One Sophia is a new mixed-use development being built on the site of the old Peace Centre at 1 Sophia Road. SingHaiyi and its joint venture partners have started the private preview for their strata commercial offices units in October 2024.
The 13-storey commercial skyscraper will consist of 122 strata-titled office spaces and 127 strata retail units. The retail spaces will be inside a two-storey retail platform while the office units occupy the remaining 11 levels. A three-story parking space with 273 spaces will also be developed.
Nearly half of the office units are between 721 and 1,614 square feet in size, while the remaining units are between 720 and 4,530 square feet in size.
The diversity of unit sizes offered at One Sophia has attracted a varied mix of end-users and investor profiles, says Tan Hong Boon, executive director of Capital Markets at JLL Singapore. In the joint sale of Peace Mansion and Peace Centre, JLL acted as a marketing agency.
The unit sizes are well suited to the local market need. Tan reveals that their team is now advising a number of customers who are interested in purchasing several adjacent apartments, as well as a small number who are contemplating purchasing a whole floor.
Before announcing the sales price and the units that will be launched for sale, EdgeProp Singapore will gauge buying interest during the ongoing private preview. The developers have already released an indicative pricing range of $3,000 psf to $3,500 psf for office units on the third to fifth floors.
The upcoming mixed-use development’s commercial component is One Sophia. One Sophia’s residential component is known as The Collective. There are a total of 367 apartments spread over two private tower blocks of 19 stories. Studios, one-bedroom, and three-bedroom apartments will be available for rent.
Previews of The Collective at One Sophia are anticipated for next year. Three distinct Management Corporation Strata Titles (MSCT) will be in charge of the development as a whole; they will be in charge of the office, retail, and residential parts, respectively.
In December 2021, a joint venture consisting of CEL Development, SingHaiyi Crystal, and Ultra Infinity bought the Peace Mansion and the old Peace Centre for a total of $650 million, or $1,426 per square foot per plot ratio.
“One Sophia has attracted a lot of attention from potential investors and owner-occupants because of the significant change it could bring to the neighbourhood,” adds Tan.
Bras Basah, Bugis, Dhoby Ghaut, and the Orchard Road retail district are all within striking distance of One Sophia, thanks to its superb position at the intersection of Sophia Road and Selegie Road. Four MRT stations—Dhoby Ghaut Interchange, Bencoolen, Brash Basah, and Rochor—are in close proximity to the complex.
Investors are taking notice of the project since it is the only new development in the Orchard Road region that is providing strata commercial apartments for sale. According to Tan, the price is affordable when compared to other freehold strata-titled office complexes in the vicinity, which typically cost more than $4,000 per square foot.
A 99-year leasehold development, One Sophia is still a good investment, he says. The nearby business buildings may be freehold, but they were not constructed to meet the contemporary health and sustainability criteria that are common in new commercial buildings today, according to Tan. This gives One Sophia an advantage over those buildings.
One Sophia was conceptualised and designed by ADDP Architects and studioMilou, who were retained by the developers. Two curved planes adorned with verdant vegetation serve as the building’s distinguishing feature, balancing out the vertical arrangement of gardens and office glass enclosures that front the business block. Garden terraces will only be accessible from the third, eighth and thirteenth levels of the office building.
The strata office units at One Sophia will have a ceiling height of 3.1 meters, which is lower than the typical 4 meters seen in freshly constructed Grade A offices. In addition, the development has received BCA’s Green Mark Gold Plus accreditation, which is higher than the Green Mark Platinum that the majority of newly released Grade A projects boast. Seasonal parking is provided in the basement parking areas that are shared with the residential apartments.