{"data":{"news":{"items":[{"title":"GuocoLand forms partnerships to boost digitalisation in S’pore projects","date":"2021-08-06 12:13:32","id":3032,"author":"","blurb":"","blurb_image_uid":"https://dxfpracgmlczp.cloudfront.net/2021/08/1628220513281_Media_Release_GuocoLand_Launches_Strategic_Partnerships_with_Local_Enterprise-5.jpg","blurb_expanded_image_uid":null,"article":"\n\t\n\n\n

Singapore-based developer GuocoLand Limited, along with its subsidiaries, has established a series of partnerships with local technology companies to accelerate the digitalisation of its business. The Group plans to implement more than 20 digital-related projects over the next two years.

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The partnerships with local companies, including Airsquire, Groundup.ai, Operva AI, SpaceAge Labs and Doxa, will focus on projects that will deploy artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), drone technology and smart devices, among others.

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Facilitated by Enterprise Singapore (ESG), such initiatives will enable GuocoLand to enhance its productivity and efficiency, improve workplace safety standards and mitigate manpower constraints over time. These collaborations will also benefit the Group’s stakeholders, including consultants, contractors, buyers and tenants.

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“The digitalisation drive will impact and uplift the entire value chain of the built environment sector, from design, procurement and contracts, construction methodology, site management and quality surveillance, to facility management,” said GuocoLand.

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“The transformation of Singapore’s built environment sector requires all organisations in the eco-system to play their part,” explained Cheng Hsing Yao, CEO of GuocoLand. “As we studied the technologies available, we found many cutting-edge innovations being pioneered by local start-ups. We decided to support our home-grown companies and collaborate with them to co-create more innovative and sustainable solutions.”

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Pilot projects

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GuocoLand will be deploying Operva AI for inspecting the facade of its residential developments. Utilising drone technology with infrared thermography and AI capabilities, this innovation could replace the traditional water test for detecting leakage in new buildings and aid in pre-emptive building maintenance of older buildings.

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Airsquire’s technology will also be adopted to capture 360-degree site progress inspection photos of projects under construction, thus enabling project managers to remotely check and compare construction progress virtually. This technology will be applied at the site of Midtown Modern, GuocoLand’s latest development.

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According to GuocoLand, Airsquire will also conduct a pilot test on the use of AI in producing an interactive 360-degree measurable virtual ‘street view’, which allows project managers to easily compare what has been built with the BIM designs.

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Another application of AI in residential developments is the Groundup.ai solution to monitor the well-being of the elderly. Groundup.ai’s predictive algorithm works in tandem with computer vision technology to predict potential falls or distresses based on the person’s past movement patterns. GuocoLand is exploring how such technology can be scaled and integrated into future residential developments to meet the needs of an ageing population.

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For commercial technology applications, the Group’s partnership with SpaceAge Labs will utilise wireless IoT sensors, IoT cloud and machine learning to monitor water meters on each office floor and lights in hard-to-reach areas like the crown of Guoco Tower (Singapore’s tallest building). Additionally, GuocoLand is working with Doxa on a procurement system as well as an application to streamline its facility management.

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Four of the initial batch of digitalisation initiatives (by Airsquire, Groundup.ai, Operva AI and Doxa) are pilot projects. “They have the potential to progress to proof of concept, demonstrate new application in the built environment sector, and digitalise processes,” said GuocoLand. The Group further mentioned that for SpaceAge Labs, this will be the first time its technology is scaled up for tests and implementation in an entire commercial building.

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Mr Cheng added, “We hope that these pilot projects will create game-changing technologies for the built environment sector and result in a faster and higher rate of industry adoption. Some of these innovations could even be exported to other countries and cities that face the same challenges as Singapore in sustainable urban development.”

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Jane Ong, lead of digitalisation committee at GuocoLand said, “We have always valued innovation in our products and services. Covid-19’s disruption of the built environment sector has heightened the need to digitalise and innovate processes in creating our products and services. We recognise that, as a developer and building owner, we are the main procurer of products and services and hold a pivotal position in directing the development of the built environment sector.”

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Innovations at Guoco Tower

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Prior to these pilot projects, GuocoLand had already been using advanced technologies in its developments and rolled out a number of digital initiatives and solutions across its core businesses in Singapore.

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For example, Guoco Tower’s innovative HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) systems keep the indoor environment cool and healthy through high-performance air filters rated MERV 14 with dust spot efficiency up to 95%. In addition, the filtered air goes through the ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) process which kills 90% of airborne pathogens.

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More recently, several technologies in cleaning automation have been employed to improve Guoco Tower’s safety and wellness standards. A trial is also ongoing for the building to utilise indoor air quality sensors by air health company uHoo – another homegrown start-up – in keeping the workplace environment clean and healthy for occupants.

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Furthermore, GuocoLand is collaborating with IoT-enhanced lift maintenance company WeMaintain, who is currently in discussion with Building and Construction Authority (BCA) for lifts equipped with remote monitoring and diagnostic capabilities to come under a testbed programme.

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Lastly, homeowners at Martin Modern, GuocoLand’s recently completed condominium, may conduct home inspections with ease on their mobile phones through the Novade app. GuocoLand has also developed an in-house bespoke eSignature platform jointly with Australian tech company GetSignature to improve productivity and traceability of signed documents and agreements.

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Images: GuocoLand

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GuocoLand Limited plans to build the most extensive privately-developed collection of gardens in the central business district (CBD), sited at the company’s second flagship integrated mixed-use development, Guoco Midtown.

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Known collectively as Guoco Midtown Gardens, they feature 30 thematic gardens and landscaped spaces spanning 3.8 ha. Ten of these gardens will be publicly accessible, said the developer. The gardens will be ‘weaved’ like a botanic tapestry into Guoco Midtown’s built environment, extending from the ground floor to various levels at the podium and all the way to the rooftops of the towers.

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“Our vision for Guoco Midtown is to bring about a transformation of the neighbourhood into a new business and lifestyle destination in the CBD. One of the new identities of the future ‘Midtown’ of Singapore is a botanic garden in the city – one that is knitted into the urban fabric of an integrated mixed development,” explained Cheng Hsing Yao, group managing director of GuocoLand Singapore.

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“The biophilic design of Guoco Midtown also demonstrates how the private sector can play a role in a whole-of-nation effort to contribute to the Singapore Green Plan 2030. Guoco Midtown’s city in nature concept is built upon these principles to make our city greener, more liveable and promote a sustainable lifestyle with green transportation and green buildings.”

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Guoco Midtown is a 3.2-ha mixed-use mega development on Beach Road and Tan Quee Lan Street, which is set to be the epicentre of Singapore's 'Midtown'. The project is scheduled to be completed in phases starting from 2022.

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Australia’s Denton Corker Marshall helms the overall site over at Beach Road, while ip:li Architects designed the latest addition to Guoco Midtown – the 558-unit Midtown Modern with its twin residential towers and a retail podium. Ortus Design is the landscape architect tasked with integrating nature into the multiple components of Guoco Midtown, from its office tower, retail clusters to the two residential developments.

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Some of the publicly accessible thematic gardens include a Native Garden of indigenous plants and orchids; Midtown Market with an epiphyte collection that forms a hanging garden above the public space; Forest Giants Walk with its tall tropical forest trees; Water Garden with a fresh waterside plant collection; and Eucalyptus Plaza for people and cyclists to rest.

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According to GuocoLand, the gardens will have more than 350 species of plants, including several rare and endangered native species.

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Gardens in the city

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Directly linked to the Bugis MRT Interchange Station, Guoco Midtown will have three distinctive public spaces – Midtown Square, Midtown Market and Midtown Common.

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Midtown Square is located near the grand arrival of Guoco Midtown’s office tower. Overlooking Midtown Square on Level 3 is the Native Garden - an outdoor botanical library of native plants and orchids, and home to one of the world's largest orchid species, the Tiger Orchid.

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Midtown Market is anchored by the Network Hub and Midtown House, the conserved heritage building of the former Beach Road Police Station. Visitors can dine al fresco at one of the gastro bars under the collection of epiphytes, or plants with hanging foliage and flowers such as the Curtain Ivy and Jade Vines.

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Located next to Midtown Market is the Water Garden, which features freshwater waterside plants such as the native Paku Wangi, Sakat Hitam and flowering plants like the Giant Spider Lily and the Bamboo Orchids.

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Right below Midtown Modern (residential component) is Midtown Common, a large public space for the community.

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Private sanctuaries

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Located at Level 7 of the office tower are the Mid Levels Garden spaces comprising a sanctuary garden, a bamboo grove and an event space. The Network Pool Terrace on the roof of the Network Hub includes a 40-m lap pool and a private dining room. At the top of the office tower, the Sky Gardens offer views of Marina Bay, Kallang Basin and various city skylines.

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Residents at Midtown Modern will have their own private gardens on Level 3. Here, there will be more than 10 thematic gardens, many of which are designed as forests, with plants and trees species being selected to create the atmospheres of Spring, Summer and Autumn. The gardens will also feature the Grand Lawn, surrounded by the Summer Wood.

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Owners of the premium business homes at Midtown Bay can look forward to their own green oases like the Pool Gardens on Level 7 with a 30-m lap pool, lawns for exercising and pavilions, or the Sky Terrace on Level 25 with its panoramic views.

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Besides adding a critical green lung into the city with Guoco Midtown, GuocoLand said it will also adopt technologies to conserve water and energy. This includes a fully automated water-efficient irrigation system that will meet 20% of its irrigation needs through rainwater harvesting and sub-soil dripping.

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Images: GuocoLand

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Guoco Midtown, the mega mixed-use development by GuocoLand Limited located on Beach Road, Singapore, is expanding its footprint in the central business district (CBD) with the addition of Guoco Midtown II at Tan Quee Lan Street, which will also feature a new residential project named Midtown Modern.

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The new combined master development now offers 1.5 mil sq ft of gross floor area (GFA), sprawling over 3.2 ha of prime land. It is believed to be the largest project currently under construction in the Singapore CBD.

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The expanded Guoco Midtown will be the centre of innovative businesses and new lifestyle concepts, revealed GuocoLand. “Coined as a ‘City of the Future’, the development is based on sustainability principles and new concepts of working and city living. It is expected to attract a new community of companies, talents, residents and visitors into the area, redefining the vicinity into an exciting confluence of business, lifestyle, culture and heritage,” explained the company.

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The mixed-use master development will comprise a 30-storey office tower with 770,000 sq ft of premium Grade A office space, retail clusters, two condominiums - Midtown Bay and Midtown Modern - and a five-storey Network Hub building, which is a business and social networking club. The development will also come with around 3.8 ha of landscape areas, providing more than 20 concept gardens and public spaces.

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Guoco Midtown’s first residential development, Midtown Bay, is a 33-storey tower with 219 units. The second one, Midtown Modern, will have two 30-storey towers offering more than 500 units.

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There will be three concept retail and F&B clusters, each surrounding a key public space. They are Midtown Garden along Beach Road, Midtown Market directly behind the conserved Old Beach Road Police Station building, and Midtown Square right above the Bugis interchange MRT Station along Tan Quee Lan Street (at Guoco Midtown II).

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Guoco Midtown is scheduled to be completed in phases between 2022 and 2024, and is expected to bring an additional 10,000 office workers, residents and visitors daily into the district. The development is led by GuocoLand with a group of investors, namely Hong Kong-listed Guoco Group, Hong Leong Holdings and Hong Realty.

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“Guoco Midtown was conceived with a vision of how people will work, live and play in the future. Part of that future has arrived much sooner. Guoco Midtown will serve as a demonstration of how cities of the future can be liveable and sustainable while engaging its occupants and the community,” said Cheng Hsing Yao, group managing director of GuocoLand Singapore.

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“We are also hopeful that Guoco Midtown will transform the vicinity into an exciting new district of innovation, commerce and community, and create a new identity for the district.”

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Images: GuocoLand

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GuocoLand Limited, through its indirect subsidiaries, MTG Apartments Pte Ltd and MTG Retail Pte Ltd, is building a new luxury residential cum commercial development at Tan Quee Lan Street, Singapore, and has secured a S$730 million green club loan for the project from OCBC Bank, DBS Bank and ICBC Singapore Branch. The development is a joint venture between GuocoLand and two subsidiaries of Hong Leong Holdings – Intrepid Investments Pte Ltd and Hong Realty (Private) Limited.

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In its announcement, GuocoLand said this is its first green loan and currently the industry’s largest green loan for a development project in Singapore. Proceeds from the loan will go towards financing the project, including the efforts in sustainable development, water and energy conservation, and adoption of immersive urban greenery and landscaping.

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The new 30-storey residential cum commercial development at Tan Quee Lan Street will be located right above the Bugis mass rapid transit (MRT) interchange station. It will have two residential towers with more than 500 units of luxury apartments as well as a retail podium with food and beverage establishments open to the public.

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The joint venture was awarded the tender for the 124,116 sq ft land plot in September 2019 with their bid of S$800.2 million. The new development is expected to meet the criteria to receive Green Mark GoldPLUS certification by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

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GuocoLand, together with OCBC Bank acting as the sole green financing advisor, developed a green loan framework that provides guidance for the evaluation of the new residential cum commercial development’s eligibility as a green project based on its sustainability objectives, as well as the management of the loan proceeds.

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The green loan framework has been structured in accordance with the Green Loan Principles issued in 2018 by the Loan Market Association and Asia Pacific Loan Market Association. DBS Bank and OCBC Bank are joint green coordinators and, together with ICBC Singapore Branch, are mandated lead arrangers.

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GuocoLand has long championed environmental best practices in the built environment. The green loan reinforces GuocoLand’s continued commitment to sustainable development with the Tan Quee Lan Street site expanding its portfolio of environment-friendly developments in Singapore.

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“Climate change is one of the biggest challenge of our times. Our developments are always conceived, developed and managed with sustainability principles as the foundation,” said Cheng Hsing Yao, group managing director of GuocoLand Singapore. “We were one of the first real estate developers to receive the BCA Green Mark Platinum award, and Guoco Tower was one of the earliest integrated developments in Singapore to receive both Green Mark Platinum and LEED Platinum Certifications.

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“Our latest projects, Guoco Midtown and Midtown Bay, have been awarded the BCA Green Mark Platinum award this year and we are proud to continue developing buildings that are grounded on sustainability principles in the future, including this new development at Tan Quee Lan Street.”

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According to Elaine Lam, head of global corporate banking at OCBC Bank, green financing has taken off in Singapore since late 2018, with the majority of the funds being channelled into greening the property sector. “Having an industry leader like GuocoLand come in to keep this momentum going is crucial. For OCBC, we are committed to creating sustainable value for the community we operate in and to maintaining a sustainable environment for future generations. We will continue to work towards our goal of a S$10 billion sustainable finance portfolio by 2022.”

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Chew Chong Lim, managing director and global head of real estate for Institutional Banking Group at DBS Bank added, “GuocoLand’s first green loan and the largest for a development project, is a significant milestone for the real estate industry that is seeing an increasing number of companies incorporating sustainability practices into their corporate strategies and building management. Responsible banking is one of the key tenets of DBS’ sustainability commitment and we want to support more companies like GuocoLand that are making positive environmental impact even in these challenging times, to advance sustainable business practices.”

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Geng Hao, deputy general manager of ICBC Singapore Branch also commented, “As part of ICBC's consistent green strategy, we are very pleased to accompany GuocoLand on its sustainable journey for its largest green loan for a development project in Singapore. We have social and environmental commitments to provide financial support to GuocoLand and more companies in their green transformation, and make new contributions to sustainable development in Singapore.”

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Image: GuocoLand

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