With a cascading waterfall, lush greenery and ombre-coloured birdcage
cabanas with a view to die for, guests at the Parkroyal on Pickering will be
forgiven for thinking they have checked into a resort instead of a city hotel.
The $350-million hotel, which opened on Wednesday, is along Chinatown’s
Upper Pickering Street and is only a stone’s throw away from the bars of Boat
Quay and the bustle of the Central Business District.
But it is also opposite Singapore’s very first public garden, Hong Lim Park.
This oasis in the city dates back to 1885 and was built by a Hokkien
businessman.
The award-winning architectural firm that designed Parkroyal on Pickering,
local company Woha, played off the park’s proximity to create what is truly a
hotel-in-a-garden.
With 15,000 sq m of sky gardens and more than 10 species of plants including
tall palms and overhanging creepers, Woha’s architect Donovan Soon says: “It’s
a unique site in that it is a hotel in the city and yet it is close to nature.
Singapore is well-known for being a city in a garden so we wanted to play on
that too.”
While talking green is on trend, the 367-room, 16-storey hotel, which
consists of three towers and took about four years to build, walks the
talk...more.
natashaz@sph.com.sg
Take a closer look at the eco-friendly hotel and its interiors here.
>> Read also: Greenest hotel in town
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After four years in the making, the highly-anticipated Parkroyal on Pickering
finally opened its doors on Wednesday.
Centrally located in between Chinatown and the Central Business District, the
Woha-designed hotel is a true stunner, reported The Straits Times.
The facade shouts the eco-friendly theme with plants that hug its contours,
which have been modelled after terraced padi fields.
The curvy facade of the hotel is decorated with more than 10 species of plants
including palms and creepers.
Architect Wong Mun Summ says: “We worked the green element even into the
architecture of the hotel.” Rather than a large rectangular block, the hotel
has contoured terraces, which provide more places to grow plants."
Landscaping cleverly masks openings to above-ground carparking while allowing
in air and light.
The hotel was built a cost of $350million by developer UOL.
The hotel’s mainstay is its open-concept fifth floor.
It features an infinity pool, a 300m garden walk and birdcage cabanas perched
at the end of walkways.
