GSK Asia House

Project Description

GlaxoSmithKline aims “to help people do more, feel better, live longer”. The groundbreaking design of their new purpose-built Asia headquarters helps keep people and ideas flowing freely across the workplace, while connecting them with the local community and environment.

The landscape design seamlessly blends the building with its parkland site – with more than 60,000 new plants and trees – as well as the three revitalised colonial heritage bungalows in Rochester Park. Throughout the public parkland, we took care to ensure existing mature trees were largely retained, and then amplified the lush landscape with an extensive new tropical planting scheme that provides bursts of colour. The planting palette is a reflection of the historic and natural context, with manicured lawns and ornamental planting around the bungalows and more naturalistic, wilder planting at the periphery.

This greenery extends vertically through the building’s floors into its terraces, roof deck and green wall. And our diverse interior planting scheme uses massing, focusing, hanging, draping and climbing species and arrangements to create an undulating interior landscape.

 The building’s striking facade responds perfectly to Singapore’s warm, one-season climate – just one of the elements designed to help the client achieve a Greenmark Platinum rating for sustainable performance.

Additional sustainability features include:

• Extensive native waterwise planting, improving urban habitat
• Planted building roof and terraces, maintaining links in the city’s green network
• LED facade lighting and energy efficient services
• Site-wide stormwater recycling via a naturalistic wetland bioretention pond, capturing and treating surface water
• Underground detention tank, harvesting rainwater for irrigation
• Adaptive reuse, interpretation and integration of the site’s heritage bungalows
• Improved park and public transport links, with extended path network and covered walkways
• End of trip facilities and bicycle racks. 

The site’s regenerated public realm now also features open plazas with seating for both casual community enjoyment and larger gatherings and events; integrated artworks, a central water feature, and a new public park under the MRT line.