Industrial spaces and homes under one roof? JTC explores idea with architects

SINGAPORE – Workshops and design studios could one day share buildings with homes – bringing jobs closer to where people live, injecting vibrancy into industrial spaces and making better use of land.

JTC Corporation has teamed up with the Singapore Institute of Architects to study whether industrial and residential spaces can be brought together under one roof.

The spaces could house small-scale assembly or prototyping activities such as 3D printing, maker spaces, design studios, dry labs, and workshops for small and medium-sized enterprises, JTC and the institute said in a statement to The Straits Times.

“By bringing different uses closer together, it could give residents more convenient access to quality jobs, entrepreneurial opportunities and spaces to pursue their hobbies and interests,” they said.

Lighter industrial activities could potentially be situated alongside offices, shops, community facilities and residential units in a single development, with “sufficient separation between living, working and making spaces so that homes remain conducive and attractive places to live”.

Architects will use two industrial sites in Toa Payoh as case studies to explore designs for integrated developments combining industrial and residential uses.

The proposed designs will be adaptable for use elsewhere in Singapore.

JTC and the Singapore Institute of Architects said Toa Payoh was chosen for the study because it is home to “a diverse, multi-generational community of seniors, young families and working professionals”.

There are residential and industrial developments within the same neighbourhood – though on separate plots of land – and several JTC-owned industrial sites.

This makes the town a realistic case study for understanding how the proposed mixed-use buildings can integrate with existing community infrastructure and foster “vibrant, inclusive communities that bridge traditional boundaries between industrial and residential life”.

The two sites are a 2.3ha plot in Toa Payoh Industrial Park and a 2.4ha site in Lorong 3 Toa Payoh that is occupied by Jackson Square, a light industrial development.

Both sites are near homes and amenities. The Toa Payoh Industrial Park site, for instance, is across the road from existing Housing Board development Kim Keat Ripples and upcoming public housing project Kim Keat Crest, with Toa Payoh Polyclinic and Toa Payoh South Community Club nearby.

The Lorong 3 Toa Payoh site is next to Keng Cheng School and close to several HDB estates.

JTC and the institute said that for industrial-residential buildings to become a reality, urban planning regulations will likely need to be tweaked, while innovation is required in areas such as building design, logistics, ventilation, acoustics and operations.

The study has four stages. In the first stage, which ended in July, teams submitted their overall vision for the proposed industrial-residential development, and their specific vision for each study site.

Three teams have been shortlisted for the second stage, where each will produce concept designs for both sides.

Of the three teams, one comprises representatives from CPG Consultants, and another is from RSP Architects Planners & Engineers. The third team is led by Roy Pang of Architects Studio, with members from various practices.

One team will be shortlisted for each site in the final stages – either separate teams for each site, or one team working on both sites. They will submit a schematic design and guidelines on how their design can be replicated elsewhere.

The entire study is slated to end in the first half of 2027, after which JTC and the Singapore Institute of Architects will review the submissions to identify viable ideas for further study.

They said that promising concepts could be assessed for implementation at suitable sites in Singapore, although this “would need to be studied with the relevant agencies to determine what is feasible and what safeguards would be required”.

Opportunity for Singapore to develop a unique solution

Urban planning experts told ST that the study presents an opportunity for Singapore to further develop as a polycentric city – one where there are multiple activity and economic hubs, instead of a single central business district.

Heng Chye Kiang, deputy dean for research and innovation at NUS’ College of Design and Engineering, said “co-location can create more diverse, lively and resilient neighbourhoods”.

Such a model could support small businesses, start-ups, urban manufacturing, repair services and even intensive urban farming, such as plant factories with artificial lighting, he said. This could bring jobs closer to home and potentially contribute to a more resilient food system.

Thomas Schroepfer, professor of architecture and sustainable design at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, identified a critical challenge: Making sure that industrial and residential activities can coexist.

He said industrial activities can generate noise, vibration, odour, emissions and delivery traffic, while residential environments require high standards of health, safety, privacy and amenity.

“There can also be conflicts between pedestrian environments and logistics (operations), and between the operating hours of businesses and the daily rhythms of residents,” he noted.

“These issues are not necessarily reasons to avoid integration, but they mean that compatibility has to be designed rather than assumed.”

He said that selecting appropriate light industrial uses will be key, along with additional layers of safeguards. These include spatial separation and buffering, acoustic treatment and management of businesses’ operating hours.

Heng added that land zoning regulations in Singapore generally assign residential and industrial uses to different plots, with separate development rules, environmental requirements and tenure arrangements.

He said existing building, fire safety, environmental and traffic regulations may also be based on the assumption that the uses are kept separate. An integrated development would require a more flexible zoning category or a special planning framework, he added.

Heng also suggested having a set of performance-based criteria governing noise, emissions, vibration, traffic and safety for integrated developments.

While there are projects overseas that integrate industrial and residential uses – such as NovaCity I in Brussels, which has housing, workshops and offices in one development – Schroepfer said the JTC study stands out because of its “ambition to bring these ideas together at the building scale and within Singapore’s much denser urban context”.

“I therefore see these international examples as references rather than models to copy,” he said. “Singapore has an opportunity to develop its own typology around the particular forms of light industry that can coexist successfully with housing.”

To kick-start the development of industrial-residential projects in Singapore, Schroepfer said public sector leadership is important as the model requires coordination across land use, regulation, infrastructure and multiple agencies.

“At the same time, architects, developers, operators and industrial users need to be closely involved because the typology ultimately has to work economically and operationally, not just conceptually,” he added.

Schroepfer said a pilot involving the public and private sectors would allow Singapore to test the model, assess its performance and decide which elements can be replicated more broadly.

Heng agreed, adding that, ultimately, a public-private model may provide the best combination of experimentation, regulatory coordination, design innovation and commercial discipline.

Dalmia Adithya, co-founder of 3D printing and fabrication studio Additive Inn, said living and working in an industrial-residential complex is “very desirable”.

“If I live in such a space, all I have to do to go to work is just take the lift. I easily save two hours of my life per day, and I won’t be late for work or meetings,” he said.

However, his firm’s operations can generate noise and waste during processes such as painting and sanding, and this could disrupt residents if the work is taking place one level above homes.

“But if let’s say there is some clear buffer between the residential and commercial areas, sure, it could work,” he said. Many of his firm’s employees are aged around 30 and do not have children.

“That is exactly why I think this model is great. It gives couples more reason to consider having children at a younger age, if this kind of living arrangement is available for parents,” he said.