The reef at King’s Dock: rewilding urban life on Singapore’s waterfront
Located on the southern shoreline of Singapore, The Reef at King’s Dock redefines what it means to live with nature. It offers residents a rare combination of refined urban comfort and intimate access to thriving marine and tropical ecologies.
Appointed by HarbourFront, a visionary client formed as a joint venture between Mapletree and Keppel Land, Grant Associates collaborated closely with KCAP Architects & Planners, DCA Architects, and a wide team of engineers and specialist consultants to create a luxury condominium unlike any other. It is a climate-responsive, biodiversity-led development that has transformed a former industrial dockyard into a richly layered landscape of tropical gardens, and immersive marine experiences.
Urban living reimagined: a blue-green village on the water
At the heart of the 2.64-hectare site lies King’s Dock, an over 100-year-old dry dock, which has been reimagined as a dramatic centrepiece for a new kind of urban village. To complement the ten residential blocks on site, lush planting provides framed views offering privacy, tranquillity, and ecological value.
The landscape creates a balance between active communal spaces and quiet, restorative gardens. Pathways weave between intimate courtyard spaces and linear water features. The many water areas and shade planting around the site offer residents the chance to stay cool, relax and listen to the calming sounds of nature.
Singapore’s first floating residential deck
The development’s most iconic feature is a 180-metre floating concrete pontoon – the first of its kind in Singapore’s residential market. Comprising lap pools, hydrotherapy zones, and sun decks, the pontoon floats with the tides and offers residents a unique platform for wellness and recreation directly above the sea.
This marine-inspired structure is finished light grey granite, creating a soft blue hue in the pools and a monolithic, harbour-appropriate aesthetic. Integrated planting and crafted corner detailing lend intimacy and refinement in a waterfront environment.
Rewilding the edge: the green dock wall
Where other developments might have concealed a weathered concrete dock wall, The Reef transformed it. Inspired by spontaneous vegetation seen clinging to crevices and ledges during early site visits, Grant Associates turned this vertical expanse into a “Green Dock Wall.”
Native coastal species were selected and tested on-site through a live mock-up. Planters sit at varying heights, with some immersed at high tide. These support grasses, flowering plants, and mangrove species. The wall has since evolved into a dynamic, self-sustaining green facade. It functions as both habitat and living artwork, reflecting Singapore’s vision of a City in Nature.
Beneath the surface: the marine viewing hammock
Perhaps the most extraordinary landscape element is hidden just below the water’s surface. Suspended above a specially-engineered coral pit, four woven hammocks allow residents to observe coral colonies flourishing on custom-designed bommies. These bommies are specialist reef structures fabricated from tiered, concrete plates.
Designed by Grant Associates with input from marine biologists, DHI, these bommies mimic natural coral reef complexity. They encourage colonisation, enhance biodiversity, and offer a daily spectacle of colour, fish, and coral growth, which are visible both day and night thanks to underwater lighting.
The hammocks are crafted from marine-inspired netting, offering both a relaxing and memorable experience. They’re built on a design philosophy that connects people directly to nature, taking them beyond passive observation to active engagement with marine life.
Research-driven design with real impact
What sets The Reef at King’s Dock apart is the depth of ecological research underpinning the project. From surveying spontaneous dockside vegetation to sponsoring local university research into coastal plantings, every element was tested, and refined to ensure resilience, habitat value, and aesthetic integration.
The floating deck and the Green Dock Wall aren’t decorative novelties, they are living infrastructure. The corals, wildflowers, grasses, and marine creatures are integral to the experience, resilience, and identity of the Dock.
