Orchard Central

Orchard Central is a shopping mall on Orchard Road, Singapore's principal retail and tourism corridor. The development occupies land that was previously used as an open-air car park and has approximately 160 metres of frontage along Orchard Road. It officially opened on 2 July 2009 as part of the continuing redevelopment of the Orchard retail district. The mall is notable for its vertical format. Designed by DP Architects, Orchard Central is commonly described as Singapore's first vertical mall. Rather than relying on a conventional central atrium and a horizontally arranged shopping plan, the building places retail, dining, circulation and public features across twelve floors above ground and two basement levels. Its circulation system includes 52 escalators, six of which are described as super escalators, together with 12 glass elevators. One of the signature circulation elements takes pedestrians directly from street level to Level 4, helping connect the lower street frontage with the upper retail floors. The property was conceived as more than a standard enclosed shopping centre. It includes a 140-metre shopping-street discovery walk, open-sided galleries, multiple atriums and public-facing spaces that can be accessed beyond conventional retail hours. The rooftop environment, designed by Japanese design house Super Potato, contains a green roof, three large living walls, balcony railings on the eleventh floor, two additional green walls on the twelfth-floor roof terrace and a biological pond. These features give the mall an architectural and lifestyle identity alongside its tenant mix. Orchard Central has space for as many as 400 stores and combines fashion, beauty, lifestyle, food and beverage, services and tourist-oriented facilities. Reported tenant highlights include a Singapore flagship or major store for Uniqlo, a 24-hour Don Don Donki outlet and Tokyu Hands. The mall also accommodates restaurants and cafés, a tourist-bus terminal, a tourist information centre, currency-exchange services and duty-exemption facilities. It is physically connected to 313@somerset and Orchard Gateway, allowing visitors to move between several components of the Orchard Road retail network. A permanent art trail is another central part of the development. The works were specially commissioned from artists in countries including the United States, Japan, Australia and Denmark, and were curated by Singapore's National Arts Council. The collection has been described as being worth more than SGD 9 million, while the overall development cost has been estimated at more than SGD 650 million. Because these figures are reported estimates rather than current financial disclosures, they are not treated as audited company financials here. In December 2016, Forbes identified Orchard Central as one of Singapore's five leading shopping malls. The recognition reflected the centre's visibility within the Orchard Road retail cluster and its distinctive architectural and public-space strategy. In 2026, reports indicated that leases on the fifth through eighth floors and the eleventh and twelfth floors were not expected to be renewed beyond November 2026, in preparation for Deloitte's planned move into office space within the retail district. This reported change would represent a substantial adjustment in the building's tenant and floor-use profile, although the available reference does not establish the final outcome or the full commercial terms.

Orchard Central was developed on a former open-air car-park site along Orchard Road in Singapore. Its location placed it within the country's best-known shopping and tourism corridor, but the project adopted a format intended to distinguish it from conventional malls in the area. It opened officially on 2 July 2009. The building was designed by DP Architects and organized as a vertical shopping centre with twelve above-ground floors and two basement levels. Its design omitted the traditional central atrium and instead used a network of open-sided galleries, multiple atriums, escalators and glass elevators to distribute visitors through the building. A prominent super escalator carries pedestrians from street level directly to Level 4. In total, the mall has 52 escalators, including six super escalators, and 12 glass elevators. Orchard Central's architectural concept extended beyond circulation. The mall includes a 140-metre discovery walk and a rooftop landscape designed by Super Potato, a Japanese design house. The roof includes living walls, balcony planting and a biological pond, creating a public-facing green component within a dense commercial district. The shopping centre also contains a permanent art trail. The works were specially commissioned from artists from several countries and curated by Singapore's National Arts Council. The reported value of the art display exceeds SGD 9 million, while the total development cost has been estimated at more than SGD 650 million. The mall was designed to support both local shopping and international visitation. Its planned capacity of up to 400 stores includes fashion, lifestyle, dining and service operators. Facilities have included major retail tenants such as Uniqlo, Don Don Donki and Tokyu Hands, as well as restaurants and cafés. Tourist-oriented infrastructure includes a tourist-bus terminal, an information centre, currency exchanges and duty-exemption services. Orchard Central is connected to 313@somerset and Orchard Gateway, integrating it into a wider pedestrian and retail network on Orchard Road. In December 2016, Forbes placed Orchard Central among Singapore's five leading shopping malls, providing external recognition of its position within the Orchard Road retail landscape. Later reported plans indicated a possible shift in the use of several upper and middle floors. According to 2026 reporting, leases on floors five through eight and eleven through twelve were not being renewed after November 2026 in preparation for Deloitte's planned office tenancy. The report suggests a potential move toward a more mixed retail-and-office configuration, but the available material does not confirm the final status, scope or completion of that change.

• 2026

  Reported floor-use transition

  [1]Orchard Centralen.wikipedia.org

  Reports indicated that leases across selected floors would not be renewed beyond November 2026 in preparation for a reported Deloitte office tenancy.

• 2016

  Forbes recognition

  [1]Orchard Centralen.wikipedia.org

  In December, Forbes recognized Orchard Central as one of Singapore's top five shopping malls.

• 2009

  Official opening

  [1]Orchard Centralen.wikipedia.org

  Orchard Central officially opened on 2 July 2009 on the former site of an open-air car park along Orchard Road.

An urban, design-led and tourist-oriented shopping mall positioned within Singapore's premium Orchard Road retail district. Orchard Central differentiates itself through vertical circulation, architecture, public art, rooftop greenery, lifestyle tenants and visitor services rather than through a conventional enclosed-mall layout.

• Retail · 2009

  Fashion and apparel retail

  Orchard Central's fashion offer forms part of its broad multi-floor tenant mix. The mall has included major international apparel operators and has been associated with a large Uniqlo presence, including a store described as the largest in Singapore in the reference material. Fashion retail is integrated with beauty, lifestyle and dining uses across the vertical mall.

• Retail · 2009

  Lifestyle and household retail

  Lifestyle and household goods are represented by operators including Tokyu Hands and Don Don Donki. The latter has been described as operating a 24-hour outlet in the mall. These formats broaden the centre beyond apparel and support late-night, convenience-oriented and discovery-led shopping.

• Food and beverage · 2009

  Dining and cafés

  Restaurants and cafés occupy part of Orchard Central's mixed retail programme. Food and beverage uses complement the centre's lifestyle positioning and help activate its multiple floors, galleries and public spaces throughout the day.

• Visitor services · 2009

  Tourist and visitor services

  The mall includes facilities aimed at international visitors, including a tourist-bus terminal, tourist information centre, currency-exchange services and duty-exemption services. These features connect the property to Orchard Road's role as a major tourism and shopping destination.

• 2026

  Reported preparation for office tenancy on selected floorsStrategy

  Background

  Reports said that leases covering floors five through eight and floors eleven through twelve were not being renewed beyond November 2026.

  Action taken

  The reported plan was to clear the specified floors in preparation for Deloitte moving office into the Orchard retail district.

  Aftermath

  The available reference does not confirm whether the proposed tenancy was completed, how the affected floors were ultimately used, or what effect the change had on the mall's retail offer.

  Source

1. 1Orchard Centralen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Orchard Central official websiteorchardcentral.com.sg