new central business district of singapore, jurong lake district, will be one giant garden

under the leadership of KCAP, the jurong lake district (JLD) will be modernized into singapore’s 2nd central business district. the ‘sustainable district of gardens’ is set to reach over four million square meters with environmentally conscious sky parks, sky bridges, connective office spaces and 20,000 new homes: beautiful, successful development, all hinged on the kuala lumpur-singapore high-speed rail terminus.

jurong lake district is set to become the largest commercial and regional center outside singapore’s city center
all images courtesy of KCAP

proposed in 2013, the kuala lumpur-singapore rail (155 mph) cuts travel time between the two cities from 4-7 hours to 99 minutes. it was expected to finish development in 2020, but has since been pushed to 2026. when the train does arrive, the future innovation of the jurong lake district may be already there, waiting patiently for the train to catch up.

a district of green spaces and water

the smart, sustainable and future proof district surrounding the hsr terminus is designed for the flexible long-term evolution of the future economy. its high-density mixed-use waterway system — stacked horizontal landscape connections — weave through the district as if they had forever. vertical urban greenery grows up and along with the vertical city. existing heritage buildings, landscapes and ecosystems are respected and carefully repurposed within the dialogue of the new development. the future buildings will meet BCA green mark platinum and plug into the district infrastructure (district cooling, pneumatic waste) to reduce resource and manpower consumption. together, these systems create a network of work and play and movement for those living there. those passing over, in planes, may simply see a garden where a city once was.

a smart and sustainable district of the future

a hub for the future economy

a smart and sustainable district of the future

a new paradigm for mobility

see the full master plan on the project website, here

project info:

client urban redevelopment authority (ura), singapore
program 360 ha study area masterplan for and 160 ha detailed masterplan for a high-density mixed-use area around the future high-speed rail terminus in singapore with over 4 mio m2 gfa of housing, commercial, mice, retail, leisure, culture and community amenities; the 360 ha study area masterplan provides 100 ha of new parks, 70 ha of new waterbodies, 17 km of accessible waterfront, 15ha of public transit-only zone, 39 km of new cycling paths
time 2016 – present
role urban planner, urban designer and landscape designer (lead consultant)
participating parties saa architects, arup, s333, lekker and expert consultants erve & co and keoto ag