SINGAPORE \u2013 It does not feel at all like a science park where researchers in laboratory coats huddle.<\/p>\n
On a recent Saturday, children were playing at The Canopy, an airy sheltered plaza with the look of a stylised, geometric \u201ccathedral\u201d, light streaming in from its high, open sides.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
On working days, professionals lounge with their laptops across the steps of its terrace amphitheatre under the 27m spruce roof. They may sip a latte at the 3,000 sq m all-weather plaza while considering an evening run at the nearby Kent Ridge Park, with complimentary coaching.<\/p>\n
Can an innovation precinct be fun? How cool can science be?<\/p>\n
By weaving towering timber architecture, spontaneous work-and-play experiences and fresh greenery into The Canopy within the revamped Singapore Science Park (SSP),<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/a>owner CapitaLand is proving that a business park can appeal to tenants like research powerhouses Merck and Henkel as well as the incoming A*STAR, while welcoming a wider community of fresh-faced undergraduates, families and fun-seekers across its enclave \u2013 or the island.<\/p>\n This intentional shift from workplace to people-centric ecosystem is \u201cplacemaking\u201d in action.<\/p>\n Placemaking turns space into place. It designs a destination for human connection, so people want to linger. It is rooted in the art of building community.<\/p>\n Marcus Lim, head of placemaking and flexible workspace at CapitaLand Development, distinguishes between the purpose-built infrastructure and the people-first experiences of a district.<\/p>\n \u201cInfrastructure provides the foundation for building a successful innovation district,\u201d he tells The Straits Times.<\/p>\n \u201cPlacemaking is the layer that creates the experiences to bring people together.\u201d<\/p>\n This is especially important since innovation thrives on connection and exchange of ideas, he emphasises.<\/p>\n Spontaneous work and play happen at The Canopy, an airy \u201csuper lobby\u201d at the Singapore Science Park\u2019s new Geneo cluster, which opened in May.<\/p>\n PHOTO: SINGAPORE SCIENCE PARK<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Linda Zhang, managing director of Merck Singapore, tells ST that SSP positions Merck close to scientific talent, customers, partners and research organisations in a milieu designed to \u201caccelerate innovation\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n SSP, which launched as a conventional campus in 1984, has expanded and revamped over the decades of Singapore\u2019s research and development global ambitions.<\/p>\n<\/picture><\/div>
Why people linger<\/h2>\n