Capital Singapore
Language English
Area 719.1 km2
Population 5,610,000
Designed by the architectural practices BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group and Carlo Ratti Associati, the mixed-use CapitaSpring tower in Singapore has been announced as the winner of the International High-Rise Award (IHA) 2024/25. The high rise stood out among the 31 projects considered in the competition. Measuring 260 meters in height, the tower officially opened in 2022, standing out for its strategy of integrating open and green spaces throughout the building.
Air travel has opened up multiple avenues for travel experiences. Lately, these transitional spaces have become destinations themselves, with airports like the Hong Kong International Airport and Incheon International Airport commanding over 60 million visitors per year. Airports are often the first and last impression of a city, and designers and city planners are recognizing their role in telling a place's brand story. As hubs of both travel and tourism, these airports aim to blend functionality with cultural engagement, offering passengers a taste of the local flavor before they even leave the terminal.
Nestled in the heart of Southeast Asia, Singapore stands as a beacon of sustainable urbanization. According to the 2016 Green City Index, the city-state of Singapore was the greenest city in Asia at one point. Renowned as the "City in a Garden," Singapore has intertwined lush greenery, verdant parks, and new environmental policies into its urban fabric/ After gaining independence in 1965, the city-state stands as a testament to how urban life can integrate with nature.
With expanding urban populations and evolving consumption patterns, cities are faced with challenges pertaining to waste management. Traditional approaches centered on collection and disposal currently seem inadequate in the face of serious environmental concerns and resource scarcity. Waste management has become a focused topic to address, being introduced as a key strategy towards circular economies. The Zero Waste concept hopes to transform the way cities manage urban waste and build supportive cultures around it.
As the architectural landscape continues to evolve in response to pressing global challenges, events such as biennales, design weeks, and fairs play an instrumental role in shaping the profession's future. These gatherings facilitate the exchange of innovative ideas, the exploration of sustainable practices, and the fostering of collaboration among architects, designers, and urban planners. They serve not only as platforms for showcasing cutting-edge designs but also as forums for critical dialogue about the built environment's impact on society and the planet.
Modern airports have increasingly become symbols of architectural innovation, moving beyond their primary function as transportation hubs to become significant landmarks. A prominent trend in contemporary airport design is the use of curved forms to create fluid, dynamic spaces that enhance both functionality and visual impact. These curves, made possible by advancements in construction technology, allow for more flexible and expansive interiors, as well as designs that can better integrate with natural landscapes and improve passenger circulation and experience.
The team led by Henning Larsen, in collaboration with Ramboll, Cistri, Gehl, Participate in Design, and Camphora has won the commission for the master plan consultancy to design Singapore’s North-South Corridor’s surface streets. The project proposes an expansive urban transformation, aiming to integrate public transport, active mobility, community-focused spaces, and greenery along the 21.5km corridor. Local communities and stakeholders are also actively engaged in the design process through public engagement sessions. The initial master plan design is set to continue into 2026, over the next 18 months.
In 2001, Apple issued its Retail Store Manifesto, proclaiming its ambition to use retail to convince people that “Macintosh offers a much simpler, richer, and more human-centered computing experience” despite retail stores being unpopular among technology companies at the time. This vision has shaped Apple’s unique approach to retail, transforming its stores into environments beyond shopping. Since the inception of its first store, Apple has redefined the retail experience, emphasizing customer engagement and education and creating a community around its products. The stores “have become the embodiment of the Apple lifestyle.” This is done through products displayed on tables for easy access and mid-height furniture clusters in an open plan to foster interaction and visual orientation within the more prominent “Apple community.”
DP Architects group, in collaboration with Kingsmen Exhibits, unveiled the Singapore Pavilion design for the Expo Osaka 2025. The concept centers around the tagline ”Where dreams take shape,” aiming to offer an insight into the country’s culture and impactful innovations. The pavilion, taking the shape of a 17-meter-high sphere clad in recycled disks, creates a multi-sensorial exhibition showcasing actions and innovations that encourage a more sustainable future.
Safdie Architects has officially opened the new campus headquarters for Surbana Jurong, Singapore’s leading architecture, urban design, and infrastructure firm. The project expands Safdie Architects’ vision of 'for everyone a garden' into the workplace with a design that draws on the tranquility of the site’s previously undeveloped natural setting to foster shared moments of engagement and creativity. Achieving Green Mark (Super Low Energy) certification, the campus is the flagship development of the emerging Jurong Innovation District, envisioned as the first business park set in a tropical rainforest.
