THE LOFTSingapore

As an early bulwark of capitalism in southeast Asia, Singapore has made money, talent, and ambition

coins of the realm. The equatorial island republic’s mercantile tradition, dating to colonial days, makes

Singapore especially receptive to western tastes and modern styles. The Loft is emblematic of Singapore’s

embrace of the latest and greatest.

Its neighborhood, Nassim Hill, was the favored residential enclave of the British colonials who used

Singapore as a trading outpost until the republic gained independence in 1965. Close to downtown, this

area also benefits from a high elevation and sea breezes that temper the tropical climate. Embassies make

their home here and Orchard Road, the commercial connector to downtown Singapore, is nearby, mak-

ing Nassim Hill a convenient residential location.

The Loft’s 0.75-hectare (1.85 ac) site became available in 1999 when a three-story hotel ceased oper-

ations. The location was ideally suited for luxury housing and the parcel had been zoned for “permanent

residential” use, presenting an opportunity to capitalize on the lucrative luxury-housing market. Devel-

oper CapitaLand Residential, the residential subsidiary of Singapore-based real estate development giant

CapitaLand, knew just what to do to reach the right target market: young, high-net-worth, high-income,

cosmopolitan professionals.

Located on the south-facing slope of Nassim Hill, the site is roughly triangular. A green buffer was re-

tained at the periphery of the property to protect ten 100-year-old tembusu trees—a native, endangered,

Development Team

Owner/Developer

CapitaLand Residential, Ltd.Singaporewww.capitaland.com.sg

Architect

W ArchitectsSingapore

Landscape Architect

Tierra Design (S) Pte, Ltd.Singaporewww.tierradesign.com

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and protected species—that form a ring around the parcel. Inside the buffer, four-story housing was

arranged around a central, green courtyard. This was an efficient way of putting 77 units on a small par-

cel with maximal open space. The housing units, which are 12 to 16 meters (39 to 52 ft) deep, extend

from the outside perimeter through to the courtyard, so that they are cross-ventilated. The bedrooms are

placed on the outside perimeter, where visual privacy is achieved by means of solid walls and minimal

fenestration. More active living spaces face the courtyard, and courtyard views are assured by means of

transparent facades.

The design’s synthesis of architectural modernism and vernacular response to the climate is expressed

most markedly in a brise soleil that shades the floor-to-ceiling sliding glass walls. The towering tembusus

and mature, transplanted willow trees in the courtyard also provide solar shading. A granite-faced re-

taining wall adds a strong linear element to the courtyard, while concealing part of the two-story park-

ing garage and addressing the changes in level on the hillside site. The vertical wall is punctuated with

rectangular crevices in which Kyoto grass grows. A 25-meter-long (82 ft) swimming pool is located on the

lower terrace.

Numerous openings between the building blocks allow breezes to flow through the site and provide

views. The one- to three-bedroom condominium units range in size from 70 to 174 square meters (753 to

1,873 sf). All units have been sold. Among the sold units, 60 percent are being leased by investors at rates

ranging between S$40.36 and S$52.20 per square meter (US$2.25 and US$2.90 per sf) per month, compared

with the Singapore average rental rate for prime apartments of S$24.76 per square meter (US$1.38 per sf).

Project Data

Web Site

www.capitalandresidential.com/projects/loft

Site Area

0.75 hectares (1.85 ac)

Facilities 77 residential units

Land Uses

luxury condominium apartments

Completion Date May 2002

Jury Statement

The Loft is a prototype for enlighteneddevelopment practices brought tobear on a small, hilly, triangular par-cel in the desirable Nassim Hill areaof Singapore. Natural landscape fea-tures in the central courtyard garden,along with the preservation of tencentury-old tembusu trees, combinewith modern architectural features—innovative glazing and sun-shadingsystems, glass-enclosed intercon-necting bridges, terraces, and granitewalls—to soften the density of the 77residential condominium units.

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