Grade A Office Criteria Every Financial Institution Should Demand

Insights from AND lab, your regional workplace design specialist

Leasing a Grade A office isn’t just about an impressive lobby—it’s about safeguarding mission-critical operations, meeting regulatory demands and nurturing talent. Drawing on projects across Singapore, Malaysia and China, AND laboutlines the non-negotiables every bank, fintech or insurer should check before signing a lease.

1 Mechanical & Environmental Control

• 24/7 VRV / VRF air-conditioning with N+1 redundancy keeps trading floors and server rooms cool without oversizing chillers.

• Dedicated CRAH/CRAC units or in-row coolers for server racks maintain ≤24 °C / 45 % RH, satisfying MAS and BNM tech-risk guidelines.

2 Raised Floor & Underfloor Air Distribution (UFAD)

A 600 × 600 mm steel-cement raised floor allows concealed cabling, fast churn and UFAD supply air at 16–18 °C—cutting fan energy up to 30 %. Floor loading ≥12 kN/m² supports dense racks.

3 Robust Electrical & Power Redundancy

Dual 11 kV substations, UPS plus diesel gensets (48 h autonomy) and separate clean/dirty earthing deliver Tier 2 resilience that regulators expect.

4 Security, Fire & Compliance

• Bank-grade access control with biometrics and man-trap vestibules.

• FM-200 or Novec 1230 gas suppression paired with VESDA for early smoke detection.

• CCTV retention ≥90 days to satisfy local banking rules.

5 Digital Connectivity & Low-Latency Routing

Carrier-neutral meet-me rooms with ≥3 diverse fibre routes achieve sub-2 ms hops to Bursa, SGX or HKEX; in-building 5G DAS provides a mobile trading fallback.

6 Sustainability & Wellness

Target LEED Gold or BCA Green Mark Platinum for energy intensity cuts >25 %, and consider WELL Core v2 to boost IAQ, circadian lighting and ESG scores.

7 Prime Location & Executive Amenities

CBD clusters offer regulator proximity and talent retention. Look for destination-controlled lifts, sky-lounge meeting suites and 3 m clear trading-floor heights.

8 Future-Ready Floorplates & Fit-Out Flexibility

Column-free spans ≥18 m and raised floor/ceiling voids ≥450 mm simplify agile layouts and save up to 50 % in churn costs across a 10-year lease.

Quick Checklist for Finance Tenants

Ready to Evaluate Your Next HQ?

As a regional workplace design specialist, AND lab translates these technical must-haves into turnkey interiors that protect critical operations while elevating brand value across Asia-Pacific. Talk to our team to benchmark prospective buildings or plan a fit-out that outperforms.