Updated 03 Dec 2014: Photos of the underground, B2 is up in the Interior Section, and photos of Crate&Barrel and library@orchard are up below in the STORES section.
The final piece of the Somerset Area jigsaw puzzle is finally ready! Orchard Gateway, or rather orchardgateway finally opened its doors at the end of April, to pretty decent crowds (considering that a majority of its stores are not opened yet), cumulating the Somerset Area rejuvenation. 313@somerset and Orchard Central opened to much fanfare in 2009 (some 5 years back!) and orchardgateway serves as the pivotal link between these 2 malls. Probably this will also bring more crowds to Orchard Central, whose potential is still not maximized. This also completes Discovery Walk that links 313@somerset, orchardgateway and Orchard Central together, forming a fully air-conditioned linkage between the 3 malls! The interior of orchardgateway bears similarities to Orchard Central, a good use of interior lighting, a juxtaposition of different elements and senses. However probably the addition of a food court or a new-to-Singapore high street brand such as Hollister will bring more a wider range of crowds to orchardgateway.
Photos don’t do the mall justice? Head down to orchardgateway soon!
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Quick Links: Exterior | Interior | The Tube | Traders Hotel | Links & Entrances | Stores
Exterior
Designed by Paul Noritaka Tange of Tange Associates, The sleek and sexy curved buildings and the tubular glass overhead bridge gives orchardgateway a striking exterior. orchardgateway @emerald also consists of an old shophouse which will eventually house the new Singapore Visitors Centre (now currently opposite Robinsons Orchard). orchardgateway is fronted by the plaza which has a area big enough for roadshows and exhibitions. I foresee a crowded streetscape in front of orchardgateway with the pedestrian crossing right at its doorstep. orchardgateway’s management is also kind enough to play music both outdoors and indoors, boosting the mood of shoppers?
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Interior
Updated 03 Dec 2014: Newly added photos of the underground, B2
6 storeys each at orchardgateway and orchardgateway@emerald. The floor plates at orchardgateway bears similarities to a L-Shaped design. orchardgateway@emerald will be linked to the main building at 2 points, the tube at Level 3 and The Underground at B2. orchardgateway@emerald solely houses lifestyle store Crate&Barrel while orchardgateway’s anchor tenants include i.t, Religion and library@orchard. the space at L3 provides a green oasis for shoppers while The Runway at L1 boosts a stretch of fashion outlets and an OCBC Premier Banking outlet. Probably one big minus point of orchardgateway’s entire design lies in the confusing layout at B1. The escalator near its main entrance brings shoppers to i.t, while the other set of escalators near OCBC Premier Banking opens to another stretch of shops at B1 that links to Somerset MRT station. Confusingly, both sections of B1 are not linked to one another! I foresee some confusion within shoppers in future, especially those who want to reach B1 of i.t.
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the tube, L3
Boasting Orchard Road’s only overhead bridge, this glass tubular walkway, with its spectacular lighting effects, is one of the attractive features of the mall. Probably the site of many selfies and such, the tube also allows shoppers to see the hustle and bustle of Orchard Road right above Orchard Road!
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HOTEL JEN orchardgateway (NOW OPEN!)
Hotel Jen orchardgateway will host 502 guestfrooms from the 10th to 20th floor of orchardgateway. Hotel Jen is a new brand by Shangri-La and all Traders Hotels around the globe will be gradually renamed/relaunched under the Hotel Jen brand. This luxury hotel by Shangri-La will sort of replenish the lack of hotel rooms, or rather the vacumn brought about by the closure of Hotel Phoenix. Hopefully Hotel Jen can recreate the former awesome high tea at Hotel Phoenix!
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Links & Entrances
orchardgateway boasts a number of different entrances and links to neighbour malls. There’s 2 entrances from Somerset MRT, one leading to Homme Esthetique area while the other, more like a main entrance, leads to Twelve Cupcakes (B1) and Gong Cha + The Underground area (B2).
4 entrances are found at L1, With an entrance to orchardgateway and orchardgateway@emerald each from Orchard Road, while another 2 are found facing Somerset Road. The entrance to Hotel Jen is also found fronting Somerset Road.
orchardgateway is also linked to 313@somerset on L1 and B2 (within The Underground, near to Popeyes at 313@somerset), and linked to Orchard Central at B2 (towards The Medz), L1 – L4 thru link bridges, creating a Indoor Shopping Street atmosphere at Discovery Walk!
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Stores
Updated 03 Dec 2014: Photos of library@orchard and Crate&Barrel are up below!
One main highlight is the Men Zone at L4, where the entire level is dedicated to Men Fashion and Accessories (First in SG). library@orchard is back, occupying L3 and L4 near to the Orchard Central linkbridge. Crate&Barrel occupies the entire orchardgateway@emerald, taking up a whopping 5 levels! OCBC Bank [OCBC Bank, OCBC Premier Banking, FRANK] also has a huge presence at orchardgateway (B2,B1,L1), not surprising since OCBC Bank owns a huge stake at orchardgateway.
Among the F&B Outlets, Saizeriya stands out for its cheap and good italian fare, and Sakae Sushi is back in the Somerset Area after its restaurant at Orchard Central closed down a few years back. Other F&B delights include Supply&Demand, Twelve Cupcakes, Munch, Heavenly Wang, Theobroma Chocolate Lounge, and Outback Steakhouse.
Fashion-wise, there’s i.t occupying 3 levels, Religion, Actually, Ben Sherman, Elle Homme, Ms Selfridge, Sects Shop, The Emporium and Whole9Yards, among many others.
Interestingly, many of the stores at orchardgateway have the retro brick&mortar look! The new trend in store design? Check it out below!
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