Surbana Jurong, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Temasek, broke ground on its new global headquarters, Surbana Jurong Campus, on Jan 18. The 741,801 sq ft development will be built in Jurong Innovation District, positioned by JTC as a “next-generation industrial district”, aimed at enterprises involved in advanced manufacturing, urban solutions and smart logistics.
Designed by Safdie Surbana Jurong -- a partnership struck between Surbana Jurong and world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie of Safdie Architects in 2017 -- the campus is targeted for completion by 2021, and will house up to 4,000 employees.
Designed by Safdie Surbana Jurong -- a partnership struck between Surbana Jurong and world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie of Safdie Architects in 2017 -- the campus is targeted for completion by 2021 (Credit: Safdie Surbana Jurong)
One of the largest Asia-based urban and infrastructure consulting firms, Surbana Jurong has close to 15,000 employees across 40 countries. “The building of our global headquarters here represents our growth ambition, capitalising on Singapore being a strategic urban and infrastructure hub for the region,” says Wong Heang Fine, group CEO of Surbana Jurong.
The firm will undertake the entire development from start to end. Located on a greenfield site, the new campus is expected to “push the boundaries of sustainable design in both construction and operation”, according to Surbana Jurong.
The campus will be “a living lab” with dedicated spaces for research and test-bedding of new ideas, including test-bedding future-ready solutions developed by the SJ-NTU Corporate Lab, a joint corporate laboratory set up by Surbana Jurong, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the National Research Foundation.
The new campus is expected to “push the boundaries of sustainable design in both construction and operation (Credit: Safdie Surbana Jurong)
It is designed to meet Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) Green Mark Platinum Certification for Super Low Energy Building. It will feature solar panels, smart lighting and underfloor air-distribution systems.
The campus is being developed by Surbana Jurong Capital, the investment arm of Surbana Jurong, and has secured 100% funding by way of a lease agreement with M&G Real Estate, the real estate fund management arm of M&G Investments and one of the world’s leading financial solutions providers for real estate investors.
Upon completion, the campus will be fully leased to Surbana Jurong on a long-term basis. According to Surbana Jurong’s Wong, the “develop and lease” model is “a win-win proposition for both parties” and provides the firm with a compelling, long-term and cost-effective solution in developing the property for its use.
It is designed to meet BCA's Green Mark Platinum Certification for Super Low Energy Building and will feature solar panels, smart lighting and underfloor air-distribution systems (Credit: Safdie Surbana Jurong)
The transaction is valued at $400 million and was made on behalf of M&G Real Estate’s core Asian property strategy fund managed by fund manager Richard van den Berg. It marks M&G Real Estate’s first business park office investment in Singapore. “The property is backed by a top-tier tenant and is well positioned to benefit from government-driven initiatives to develop high value-adding industries in this new business district,” says van den Berg.
“As investors are increasingly becoming more environmentally conscious, we are very pleased to include this development into our portfolio of core properties across the Asia Pacific,” comments M&G Real Estate CEO and CIO for Asia, Ng Chiang Ling.