Cut By A Different Cloth

Far from being yet another dense, hot and grey industrial estate, Singapore’s Sungei Kadut EcoDistrict promises to be a tapestry of green and blue interwoven with firms at the cutting edge of technology and heritage highlights.

- Low Shi Ping

“Kadut means ‘sack cloth’ in Malay. The rejuvenation of the Sungei Kadut EcoDistrict (SKED) presents great opportunities to restore and enhance the existing natural and built urban fabric, while weaving in the new face of manufacturing, introducing new threads of green, blue, ecological and mobility corridors, and stitching new communities within the rich and interconnected tapestry.

SKED will transform one of Singapore’s oldest industrial estates into a vibrant mixed-use district for smarter, cleaner and greener manufacturing activities, alongside an exciting array of residential and lifestyle amenities. It will also serve to retain the heritage and character, giving it a truly distinctive identity.

Sungei Kadut was one of the pioneering industrial estates developed in the 1960s from swathes of swampland to become a manufacturing zone.

Earlier this year, JTC Corporation unveiled its plans to rejuvenate it to become an ecodistrict that will support the transformation of existing businesses and anchor new industries, including agri-tech and environmental technology.

Expect to find indoor plant factories, aquaculture hatcheries and alternative proteins manufacturers in the Agri-tech Food Innovation Park (AFIP), one of four precincts that will be set up for the co-location of R&D, prototyping and high-tech farming operations.

Pioneer companies in Sungei Kadut, like Samwoh Corporation & LHT Holdings, have plans to set up Green Factories as part of their next phase of growth towards sustainable manufacturing.

Samwoh specialises in recycled construction materials while LHT produces recycled wood pallets.