SINGAPORE – A recent upgrading exercise at City Square embraces its origins as Singapore’s “first eco-mall”.

Sustainability is already built into the bones of the mall, which is located off Kitchener Road by Farrer Park MRT station. Its roof was built to maximise the amount of sunlight that can pass through, for instance.

And during its construction, silt water was treated and recycled, which reportedly saved eight Olympic-size pools worth of water.

The $50 million upgrade added energy-efficient lighting, improved ventilation and smarter building controls to reduce energy consumption.

Discerning shoppers can also see examples of upcycling and adaptive reuse around the new and improved space, from bamboo chopsticks to milk bottle caps. Adaptive reuse involves the repurposing of existing elements for a different purpose.

“We wanted to move beyond treating ‘green’ features as a novel and distant idea, to instead create a holistic environment where sustainability and community are embedded in the daily visitor experience,” says Ms Tay Yanling, co-founder of local architecture and design firm

Ta.Le.

Ta.Le was brought on board the revamp project in March 2022. The design process took over 12 months, followed by a phased renovation that was completed over 18 months.

Some 1.4km of timber grab bars from City Square Mall 1.0 were turned into benches and wall cladding, instead of being discarded. 

“This was one way that we were able to preserve the mall’s unique history and eco-friendly legacy, while simultaneously minimising construction waste,” says Ms Tay.

Together, the many little details “turn a walk through the mall into an exciting journey of discovery”, she adds. 

“By using the...