level, the ambition of the design is to help revive interest in the adjacent Pearl’s Hill City Park.  Located at the end of the steep terrain, Pearl’s Hill City Park is relatively inaccessible and under-utilized.  The new landscaping design creates a pathway that takes pedestrians up through the richly planted ground level landscaping directly to the park.  This is made possible by placing all the car parking in an underground multi-storey facility.

The towers, in summary, are intended to address a number of challenging requirements.  Most obviously, they provide excellent contemporary living space at the density expected in Singapore’s city centre.  But more than this, they address the importance of green space at ground level. This is by establishing a new link to Pearl’s Hill City Park bringing to life the existing park space.  The most significant role, however, is to further push the notion of green space within a tower.  By pioneering the idea of sky allotments, One Pearl Bank sets a new standard for the high rise residential tower.

Awards:

EdgeProp Singapore Design Excellence Award 2020 – Winner 
Uncompleted residential development category

EdgeProp Singapore Landscape Excellence Award 2020 – Winner
Uncompleted residential development category

EdgeProp Singapore Top Development Award 2020 – Winner
Uncompleted residential development category

BCA Greenmark Award 2019- Gold Plus
New residential buildings category