Orchard Gateway

Orchard Gateway is a shopping mall and mixed-use development on Singapore's Orchard Road retail corridor. It occupies the site of the former Specialists' Shopping Centre, Phoenix Hotel and Orchard Emerald, and was conceived as a connector between the surrounding Orchard Road malls and Somerset MRT station. The development is directly associated with Orchard Central and 313@Somerset, while a related mall, orchardgateway@emerald, is located across Orchard Road and connected through the wider development's pedestrian network. The project was announced on 21 March 2012 and was jointly developed by Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation and United Engineers Limited. Its retail component contains approximately 180,000 square feet of space across six levels, including two basement floors. The mall was initially expected to be completed in November 2013, but construction and opening were delayed. Orchard Gateway officially opened on 26 April 2014. The mall's concept combines shopping, dining, lifestyle services and pedestrian connectivity. Its tenant mix has included international and specialist brands such as Crate & Barrel, Religion, Swatch, I.T, J.Lindeberg and Red Wing Shoes. Crate & Barrel served as a major anchor, occupying more than three levels. The development also incorporated library@orchard, a public library operated by Singapore's National Library Board, giving the complex a cultural and community-use dimension in addition to its commercial role. Orchard Gateway forms part of an integrated project containing retail, hotel and office uses. The hotel rises above the mall, while the office tower is positioned above orchardgateway@emerald. A glass tubular overhead bridge connects the hotel and office components, and the broader complex is connected to Orchard Road's shopping belt by an overhead bridge, an underpass and internal links to neighboring malls. Hotel Jen Orchardgateway, operated by Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, opened on 15 September 2014 in the hotel building, which had previously been associated with the Traders Hotel name. The development has also been promoted for environmental and operational features. These include a system intended to use biogas generated from composted food waste to produce electricity, a car-park guidance system designed to reduce vehicle circulation and emissions, and ultraviolet emitters in air-handling units serving food-and-beverage areas to support indoor air quality. Orchard Gateway's role is therefore both that of a shopping destination and of a transit-oriented connector within the dense Orchard Road commercial district.

Orchard Gateway was developed as part of the redevelopment of a prominent section of Singapore's Orchard Road. The project replaced or incorporated land associated with the former Specialists' Shopping Centre, Phoenix Hotel and Orchard Emerald. Its planning reflected the increasingly integrated character of Orchard Road, where retail centers, hotels, offices and public transport infrastructure are connected into a continuous pedestrian-oriented shopping district. The integrated development was announced on 21 March 2012. Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation and United Engineers Limited were identified as the joint developers. The plan included a six-level shopping mall with approximately 180,000 square feet of retail space, together with a hotel above the mall and an office tower above the related orchardgateway@emerald development on the opposite side of Orchard Road. The office and hotel components were linked by a distinctive glass tubular overhead bridge. The retail mall was initially intended to be completed in November 2013. The timetable was not achieved, and the mall subsequently opened officially on 26 April 2014. Its location beside Somerset MRT station and its network of bridges, underpasses and inter-mall walkways were central to its role in the Orchard Road environment. These connections linked Orchard Gateway with Orchard Central, 313@Somerset and the wider shopping belt rather than positioning it as an isolated enclosed mall. The tenant strategy combined international names with specialist lifestyle retailers. Crate & Barrel became a principal anchor and occupied more than three levels. Other named tenants included Religion, Swatch, I.T, J.Lindeberg and Red Wing Shoes, while Nike introduced an Amplify Women's concept store. The presence of library@orchard, operated by Singapore's National Library Board, broadened the development's use beyond conventional retail and contributed a public cultural facility to the complex. The hotel component opened later in the same year. Hotel Jen Orchardgateway began operating on 15 September 2014 under Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts. The hotel occupied the building above the mall and was formerly associated with the Traders Hotel brand. The integrated development was described as containing a 500-room hotel, with the hotel and office tower connected by the overhead bridge. Orchard Gateway was also designed with several sustainability and building-management features. These included the intended recovery of biogas from composted food waste for electricity generation, parking guidance technology to help drivers find spaces and reduce unnecessary exhaust emissions, and ultraviolet emitters in air-handling units serving food-and-beverage areas to improve air quality. Together with its public transport access and pedestrian links, these features formed part of the project's contemporary mixed-use positioning. The development remains a retail and hospitality destination within Singapore's Orchard Road district. Its identity is defined less by a single proprietary product than by the combination of shopping, dining, public amenities, hotel accommodation, offices and connections to neighboring commercial properties.

• 2014

  Orchard Gateway opens

  [1]Orchard Gatewayen.wikipedia.org

  The shopping mall officially opened on 26 April 2014.

• 2014

  Hotel Jen Orchardgateway opens

  [1]Orchard Gatewayen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel component opened on 15 September 2014 under Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts.

• 2013

  Original completion target

  [1]Orchard Gatewayen.wikipedia.org

  The mall was initially expected to be completed in November 2013, but the target was not met.

• 2012

  Integrated development announced

  [1]Orchard Gatewayen.wikipedia.org

  The Orchard Gateway project was announced on 21 March 2012 as a joint development by Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation and United Engineers Limited.

A centrally located, design-oriented Orchard Road lifestyle mall emphasizing pedestrian connectivity, international and specialist retail, dining, and integration with hospitality and office uses.

• Shopping mall · 2014

  Retail mall

  The principal Orchard Gateway offering is a six-level retail mall, including two basement levels, with approximately 180,000 square feet of retail space. Its tenant mix has covered fashion, footwear, watches, furniture, lifestyle products, dining and specialist retail. The mall is anchored by connectivity to the Orchard Road retail belt and neighboring malls rather than by a single house brand.

• Public library

  library@orchard

  library@orchard is a public library facility operated by Singapore's National Library Board within the development. Its inclusion gives Orchard Gateway a civic and cultural function alongside its commercial uses, bringing library services and public programming into the Orchard Road shopping district.

• Hotel · 2014

  Hotel Jen Orchardgateway

  Hotel Jen Orchardgateway occupies the hotel building above the mall and is operated by Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts. The hotel opened in September 2014 and formed part of the integrated retail, hospitality and office development. The project description identifies the hotel as having 500 rooms.

• Transport and access infrastructure · 2014

  Pedestrian connectivity network

  Orchard Gateway is connected to the surrounding Orchard Road retail district through a glass overhead bridge, an underpass across Orchard Road and internal walkways linking neighboring malls. These links connect the development with Orchard Central, 313@Somerset and the broader Somerset MRT area.

• 2014

  Launch a lifestyle-oriented tenant mixProduct launch

  Background

  Orchard Gateway was positioned within a highly competitive shopping district containing numerous established malls and international retailers.

  Action taken

  The mall opened with international and specialist brands, including Crate & Barrel, Religion, Swatch, I.T, J.Lindeberg, Red Wing Shoes and a Nike Amplify Women's concept store, alongside dining and library services.

  Aftermath

  The tenant strategy gave the development a lifestyle and design-oriented identity, with Crate & Barrel serving as a major anchor across more than three levels.

  Source

• 2012

  Adopt an integrated retail, hotel and office development modelStrategy

  Background

  The project was planned on a substantial Orchard Road redevelopment site previously associated with Specialists' Shopping Centre, Phoenix Hotel and Orchard Emerald. The location and surrounding transport infrastructure supported a mixed-use approach rather than a standalone shopping center.

  Action taken

  The developers combined a six-level shopping mall with a hotel above the mall, an office tower above the related orchardgateway@emerald property, and a pedestrian bridge connecting the upper components.

  Aftermath

  The resulting complex opened the retail component in April 2014 and the hotel component in September 2014, creating a connected commercial and hospitality destination beside Somerset MRT station.

  Source

1. 1Orchard Gatewayen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Orchard Gateway official websiteorchardgateway.sg