Speech by Minister Chee Hong Tat at the Groundbreaking Ceremony of Singtel Comcentre

Jul 8, 2025

Good morning. I am delighted to join you this morning at the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Comcentre.

For over four decades, the Comcentre building located in the heart of Orchard and Somerset, has been a familiar landmark to many Singaporeans. It has borne witness to Singapore’s transformation into a highly connected and digitally advanced nation and its redevelopment marks an exciting new chapter for Singtel and for Singapore.

A Landmark Redevelopment

The new development will comprise two 20-storey towers of Grade A office space, with vibrant retail, F&B and community offerings on the ground floor.

Singtel will return as the anchor tenant, and both staff and the public can look forward to features such as sheltered arcades, rooftop greenery, and improved pedestrian connectivity.

Beyond its physical form, Singtel and Lendlease are forging new frontiers in the areas of environmental sustainability, collaborative contracting and digitalisation in this project. This reflects Singtel and Lendlease’s strong culture of innovation, sustainability and people-centric design.

Leading the Way in Sustainability

In terms of sustainability, the new Comcentre aims to be Singapore’s first end-to-end carbon neutral commercial development. By ensuring sustainability from design, to construction, to day-to-day operations, every phase has been meticulously engineered to reduce carbon emissions.

The development also aims to achieve the Green Mark Platinum (Zero Energy) certification, alongside all five sustainability badges. This is no small feat, especially for a high-rise development in a dense urban setting. The project aspires towards ambitious sustainability targets such as:

• 70% improvement in energy efficiency compared to 2005 baselines;
  
• 100% fossil fuel–free operations in the base building excluding tenant spaces; and
  
• 1,000 megawatt-hours of renewable energy generated on-site annually.
  

These bold targets demonstrate what is possible when sustainability is embedded into the development vision from the outset, rather than as an afterthought.

This project has certainly placed Singtel and its partners as leaders in ESG performance, in alignment with global investors’ environmental priorities.

As we work towards realising Singapore’s vision for more ambitious sustainability standards in the Built Environment, I hope the Comcentre can serve as a shining example of how commercial success and environmental sustainability can go hand-in-hand.

Innovation in Collaboration

The Comcentre’s redevelopment also stands out for its innovative contracting approach. It is amongst the few major private sector projects in Singapore to incorporate an open-book payment model with gain share and Guaranteed Maximum Price, and is a forerunner for more collaborative and risk-sharing models in Singapore’s Built Environment sector.

This is a progressive shift away from the traditional lump sum contracting model that is common in the industry today.

Under this model, contractors are reimbursed for actual costs incurred subject to an agreed maximum price, with any cost savings shared between developer and builder. This encourages continuous innovation and joint problem-solving, and aligns the incentives of all parties towards achieving better outcomes.

As one of the largest projects to adopt this model, Singtel and Lendlease have set a good  precedent for collaborative contracting in Singapore and demonstrates how trust and shared success can lead to mutually beneficial outcomes for all.

Advancing Digitalisation and Productivity

I am happy to learn that the project is also leveraging digitalisation and technology to strengthen collaboration across the project team and boost construction productivity.

Lendlease and its partners will implement all 19 essential Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD) use cases across the construction and building life cycle, from digital design checks and virtual coordination upfront, to real-time asset performance monitoring and digital operations and maintenance.

This comprehensive digital strategy enables smoother information sharing and enhances collaboration between project stakeholders, creating a common digital thread that connects design intent with on-site execution and long-term operations.

Similarly, a project that BCA is supporting is CORENET X. This is a significant initiative that has taken some years and is still an ongoing pilot that we are rolling out in phases. We believe that this partnership with the industry, will help companies and regulators to further increase productivity.

With CORENET X, developers and consultants can look forward to consolidated responses from agencies for their projects on a one-stop, integrated digital platform. This reduces downstream inefficiencies and abortive work that can lead to added costs.

As with all new initiatives and innovation, the industry may need to invest some time and effort at the start to get used to the new coordinated processes. But the benefits - over the medium to longer term -  will outweigh the initial investment. The early industry adopters of CORENET X that we have worked with have shared that there are tangible savings, such as reducing conflicting requirements from agencies and overall time savings for all stakeholders.

Some achieved time savings of up to 2 months at the Construction Gateway clearance stage for residential developments. I look forward to wider industry participation and also further feedback from our partners, ahead of the mandatory adoption for larger projects from October this year.

On the productivity front, the Comcentre project will also employ advanced construction methods such as robotic installation system for elevators, and the use of structural steel systems, which can be manufactured off-site with high precision and assembled quickly on-site.

These measures help to improve productivity and are projected to reduce on-site labour needs by up to 30% and shorten construction timelines so that we can accelerate project delivery by up to 20%, setting new industry benchmarks.

Contribution to Urban Rejuvenation

The redevelopment of the Comcentre is expected to make the Somerset area more vibrant and provide new amenities for the surrounding community.

In fact, the revitalised Comcentre will serve as a vibrant community hub with new public spaces and improved connectivity – bringing people from all walks of life together, supporting local businesses, and contributing to a more inclusive and dynamic Orchard Road for all Singaporeans.

Conclusion

Let me conclude my speech.  I would like to congratulate Singtel, Lendlease, and your partners - Obayashi, Woh Hup, as well as the many architects, engineers and quantity surveyors working very hard, but quietly behind the scenes - for your vision, boldness, and commitment to excellence.

When completed, the new Comcentre will not only be a showcase of future-ready infrastructure, but also a model of how sustainability, technology and collaboration can come together to redefine and to transform our Built Environment for future generations to come.

I look forward to the completion of the building in 2028 and to witness this bold vision brought to life. Thank you.