The first skyscraper was built in 1885 and stood a vertiginous 138 feet tall. That record has been bested countless times since then, with Dubai’s 2,717-foot Burj Khalifa now looming over every other building in the world. And though we might not see a taller skyscraper anytime soon, structures like the Pan Pacific Orchard in Singapore continue to innovate and push boundaries in other ways. Find out why this groundbreaking new skyscraper was just named the world’s best.
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Reimagining the Future of Skyscrapers
In October 2024, the Pan Pacific Orchard — a new 461-foot hotel in Singapore — was named the world’s best new skyscraper by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). The global nonprofit organization described it as a “hotel in nature” that takes a “groundbreaking approach to high-density urbanism.”
“Pan Pacific Orchard represents the best in responsible vertical urbanism today,” CTBUH CEO Javier Quintana de Uña said in his announcement at the group’s annual conference. “It does so by considering the question at the very core of this year’s conference — New or Renew? — from a more encompassing and nuanced perspective: This isn’t a building refurbishment; it’s about reimagining entire communities in novel, forward-thinking ways. The significance of Pan Pacific Orchard cannot be overstated — it emphasizes the revitalization of urban spaces rather than relying solely on new developments.”
That’s clear from looking at the L-shaped building itself. Pan Pacific Orchard is divided into four stacks, each carrying a theme related to Singapore’s tropical environs: forest, beach, garden, and cloud. The ground-level forest terrace has a water plaza and dense foliage, the beach terrace features a lagoon-like swimming pool complete with greenery wrapping around the walls, the garden terrace has walking paths, and the cloud terrace offers striking views of the city from its event space.
A Hit With Guests
Located in, and named for, Singapore’s busy Orchard shopping district, the hotel has proved popular with guests as well. It ranked ninth among all hotels in Singapore in the 2024 Condé Nast Traveler’s Reader’ Choice Awards with an overall score of 94.7. Pan Pacific has more than 40 hotels in such far-flung locations as Australia, Canada, Kenya, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam.
Pan Pacific Orchard stands 23 stories tall and has 347 rooms. Despite its modest stature, it’s eye-catching from any distance — a lush oasis in the middle of a bustling metropolis. It was designed by WOHA, a Singaporean architectural firm that’s also responsible for a housing complex for senior citizens that was named World Building of the Year at the World Architecture Festival in 2018. Rooms at the Pan Pacific Orchard start at around $250 a night — not exactly cheap, but not unreasonable for what’s sure to be a memorable stay.
Feature image credit: Image courtesy of Pan Pacific Orchard, Singapore
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