One-North

For the railway station, see one-north MRT Station.

Not to be confused with Microsoft Office OneNote.

one-north

English	one-north
Chinese	纬壹
(Pinyin	)
Malay	satu-utara
Tamil	ஒன்று வடக்கு
Ruling party
Places of Interest

one-north is an ongoing 200-hectare business park development by JTC Corporation to house R&D and high technology activities in the biomedical sciences, infocomm technology (ICT) and media industries. Though the development was first conceptualised in the National Technology Plan 1991, ^[1] it was only launched officially in 2001 by former Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan Keng Yam with the basis of creating a “global talent hub” and a knowledge-based economy, a move to complement the successful manufacturing and service economies of Singapore.^[2]

one-north, which was masterplanned by Zaha Hadid Architects, is located at Buona Vista and near educational and research institutes like National University of Singapore (NUS), INSEAD and the Singapore Science Parks. Moreover, it also has easy access to social and recreational facilities due to the close proximity to Holland Village. All these factors will help with the development of one-north in the future.

Besides being a “science hub” as Dr Tan described one-north at the launch, another aim is to create a socially integrated community where both expatriates and locals can gather to live, work and relax together in one-north.^[3] As such, one-north will not be a government project of a working district only, but also one where private sectors contribute to provide the social and recreational amenities for the people working and living there.

Biopolis

Biopolis is a purpose-built biomedical R&D hub at one-north. It houses key public research institutes and private research organizations.

Biopolis Phase 1 is developed by JTC Corporation (JTC) at a cost of S$500 million. Phase 1 of the Biopolis comprises a cluster of seven buildings with a built-up area of 185,000 sqm (2 million sq ft). Phase 1 is home to more than 2,000 scientists, researchers, technicians and administrators. The research community is fully supported by state-of-the-art infrastructure and services catering to the full spectrum of biomedical R&D activities.

Phase 2 of the Biopolis comprised two research buildings, with a built-up area of 37,000 sqm (400,000 sq ft).

Phase 3 of Biopolis broke ground in April 2008. This multi-tenanted research facility is intended to extend basic research activities into translational and clinical research as well as medical technology research.

Fusionopolis

Occupying 30 hectares (ha) of land within one-north, Fusionopolis is envisioned to be an innovation and R&D hub for Infocomm Technology, Media, Physical Sciences & Engineering industries. To be developed in phases, Fusionopolis will be the catalyst for a dynamic public-private partnership in these key disciplines.

Fusionopolis Phase 1, developed by JTC Corporation, is the first integrated work-live-play-learn development in one-north. Opened in October 2008, it houses public agencies such as A*STAR, MDA and SPRING as well as private companies to foster collaborations across industries, research institutes and businesses.

Fusionopolis Phase 2A will yield 103,600 sqm of business park and R&D space, when completed. A test-bed for new technologies, Phase 2A is designed to house dry and wet laboratories, clean rooms and vibration sensitive test-bedding facilities.

Fusionopolis Phase 2B is a 50,000 sqm development by a private developer which will provide business park and laboratory space to house agencies and companies that would form synergistic collaborations with those from Phases 1 and 2A.

Rochester Park

Signboard of Rochester Park.

Launched in early 2006, Rochester Park, a part of one-north, is a heritage site located off North Buona Vista Road, featuring several double-storey black-and-white colonial bungalows, a symbol of Singapore’s colonial past.

History

Black and white colonial bungalow at Rochester Park.

The estate has a long history with the 40 black-and-white bungalows built in the 1940s to accommodate the British military soldiers stationed at Pasir Panjang Military Complex and their families.^[4] After the British military pulled out of Singapore in late 1971, the bungalows were handed over to the Singapore government who rented them out mainly to non-Singaporeans.^[4]

Development

To provide cultural and recreational facilities for the people in one-north, Rochester Park has been revitalised into a ‘unique dining and lifestyle retail hub’ with an “old world charm”. The old black-and-white colonial bungalows in Rochester Park have been conserved under the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) conservation guidelines and are now leased to a number of food & beverage and lifestyle retail tenants.

Rochester Park 11

Rochester Park 11 has 11 bungalows turned into a dining and lifestyle retail hub consisting of restaurants, galleries, and spas.^[5] Currently, nine units are taken up by restaurants and bars offering a wide variety of food in different settings as well as a holistic healthcare centre.

Restaurants

North Border Bar and Grill in the background.

• One Rochester presents itself as a home, segmenting the bungalow into different themes. The restaurant also has a garden.^{[citation needed]}
• North Border Bar and Grill offers South-western American cuisine.
• Da Paolo Bistro Bar’s serves Italian fare in a European setting.
• Graze provides a variety of Western and Asian fare.
• Min Jiang specializes in Chinese cuisine

Rochester Park 20

Rochester Park 20 on the other hand, is still in the midst of development but has set aside 20 of the bungalows to become a serviced villa resort with retail facilities.^[6] JTC is currently looking for interested private developers to submit their bids.^[7]

References

1. ^ NSTB, (1991) Science and Technology:Window of Opportunities – National Technology Plan 1991. Singapore: SNP Publishers.
2. ^ Tan, T K Y, (2001, 4 December). Launch of Science Hub, speech presented at MITA Building, Singapore.
3. ^ JTC Corporation, (2006). [1].
4. ^ ^{a b} Lim, A P, (1974). Changes in Land Use in the Former British Military Areas in Singapore. Unpublished academic exercise, Department of Geography, National University of Singapore.
5. ^ Soo, K L, (2006, 27 March). Welcome Remarks, speech presented at Rochester open house, Singapore.
6. ^ Sim, A, (2007, 17 January). Cultural-retail landmark to up cool quotient for one-north, The Business Times Singapore.
7. ^ JTC Corporation, (2007, 16 January). JTC invites proposals for the development of a Civic, Cultural and Retail Complex at one-north 19,300 square metre site is the largest land parcel offered for private sector participation.

External links

• Welcome to One-North