SINGAPORE – A $1.37 billion life sciences and innovation hub at the Singapore Science Park, with a host of commercial, research and recreational facilities, was launched by CapitaLand Group on Monday.
Dubbed Geneo, the hub by the master developer and operator of the technology park will cover some 180,600 sq m, or about the size of 25 football pitches, in gross floor area across three properties.
This marks the latest phase in an ongoing rejuvenation of the precinct that began about a decade ago, in time for the park’s 40th anniversary in 2023.
The development spans five sustainably built and energy-efficient buildings located at 1, 5 and 7 Science Park Drive, all redevelopment sites.
A launch event attended by Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong was held at 5 Science Park Drive, which was the first building in the development to be completed in 2019.
It currently houses the headquarters of regional e-commerce giant Shopee.
Meanwhile, a target completion date of 2024 has been set for 7 Science Park Drive, a mixed-use development housing almost 29,000 sq m of work space and 10,000 sq m for the Citadines Science Park Singapore serviced residences.
The 250-apartment lodging facility, operated by CapitaLand Investment-owned The Ascott Limited, will be the first in the entire precinct.
Set to open last in 2025 will be 1 Science Park Drive, the largest property in Geneo, comprising three buildings that account for more than 60 per cent of Geneo’s total gross floor area.
Both 5 and 7 Science Park Drive are owned by CapitaLand Development, while 1 Science Park Drive is owned by a joint venture between CapitaLand Development and CapitaLand Ascendas Reit.
When Geneo is fully operational, the total working population in the precinct is expected to reach about 21,000, up from 12,000 currently.
Lifestyle amenities that will be available at the site include about 3,600 sq m of retail and food and beverage outlets, a landscaped event plaza and various fitness facilities such as a yoga deck.
About 80,000 sq m of Geneo’s work space will be purpose-built to accommodate biomedical research and development activities.
Part of this space will be earmarked for CapitaLand’s first co-working laboratory space, which will be equipped with common laboratory equipment and facilities that emerging life sciences start-ups can share.
One existing tenant in the Singapore Science Park open to a move to Geneo is agritech start-up Singrow, which was spun off from the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Known for developing a strain of strawberries that can survive in tropical climates, Singrow currently operates out of an office in Science Park Drive, said founder and chief executive Bao Shengjie.
The start-up currently conducts research at the NUS Agritech Centre, also located in Science Park Drive, but Geneo’s provisions for labs has piqued its interest for its own facility.
“As an independent company, over the longer term, we want to establish our own independent process so that we can have all the innovation under our control… in our own facility,” said Dr Bao, who is also Singrow’s chief scientist.
But any move would depend on the rental range and potential opportunities for partnerships that Geneo could offer, he said.
As a testament to Geneo’s sustainability credentials, 7 Science Park Drive achieved the Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) Green Mark Platinum Super Low Energy certification, while the other two properties achieved the BCA Green Mark Platinum.
The entire project is designed to save about 13 million kilowatt-hours per year in energy through distributed district cooling and a layout designed to minimise heat gain, among other features.
In a speech at the launch event, CapitaLand Development chief executive Jonathan Yap noted that the Science Park now houses more than 350 Singapore and foreign companies.
He said CapitaLand is renewing the Science Park to ensure that it is future-ready and the community within it can gain an enhanced sense of belonging.
The launch event also featured a virtual-reality walkaround of Geneo’s event plaza, as well as an exhibition on the Singapore Science Park’s past and future.
As part of the precinct’s ongoing 40th anniversary celebrations, 40 benches, all painted collaboratively by volunteers from companies located in the Science Park and CapitaLand and art talents from five charity partners, will be added to the precinct’s communal spaces.
