Merit of Workplace Category | Singapore | BCI Asia Interior Design Awards 2018
The new headquarters seeks to be an incubation space to allow young logistics solutions start-up companies to flouish. Like “a mini Silicon Valley for logistics”, according to Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
To make this vision a reality, the building was designed as an integrated park with state-of-the-art offi¬ces and amenities that focus on the human environment for social interaction and knowledge exchange. As such, it will be able to provide supply chain-related businesses and partners with the flexibility to customise their offices and facilities requirements. It also aims to be a highly energy efficient as a sustainable development.
As the owner and user, the YCH group occupies the entire 60,000-square-feet offi¬ce space and 40,000-square-feet roof garden of the eight-storey o¬ffice block. It includes the YCH head o¬ffice and departments, galleries and experience centre, shared spaces between business partners such as meeting rooms, partners’ o¬ffices, incubator/start-up offi¬ces and training rooms. The balance between huge offi¬ce spaces while maintaining the exclusiveness and privacy has been thoroughly considered throughout the design. The design of innovation and exhibition areas was intended to complement the technologies that the YCH group uses to monitor their logistics network. The glass applied at the control room allows it to ‘frost’ and ‘unfrost’ instantly to suit the privacy needs of the office.
To achieve an integrated park with a wellness concept, the design team delivered a garden office experience—from the landscape design on the ground-level vehicle drop-off area and the reception lobby to the upper floor offi¬ce amenities, function hall, canteen and podium.
SPATIAL DESIGN
The Supply Chain City facility offers a generous sprawling space across the entire complex. The lower levels house the public areas—exhibition areas, drop off points and the main lobby. The ground-level tropical garden is an oasis to the surrounding industrial district. The circular reception lobby flows with the outdoor landscaped area, creating a connection of outdoor and indoor spaces. There are four concrete link-ways connecting the workspaces, which allow human traffic to move through the lobby while not obstructing the outdoor greenery.
COMFORT
Upon reaching the top floor, visitors will be greeted by a 9-metre-high glass cube that allows a 180-degree panoramic view of the outside, while showcasing a three-sided waterfall feature, visually connecting the interior space to the sky and outdoor vegetation.
Besides this, multiple skylights are placed above various o¬ffice interior spaces to allow for more natural lighting. Maximum daylighting was considered in the design of the office spaces in the YCH clusters—the design team took every opportunity to incorporate openings for natural lighting to filter through.
PROJECT DATA
Project Name: Supply Chain City (SCC)
Location: 8 Bulim Avenue, Singapore
Completion Date: January 2017
Site Area: 6.50 hectares
Gross Floor Area: 2.00 million square feet
Building Height: 8 storeys
Owner: YCH Group Pte Ltd
Architecture Firm: ID Architects Pte Ltd
Principal Architect: Jin Sung
Project Architect: Lin Hongsui
Green Mark Consultant: IGnesis Consultants Pte Ltd
Interior Design Firm: ID Architects Pte Ltd
Principal Designer: Daniel Tiong Huo Chuong
Civil & Structural Engineer: Sterling C&S Consulting Engineer Pte Ltd
MEP Building Services Consultants: IGnesis Consultants Pte Ltd
Design & Build Contractor: HPC Builders Pte Ltd
Landscape Contractor: Prince’s Landscape & Construction Pte Ltd
Images: ID Architects Pte Ltd