Some say modern malls are just a centre of shops and food courts.
But step into the freshly updated City Square Mall (CSM) and you’ll see that its new walls, floors and even its benches carry stories of renewed possibilities and a fresh new purpose. Because at CSM, sustainability and eco-living are part of its very foundations.
For City Developments Limited (CDL), reusing before replacing isn’t a trend. It’s a philosophy carried through every revamp, long before “sustainability” became a buzzword.
Circularity You Can Sit On
Take a seat around the mall. The smooth bench beneath you once guided hands through the mall. Now, a small plaque describes its origins and purpose: “Once a railing, now a benchmark for recycling.”
Look around and you’ll notice more aesthetically pleasing reinventions. Lift lobby floor numbers glow with light that once came from Meiji milk bottles. Walls are creatively recycled to resemble bubble wrap and whisper their purpose too: “Protects delicate objects. Such as the Earth.”
Here, circularity isn’t some abstract idea tucked into reports. It’s tactile, visible and here for the long run.
Even a Train That Goes Nowhere Can Take You Somewhere New
Nestled near the entrance, a decommissioned SMRT train carriage sits where you least expect it. Once destined for the scrapyard, it now transports visitors on a journey of eco-discovery.
It now stands as the CDL EcoTrain, Singapore’s first operational zero-energy climate-education hub. Powered entirely by solar energy, the space comes alive with interactive displays, hands-on activities and workshops co-created with Just Keep Thinking (JKT), Singapore’s leading science and sustainability platform.
This repurposed train now serves as a vibrant platform to educate and inspire the next generation on what it truly means to move forward sustainably.
Sustainability on the Shelves
At FairPrice supermarket, the countertops are crafted from recycled wooden chopsticks collected from Lau Pa Sat. The trolleys are shaped from up to 80% recycled plastic and the cooling systems are optimised for energy efficiency.
It looks like any other supermarket, but it isn’t. Each detail carries a choice to reuse, reduce and rethink. And together, those choices add up — one grocery run at a time.
A Forest in the Middle of the City
Step outside to L1 City Green Park, just across from the CDL EcoTrain, and you’ll find yourself in a 2,800-square-foot microforest.
To the everyday visitor, it’s a place to pause, breathe and rest. To researchers and developers, it’s a living lab to track how biodiversity thrives and how trees push back against urban heat.
Every walk here is part of something larger. It’s an experiment in how cities can heal and breathe once again.
Lessons in the Everyday
Beyond the storefronts, small reminders line the backrooms: “conserve energy,” “reduce packaging,” or “think twice before tossing.”
Stickers nudge tenants and staff daily, advocating sustainability messages behind the scenes too. It’s easy to overlook these details, but they matter. They shape habits and spark conversations that ripple outward.
At City Square Mall, sustainability isn’t just a showcase. It’s a way of life — in the bench you sit on, the train your child plays in, and the lift lobbies you walk through.