Nestled within Changi’s quiet business district, The Reserve transforms a former electronics warehouse into a high-security vault for precious commodities. The six-storey industrial structure, standing 32 metres tall with a total floor area of 16,700 square metres, was originally engineered to accommodate heavy loads and long spans. These inherent qualities made it well suited to its new function, allowing the building to be repurposed with minimal structural intervention At its centre is a vast, hangar-like volume measuring 1,836 square metres in plan with a 30-metre-high ceiling. This dramatic space now serves as the primary vaulting chamber, forming the operational and symbolic heart of the project. The transformation reflects broader changes within the Changi Business District. Once a hub of logistics and commercial activity, the area has seen reduced occupancy in recent years, accelerated by shifts toward remote working. The Reserve addresses this condition
through adaptive reuse, demonstrating how underused industrial buildings can be reactivated to support new forms of economic and urban life.
The architectural approach is driven by a series of dualities embedded in the client brief: openness and privacy, security and transparency, boldness and delicacy, tradition and innovation. MonoLab Studio translated these opposing ideas into spatial and material strategies that allow them to coexist without
compromising clarity or security. Throughout the project, contrasts are carefully calibrated—robust structures are paired with refined finishes, and controlled light is used to soften otherwise austere environments.
This synthesis is most clearly expressed in the façade. A bespoke composite cladding system sandwiches thinned onyx between two layers of glass, creating a translucent envelope that references both the permanence of precious materials and the openness associated with contemporary financial technologies. Each onyx slab was sliced to just 4mm thick, allowing the entire façade to be produced from only six blocks of stone. The slabs were digitally scanned and composed into a large-scale book-matched pattern, choreographing the natural veining across the elevation.
The façade’s translucency allows it to respond dynamically to light. During the day, sunlight filters
‘The approach is driven by a
series of dualities: openness
and privacy, security and
transparency, boldness and
delicacy, tradition and
innovation’
Daylight filters through the onyx, creating a warm interior atmosphere. through the onyx, casting a warm glow into the interior. At night, integrated lighting transforms the building into a softly illuminated presence within its industrial surroundings.
Restrained
Internally, interventions are restrained. A doubleheight entrance introduces visitors to a terracotta-toned reception lobby, naturally lit through the onyx façade. Beyond, a sequence of narrow corridors leads to the cavernous vault, where controlled shafts of light reveal the stored metals. Above, a spiral staircase connects office levels around a skylight with an integrated water feature, while a cantilevered meeting pod suspended 25 metres above the vault offers a commanding view into the core of the building.
PROJECT CREDITS
Architect & Lead Designer: MonoLab Studio
Project Architect: Freight Architects
Lighting Designer: Light Collab
Landscape Designer: This Humid House
Photographer: Finbarr Fallon