City Square Mall –Green Re-emergence
TA.LE makes eco design a tangible, exciting experience in the revamped shopping space
SINGAPORE’S PUSH towards Green Plan 2030 certainly looks achievable as more architects and designers, businesses and corporations get onboard.
Architecture firm TA.LE sets the tone with its design of the revamped City Square Mall – making it a benchmark of an eco-build in the sphere of retail establishments.
Their vision was to challenge the norm of “invisible” green efficiencies, which include features like energy conservation that often go unnoticed by the public. The goal was to make sustainability a bold, tangible experience, allowing you to see and touch, and get inspired by environmental action.
City Square Mall is one of the first establishments in the region to integrate upcycled materials on a massive, visible scale.
Key highlights of TA.LE’s concept include:
– 680,000 disposable bamboo chopsticks repurposed into wall and ceiling finishes, saving over 33,000 kgCO₂e (kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent).
– Over 1,000kg of plastic PET bottles transformed into high-performance textile panels for lift lobbies and atrium edges.
– 4km of the mall’s original timber grab bars salvaged and repurposed into new wall cladding and furniture.
– Discarded bubble wrap and Meiji milk bottles creatively transformed into unique wall coverings and floor indicators.
A Chat with TAY YANLING, co-founder and principal architect of TA.LE
1. How does an architect show that eco designs do not have to sacrifice form and aesthetics in Singapore?
We believe that eco-design doesn’t have to sacrifice aesthetics when you treat sustainability as a creative opportunity, rather than a constraint. We showcase this by using eco-friendly materials as a deliberate aesthetic language, proving that resourcefulness can be both sophisticated and beautiful.
2. What was TA.LE’s main challenge in redefining City Square Mall into an eco project?
The main challenge was getting everyone on board with a new approach. Because there were no prior case studies of using upcycled materials on such a large and visible scale, it required a courageous partnership. We are very grateful to our client, City Developments Limited (CDL), for their trust in our vision, which made it possible to prove that this resourceful and sustainable approach could also be elegant.
3. In your opinion, what countries are advanced in complementing eco design and urban architecture?
Countries like Denmark and the Netherlands have long championed circular design. However, Singapore is also demonstrating how sustainability can thrive in a dense, urban context where green spaces, community, and architecture coexist.
4. How can sustainable retail enhance a consumer’s experience and add value to a community?
For consumers, it transforms a regular shopping trip into an experiential journey, creating a sense of pride in a space that visibly reflects their values. By making sustainability tangible, the retail space also becomes a platform for conversation that fosters a deeper sense of community and shared responsibility for our environment.
5. What is your advice to a young student of architecture who wants to be proactive in Singapore’s Green Plan 2030 ambitions?
My advice is to embed sustainability at the very core of your design process; this mindset shift will change everything. And always stay curious, be resourceful with what’s around you, and don’t be afraid to challenge conventional methods.
6. How do you relax after a hard day of work, and what Singapore food do you enjoy?
For me, unwinding is about reconnecting, with people, with food, with quiet. I love the simplicity of local dishes like laksa or chicken rice; they carry a sense of place and nostalgia that I find restorative.
TAY YANLING is an architect who loves to paint. She has been painting since she was a school girl and, perhaps with this gift, Tay perceives more deeply into design and architecture. In 2014, Yanling co-founded TA.LE (pronounced tale) providing consultancy services for architectural, urban and interior design projects, with a focus on delivering a holistic and sustainable design experience.
A graduate from the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, Yanling loves to travel to different cities around the world to explore the architecture and design of buildings as well as to learn about different cultures. During her spare time, the mother of two enjoys acrylic painting, and visiting new buildings and parks with her husband.