Orchard Central Mall, situated at the junction of Orchard and Killiney Roads, is Singapore’s tallest and first vertical pure-retail mall, overcoming land area limitations with 11 storeys above ground and two basement levels. It has a 160m facade featuring a faceted membrane which functions as a massive media wall, adding visual vibrancy to Orchard Road. The Mall features a unique cluster concept, with shops grouped into eight different clusters according to shoppers’ specific needs. Super escalators at the facade take pedestrians right off the street into the various clusters. Orchard Central boasts multiple outdoor viewing areas with a commanding view of Orchard Road, including three outdoor “green” balconies appealing to alfresco food & beverage outlets. The air-conditioned shopping street discovery walk and the rooftop garden are both accessible to the public 24 hours a day.

After a satisfying meal or successful shopping conquest, visitors can also dine alfresco, sip coffee or have afternoon tea, above the hustle and bustle of Orchard Road at the rooftop garden designed by acclaimed Japanese interior designer, Takashi Sugimato of Super Potato Design. The gardens feature three large living walls and balcony rail on the 11th floor and two lower green walls on the 12th floor roof terrace. According to Ms. Lena Quek of DLQ Design Pte Ltd, the firm responsible for the landscaping at Orchard Central mall, “the planted walls complement and create the atmosphere for alfresco dining as well as serve to substantially cool the areas immediately adjacent to the walls.”

Orchard Central Mall is a winner of the Singapore Institute of Architects and National Parks Board’s (SIA-NParks) Skyrise Greenery Awards in 2009. The award aims to promote skyrise greenery in Singapore and to recognize the greening efforts in high rise developments by owners/developers, architects, landscape architects/designers, and landscape contract managers.

Entries for the award were assessed by a jury comprising representatives from NParks, SIA, Design Council Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects, and Urban Redevelopment Authority. The judges consider landscape factors that enhance Singapore’s cityscape and environmental quality, as well as originality, creativity and sustainability of the landscape ideas.

To provide a modular green wall system to enable vertical greening of the series of the three high walls totalling 160 m2, a section of the corridor on the 11th storey, and the two separate lower walls on the 12th storey totalling 45 m2:

Anchoring pilasters were welded onto steel support beams installed onto the walls. Vertical Greening Modules (VGM), comprising a geotextile bag filled with soil-less lightweight planting media were pre-planted in a nursery environment to allow for plant establishment. The VGMs were then encased in metal support frames on-site and mounted onto the pilasters and an automated drip irrigation and fertilization system installed. This green wall system allows easy mounting and dismounting of individual VGMs for design change, maintenance or replacement, if necessary. The green walls complement and create conducive atmosphere for al fresco dining on the rooftop of the Mall.

To provide the landscape roof system including the sub-soil drainage for the landscape roof garden and planter boxes of Orchard Central Mall:

VersiCell sub-soil drainage cells were positioned over the prepared grounds and in planter boxes on the roof followed by a geotextile filter fabric layer and then the planting soil. A network of irrigation tubing is incorporated to facilitate easy delivery of water to the plants. The bottom cavity provided by the drainage cells facilitates the efficient drainage of water preventing water-logging and promoting healthy plant growth.