Set within a tropical rainforest, the Surbana Jurong Campus—the global headquarters of Surbana Group—offers interconnected communities and collaborative spaces that evoke the atmosphere of a village. This is Safdie Architects’ sixth project in Singapore, marking a significant expansion of the firm’s architectural footprint while contributing a fresh architectural approach to Singapore’s evolving “garden city” concept.
△ Surbana Group Headquarters © Timothy Hursley
The SJ Campus, covering approximately 69,000 square meters, is the flagship project of Singapore’s emerging Jurong Innovation District. It features ten pavilion buildings ranging from five to seven stories, connected by a central pedestrian street that runs through indoor and outdoor courtyards, public spaces, and amenities on every floor.
The pavilion buildings are elevated, allowing the forest below to flourish uninterrupted. This design fosters a “treehouse” experience where lower-level public spaces and upper-floor offices are enveloped by greenery.
Instead of traditional interior-focused spatial strategies, the entire complex embraces the natural landscape. Unlike typical corporate headquarters housed in skyscrapers, these medium-sized pavilions maintain their distinct identities while forming an interconnected “village” atmosphere that is both dispersed and cohesive.
△ Location of Surbana Group Headquarters © Safdie Architects
△ Architectural layout: Central street as the spine with pavilion buildings branching out © Safdie Architects
Through this latest project, Surbana Group Headquarters, we introduce a new workplace model that responds to the growing need for connection with nature and community.
This design not only opens new pathways for Surbana Group but also serves as a global example of how office buildings can holistically support a higher quality of life. — Moses Safdie, Founder of Safdie Architects
Central Street running north to south © Timothy Hursley
Rising pavilion architecture © Timothy Hursley
Supporting Healthy Work Environments
The Surbana Group Headquarters is designed around the belief that employees deserve optimal access to natural light, fresh air, and green spaces to reduce stress, encourage social interaction, and boost creativity.
The project has earned the BCA-HPB Green Label Platinum Certification for Healthy Workplaces and WELL Pre-Certification from the International WELL Building Institute.
Sunlit public spaces enriched with greenery
The design inspiration for the headquarters comes directly from the people who work and live within the space.
We have created a comprehensive hub that supports Surbana’s employees and connects them intimately with the surrounding landscape and community. The design also links the park’s ground level, offering open and accessible spaces that foster vibrant community interaction at the heart of the workplace. — Charu Kokate, Senior Partner at Safdie Architects and Project Manager for Surbana Group Headquarters
Diverse office spaces all feature natural views © Timothy Hursley
The design prioritizes workplace happiness, integrating it into the planning of buildings, courtyards, pathways, and circulation.
Features include spacious private offices, dedicated research areas, sunken courtyards, activity zones, booths overlooking greenery, and a multifunctional auditorium with a capacity of 1,000 seats. These create a spectrum of private, semi-private, and public work environments.
The central street, combined with an open atrium, connects employees to the outside world, offering rich and varied visual experiences. From their workspaces, employees can enjoy activities on different floors and views of the surrounding ecological gardens. Convenient amenities such as public clinics, fitness centers, mother and baby rooms, and childcare facilities are strategically located to support employees and caregivers, encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle.
△ Design promotes open communication © Timothy Hursley
Our design blends indoor and outdoor landscapes, allowing park greenery to flow into the office environment, creating a network of workspaces immersed in nature.
This integration encourages a more autonomous work experience—work is no longer confined to cubicles or desks. Instead, flexible and open spaces foster spontaneous collaboration and the exchange of ideas at any time. — Jeffrey Huggins, Partner at Safdie Architects
△ Entrance Atrium © Timothy Hursley
Ultra-Low Energy Design with Top Standards
The Surbana Group Headquarters achieved the highest environmental sustainability rating from Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority—the Green Mark Platinum Super Low Energy certification. It is the first office building in Singapore to earn this distinction and the largest to date.
△ Garden-style office space © Timothy Hursley
△ Innovative facade system © Safdie Architects
To minimize energy consumption, the building incorporates innovative passive design strategies and an integrated building operations approach, including:
- Maximizing natural light by using fixtures that reflect sunlight indoors while blocking direct glare, reducing reliance on artificial lighting;
- Advanced curtain wall systems featuring integrated louvers, ETFE-coated roofs, and external sunshades to reduce heat gain while maintaining transparency to the landscape;
- The largest floor air supply system in Singapore’s commercial sector, delivering cooling directly to demand zones from beneath, enhancing indoor air quality and saving an additional 16% energy;
- Sustainable water recycling through rain gardens and bio-retention basins that capture and reuse rainwater and runoff;
- Extensive green spaces including rooftop gardens, indoor gardens, and expansive outdoor landscaping to offset green space lost to construction;
- Solar panels installed on all non-garden rooftops;
- Green transportation infrastructure with electric vehicle charging stations to promote low-energy commuting;
- Intelligent building control systems that monitor and adjust energy, lighting, and water usage in real time across the campus.
Energy-saving measures analysis © Safdie Architects
1. Rooftop solar energy; 2. Natural water features; 3. Improved air quality; 4. Rainwater collection; 5. Sensor-controlled spaces; 6. Sunlight harvesting; 7. Intelligent floor air supply cooling; 8. Smart lighting control; 9. High-performance facade system; 10. High-performance slag and carbon-cured concrete facades
Fostering Community Engagement
The Jurong Innovation District focuses on advanced manufacturing, urban solutions, and smart logistics. It brings together companies committed to sustainability, along with Nanyang Technological University and new residential developments.
As the district’s flagship project, the Surbana Group Headquarters is envisioned as a community hub—not only serving its 4,000 employees but also welcoming the broader public.
△ Internal public garden courtyard © Timothy Hursley
The site features a north-south pedestrian walkway and a central east-west passage, providing 24/7 unrestricted access throughout the campus. Additionally, a convenient pathway connects to adjacent ecological gardens, offering direct access to natural habitats rich with native plants, water features, and wildlife.
The building includes multiple indoor and outdoor courtyards, covered plazas, seating areas, large multifunctional halls with garden views, a public training center—the SJ Global Academy—as well as fitness centers, maternity and baby rooms, childcare facilities, ATMs, and medical clinics. These spaces foster connection and community through abundant public amenities.
△ Open external streets and corridors © Timothy Hursley
Integrating with and Protecting Nature
Located within the first commercial park set in a tropical rainforest, adjacent to Jurong Eco Park, the Surbana Group Headquarters is designed to harmonize with and safeguard its natural surroundings.
△ Buildings seamlessly integrated into green fields © Timothy Hursley
The design preserves over half of the site’s existing greenery, featuring accessible rooftop gardens and nearly 2,800 square meters of indoor gardens, including two climate-controlled courtyards planted with native tropical species.
The eastern pavilion uses a stepped cantilever structure, allowing vegetation below and around the building to thrive uninterrupted. The offices within feel enveloped by greenery, creating a “treehouse” atmosphere.
The project also preserved a giant banyan tree on the site’s northeast corner. © Timothy Hursley
Transportation and Connectivity
As a key element of the Jurong Innovation District, the Surbana Group Headquarters aims to provide efficient connectivity within the campus and to surrounding natural landscapes, the broader district, and Singapore’s city center.
A curved glass volume forms the central pedestrian street, linking the ten individual buildings and weaving together internal and external green spaces to create a unique office network embedded in nature.
Employees and visitors have 24/7 access to a new subway station with six intersecting lines via the main internal street and external walkways. Dedicated bus services provide direct connections to Nanyang Technological University, while approximately 11 kilometers of pedestrian and cycling paths allow exploration of the wider Jurong area.
Facilities such as electric vehicle charging stations and “End of Trip” bicycle parking encourage sustainable transportation choices.
△ Traffic analysis diagram of Surbana Group Headquarters © Safdie Architects
Construction Technology
To realize this design, Safdie Architects collaborated closely with structural engineers and contractors, implementing a prefabricated system that meets stringent technical and environmental standards. High-quality components were manufactured off-site in Malaysia and transported to Singapore, significantly reducing construction time and enhancing efficiency.
This project introduced prefabrication to Singapore’s construction industry, advancing local building technology.
△ Construction overview of Surbana Group Headquarters © Safdie Architects
Project Information
Location: Singapore
Owner: Surbana Group
Completion Date: March 2024
Building Area: 68,900 square meters
Site Area: 28,000 square meters
Occupancy Capacity: 4,000 people
Design Architect: Safdie Architects
Design Partners: Moshe Safdie, Charu Kokate, David Brooks, Jeffrey Huggins
Design Team: Howard Bloom, Jeremy Schwartz, Lewina Lee, Lusha Wainford, Reihaneh Ramezany M., Sarah Rinehart, Seunghyun Kim, Tunch Gungor, Zhuang Guo, Dan Lee, Lee Hua Tan, Roderick Delgado, Prashanth Raju, Peter Morgan
Executive Architect: Surbana Group
Executive Architect Design Team: Ivy Koh, Ahmad Zaky Diani, David Oktavianus, Laura Tan
Building Systems & Engineering: Surbana Jurong Group
Civil and Structural Engineering: KTP
Office Interior Design: Beijiaqi B+H
Environmental Sustainable Design Consultant: Surbana Jurong from Surbana Group
Landscape Design Execution: Surbana Jurong from Surbana Group
Other Consultants: Acviron Acoustics; Arup Facades; Nipek; PWP Landscape Architecture
Interior Design: Beijiaqi B+H
Must log in before commenting!
Sign Up