Orchard Rd.

As Singapore’s premier

shopping belt, Orchard Road

is a vibrant and exciting street

lined with shopping malls,

hotels, and food and beverage offerings.

Orchard Road underwent a

$40 million rejuvenation

with the planned

landscape and

infrastructural enhancements under

Master Plan 2008

Orchard Road is developed

under the central region in

Master Plan planned by the

Urban Redevelopment

Authority (URA)

Distinctive Districts

Bras Basah.Bugis is a lively Arts, Learning and Heritage district.

Enhancements along Queen Street and Waterloo Street will provide

more spaces for street-based activities and improve the walkability of the area.

CENTRAL AREAThe Central Area is envisioned

as a well-connected and

walkable global city centre

with abundant job and business opportunities and

endless options for leisure. It is

an area of strong local

identity and rich built

heritage, and provides a variety of housing options

within an attractive

environment where work and

play are close by.

Orchard Road is Singapore’s premier shopping street. Upcoming

shopping malls and improvements to pedestrian connectivity are set to

make it an even more attractive shopping destination

Singapore River is a charming, historic waterfront precinct with a

thriving nightlife. It promises to deliver more delightful experiences with

new place management initiatives.

The Central Business District (CBD) is the prime office district of

Singapore, with a mix of supporting retail, residential and hotel uses.

The CBD will extend further into Marina Bay, which is planned as a

vibrant and sustainable mixed-use precinct.

The Civic District was Singapore’s early administrative and cultural

centre, and is home to many historic buildings now reused for arts and

cultural facilities. Improved pedestrian connectivity and

enhancements to public spaces will strengthen its position as

Singapore’s Civic and Cultural District.

Components About the case study

(a) Orchard Road

About the location of the case study

(a) central region

Activity/use The connectivity of spaces in Orchard road which is vertical and linear diffuse to the open space

The central region has a mixture of activities such as mix, vehicular and pedestrian

Mixed land use Yes Yes

Linear type Yes No

Vertical type Yes No

Contextual study

Movement pattern

Traffic Yes Yes

Pedestrian Yes Yes

Linear/mix Yes Yes

Built form typology In the central region, Orchard road act as the centre point of the typology

Orchard road has a linear organization which is shown by the arrangement of the building.

Point No Yes

Linear Yes No

Open space typology The open spaces in Orchard road is arrange in linear form due to the outdoor refreshment areas

along the building.

Residential areas in centre region creates enclosed typology.

Linear Yes No

Enclosed No Yes

ABOUT ORCHARD ROAD

Orchard Road is a 2.2km one-way street

central region of Singapore and stretches from Tanglin Road / Grange Road to Dhoby Ghaut.

Historical Context

in the 1830s, Orchard Road area was the scene of gambier and pepper plantations.

Later, nutmeg plantations and fruit orchards dominated

the area

by 1846,The spread of houses soon reached up to Tank Road.

One major sight during this period was a certain Mr. Orchard tending his garden, which

helped endorse the road's name.

By 1846, the Chinese had a large graveyard around what is now the Meritus Mandarin

Hotel and Ngee Ann City

In the 1860s, Orchard Road had a great number of private houses and bungalows on hills looking down through the valley where the road ran.

Early in the 1890s, His

Majesty Somdetch Phra Paramindr Maha Chulalongkorn, the supreme King of Siam,

ABOUT ORCHARD ROAD

Orchard Road is a 2.2km one-way street

central region of Singapore and stretches from Tanglin Road / Grange Road to Dhoby Ghaut.

Historical Context

in the 1830s, Orchard Road area was the scene of gambier and pepper plantations.

Later, nutmeg plantations and fruit orchards dominated

the area

by 1846,The spread of houses soon reached up to Tank

Road.

One major sight during this period was a certain Mr.

helped endorse the road's name.

By 1846, the Chinese had a large graveyard around what is

In the 1860s, Orchard Road had a great number of private houses and bungalows on hills looking down through the valley where the road ran.

Early in the 1890s, His

Majesty Somdetch Phra Paramindr Maha Chulalongkorn, the supreme King of Siam,

acquired "Hurricane House" in the vicinity of Orchard Road

ABOUT ORCHARD ROAD

Orchard Road is a 2.2km one-way street

central region of Singapore and stretches from Tanglin Road / Grange Road to Dhoby Ghaut.

Historical Context

in the 1830s, Orchard Road area was the scene of gambier and pepper plantations.

Later, nutmeg plantations and fruit orchards dominated

the area

by 1846,The spread of houses soon reached up to Tank Road.

By 1846, the Chinese had a large graveyard around what is now the Meritus Mandarin

Hotel and Ngee Ann City

In the 1860s, Orchard Road had a great number of private houses and bungalows on hills

looking down through the valley where the road ran.

In the 1860s, Orchard Road had a great number of private houses and bungalows on hills

looking down through the valley where the road ran.

Early in the 1890s, His Majesty Somdetch Phra Paramindr Maha Chulalongkorn, the supreme King of Siam,

acquired "Hurricane House" in the vicinity of Orchard Road

In 1900, much of Orchard Road was

still a tree flanked dirt road.

In 1900, much of Orchard Road was still a tree flanked dirt road.

On 30 March 1905, the Singapore Cold Storage opened their store to distribute food supplies.

From the 1930s, Orchard Road became the new social magnet for the colonial city.

The popular Orchard Market where Cuppage Plaza now sits, between Cuppage Road

and Koek Road, provided fresh produce for residents until the mid-1960s.

In 1958, C.K. Tang Department store opened, and was a prominent landmark with its

Chinese styled roof.

In 1958, C.K. Tang Department store

opened, and was a prominent landmark

with its Chinese styled roof.

From the 1970s through to the 1980s,

commercial and hotel development

intensified resulting in the Mandarin Hotel (1973) with

the "Top of the M" revolving restaurant that

gives rare views of the road from the 39th

floor and the pagoda-styled Singapore

Marriott Hotel (formerly the Dynasty Hotel 1982) with links to C K Tang.

Busy Orchard Road became a one-way

street from 1974 with the

introduction of the Orchard Road-Orchard Boulevard pair scheme.

Orchard Road recently

underwent a $40 million

revamp. The Mall Enhancement works

have created a more

pleasant and congenial

pedestrian experience

for traversing from one shopping mall to

another.

By end of 2009,

FROM BRANDED STREET TO BRANDED EXPERIENCE

The New Orchard Road will have more than 40

shopping malls and

over 8 million square feet of retail space.

Urban Design Plan- Orchard Road

IssuesSingapore URA stressed the importance of

taking into account the changing global trend

in living and working patterns, variations in

identify of urban neighbourhood and the strong sense of ‘islandness’ in the concept plan

2001

Objective/ Vision

enhance dynamism in

building envelope design

enhance pedestrian

engagement with retail spaces

Singapore’s Orchard Road has come to stand alongside Tokyo’s Omotesando, Paris’ Champs Elysees and New York’s Fifth Avenue as a shopping district of world renown. But the architectonics and spatial history of Orchard Road is distinctive and demands a unique discussion in the history of retail space

The roles of architecture and urbanism serve as transformative readings of this history.The architecture and planning of Orchard Road as retail hub must accommodate change; it must form a dynamic foundation for the confluence of individual, social and economic transformation.Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) programmes have been ‘initiated to directly address and engage such dynamism.

To enhance dynamism in

building envelope designTo enhance pedestrian

engagement with retail spaces

Built form/ Open spaces

Movement pattern

activites

To enhance dynamism in building envelope design

Built form

An Attractive and Vibrant Streetscape

Form and Massing

By encouraging innovative design, variedbuilding forms, public spaces and various

active uses along the Orchard Road

pedestrian mall.

The overall building form and massing of

individual buildings is toconsider how the building will be viewed as

well as impact views

from major approaches, key open spaces,

and the pedestrian

mall.The design of the building form and massing,

together with the architectural treatment, is

considering the scale, form and

architectural expression of the surrounding

buildings

To

enhance

dynamism

in building

envelope design

Building Height In general, the overall building height is

higher around Orchard MRT station,

marking the gateway to Orchard Road.

The building heights step down towards the Somerset and Tanglin Road areas

To

enhance

dynamism

in building

envelope design

Through detailed 3D modelling work, we were able to define

the structure’s geometry, enabling the use of the single-shell

construction technique. The façade provides support to the

overall structure, and without the need for internal support

structures, the architectural intent was achieved.

To offer a colourful, dynamic and multi-dimensional

pedestrian experience Arup developed the technical design

requirements for a high-resolution LED and low resolution

lighting display for the façade.

To

enhance

dynamism

in building

envelope design

Roofscape The roof areas of both the

high-rise and low-rise parts of

developments are to be considered as

the “fifth” elevations an designed to complement the overall form, massing

and architectural treatment of each

development and articulated to

contribute to the skyline profile. The roofs

are designed to be usable outdoor spaces.

Night Lighting All developments are strongly encouraged

to include night lighting that expresses the

architectural design and building form to

contribute to the vibrancy and variety of the streetscape.

To

enhance

dynamism

in building

envelope design

Movement pattern

To maintain an attractive streetscape, any

above-grade car park and service areas,

including refuse bin centres, loading /unloading bays and vehicle ingress/ egress,

storage lane(s), and vehicular drop-offs/ lay-

bys, etc are to be fully integrated within the

overall building form, and visually well-

screened from above and on all sides. Sufficient holding bays for the vehicular

access points to the car parks and service

areas are to be provided within the

development to ensure the smooth flow of

vehicles along adjacentroads.

To

enhance

dynamism

in building

envelope design

Before and After: Transformation of driveway in front of Mandarin Hotel into Pedestrian Mall.

Activities

Residential, commercial, retail and

entertainment components are integrated in

one attractive landscape precinct with pedestrian friendly, sheltered pathway that

link the entire environment.

The quality of mixed-use public realm with

retail, dining and vibrant communal spaces

is vital as successful in creating environments that people want to live and work in.

To

enhance

dynamism

in building

envelope design

Shop

Dine

Stay

Art Gallery

Medical center

ION Orchard

Paragon

Wisma Atria

The Heeren

Iggy's

Lawry's The Prime Rib

Les Amis

LP + TETSU

Four Seasons S'pore

Goodwood Park Hotel

Grand Hyatt S'pore

Paragon Medical Center

Lescalier Gallery

To enhance pedestrian engagement with retail spaces

To enhance

pedestrian

engagement

with retail

spaces Built form

Building Setback and Building Edge

Orchard Road has a signature image of

a wide tropical boulevard flanked by trees and buildings that reinforce and

define the street by relating to a

common building set-back line.

Façade Articulations and Urban

Verandahs are allowed to project into the building setback area to create

more interesting and varied building

frontages.

Façade Articulations are projections from the

building façade within the 7.6m or 11.6m buffer

along Orchard Road, Scotts Road and Grange Road

in the Orchard Planning Area.

Façade Articulations are allowed to project 4.0m from the existing building line. However projections

beyond 4.0m up to a maximum of 7.5m at specific

locations can be considered subject to design

evaluation .

Urban Verandah is an unenclosed extension from the

front façade of a building.

Urban Verandahs are to be located above the 1st

storey, which could support Outdoor Refreshment Areas (ORAs). The Urban Verandahs can be located

on or above the 2nd storey of the development

subject to design proposal.

The Urban Verandah should connect to adjacent

bus stops and covered walkways to form part of the pedestrian circulation network.

Activity Generating Uses (AGU),

such as retail, food & beverage,

entertainment, sports and recreation (such

as gymnasiums and fitness centres, etc) and

other similar uses are provided atthe following locations:

• The 1st storey of developments fronting key

streets pedestrian

malls and public spaces; and

• Alongside the underground pedestrian walkways at the

basement levels of the developments.

To enhance

pedestrian

engagement

with retail

spaces

AGUs provided along Discovery Walk.

Outdoor Refreshment AreasOutdoor Refreshment Areas and Kiosks

are encouraged at the first storey

directly fronting onto the pedestrian

mall, as well as within courtyards and open plazas within developments that

are adjacent to the public pedestrian

network

To enhance

pedestrian

engagement

with retail

spaces

Movement pattern

Pedestrian NetworkOrchard Planning Area is planned as a

pedestrian-friendly area via a comprehensive

pedestrian network at the 1st storey,

basement, and 2nd storey. This network provides convenient, comfortable, and

seamless connections between

developments,

transport facilities, and key spaces and

attractions, and ensures all-weather comfort.

To enhance

pedestrian

engagement

with retail

spaces

• At-Grade Pedestrian NetworkThe at-grade pedestrian network is augmented

by covered walkways that provide all-weather

protected pedestrian routes.

The covered walkways function as public amenities. They are to be kept free of obstruction

at all times.

• Underground Pedestrian Links (UPL)

The Underground Pedestrian Network (UPN) complements the 1st storey pedestrian network

and provides direct connection to Rapid Transit

System (RTS) stations.

• Elevated Pedestrian Links (EPL)The Elevated Pedestrian Network complements

the at-grade and underground pedestrian

network to provide seamless connectivity

between developments. Building owners and developers are encouraged to provide elevated

links to connect between buildings.

To enhance

pedestrian

engagement

with retail

spaces

Through-block link at 313@Somerset, connecting the

Somerset MRT stat ion to Orchard Road.

Activities

Activity-Generating UseSelected sites along Orchard Road incorporate public spaces within the private developments to provide space to support activities that contribute to the vibrancy of the street.These public spaces are designed to be conducive for the staging of events, be well-integrated with adjacent open and covered walkways, and are to be publicly accessible at all times.

To enhance

pedestrian

engagement

with retail

spaces

Open spaces

The open spaces have been fully utilized to engage the pedestrian

The application of

outdoor refreshment

area as private open

spaces to engage

pedestrian to retail spaces

The planning of

open spaces at the

interval of buildings

to engage the

experiences of grand boulevard

The interconnection of

covered walkway under

façade articulation and urban

verandah with pedestrian

walkway and outdoor refreshment area

Tree flanked

walkwayCovered

walkway

Outdoor

refreshment

area

Outdoor

refreshment

area

The urban development of orchard road is pushing toward the transformation of

Singapore into a global trend of living and working pattern.

The URA stressed the importance of variation in identify of urban neighbourhood and

transform Orchard road into a premier shopping street

Achieve visual connectivity by

variation in geometries of the building

and urban form.

Maximizing space by setting up planning guidelines for all the spaces

including open space

All the vision and objectives set in

master plan 2008 have been achieved successfully.

The future planning of Orchard

Road has reached a stagnant

stage where too little spaces

available for future development,

enhancements are the only option for future planning at the moment

The development into global trend

causing the lack of cultural

development in the street

Strength Shortcomings

Conclusion

The long-term persistence of development toward the initial targeted planning have achieved a recognizable

success. The urban design have been planned for a

holistic development of the street.

From nothing to everything, what can it be after everything.