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Architects: DP Architects
Lead Architect: Seah Chee Huang
Design Team: Teoh Hai Pin, Chin Li Nah, Jazelle Ang, Aileen Koh, Lim Yin Chao, Frederick Low, Ryan Dayao Polintan, Eric Yau, Jym Yau
General Contractor: Rich Construction Company Pte. Ltd.
Client: Sport Singapore
Photographs: Courtesy of DP Architects

Bukit Canberra is a large-scale community, sports, and lifestyle development built on a greenfield site of nearly 12 hectares in Sembawang that has a national monument, Canberra House, formerly known as Admiralty House, at its highest point. Responding to a growing urban density of 100,000 Sembawang residents and an emphasis on active and healthy living in Singapore, the design innovatively incorporates the extensive programmes of a sports and community hub with the existing site’s hilly terrain and forest quality, honouring the national monument.

The project is a living building that is not only inspired by nature but also merges and thrives with it. Adopting regenerative design principles, the design regards the environment as an equal stakeholder and focuses on establishing harmony between social and ecological systems for long-term resilience, development, and growth. 

Capitalising on the existing forest ecology, Bukit Canberra adopts a master plan that prioritises biodiversity and conceives a landscape network that serves as a binding system to connect the different spaces, amenities and users within the sprawling development. The project employs a range of environmentally sensitive and people-focused design strategies and productive building practices from design to construction.

The design employs a biomimetic hexagonal geometry, a common shape in nature that allows for rational yet organic order in massing planning, which is ideal for the site’s triangular shape and undulating topography. The geometry also seamlessly integrates nature with sports and recreation by blurring the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces, and allows nature and landscaped areas to be woven into the modules. The result is a landscape network that serves as a binding system to connect the different spaces, amenities, and users within the large-scale development.

The project integrates environmental sensitivity with sports and recreation through the use of Mass Engineered Timber (MET) to minimise construction waste, and this is achieved through high-precision offsite manufacturing, sustainable methods, and quality control in the factory. In addition, sustainable construction materials such as the concrete used in the Indoor Sport Hall and the recyclable structural steel for the Hawker Centre, Community Plaza, sitewide hexagonal canopies, and linkway canopies are Singapore Green Building Product (SGBP)-certified 2-tick low-carbon concrete.

Over 460 healthy mature trees were conserved to serve as anchor points within the forest buffer. New shrubs, creepers, grass, and over 2,050 trees will be planted to enhance green coverage and biodiversity for a long-term, self-regenerative landscape. This idea of regeneration, appreciation, and preservation is further reinforced through the conservation of the national monument, Canberra House, which sits at the peak of the hill. Repurposed into a community library, Canberra House adds to the recreation network within the development.

The project houses multiple public facilities and programmes run by different public agencies coming together under one roof to serve the residents. The adjacencies of the facilities and programming of the spaces are intended for inter-dependency and not functioning in silos. By co-locating multiple agencies and amenities, the integrated development serves the residents in one place with many programming spaces within the same development, catering to residents and families of all age groups. 

For example, the active young and old can enjoy their sporting and recreational activities at the Indoor Sport Hall, Swimming Complex, running trails, and the Natural Setting Pools, while the nature enthusiast can do their community gardening at the Community Garden and Allotment Garden. Healthcare is integrated through the inclusion of Polyclinics, senior care centres, and childcare centres. Integrating a Hawker Centre within the project further enhances the idea of an all-in-one development destination for residents of all ages.

Bukit Canberra is built for people of all ages and levels of mobility with varied interests to enjoy. This architectural marvel exemplifies Singapore’s commitment to creating inclusive, sustainable, and community-driven spaces, pushing the boundaries of a conventional sports and recreation hub. 

Through its diverse facilities catering to a myriad of programmatic functions, it not only promotes physical health but also strengthens the social ecology within Sembawang. Bukit Canberra sets the benchmark, serving as a future model of a sports and recreation hub that prioritises both active living and community wellbeing.