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United Square Review

United Square Review
Commercial & Retail Property Review — District 11

United Square

The blue curtain-wall Novena landmark pairing a 30-storey MNC office tower with Singapore’s original “Kids Learning Mall” podium.

SGCPI Research Desk Updated August 2026 101 Thomson Road, Singapore 307591 ≈999-YR LEASEHOLD (ESTIMATED)

Street-level view of United Square, 101 Thomson Road. Imagery: Google Street View (user-contributed imagery), accessed August 2026.

Project Overview

Building NameUnited Square
Address101 Thomson Road, Singapore 307591
DistrictDistrict 11 (Newton / Novena)
Tenure≈999-year leasehold (estimated)
Zoning / UseCommercial — Office & Retail
Built Form30-storey office tower + 4-storey retail podium
Land Area / GFA≈9,300 sqm land; ≈26,971 sqm office NLA plus podium retail
Completion Year≈1985 (major refurbishment 2002)
Nearest MRTNovena (NS20), Newton (NS21)
Key Road AccessCentral Expressway (CTE), Thomson Rd, Newton Rd
Transacted PSF Range≈S$2,600 – S$3,400 psf (strata)
Sale Price Range≈S$1.8M – S$6.5M per strata unit
Asking Rent Range≈S$5.50 – S$8.50 psf/month
Occupier BaseMNC regional offices (incl. airline & trading houses) over a family/education-led retail podium

Location & Connectivity

United Square sits at the junction of Thomson Road and Newton Road, on the fringe of the Novena medical and civic precinct and a short drive from the Orchard Road core. The site has occupied this corner since the 1980s, originally developed as an extension of the neighbouring Goldhill Plaza, and today anchors a stretch of Thomson Road dense with healthcare, education and office uses. Its position places it within Singapore’s most concentrated hospital cluster, a factor that has historically underpinned steady footfall to the retail podium and consistent office enquiry from healthcare-adjacent tenants.

Connectivity is a core strength of the address. Novena MRT station (North-South Line, NS20) is directly across the junction, while Newton MRT (North-South and Downtown Lines, NS21/DT9) is a short walk away, giving occupiers two-line access without a bus transfer. Vehicular access is equally direct: the Central Expressway (CTE) has an on/off ramp within minutes of the building, linking the site north to Ang Mo Kio and Yishun and south into the CBD and Marina Bay in well under fifteen minutes outside peak hours. Thomson Road and Newton Road provide the surface-street alternative for deliveries and loading.

The immediate surroundings are dominated by Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, the National Centre for Infectious Diseases and a cluster of specialist clinics, alongside Velocity@Novena Square and Square 2 shopping malls directly opposite. This mix of healthcare, retail and office uses gives the estate an unusually resilient daytime population, which is one reason United Square’s kids’ and enrichment retail concept has endured for decades even as broader retail sentiment has shifted online.

Location of United Square. Map data: Google Maps, accessed August 2026.

Building & Facilities

United Square is a 30-storey office tower distinguished by a blue curtain-wall facade, rising above a four-storey retail podium that wraps the base of the site. The office component offers a typical floor plate of roughly 900–1,000 sqm (approximately 10,000 sq ft), which suits both whole-floor regional headquarters tenants and subdivided multi-tenant configurations. A bank of high-speed passenger lifts serves the tower, split between low, mid and high-rise zones to manage peak-hour traffic, supplemented by dedicated service lifts for the retail podium.

The retail podium has been positioned for over two decades as a “Kids Learning Mall,” with a tenant mix skewed toward children’s education, enrichment, apparel and family F&B, complemented by a supermarket anchor and a food court. Parking is generous for an estate of this vintage, with roughly 600–658 lots across several podium decks, supporting both office staff and mall visitors without the tight turnover pressure seen at newer, land-scarce commercial sites nearby.

The building underwent a major refurbishment in the early 2000s covering common areas, lift lobbies and building services, and has seen periodic upgrading of M&E systems since. Prospective buyers and tenants should still commission an independent building condition and MCST financial audit, since a structure of this age will have differing wear across risers, chiller plant and facade sealant depending on maintenance history — standard due diligence for any 1980s-vintage strata commercial asset.

Unit Types & Floor Plan Notes

Stock at United Square spans strata-titled retail shops on the lower podium floors, larger anchor and F&B units, and strata or whole-floor office suites in the tower above. The four broad configurations below cover most of what buyers and tenants will encounter when shortlisting units.

Podium Retail Shop

≈300 – 800 sqft

Compact shop units on the lower podium levels, typically let to enrichment centres, children’s apparel and specialty retailers benefiting from family footfall.

Anchor / F&B Unit

≈1,500 – 4,000 sqft

Larger corner or ground-floor units suited to supermarkets, F&B operators and larger enrichment chains requiring frontage and grease-trap or extract provisioning.

Strata Office Suite

≈800 – 2,500 sqft

Subdivided office units within the tower, popular with smaller regional trading, consultancy and professional-services occupiers seeking outright ownership.

Whole / Half Floor Office

≈9,000 – 10,000 sqft

Full or half floor plates typically leased rather than sold, favoured by MNC regional headquarters wanting a single contiguous footprint.

Ceiling Height (Office): ≈2.6m finished, raised floor optional on select levels
Floor Loading: ≈2.5 – 5.0 kN/sqm typical office loading (retail podium higher)
Passenger Lifts: Zoned banks across low/mid/high-rise, plus service lifts to podium
ACMV: Central chilled-water system, tenant-controlled FCUs in most office suites
Car Parking: ≈600 – 658 lots across multiple podium decks

Investment Case

United Square’s appeal rests on a rare combination for a 1980s-vintage building: genuine dual-line MRT access, a defensible retail niche, and an office component that continues to attract MNC and healthcare-adjacent tenants. The trade-offs are equally real, and mostly relate to the building’s age and the diminishing-lease dynamics common to strata commercial assets of this vintage.

What Works

  • Dual MRT access (Novena and Newton) with direct CTE on/off ramps
  • Established, defensible “kids and family” retail positioning with three-decade tenant loyalty
  • Deep car park provision relative to newer, land-scarce commercial developments nearby
  • Proximity to Singapore’s largest hospital and specialist-clinic cluster supports steady daytime demand
  • Strata ownership allows smaller investors direct entry into a Core Central Region commercial address

What to Weigh Carefully

  • Building services and facade are ≈40 years old; expect higher near-term capex and sinking-fund calls
  • Office floor plates are smaller and less efficient than newer Grade A towers in the CBD fringe
  • Retail podium faces ongoing competition from Velocity@Novena Square and Square 2 directly opposite
  • Remaining lease term (if leasehold) will affect financing quantum as the building ages further
  • Resale liquidity for small strata retail units can be thinner than for larger, single-owner assets

Who This Suits

United Square suits owner-occupiers and small investors seeking a Core Central Region commercial foothold at a materially lower entry quantum than a newer CBD or Novena tower — particularly education, enrichment, healthcare-adjacent and F&B operators who benefit directly from the podium’s established family and hospital-driven footfall. On the office side, it suits regional trading houses, professional-services firms and smaller MNC country offices that value dual-MRT connectivity and CTE access over the largest, most modern floor plates. It is less suited to occupiers requiring column-free, high-efficiency Grade A space, or investors who are not prepared to underwrite building-age capex and MCST sinking-fund contributions over a five-to-ten-year hold.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is United Square zoned for, and are there restrictions on use?
United Square is zoned Commercial under the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Master Plan, permitting office and retail use across the tower and podium respectively. Retail units are generally restricted to shop, F&B and service uses consistent with the mall’s tenancy mix, while office floors permit standard corporate, professional-services and trading uses. Manufacturing, heavy storage, or noise- and odour-generating activities are not permitted. Buyers or tenants considering a specialised use — a clinic, a school, or an F&B unit needing grease traps and extract ducting — should verify compatibility with the MCST by-laws and URA use conditions before committing, since podium retail units may carry additional restrictions tied to the original approved use of each lot.
Can foreigners buy strata units at United Square?
Yes. Singapore’s Residential Property Act restrictions on foreign ownership apply to residential property, not to commercial office or retail units such as those at United Square. Foreign individuals and foreign-owned companies can generally purchase strata office and retail units here without seeking approval from the Singapore Land Authority, unlike landed or certain apartment purchases. That said, foreign buyers should still confirm financing eligibility with local banks, as loan quantum and tenure can differ for non-resident purchasers, and should engage a Singapore-qualified conveyancing lawyer to handle the sale and purchase agreement, stamp duty filings and MCST transfer of share value.
Does Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) apply to a purchase here?
No. ABSD in Singapore applies specifically to residential property purchases and does not extend to commercial office or retail units, which is one reason commercial strata assets like United Square attract investors who already own residential property and wish to avoid ABSD exposure. Buyers will still pay standard Buyer’s Stamp Duty (BSD) on the purchase price or market value, whichever is higher, calculated on the usual tiered scale. Companies purchasing commercial units should note that corporate structuring, GST registration and financing terms can differ from an individual purchase, so professional tax and legal advice is recommended before signing the option to purchase.
How does Seller’s Stamp Duty (SSD) affect a resale of a unit at United Square?
Seller’s Stamp Duty for commercial property in Singapore was suspended in March 2017, meaning owners selling office or retail units at United Square today generally do not incur SSD regardless of how long they have held the unit, unlike residential property where SSD schedules still apply within the first few years of ownership. This gives commercial strata owners more flexibility to exit within a shorter holding period without an additional duty layer. Buyers should nonetheless confirm the current SSD regime at the point of transaction, since government policy on stamp duties has changed periodically and could be revised again in future budgets.
What Buyer’s Stamp Duty (BSD) and GST costs should a buyer budget for?
Buyer’s Stamp Duty is charged on a tiered basis on the higher of purchase price or market value, rising progressively for higher-value transactions, and applies equally to individual and corporate buyers of commercial units at United Square. Separately, if the seller is GST-registered — common for corporate or fund owners of commercial property — the sale of the unit may attract GST at the prevailing rate on top of the purchase price, whereas a sale by a non-GST-registered individual owner typically will not. Buyers should clarify the seller’s GST-registration status early in negotiations, as this materially affects the all-in acquisition cost and financing needs.
How does the building’s age or remaining lease affect financing?
Banks in Singapore generally cap loan tenure and quantum with reference to a property’s remaining lease, applying more conservative loan-to-value ratios as remaining tenure shortens, particularly once a leasehold property has less than around 60 years left. Since United Square is an older building, buyers — especially those financing with CPF funds or seeking maximum leverage — should check the specific lease start date on the title and confirm current bank lending policy for this vintage of asset before making an offer. This is a key reason many buyers here are cash-heavy investors or owner-occupiers rather than maximum-leverage purchasers, and it should be factored into any holding-period return calculation.
What kind of rental yield can an owner expect at United Square?
Based on prevailing asking rents against typical strata purchase prices, gross rental yields for office and retail units at United Square broadly fall in an estimated 3% to 5% range, consistent with mature District 11 commercial strata stock rather than newer premium developments. Retail units benefiting from strong podium footfall and enrichment or F&B demand can occasionally achieve the higher end of this range, while smaller or less accessible office suites tend to sit lower. Actual yield depends heavily on unit size, floor level, fit-out condition and tenant covenant strength, so prospective buyers should request recent comparable transacted and rented examples before underwriting a specific return.
How does the building’s age affect maintenance and future capital expenditure?
United Square is roughly four decades old, having last undergone a major refurbishment in the early 2000s, which means core building services — lifts, chillers, facade sealant and fire-safety systems — are older than at newly completed commercial developments nearby. Owners should expect periodic capital expenditure calls from the Management Corporation for lift modernisation, chiller replacement or facade works over a medium-term holding period, funded through the sinking fund. Prospective buyers should request the MCST’s most recent AGM minutes, sinking-fund balance and any planned major works before purchase, as this directly affects both near-term cash flow and the unit’s longer-term marketability.
What are the odds of an en-bloc sale or major redevelopment at United Square?
En-bloc potential for a large, actively tenanted mixed office-and-retail strata development like United Square is generally considered low to moderate in the near term, given the complexity of achieving the required 80% or 90% consensus (depending on remaining lease) across a diverse base of office and retail owners with differing investment horizons. Redevelopment would also require alignment with URA’s Master Plan allowances for the site. That said, ageing commercial buildings on well-connected sites do periodically attract collective-sale interest from developers seeking Core Central Region sites, so owners should monitor Master Plan updates and any organised collective-sale committee activity, while not underwriting a purchase on the assumption of a near-term en-bloc windfall.
What is parking and loading like for retail and office tenants?
United Square offers a comparatively generous car park provision for its vintage, with several hundred lots spread across multiple podium decks, easing pressure for both office staff and mall visitors compared with newer, land-scarce developments in the immediate vicinity. Loading and unloading for retail and F&B tenants is handled via designated service bays and a service lift connecting to the podium, though prospective F&B or supermarket tenants should confirm loading-bay access hours and any restrictions with building management, since shared loading infrastructure in an older building can require more careful scheduling than a purpose-built modern retail podium.
How much are MCST maintenance fees, and what do they cover?
Maintenance fees at United Square are levied by the Management Corporation based on each unit’s share value and typically cover common-area cleaning, security, lift maintenance, ACMV servicing for common spaces, insurance and sinking-fund contributions. As an indicative range, owners of smaller office or retail strata units can expect maintenance charges of roughly S$0.80 to S$1.50 per sqft per month, though the exact figure depends on unit size, share value and the MCST’s current budget. Buyers should request the latest maintenance fee schedule and sinking-fund statement from the managing agent as part of due diligence, since fees can rise materially around planned major works.
How liquid is the resale market for strata units at United Square?
Resale liquidity at United Square is moderate: office and larger retail units in a well-connected, established District 11 address generally transact with reasonable regularity, but smaller podium retail shops can see thinner transaction volumes and wider bid-ask spreads, particularly during softer retail cycles. Units with clean title, strong existing tenancies, or vacant possession tend to move faster than those with encumbered leases or disputed MCST matters. Buyers focused on exit flexibility should prioritise units with straightforward titles and reasonably sized floor areas, and should review recent comparable transactions through URA REALIS or a licensed agent before assuming a specific holding period for resale.
What types of businesses are best suited to operate at United Square?
The podium’s established positioning favours children’s education and enrichment centres, family-oriented F&B, supermarkets and specialty retail that benefit from the hospital-driven and family footfall in the immediate vicinity. The office tower suits regional trading houses, professional-services firms, healthcare-adjacent corporates and smaller MNC country offices that prioritise dual-MRT and CTE connectivity over the largest, most efficient floor plates found in newer CBD towers. Businesses requiring industrial-grade power, heavy storage, or large column-free floor plates are generally better served elsewhere, as United Square’s 1980s-era structural grid and services were not designed for those specifications.

This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal or investment advice. Figures marked with “≈” are estimates based on publicly available listing and market data as of August 2026 and should be independently verified, including against URA REALIS transaction records, the MCST’s financial statements and current bank financing policy, before making any purchase, leasing or investment decision. Prospective buyers and tenants should engage a licensed real estate agent, conveyancing lawyer and, where relevant, a tax advisor.

© 2026 SG Commercial Property Insights. All rights reserved.

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