Urban jungle

23 : 03 : 2017 Hospitality : Singapore : Whole-system Thinking

Singapore – Oasia Hotel Downtown is a new hotel designed to act as a vertical garden.

  • The hotel’s façade is home to 21 species of creepers
  • The hotel wants to create an environment that refreshes the mind and the senses
Oasia Hotel Downtown, Singapore Oasia Hotel Downtown, Singapore
Oasia Hotel Downtown, Singapore Oasia Hotel Downtown, Singapore
Oasia Hotel Downtown, Singapore Oasia Hotel Downtown, Singapore
Oasia Hotel Downtown, Singapore Oasia Hotel Downtown, Singapore

Located in the central business district of Singapore, the space incorporates the power of nature to offer guests a respite from the city. In an innovative approach to intensifying land use, its inclusion of open-sided gardens mean the hotel rooms have no need for a mechanical ventilation system.

With a focus on making guests feel cocooned within the natural world, 21 species of creepers grow around the building’s façade, and natural elements such as copper and wood are used for the interiors. It has been designed by architectural firm WOHA.

‘We wanted as many species as possible to recreate an eco-system. It has flowers to attract insects and climbers for squirrels and lizards,’ explained WOHA co-founder Wong Mun Summ in an interview with Wired. ‘Singapore is a land-limited country. As it gets denser, it is necessary to create a livable environment.’

The Big Picture

The lines that separate the natural world and the modern one have blurred, with brands stepping in to transform buildings into environmental living spaces. For more, see our Whole-system Thinking macrotrend.

Discover More Daily Signals
The Trend: The Great Beauty Blur

Daily Signals

The Trend: The Great Beauty Blur

2025 marks a critical inflection point for beauty. The sector, once defined by diversity and creativity, has grown increasingly monotonous, as glob...
Beauty : Wellness : Identity
The Big Idea: Neo-community Market

Daily Signals

The Big Idea: Neo-community Market

Brands are redefining engagement by transforming followers into communities where belonging is the ultimate currency.
Beauty : Engagement : Community
The Campaign: The Ordinary exposes beauty industry buzzwords in dystopian new video

Daily Signals

The Campaign: The Ordinary exposes beauty industry buzzwords in dystopian new video

In a provocative campaign in October 2025, skincare brand The Ordinary called out the beauty industry’s reliance on pseudo-scientific language.
Beauty : Skincare : Cosmetics
The Viewpoint: Reframing Ageing

Daily Signals

The Viewpoint: Reframing Ageing

Jacynth Bassett, founder and CEO of Ageism Is Never In Style, is reshaping the conversation around ageing, positioning it as a privilege rather tha...
Beauty : Marketing : Ageing
The Space: Koyia perfumery asks customers to pay with time rather than money

Daily Signals

The Space: Koyia perfumery asks customers to pay with time rather than money

In September 2025, Swedish fragrance brand Koyia introduced a forest-based retail concept where the only currency is time.
Beauty : Retail : Fragrance
The Trend:  The New Age of Discovery

Daily Signals

The Trend:  The New Age of Discovery

Where can consumers still find newness amid algorithm fatigue, ad blockers and saturated content platforms? Part of the answer lies in gatekeeping ...
Technology : Discovery : Retail
The Big Idea: The Future of  Dating Apps

Daily Signals

The Big Idea: The Future of Dating Apps

Hinge is the ‘designed to be deleted’ dating app now turning to real-life connections to tackle Gen Z loneliness. The Future Laboratory spoke to pr...
Technology : Dating Apps : Hinge
The Campaign: Why Apple leaned into artisanal charm for 2025 festive push

Daily Signals

The Campaign: Why Apple leaned into artisanal charm for 2025 festive push

Apple’s 2025 Christmas campaign A Critter Carol puts human craftsmanship front and centre.
Technology : Advertising & Branding : Apple
The Viewpoint: Cyberchondria and Its Cure

Daily Signals

The Viewpoint: Cyberchondria and Its Cure

The democratisation of medical knowledge – and the spread of fake news – has opened the doors to a new kind of cyberchondria. Jay Topham, co-founde...
Technology : Cyberchondria : Health
The Space: Koibird’s London store mixes digital and physical

Daily Signals

The Space: Koibird’s London store mixes digital and physical

A new wave of designers is bridging the virtual chaos of gaming realms and extended reality with the tactile authenticity of human craft.  
Technology : Retail : Design
You have 2 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN