One Sophia sets new standards with its immersive sales gallery
The project seamlessly integrates commercial and residential components (Photo: SingHaiyi Group)
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One Sophia, a landmark mixed-use development in prime District 9, took home the award for Showflat Excellence at the EdgeProp Singapore Excellence Awards (EPEA) 2025. The Showflat Excellence award recognises projects that excel in presenting their vision to prospective buyers, assessed on factors including space utilisation, creativity, originality and practicality.
One Sophia is a redevelopment of the former Peace Centre and Peace Mansion, which occupied a single commercial site at 1 Sophia Road. A joint venture between SingHaiyi Group and Ultra Infinity (a company equally held by KSH Holdings, SLB Development and Ho Lee Group) purchased the 76,617 sq ft site en bloc in December 2021 for $650 million.
Christy Young (right), project manager of SingHaiyi Group receiving the Showflat Excellence award for The Collective at One Sophia from Desmond Sim, group CEO of Realion Group (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
Located at the intersection of the Orchard and Bras Basah-Bugis precincts, the 99-year leasehold project seamlessly integrates commercial and residential components. It features a 13-storey commercial block with 122 strata-titled offices, which sits atop a two-storey podium with 127 strata retail units. The project’s residential component, The Collective at One Sophia, has 367 units across two 19-storey towers.
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Where art meets design
This year’s panel of EPEA judges were particularly impressed with One Sophia’s sales gallery, located just opposite the project’s actual site. “The showflat makes an impression from the moment you step inside,” says Sandy Tan, founder of interior design firm Chalked, who sat on the panel. “It reflects the developer’s attention to detail and creates a truly immersive experience.”
The scale model of One Sophia, SingHaiyi Group and Ultra Infinity's mixed-use development on Sophia Road (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
The sales gallery was conceived by award-winning design studio Farm, which helmed both the gallery interiors and the two-bedroom premium show unit. Selwyn Low, director of Farm, explains that the gallery’s concept draws inspiration from the project’s location within an arts and culture enclave. The surrounding precinct is home to prominent institutions, including Singapore Management University (SMU), LaSalle College of the Arts, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), School of the Arts (SOTA) and the newly established University of the Arts Singapore (UAS).
The sales gallery, designed to create a multi-sensory experience, opens with a reflective LED screen catwalk, showcasing curated visual and sound installations. This flows to a room with a seating area, where screens display videos that introduce the development. “We wanted to create an immersive environment that’s almost like a gallery within a gallery,” says Low. “Visitors enter a portal and are slowed down before experiencing the space itself.”
Beyond this, the scale model of One Sophia and The Collective at One Sophia takes centre stage in the gallery’s main area, set against floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the project site.
The sales gallery opens with a reflective LED screen catwalk, showcasing curated visual and sound installations (Photo: SingHaiyi Group)
Redefining city living
Three residential showflats are on display, including the one-bedroom studio, two-bedroom premium and three-bedroom luxury unit types.
The two-bedroom show unit uses ombre glass display cabinets as partitions (Photo: SingHaiyi Group)
The two-bedroom premium show unit is distinguished by its use of ombre glass display cabinets in place of solid walls, creating semi-see-through partitions that subtly separate the living spaces. “Even though it’s a two-bedroom unit, we wanted the space to flow as one,” says Low.
Inspired by One Sophia’s concept as a mixed-use development, the second bedroom was turned into a walk-in wardrobe styled like a high-end retail store, with a glass display box showcasing accessories and bags. Low describes the target audience as “someone who enjoys city living”. “The project blurs the boundary between residential and retail, which is also the kind of lifestyle we imagined someone living here would have,” he adds.
The second bedroom in the two-bedroom premium show unit features a walk-in wardrobe (Photo: SingHaiyi Group)
This theme of expressive and modern living extends to the household shelter, which is transformed into a statement shoe display serving as both a storage space and a showcase of personal style.
In addition to the residential show units, the gallery also has an office show suite. Featuring a backdrop showing the city views that the development’s office units will have, the fully-furnished suite gives visitors an idea of how the space can be configured and utilised.
The sales gallery also features an office show suite (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
Ultimately, One Sophia presents a unique take on city living, particularly within a district rich in creative energy, says Low. “It showcases a lifestyle concept that thoughtfully blends the idea of ‘live, work and play’ within one integrated space.”
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