The Interlace

Overview & Key Facts

The Interlace is a 1,040-unit architectural landmark designed by Ole Scheeren of OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture), developed by CapitaLand on a sprawling 8-hectare site at the corner of Depot Road and Alexandra Road in District 4. Completed in 2013 on a 99-year lease from 2009, the development’s radical design — 31 apartment blocks, each six storeys tall, stacked in a hexagonal arrangement around eight courtyards — won the World Building of the Year at the 2015 World Architecture Festival and the Urban Habitat Award in 2014, cementing its status as one of the most significant residential buildings of the 21st century.

The design deliberately rejects the conventional tower typology that dominates Singapore’s residential skyline. Instead of isolated vertical blocks, The Interlace creates a interconnected “vertical village” where stacked horizontal blocks generate a cascade of rooftop gardens, sky terraces, and communal spaces that in aggregate provide 112% green coverage — more planted area than the site itself. At a current average of $1,570 psf with a gross rental yield of 3.17% and median rent of $6,600, The Interlace delivers world-class architecture at a PSF that undercuts many less distinguished developments in the RCR band.

The trade-off for living in an architectural masterpiece is practical: MRT access is genuinely poor. Labrador Park MRT is 1.14 km away, Queenstown MRT 1.41 km, and Telok Blangah MRT 1.49 km. For a development of this stature and price, the transit deficit is a significant daily inconvenience that no amount of architectural brilliance can excuse.

Location & Connectivity

The Interlace occupies a commanding 8-hectare site at the intersection of Depot Road and Alexandra Road, straddling the boundary between Bukit Merah and Queenstown in District 4. The location places the development within the emerging Greater Southern Waterfront precinct — Singapore’s most ambitious urban transformation project, which will redevelop 30 km of the southern coastline from Marina East to Pasir Panjang into a new waterfront city district over the next two decades. This master plan is The Interlace’s most significant long-term value driver.

Daily amenities require some effort. The nearest retail hub is Anchorpoint Shopping Centre on Alexandra Road, approximately 800 m away, offering a FairPrice supermarket and basic retail. IKEA Alexandra (1.2 km), Alexandra Retail Centre, and the Queenstown MRT commercial cluster provide broader shopping options. For hawker food, Alexandra Village Food Centre (800 m) and Depot Road hawker centre are within reach. VivoCity and HarbourFront are a 10-minute drive away.

The school catchment includes Alexandra Primary School (790 m) and Crescent Girls’ School (880 m) within walking distance. Queenstown Primary (1.4 km) and Queensway Secondary (1.6 km) are bus-accessible. The neighbourhood is more commercial-industrial than residential in character — surrounded by Mapletree Business City, Alexandra Technopark, and the Depot Road light-industrial cluster — which contributes to the development’s rental appeal for professionals working in the area.

Schools & Education

1 primary school within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.

Facilities

The Interlace’s facilities are woven into its architecture rather than appended as afterthoughts. The eight hexagonal courtyards each have a distinct character — from the Central Square and Theatre Plaza to the Water Park — creating multiple communal zones spread across the 8-hectare site. The 50-metre lap pool occupies a prime position within the development, complemented by family and children’s pools, sun decks, and poolside landscaping that benefits from the stacked-block design’s unique light and shadow patterns.

The clubhouse functions as the social hub, housing function rooms, games rooms, a theatre, karaoke facilities, a reading room, and multiple gymnasium spaces. The rooftop gardens on each stacked block create an extraordinary network of elevated green spaces — residents can walk along sky gardens and terraces that cascade across the development’s stepped topography, an experience unique to The Interlace and impossible to replicate in a conventional tower design.

“Living here is like living in a park that happens to have apartments. The rooftop gardens are stunning — every block has its own green terrace and you can walk across the entire development on elevated garden paths. The pools are beautifully designed within the courtyard spaces. The architecture is the amenity — friends who visit for the first time are always amazed. It’s not a typical condo; it’s an experience.”

— Owner-occupier, three-bedroom, since 2018 (PLB Insights)

The scale of the site (8 hectares for 1,040 units) means that despite the large unit count, the development feels spacious and uncrowded. The hexagonal courtyard arrangement ensures privacy between blocks while maintaining community connectivity. Security is comprehensive with gated access and 24-hour patrols across the estate. The main limitation is that some of the communal spaces and garden terraces require walking distances that would be unusual in a compact tower development — the trade-off of living in a horizontal rather than vertical community.

Unit Sizes & Layout

The Interlace offers two- to four-bedroom configurations, with three-quarters of the 1,040 units in the two- and three-bedroom range. The smallest units start at approximately 807 sqft — significantly larger than the sub-600 sqft two-bedrooms typical of current new launches. Three-bedroom units range from approximately 1,100 to 1,400 sqft, and four-bedrooms from 1,500 to 1,900 sqft. The generous sizing reflects 2007-era design standards (when the project was commissioned) and the luxury positioning of CapitaLand’s portfolio at the time.

Interior finishes from the original 2013 delivery are of good quality, reflecting CapitaLand’s premium standards at the time. However, with 13 years of occupation, early units may require renovation refreshes. The open-plan layouts with floor-to-ceiling windows are designed to maximise the architectural views — the interiors feel as considered as the exteriors, with spatial proportions that complement the building’s design philosophy. Ceiling heights are generous, and the interplay between indoor and outdoor space is a hallmark of Scheeren’s residential design approach.

Pricing & Market Position

Across 247 recorded transactions (all-time), sale prices range from $1,180,000 to $6,100,000, averaging $2,568,587.

Over the last 12 months, transactions averaged $1,629 psf.

Rents range from $3,100 to $19,600 per month across 1,252 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 3.2%.

Rental Yield by Bedroom Type

Blended yield hides the spread between unit sizes — smaller units at THE INTERLACE typically rent harder per dollar of purchase price. The final column shows monthly rent per $100,000 invested, so unit sizes compare on equal capital:

Price Appreciation

From 2021 to 2026, the average PSF has appreciated by 32.7% (from $1,301 to $1,727 psf).

Neighbourhood Comparison

In the District 4 southern corridor, The Interlace ($1,570 psf, 99-year from 2009, ~82 years remaining) occupies a unique architectural niche but competes on price with two key neighbours. Reflections at Keppel Bay ($1,735 psf, 99-year from 2006, ~79 years remaining) is Daniel Libeskind’s waterfront masterwork — trading at a 10% premium with less lease remaining, but offering direct waterfront views and closer proximity to HarbourFront MRT (950 m). The Interlace counters with a larger site (8 ha vs 3.3 ha), more green space, and a lower PSF. The Reef at King’s Dock ($2,466 psf, 99-year from 2021) is the modern luxury competitor with a fresh 94-year lease and waterfront dock setting, but at a 57% PSF premium.

The Interlace’s competitive position is defined by an unrepeatable combination: World Building of the Year architecture, an 8-hectare site with 112% green coverage, and an entry PSF ($1,570) that is the lowest among architecturally significant developments in the southern corridor. For buyers who prioritise design and spatial experience over waterfront views (Reflections) or a new lease (Reef), The Interlace is the clear choice. For pure investment, Reflections’ shorter lease and The Interlace’s poor MRT access make both challenging long-term holds.

Lease Decay Analysis

The 99-year lease runs from 2009, meaning approximately 17 years have already been consumed. Roughly 82 years remain — still comfortably within the range where most banks will offer full financing without restrictions.

For a buyer purchasing today with a 10-year horizon (exit around 2036), the lease situation is essentially a non-issue — you’d be selling a property with ~72 years remaining, which is still very bankable. The risk profile changes for longer holds.

ShiokNest Scores

Our proprietary scoring system evaluates THE INTERLACE across multiple dimensions.

What Residents Say

“I’ve lived in condos across Singapore for 15 years and The Interlace is by far the most unique. The architecture is breathtaking — walking through the sky gardens and elevated terraces never gets old, even after five years. The pools and courtyard spaces are beautiful. My only real complaint is the MRT distance. We drive everywhere, which makes it workable, but guests who take public transport always comment on how far the MRT is.”

— Owner-occupier, three-bedroom, since 2019 (EdgeProp)

“I rent a two-bedder here because the architecture sold me — I’m an architect myself and this is a building I wanted to experience from the inside. The design delivers: natural light from multiple directions, rooftop gardens above and below, and a sense of community that towers simply cannot create. The hexagonal courtyards feel like village squares. Rent is fair at $5,500 for what you get. The commute to Mapletree Business City is a 5-minute drive, so the MRT issue doesn’t affect me.”

— Tenant, two-bedroom, since 2023 (PropertyGuru)

“Bought here in 2015 for $1,350 psf and the value has appreciated steadily to ~$1,570 now. The Greater Southern Waterfront plan should be the next catalyst. My concern is purely the lease — 82 years remaining, and with 1,040 units, en-bloc is fantasy. I plan to hold for another 5–7 years and ride the GSW wave before the lease decay becomes a more visible factor. The building itself is magnificent — friends from overseas always want to visit.”

— Investor-owner, three-bedroom, since 2015 (99.co)

Strengths & Weaknesses

Verdict

The Interlace is a once-in-a-generation architectural achievement that also happens to be a functional residential development with 1,040 units and genuine community life. The World Building of the Year designation is not a marketing gimmick — this is a development that has fundamentally challenged how high-density housing is designed in tropical cities, and its 112% green coverage, cascading rooftop gardens, and hexagonal courtyard system deliver a living experience that no tower-based competitor can replicate. At $1,570 psf, the entry price is remarkably reasonable for a development of this architectural significance and District 4 RCR location.

The practical concerns are real, however. MRT access at 1.14–1.49 km from the nearest three stations is a daily inconvenience that makes car ownership effectively mandatory. The 82-year remaining lease will cross the 75-year CPF threshold around 2033, and the en-bloc score of 22/100 reflects the near-impossibility of collective sale for a 1,040-unit site of this architectural importance. The neighbourhood — dominated by business parks and light industrial uses — lacks the residential warmth of a mature HDB estate.

For architecture enthusiasts, design professionals, and buyers who value living in a globally recognised building above transit convenience, The Interlace is irreplaceable. The Greater Southern Waterfront transformation will enhance the precinct over the next two decades, potentially improving both connectivity and neighbourhood amenities. Buy The Interlace for the architecture and the lifestyle; accept the transit compromise and the lease clock as the price of living in a masterpiece.