CapitaLand launches Raffles City Chengdu in China

The 195,000 sq.m. property will house shopping malls, apartments and offices.

In a release, CapitaLand Limited will officially launch Raffles City Chengdu, the fourth ‘Raffles City’ development in the Group’s international portfolio this morning.

The inauguration will be graced by Mr Lee Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore; Mr Wei Hong, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Provincial Committee and Deputy Governor of Sichuan Province; together with Mr Ng Kee Choe, Chairman of CapitaLand Group and Mr Liew Mun Leong, President and CEO of CapitaLand Group.

They will be joined by government officials and business leaders from China and Singapore, as well as well-known artists from China and overseas. The inauguration reinforces the robust economic ties between China and Singapore among private enterprises.

Raffles City Chengdu, located along Renmin South Road, sits in the heart of Chengdu’s international business hub and is connected to the interchange of Lines 1 & 3 of the Chengdu Metro. With a gross floor area of 195,000 square metres, the iconic mixed development comprises a shopping mall, grade A office towers, a hotel, serviced residences and premium residential apartments.

In September 2012, the grade A office tower and shopping mall will begin operations. Among the office tenants are Singapore firms such as Silkair, Surbana and CapitaLand China while the committed mall tenants include Singapore brands like Bee Cheng Hiang, Charles & Keith, Food Republic and Osim. Over 70% of the mall would be international brands while 57% are new-to-market brands and flagship outlets of international brands. The serviced residences component, to be branded Ascott Raffles City Chengdu, is expected to begin operations in 2013.

Raffles City Chengdu is the first development in Southwest China to be accorded the LEED-CS (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – Core & Shell) pre-certification at the Gold Level by the US Green Building Council for its emphasis on sustainability. Raffles City Chengdu is designed by internationally renowned architect Steven Holl. Staying true to the ‘city within a city’ concept of ‘Raffles City’ developments, Raffles City Chengdu was designed to maximise public open space and to stimulate micro-urbanism.

It is aptly named 'Sliced Porosity Block' for its open spaces and its embracement of sunrays in its structure. Three ponds at the unique multi-level plaza in the development act as skylights to the shopping mall below. These ponds allude to the three gorges mentioned in a poem by Du Fu, one of China's most important poets who once resided in Chengdu, named ‘Time was left frozen in the Three Gorges’. Three well-appointed Sky Pavilions named History Pavilion, Light Pavilion and Du Fu Garden within Raffles City Chengdu embody the essence of the development, a focus on the historical and cultural heritage, an all-encompassing nature of the building, and a harmonious interaction between the development and its users.