
Regionally-Oriented Global Operations Evolving City-State - Singapore
Since its independence in 1965, Singapore has been promoting high-rises to make the most of the land.
Under strong government’s leadership, it has been continuing to expand vertically.
After half a century it has become one of the most advanced city-states in the world.
Entry to Singapore Market
Shimizu opened an office in Singapore in 1973. Our very first project was the construction of a shipyard facility for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. After working mainly on projects for Japanese companies, we received an order to build Goldhill Square from a Singaporean developer in the 1980’s. This was our first project to construct a high-rise building outside Japan. We then started to work on more projects for Singapore government and companies.
Over the half century Singapore has developed rapidly. Shimizu was always there to resolve challenges and to respond to their expectations. We earned valuable experience to be a competent and successful business operator even outside Japan.

Goldhill Square (Current: United Square)
- Owner
- Goldhill Development Pte Ltd
- Size
- B1F/32F
TFA 88,127 m2 - Completion
- September 1982
PC Method – HDB Large-Scale Housing Project
Singapore attained self-governance in 1959, and one of the significant issues for the government in nation building was the provision of enough housing. They established the Housing & Development Board (HDB) in 1960 and pressed ahead with adopting the industrialized building method developed abroad which made it possible to provide a large amount of housing units in a shorter construction period. We thoroughly studied how best to build housing complexes with lower cost and in a shorter construction period. In 1981, we became the first Japanese general contractor to receive a design-build order for a large-scale project that consisted of 15,000 units.
We adopted the PC (precast concrete) method and built a PC plant close to the construction site to fabricate PC panels for floors, beams and walls. We implemented the in-situ concrete casting that requires many workers only for reinforced concrete columns and thus, managed to shorten the construction period and reduce material and labor costs.
At the request of the HDB, we continued to operate our PC plant until 2000, and supplied 20% of the total PC used in Singapore. We were also involved in educating and training construction engineers in Singapore.

HDB Large-scale Housing Project
- Owner
- Housing & Development Board (HDB)
- Total Units
- 15,000
- Construction Period
- from 1982 to 1987
Landmark in Orchard - Ngee Ann City
Ngee Ann City, located in the middle of Orchard Road, was also constructed by Shimizu. It opened in 1993 as one of the largest commercial complexes in Southeast Asia.
The anchor tenant is Takashimaya, who has been operating there since the opening. This shopping center still hosts world-class luxury brands and popular fashion brands, and is frequented by many people.
Its stately appearance stands out in the main street of Singapore as a major landmark.

Ngee Ann City
- Owner
- Ngee Ann Development Pte Ltd
- Size
- B3F/27F, 2 bldgs.
TFA 258,063 m2 - Completion
- January 1993
Orchard Road and Shimizu

In the 1960s, Orchard Road was a leafy suburb. Construction of high-rise hotels began in the 1970s. When we started the construction of Ngee Ann City, it was in the midst of rapid development, transforming itself into a downtown area.
After that, we constructed a series of buildings such as The Heeren (1996), TripleOne Somerset (2009), and Scotts Square (2011). In the 2010s, we worked on several projects in succession, including façade renovation of Wisma Atria (2012), Shaw House A&A (2013), and 268 Orchard (2014).
The main buildings we have worked on so far in Orchard Road are shown on the right. We were blessed with the opportunities to participate in many projects. Today, Orchard Road is one of the most prominent main streets in Southeast Asia. We may be one of the few foreign companies who witnessed its transition from up close.

Symbol of the Asian Financial Center - Republic Plaza
Republic Plaza is one of Singapore's tallest skyscrapers. It was completed in 1995 as the tallest building in Singapore. It dominated the sky of the most advanced city-state until 2016.
It was designed by Kisho Kurokawa. Three-point surveying from outer space was adopted to construct the high building without any tilting. The structure is full-fledged steel frame which was a cutting-edge technology at the time, enabling a shorter construction period.
The building received the World’s Best Architecture Award by FIABCI (the International Real Estate Federation) in 1997.

Republic Plaza
- Owner
- CDL Properties Pte Ltd
- Size
- B1F/66F, TFA 124,726 m2
Height 280 m - Completion
- October 1995
Core of the Strategic Development Cluster - Fusionopolis
one-north houses industries such as information and communications technology, media, biomedical sciences, startups and engineering. It was master planned and developed by JTC Corporation, a Singapore government agency.
Central to one-north is Fusionopolis, a hub for research, development, and technology. Designed by Kisho Kurokawa, it has offices, serviced apartments, retail outlets, an auditorium and connectivity with an underground train station.
3D technology was used in its construction to visualise the building from all angles so that possible issues could be solved in advance.
With a vibrant ecosystem, one-north epitomises the seamless integration of work, live, and play, enhancing the vibrancy of Singapore's knowledge economy.

Fusionopolis
- Owner
- JTC Corporation
- Size
- B6F/24F
TFA 120,000 m2 - Completion
- March 2008
- Certification
- Green Mark Gold PLUS
Giant Office Complex - Mapletree Business City (MBC) I & II
Located in the Alexandra Precinct, Mapletree Business City (MBC) is one of the largest integrated developments in Singapore. As the main contractor of the development, we completed MBC I in 2010 and MBC II in 2016. They are Grade A office and business park spaces of approx. 306,603 m2, consisting of one office tower and seven business park blocks.
For Singapore, which relies on imports for most of resources, improving the productivity of the construction industry is an important issue. The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has been aggressively introducing BIM (Building Information Modeling).
We have actively implemented BIM for this construction. For the standard floors of MBC I, we developed a high-density 4D BIM in which a time-axis was added to a regular 3D BIM. We managed the construction by comparing the stationary observation images captured by cameras with actual situations.
For MBC II we introduced a “full BIM”, coordinating designs of architecture, structure, and MEP. We established a workflow where processes were thoroughly examined using BIM and 3D printers first, then shop drawings were prepared, and finally the actual work was initiated. We also set up an on-site plant to prefabricate stairs and rebars. In 2015, the building won the “Platinum Award”, the highest accolade of the BCA's BIM Award.


Mapletree Business City (MBC) I and II
- Owner
- Mapletree Investments Pte Ltd
○MBC I
- Size
- 2 podium carpark levels, one office tower,
three business park blocks
Gross Floor Area (GFA) of 181,719 sqm - Completion
- March 2010
- Certification
- Green Mark Platinum
○MBC II
- Size
- 2 podium carpark levels, four business park blocks
GFA of 124,884 sqm - Completion
- April 2016
- Certification
- Green Mark Platinum
LEED CS Gold
Into the Future with Singapore
In half a century we have engaged in various projects, including high-rise buildings, condominiums, commercial complexes, airport, MRT, plants, factories, hospitals, and interior works. Since 2002, we have been providing lecturers to the BCA Academy and serving as a member of the Precast Advisory Committee, in addition to providing advice in response to requests from relevant ministries and agencies.
Singapore is a place where ultra-large and sophisticated projects are always happening, and where general contractors from around the world compete. It is also a place where our overseas business divisions can take on the challenge of cutting-edge projects and grow.
We will continue to evolve together with Singapore.


The information posted here is the current information on January 17, 2025.
Please be aware that this information may have changed by the time you view it.