CapitaLand breaks ground for the development of tech-inspired lifestyle hub

It will be on the site of former Funan DigitaLife mall.

As it enters an exciting phase of real estate development driven by technological breakthroughs, CapitaLand, through its subsidiary CapitaLand Mall Trust, unveils the redevelopment of a lifestyle hub on the site of the former Funan DigitaLife Mall.

According to the group the planned commercial establishment will go beyond selling IT products as it will cater to the tech and socially-savvy consumers.

The site, which has a total gross floor area of 887,000 sq. ft., will be called Funan. It will occupy more than half of the floor area for a six-storey retail component that will comprise four on the ground levels and two basement levels.

Three towers will occupy the remaining floor area, with two catering to the needs of business and one for a nine-storey housing block.

CapitaLand CEO Lim Ming Yan said the integrated development will house a mall of the future serving as a platform to inspire retail innovations.

"As a new paradigm for live, work and play in Singapore’s city centre, Funan offers a synergistic combination of retail, office and apartment components that is designed to appeal to tech- and socially-savvy consumers pursuing quality of life in a socially-conscious and creative environment," he said.

The retail component will be organised around clusters such as tech, fit and taste.

Under the tech cluster, movie theatres, hi-tech food courts, smart shopping technologies such as drive-through click-and-collect and hands-free shopping service will be developed.

Indoor sporting facilities will also be built, with basketball and futsal courts already included in the plans.

It will also be the first commercial building to allow cycling inside the building.

The site will also support from farm to table movement as it mulls to feature a 4,000 sq ft urban farm, where the public can learn more about the origins of their food and “adopt a plot” to grow their own produce.