Designed by award-winning, Hong Kong-based designer Joyce Wang, the interiors of The Great Room at Afro Asia are sophisticated, biophilic and human-centric, featuring the use of recycled and upcycled materials (Photo: The Great Room)
SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - Hospitality-led co-working space operator The Great Room announced that it will open its fifth location in Singapore in October. The Great Room will take up 37,000 sq ft across three floors of the new 19-storey office tower at Afro Asia Building. (See also: The Great Room wins with bespoke and flexible spaces)
It is a redevelopment of the former Afro-Asia Building, once one of the oldest buildings on Robinson Road. Jointly developed by the Tan family of Afro-Asia Shipping Co and Japanese giant construction company Shimizu Corp, the building has been conferred the Green Mark Platinum and LEED Platinum ecological certifications.
The co-working space will be The Great Room’s largest in Singapore, and will span the sixth to eighth floors. The Great Room will also manage the fifth-floor sky garden that can be used as an outdoor event space.
Designed by award-winning, Hong Kong-based designer Joyce Wang, the interiors of The Great Room at Afro Asia are sophisticated, biophilic and human-centric, featuring the use of recycled and upcycled materials (Photo: The Great Room)
“The opening of The Great Room at Afro-Asia comes at a time when the world is rethinking the concept of the workplace,” says Jaelle Ang, co-founder and CEO of The Great Room. “This next chapter of our brand is a starting point of a journey towards a more sustainable work environment, as well as our continued evolution in human-centric design in this new era of hybrid working, and individual and corporate wellbeing.”
Designed by award-winning, Hong Kong-based designer Joyce Wang, the interiors of The Great Room at Afro Asia are sophisticated, biophilic and human-centric, featuring the use of recycled and upcycled materials. The co-working space supports local artisans too.
For instance, a centrepiece is a long communal table at the centre of the Drawing Room, created by Singaporean father-and-son carpenter duo, Roger&Sons. The table is crafted from Singapore-grown mahogany wood, resulting in a net-zero carbon footprint. Mahogany was chosen for sustainable reasons: it is a fast-growing species in tropical climates like Singapore, leading to half the time it requires to regenerate. In addition, Roger&Sons grows a mahogany tree for every tree that they cut down.
The co-working space supports local artisans too (Photo: The Great Room)
Lighting specialist DJCoalition was engaged to design the lighting at The Great Room in Afro Asia, prioritising energy reduction and efficiency without compromising on ambience.
“The role of the office is changing,” says The Great Room co-founder Su-Anne Huang. “It is about activity-based working for the different functions, a place of collaboration, decision-making, and the modern agora for learning.”