Swire Taps Heatherwick for 20 Ultra-Luxury Apartments in Singapore

Hong Kong-listed Swire Properties has tapped London studio Heatherwick to design a luxury 20-storey residential tower in Singapore’s District 10 Orchard Road neighbourhood.

Thomas Heatherwick, a designer who has moved into “starchitect” category with the honeycomb-like Hudson Yard’s centrepiece Vessel, has unveiled the first images of the residential tower.

The scheme comprises 20 whole-of-floor apartments and has been dubbed “Eden” by its developer.

The 104.5m tower will bring to market 20 apartments that attempt to “entwine nature with city apartment living”. Each unit offers 280sq m of living space, with the first floor hovering 23m above ground level to leverage 270-degree views.

Heatherwick said the design distinguished itself from a skyline full of glass buildings.

“Like most global cities, Singapore's skyline is filled with angular steel and glass towers.”

Scalloped balconies will be draped with curtains of greenery to create verdant backyards in line with Singapore’s “city in a garden” initiative, Heathwick said.

“Instead of glass-clad edifices with token balconies, each home within ‘Eden’ will have a lush garden with organic and generous living spaces achieved by breaking up the traditional boxy floorplate.”

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Swire Properties director Adrian To said that the developer had previously worked with Heatherwick studios on a revamp of its Pacific Place mall in Hong Kong.

“Thomas Heatherwick and his team have brought our vision of creating an exceptional living experience to life, and Eden will set a new benchmark for sustainable ultra-luxury residences,” To said.

The Heatherwick studio completed its debut project in Singapore, the Learning Hub at Nanyang Technological University in 2015. Heatherwick is currently collaborating with Kohn Pederson Fox on Changi’s fifth terminal, which will add up to 50 million passengers annually to the capacity of Singapore airport.

Currently under construction, the Eden tower is set to be completed in the fourth quarter 2019.