Keppel South Central Keppel’s Showpiece New Generation Workplace Bags Top Office Development Award
Introducing a new generation of premium grade-A office towers in the CBD, Keppel South Central was developed by Keppel’s real estate arm and completed in February this year. Designed by New York-based architecture and design firm NBBJ in collaboration with Singapore’s Architects 61, the 33-storey tower stands as a modern workplace with connections to nature, fresh air, social interaction, and restorative spaces that promote well-being.
The interiors were created by Adelaide-based Woods Bagot, while Ecoplan Asia was responsible for the landscape design. Keppel’s goal from the beginning was to reimagine the office experience, incorporating elements that would entice people back to the workplace. The development has a dedicated wellness floor featuring a swimming pool, sky terraces, discussion areas, and a communal lounge, making it a perfect place to work or relax.
In addition to the wellness floor, there is a spacious privately-owned public space in front of the building, serving as an “urban living room” for hosting activities for both tenants and residents in Tanjong Pagar. This helps create a vibrant community, according to Keppel. The first level of the building also features F&B and retail space, enhancing the precinct’s vibrancy and offering added convenience for tenants.
Sky Seah, senior lecturer at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School, Department of Real Estate, and a three-time EdgeProp Singapore Excellence Awards judge, praises Keppel South Central for its leading-edge design. She notes that upon entering the lobby, it feels more like a hotel than a traditional office building, with comfortable seating areas to enjoy a cup of coffee, meet friends or colleagues, or even work. By blending hospitality-inspired design with top-notch amenities, Keppel South Central is successfully enticing people back to the workplace, in line with current trends of companies wanting employees to collaborate and connect face-to-face.
Retail and wellness tenants at Keppel South Central include Japanese restaurants The Public Izakaya Nitengo and Hachi, 22 Grams coffee, Luli bubble tea, local café Fun Toast, and fitness gym 24/7 Fitness. According to a Keppel spokesperson, nearly 50% of the office and retail space is already committed or under negotiation, with multinational corporations being the primary tenants seeking ready spaces in 2025 and 2026. These companies span various sectors, such as technology, transport, consultancy, insurance, and finance. Committed tenants include Manulife Financial Advisers, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore, and Gurin Energy.
Built with sustainability and innovation in mind, Keppel South Central boasts a curtain wall that also functions as an airy canopy, allowing occupants to enjoy nature while staying sheltered from the elements. Landscaped terraces add lush greenery and help soften the urban skyline, creating a visual and environmental buffer amid the dense cityscape. The tower’s distinctive “environmental veil” serves as a finely-tuned architectural skin that filters sunlight into the interiors, reduces glare and heat gain, and lowers overall energy use. Residual air from the building’s HVAC system is also channeled into outdoor public areas, improving ventilation and comfort while minimizing waste. Furthermore, rooftop solar panels generate renewable energy to power lighting and exterior air fans in these shared spaces.
Behind the scenes, technology drives operational efficiency, with the building employing a computerized maintenance management system that streamlines cleaning, prioritizes tasks in real-time, and improves productivity. Surveillance and cleaning robots are also deployed in the main lobby, helping optimize manpower and maintain consistent service standards. Thanks to its sustainable design, Keppel South Central has earned multiple awards, including Singapore’s highest certification, the Green Mark Platinum (Super Low Energy), from the Building and Construction Authority (BCA). It has also achieved WELL Core Pre-certification (Platinum Level), recognizing its health-first design that enhances both physical and mental well-being. At the EdgeProp Singapore Excellence Awards (EPEA) 2025, Keppel South Central further cemented its standing by clinching the Top Office Development Award, acknowledging its forward-thinking workplace design, sustainable innovations, and community-centric approach.
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Typical office floors at Keppel South Central feature generous 3.2m ceiling heights and average floor plates of approximately 20,000 sq ft. With all structural columns placed along the perimeter, the interiors are open and unobstructed, allowing tenants to configure their spaces freely and adapt them to evolving business needs. To support this flexibility, Keppel offers end-to-end tenant fit-out services, covering design, space planning, and project management. These services help tenants create offices tailored to their brand identity and work culture. They can also choose fitted offices ready for immediate occupancy, making the move-in process seamless. Those on the upper floors enjoy panoramic views of the sea, Sentosa, the CBD skyline, and the heritage shophouses of Tanjong Pagar, creating a luxurious and inspiring setting.
Furthermore, Keppel South Central stands as a landmark of transformation for Tanjong Pagar. The site was previously occupied by the former Keppel Towers and Keppel Towers 2, acquired by Keppel from Keppel REIT in 2010. The original Keppel Towers was built in 1991, while Keppel Towers 2, formerly known as GE Tower, was completed in 1993. Initially considering converting the two towers into a residential project, Keppel later pivoted to a purely commercial redevelopment, in line with the government’s vision to transform the CBD into a dynamic mixed-use hub. Conveniently located in the heart of the Tanjong Pagar precinct, the office tower is within walking distance of three MRT Stations: Tanjong Pagar (East-West Line), Prince Edward Road (Circle Line), and Cantonment (Circle Line), with the latter two slated to open in 2026. With the upcoming Greater Southern Waterfront at its doorstep, Tanjong Pagar is evolving from a traditional business district into a vibrant, future-ready urban node under the URA Master Plan – and Keppel South Central stands as a symbol of that evolution.