Perennial Holdings and Far East Organization unveil Golden Mile Singapore, and will launch the strata commercial units this month

The next chapter in the storied history of the former Golden Mile Complex was unveiled by Perennial Holdings and Far East Organization at a press conference on Dec 10. The development partners showcased their vision of the refreshed conservation building and announced the preview of the strata-titled commercial units. Collectively, the entire development will be known as Golden Mile Singapore and is Singapore’s first large-scale strata-titled conserved building that preserves its iconic identity as a tropical linear urban complex with brutalist architecture. The conserved building has been renamed The Golden Mile. It will be repositioned into a commercial development with 156 Grade A office units, 19 medical suites, a two-storey retail component spanning 123,388 sq ft, and a public access architecture centre. Read also: Penthouse at Skywaters Residences sold for $47.3 mil Advertisement Advertisement According to Perennial and Far East, the office units and medical suites will be available for sale this month, however the developers have not yet released any indicative pricing for the medical suites and the office units. Meanwhile, a new 45-storey residential tower called Aurea is being developed on the portion of the site where the residential carpark used to be. The 188-unit condominium is scheduled to be previewed next quarter. Pua Seck Guan, CEO of Perennial Holdings, recalls the vibrancy and eclectic retail mix that characterised the heyday of Golden Mile Complex when it was a landmark mixed-use development in the 1970s. “Over time, the strata-titled ownership changed the profile of the development as units changed hands over the years, and its positioning as a prime mixed-use development eroded,” says Pua. He adds that Perennial Holdings and Far East Organization are determined to recapture and elevate the building’s status as a next-generation urban complex in Singapore. They have partnered with homegrown architecture firm DP Architects and architecture conservation specialist consultancy Studio Lapis to realise a new vision for Golden Mile Singapore. Design Partnership, now known as DP Architects, was the architecture firm that initially proposed the iconic design and mixed-use proposition of Golden Mile Complex. Previously, about 40% of the strata area at Golden Mile Complex was set aside for retail, with office units taking up 41% and the remaining 19% for residential use. Read also: Perennial Holdings wins public tender of private assisted living development at Parry Ave Advertisement Advertisement The refreshed Golden Mile Singapore, which includes Aurea, will see retail taking up 15% of the strata area, offices occupying 48%, and 30% set aside for residential use. Meanwhile, the new medical suites and architecture centre comprise the remaining 4% and 3%, respectively. The architecture centre will be established under the government’s Community/Sport’s Facilities Scheme, and the joint venture partners have given back 24,994 sq ft to URA for the establishment of this architecture centre. In addition, two new public access urban gardens will be created on the 9th floor and the 18th floor. This utilises previously vacant spaces in the former Golden Mile Complex, including the building’s rooftop which will be converted into a sky garden on the 18th floor. Golden Mile Singapore will feature a revamped two-storey retail atrium that includes a new event space and F&B offerings. The new design of the retail atrium will bring back natural light and ventilation throughout the space, returning the shopping experience to its original design. “We hope to recreate the street shop-style retail experience that emulates the original shopping experience when Golden Mile Complex first opened,” says Pua. These retail units will not be available for sale and will be retained and curated by the joint venture partners. “Retail is not a major component at The Golden Mile relative to the proportion of office and residential units, plus this locale is not known as a major retail hub in Singapore. I believe the retail units will serve to augment and complement the offices and residential units,” says Pua. This month, Perennial and Far East will launch the preview of the strata-titled office units at The Golden Mile. Six different office layouts have been crafted to cater to a wide variety of end-users. The office suites will have a dedicated office lobby, and new lift cores will support the office floors above. The original Golden Mile Complex featured two end lift cores. However, to serve the increase in office units and private lift access, new lift shafts and cores have been added. The new office lobby will also feature a 6m high ceiling and facilities befitting a modern Grade A office development, such as a concierge and centralised access control. Read also: Golden Mile Complex sold for $700 mil to Perennial, Sino Land, and Far East Organization joint venture Advertisement Advertisement The Flagship office units on the 4 – 7th floors will benefit from a dedicated lift lobby with direct access to the basement carpark and retail floors. Each Flagship office unit will come with two toilets. These units range from 1,378 sq ft to 4,682 sq ft. Loft Suites on the 4th floor and Loft Executive units on the 5th floor will have full-height windows to enjoy landscape views overlooking Beach Road. Loft Suites range from 958 sq ft to 2,034 sq ft, while the Loft Executive units range from 710 sq ft to 926 sq ft. The Loft Mezzanine units on the 6th to 15th floors are in the recognisable stacked terrace portion of the building. These units will enjoy bay views and a double-volume ceiling and balcony for natural ventilation and illumination. These units also feature a dual-key design, typically featured in private residential projects. The Golden Mile is the first strata-titled commercial development to design office units with a dual-key layout. Units span 1,528 sq ft to 2,799 sq ft. Each Loft Mezzanine unit is a combination of two former residential units, with a portion of the ceiling removed to form a single office unit with a double volume ceiling of about 5.4m. Access to the upper office space will be through a staircase, which has its own entrance or can be accessed from the lower floor. The 16th and 17th floors feature the Enterprise Office units, which used to be the duplex penthouse units and will enjoy panoramic views of the city and the bay. These units will come with two toilets each. Enterprise offices range from 1,851 sq ft to 3,122 sq ft. Meanwhile, the newly built Crown Office units will take up the top four floors. There will be four units per floor, except for the penthouse floor, which will feature two office units. These office units span 3,315 sq ft to 5,393 sq ft. “We believe our office units, in particular the Loft Mezzanine units, will resonate with family offices and we hope to attract many of the 2,500 family offices who have established themselves in Singapore in recent years,” says Pua. He adds that the other office layouts will appeal to a variety of corporate tenants as well. The Golden Mile will eventually comprise a good mix of tenant profiles, from corporate tenants to family offices, says Pua. “We intend to screen each prospective buyer for their suitability, to create an ecosystem of tenants from various industries and market segments,” he says