Leasing kicks off at One Comcentre office and retail hub, with 1ha elevated park in heart of Orchard

Amid keen interest from prospective tenants, leasing has officially begun for One Comcentre — billed as the first new Grade A office and retail development in the Orchard area in two decades — ahead of its targeted completion by end-2028.

The mixed-use project is the redevelopment of Singtel's former headquarters, then known as Comcentre, in Somerset.

Richard Paine, Lendlease senior advisor, development, noted that there has been "considerable unsolicited interest" in leasing space at One Comcentre.

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"Over 30 tenants, mainly office tenants, have approached us. We’re looking forward to formally engaging with them in the coming months," he said during the media briefing held at the showsuite.

Singtel and Lendlease are co-developers via a 51:49 joint venture, with Lendlease set to manage the property.

Meanwhile, Singtel will be the anchor tenant, taking up about 30% of the total space including its approximately 10,000 sq ft flagship retail store. That leaves around 70% available to other tenants.

The One Comcentre showsuite is housed at TripleOne Somerset, with views of the construction site; interactive screens showcasing the development’s technology, sustainability and employee experience; as well as virtual AI hosts and physical AI robots.

Over 1 million sq ft of offices, amenities, public spaces

When completed, One Comcentre will comprise twin 20-storey towers, injecting more than 1 million sq ft in gross floor area (GFA) of Grade A offices, retail, dining, wellness and community spaces.

Workplaces, with large office floor plates of about 25,000 to 27,000 sq ft, will make up roughly 80% of GFA. Equipped with 5G+ connectivity, the future-ready development will be able to support AI and intelligent building operations.

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The other 20% of floor space will go to six storeys of amenities, including two food courts, medical suites, fitness and wellness facilities, a 400-person auditorium for corporate events, and a private members’ club.

The aim is to create a vibrant hub that brings together workplaces, lifestyle offerings and public spaces.

One Comcentre will also feature an elevated public park or ‘Botanic Ribbon’ wrapping around the buildings from levels two to four, spanning close to 1ha. Rooftop sky gardens, accessible only to occupiers, will sit at the top floor of both towers.

The development is designed by New York-based, award-winning architecture firm Kohn Pederson Fox, while the landscape design is by Field Operations, which was the project lead for the acclaimed The High Line public park in Manhattan.

"Our desire is for One Comcentre to be the new landmark in the heart of Orchard," said Gan Siok Hoon, Singtel’s group chief corporate officer, at the media briefing.

"Just like our previous Comcentre was a very iconic building, our vision for this is also for it to be the new beacon to the future, showcasing how we can bring together technology, sustainability, and human-centered design," she added.

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AI-native, future-ready building centred around sustainability

One Comcentre achieves several firsts: It is Singapore’s first AI-native building powered by dedicated 5G+ connectivity, the first end-to-end carbon-neutral commercial development in the country, and the first development in Asia to obtain triple certification in sustainability and wellbeing.

"Singtel will integrate its connectivity and AI capabilities into the development from the ground up," the co-developers said in a joint release on Sept 30.

Singtel’s 5G+ network will enable network slicing, which acts as a “priority lane” or digital expressway for occupiers. This offers high-speed, low-latency and secure communications between building systems, applications and devices.

It will mean priority network performance for cloud platforms, next-generation AI applications, physical AI such as robotics, video collaboration and other business-critical operations — even during periods of peak demand.

"As Singtel is the co-developer and anchor tenant, we will always ensure that the building infrastructure and technologies stays ahead of the curve," Gan said. "Tenants can get first access to advanced technologies without having to invest in the underlying infrastructure."

In addition, tenants can tap a suite of Singtel services, including security-as-a-service and robotics-as-a-service.

As for its sustainability credentials, One Comcentre is carbon-neutral from its design and construction to operations.

The development uses low-carbon concrete and steel to lower embodied carbon, while 90% of demolished structural materials are recovered and recycled to promote circular construction.

The result is up to 30% savings on embodied carbon, equivalent to more than 7,000 cars off the roads for a year.

One Comcentre is also the first new-build large-scale development to achieve the latest BCA Green Mark Version 7, with a Zero Energy rating. This is in addition to the WELL Version 2 Platinum Certification and, on completion, the International Living Future Institute Zero Carbon Certification.

"These credentials support our future tenants’ ESG (environmental, social and governance) ambitions, sustainability reporting and corporate targets," said Debra Ma, Lendlease director of development, Singapore, and project director for the One Comcentre project.

Tight supply in Singapore office market

The launch comes as Singapore’s Grade A office market faces its tightest supply conditions in nearly two decades, with few major developments entering the market.

The vacancy rate of core CBD Grade A offices stood at 3.3% as of 2Q2026, while the upcoming supply through to 2030 is 37% below the 10-year historical average, according to CBRE Singapore research.

Meanwhile, high-growth sectors are anchoring demand. Tech, AI, private equity, asset management and insurance firms made up 56% of office leasing demand in the first half of this year, and CBRE foresees it increasing further.

Moray Armstrong, managing director for Singapore at CBRE, said the interest from a broad range of prospective tenants in One Comcentre, even before leasing had commenced formally, reflects pent-up demand for premium, future-ready workplace solutions.

"Increasingly, we are seeing tenants expand their search beyond the traditional CBD as they look for workplaces that help attract talent, strengthen culture and support long-term growth," he continued.

"Opportunities that bring these attributes together at scale are rare, particularly within Orchard Road."

A workplace with Orchard amenities on the doorstep

The upcoming mixed-use development’s location is expected to set it apart too.

Mark Goh, Singtel’s vice president, group property, noted: "We are at the doorstep of Orchard Road. I don’t think any of the other Grade A office buildings offer an Orchard Road address and amenities."

From a lifestyle perspective, many employees would likely want to live and work in a neighbourhood with ready access to dining, retail, wellness and entertainment options. That may also encourage collaboration and innovation, added Singtel's Gan.

Armstrong of CBRE likewise pointed out that many companies’ office location strategies are determined by employee engagement as well as talent attraction and retention.

"And that's really reliant, to a large degree, on having a workplace that's amenity-rich, has experience opportunities, and is engaging and energised," Armstrong said.

Besides, One Comcentre stands out as a new-generation workplace offering within a micromarket dominated by ageing stock. Some 93% of buildings in the Orchard Road area are at least 10 years or older, CBRE Research found.

Asked about the target retail tenant mix at One Comcentre, Paine from Lendlease shared that one of the key goals is to cater to the office workers.

“Orchard Road is a fantastic shopping street in its own right, so we’re not replicating what people can access. What we will be providing is convenience and amenity for the working population in the office towers,” Paine commented.

Reviving the forgotten Tiverton Lane with F&B, placemaking

At the same time, One Comcentre is designed to integrate with the surrounding precinct and contribute to the rejuvenation of the Orchard area.

"It's a very open development and we’re going to reinstitute Tiverton Lane, which will create a thoroughfare … with retail and placemaking. So people who live around the city centre will see this as a place for lunch or a nice evening meal, and to meet people and utilise the facilities," Paine said.

Tiverton Lane, now expunged, was a small side street off Killiney Road, running through the current One Comcentre site. It used to feature shophouses, which have since been demolished.

The developers will be restoring the forgotten laneway, with hopes for it to become a bustling marketplace.

"We are bringing Tiverton Lane back as a dedicated laneway for gastro bars, cafes and restaurants as a new F&B precinct," said Ma. "It is also a thoroughfare right to Exeter Road, which will improve the accessibility of the entire Somerset precinct."

This contrasts with the old Comcentre, a 32-storey skyscraper that served as Singtel’s headquarters for more than four decades. The building, which was vacated in 2024, mainly housed the company’s corporate offices, internal facilities and its flagship retail store.

"In the past, the old Comcentre tended to be a bit more insular," Goh said. "So when we were planning the new One Comcentre, we wanted to make it more porous."

He added that the intention is to create connections through the development, linking Killiney Road to Somerset MRT Station, and provide more amenities that the community and residents in the vicinity could enjoy, such as the elevated park.

And while One Comcentre is designed for the future, the development also celebrates the history of the former site.

"There are some familiar elements from the old Comcentre, like the rooftop space frame and the phone booths, which will get a new lease of life as art pieces throughout the new development," Gan said.

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