Singapore’s Geneo Canopy: A Landmark in Timber Sustainability

Nautilus Innovation — a key partner of Calvary Carpentry — has been at the forefront of developing the mass-engineered timber (MET) market in Singapore and across Asia. This exemplified through the Geneo Canopy where from late 2023, 11-metre and 17-metre columns were assembled using an innovative “Rotisserie System,” all crafted from repurposed timber.

The project has achieved Green Mark Platinum and Super Low Energy certification from BCA, supported by a district cooling system projected to reduce emissions by over 20,000 tonnes across 30 years.

Spanning 3,300 square metres and rising 28 metres high, it is also Singapore’s first timber structure with digitally embedded carbon storage data. More than 950 tonnes of CO₂ are locked within the MET canopy — a significant milestone for climate-resilient design.

The 27-metre Geneo Timber Canopy is Southeast Asia’s tallest single-span timber structure and one of the region’s most ambitious sustainable engineering projects. Covering a 3,000-square-metre public plaza, it connects five buildings and unifies the Geneo precinct under an expansive engineered timber canopy.

It also surpasses Spain’s Seville Metropol Parasol by 1 metre, placing it among the tallest glulam canopies in the world.

Constructed with over 1,150 cubic metres of PEFC-certified spruce glulam, the structure demonstrates how timber can replace high-emission materials like steel and concrete at scale. Each cubic metre stores nearly a tonne of carbon, turning the canopy into a natural carbon vault.

Beyond the numbers, the canopy showcases what MET can achieve within Singapore’s urban environment — elegant form, rapid off-site prefabrication, and durability proven against fire, rain, and time. It stands not only as an architectural centrepiece but also as a clear signal of where construction in Asia is headed: lighter environmental footprints, smarter integrated systems, and stronger connections between people and nature.