Redefining Singapore's Skyline as the City's Tallest Building

Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the Skywater Residences is envisioned as one of Asia's most sustainable skyscrapers. The 63-story 305m mixed-use development in downtown Singapore takes cues from bamboo forests to create an indoor-outdoor vertical community with public spaces, offices, retail, a hotel and luxury residences. 

"A next generation tower for the city" - Mustafa Abadan. Anchored in the intersection of downtown CBD, Marina Bay, the historic Tanjong Pagar neighbourhood, and the emerging Greater Southern Waterfront, will soon to be one of the most identifiable landmarks on the skyline incorporating leading-edge post-pandemic design features while integrating a diverse mix of functions and amenities, with garden terraces that elevate the lush tropical landscape into the sky. Designed specifically with the tropical climate of Singapore in mind with health and wellness as its primary design drivers, SOM seeks to achieve the city's newest and most rigorous sustainability standards. 

Nature and sustainability are driving forces behind the design. The tower is inspired by bamboo forests—a biophilic design that echoes vertical elements found in nature. Materials are chosen to minimize both embodied and operational carbon, from the zero-waste manufacture of terracotta to the use of engineered bamboo. Targeting Building Construction Authority of Singapore (BCA) Green Mark Platinum Certification—equivalent to a 55% energy reduction compared to the benchmark—8 Shenton Way is seeking the highest sustainability certification in the region. 

The Skywater Residences is the first project under the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore’s CBD Incentive Scheme with such a diversity of components, including retail, offices, SOHO style units, luxury residences, a hotel, and event space. Gathering this wide variety of building functions within a tight urban footprint, 8 Shenton Way will be a highly efficient high-rise which optimizes its location in the heart of the city. Reusing part of the existing foundation and infrastructure onsite will minimize material use and embodied carbon during construction. The facade will be built of energy-efficient glazing, and recyclable aggregates will be used in its concrete structure, manufactured through a low-carbon process, while segregating waste and using Singapore Green Building Council-certified materials where available. 

“Emerging from the pandemic, this moment presents a rare and exciting opportunity for architects to explore new approaches to health-driven placemaking,” said SOM Design Principal Nic Medrano. “Singapore is an incredible canvas to do this, with its excellent quality of life, abundance of green space and diversity of cultures. Our design weaves together nature, heritage, connections to transit, luxury living, healthy workplaces, and lively public spaces into a thriving hub for the community.” 

The development will integrate dynamic “live, work, and play” elements, while elevating luxury in Singapore’s downtown. A public performance and events space with retail, seating, and bike racks will activate the street. Landscaping will extend from the street into the building, creating a seamless green corridor for pedestrians. On the second floor, an open-air green space with restaurants offers room to gather, surrounded by a biodiverse landscape with plants chosen specifically to attract birds and butterflies. In total, the design includes more than 10,000 square meters of elevated, public green space—exceeding the entire footprint of the site. 

The building facade is characterized by natural materials—champagne-colored terracotta and bamboo along the walls of the sky gardens—with curved edges that create bay windows on nearly every floor, offering vast sightlines of the city and the sea. In the lobby, wood, stone, and terracotta finishes flank artwork and a reflecting pool, with a multi-floor atrium framing the space above. Landscaped gardens are located throughout the height of the tower, giving building occupants ample room for an outdoor escape in the sky. There are seven terraces altogether, including one for the hotel floors and three for the residential levels.  Carved out of the building every five to six floors, the gardens bring light, air, and natural ventilation to prioritize wellbeing. The residences are placed at the highest levels of the tower, where occupants will enjoy the most impressive views.

Across more than 148,000 square meters of floor space, 8 Shenton Way incorporates a variety of post-pandemic features, prioritizing tenants’ health. Contactless technology, antimicrobial materials, enhanced natural air flow and filtration, adaptable interior spaces, and large, landscaped outdoor spaces collectively create a robust offering of healthier, wellness-focused spaces in the heart of the city. 

To encourage more sustainable modes of transit, the tower will connect to Singapore’s subterranean pedestrian network, including direct underground connectivity to the Tanjong Pagar Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station, as well as two additional MRT stations within a five-minute walk: the Maxwell MRT Station, which will serve the Thomson-East Coast Line and is slated to commence service in November this year, and the Prince Edward MRT Station, which will close the loop between Harbourfront and Marina Bay MRT stations on the Circle Line in 2026. Bicycle and electric vehicle parking will also be provided. 

8 Shenton Way is owned and being developed by Perennial Holdings Private Limited and its consortium of investors. SOM is serving as architectural design consultant and with DCA Architects of Singapore serving as architect of 8 Shenton Way. The project is scheduled for completion in 2028.