The Great Room Opens Coworking Space In Eu Yan Sang Bldg
SINGAPORE – The Great Room, an operator of upscale flexible workspaces, has opened a new outlet within the Chinatown district at the Eu Yan Sang Building, which consists of four conservation shophouses originally built in the 1910s, reported The Edge on Friday morning (21 April, SGT).
This marks the coworking space operator’s 6th outlet in Singapore and it’s the 1st one under management that’s situated in a conservation shophouse. Located at 265 to 271 South Bridge Road, the 199-year leasehold property is owned by 8M Real Estate, which acquired it for S$54 million in 2019.
Due to the property’s historic importance, being Singapore’s first medicine hall under the traditional Chinese medicine brand Eu Yan Sang, The Great Room and 8M Real Estate consulted the URA, BCA, and Eu Yan Sang International’s current Chairman Richard Eu before it renovated the premises.
“We wanted to present a great workspace that is very contemporary yet respectful of the property’s heritage, conservation status, and location in Chinatown,” shared Jaelle Ang, Chief Executive and Co-founder of The Great Room.
Apart from restoring the building’s original façade, they also improved internal floor efficiency wherever possible, including creating a rooftop space and changing the position of some staircases. They also installed some green features, including a new cooling system, that helped the property obtain a Green Mark Platinum rating from the BCA.
Known as The Great Room, South Bridge, the coworking space operator began fitting out the outlet across four levels during the last quarter of 2022. Level 1 and 4 contain communal and shared facilities, such as the reception area & a shared work hall on the 1st floor, whereas level 4 houses a meeting room, a restaurant bar, and an outdoor rooftop seating area. Meanwhile, the 2nd and 3rd floor contains the dedicated offices and meeting areas, including a boardroom-style meeting room that can accommodate 12 persons.
Overall, the 22,000 sq ft coworking centre features 11 offices that can fit between 5 and 70 people. However, property is now fully occupied.
“We opened (in March 2023) with about 80 percent occupancy, the highest we’ve had for a new location,” Jaelle noted. “Now in our second month, we’re pretty much full. It’s a great opening for us,” she added.
