SPORT
The hub is located on the Kallang Basin waterfront, adding a perfect environment for water sports to the complex
Clive Lewis, Arup’s design leader for the project, says: “It’s common for sports stadia to be on the outskirts of cities, accessible only by motorways. As part of its long-term plans to encourage sports across Singapore, the government wanted the new national stadium to be a part of everyday life. To make this a reality, the stadium is set in a 35-hectare sports precinct next to the city centre. “We designed the stadium as a dome spanning 310m. Not only is it wide, the ultra-thin shell roof is also energy-efficient. The stadium is a model for tropical climate design. It features an innovative energy-efficient spectator cooling system that delivers cooled air to every seat in the stadium. These pockets of cooled air will reduce energy use significantly, compared to a more conventional cooling system.”
SUPPORTING ACTS The two other major venues close to the stadium are the OCBC Arena and the Indoor Stadium. Both are existing venues which have undergone significant upgrades and redevelopments. First opened in 1989 at a cost of S$90m (US$72m, €53m, £43m), the 12,000-capacity Singapore Indoor Stadium served as part of the government’s first urban re-generation project in the late 1980s. The plan was to revitalise the urban landscape in Kallang as well as provide a world- class venue to meet the leisure needs of the people. Designed by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange, it has gone through a radical transformation to bring it up to modern requirements. Redevelopment work on the Indoor Stadium – completed in 2013 – has
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The hub delivers on the Singapore government's mission statement of providing a space which will catch the public's imagination and improve activity levels
made it more adaptable and it now has a new flexible configuration that scales from 4,000 to 12,000 spectators. This solution allows the venue to host anything from national sports events to high-profile international events. Within a short walk from the National Stadium is the OCBC Arena, dedicated to community sport and smaller-scale regional and national competitions. The arena consists of six halls over two levels that are designed to be scalable in size and will cater for an array of indoor sports events for both NGBs and the general public. Laid out as two multi- purpose modules flanking a central public atrium, the design allows for simultaneous use of the six sports halls. When in competition figuration, it will have a capacity of 3,000.
WATERY PURSUITS The hub houses two new water sports centres – the indoor OCBC Aquatic Centre and the outdoor Water Sports Centre. The newly built aquatic centre, designed by Arup, includes two Olympic-size, 50m swimming pools and a diving centre. On non-event days, it’s open to the public and includes a water leisure area with learn-to-swim pools and a surf pool. The aim is to host international championships as well as local and regional events. The Water Sports Centre, offering canoeing, kayaking and dragon boating,
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is set to become the new HQ for all of Singapore’s elite boating teams and will also house the relevant NGBs.
SPORTING LIFESTYLE What makes the complex unique is the number of sports-themed entertainment and leisure options that support the events venues. The Sports Promenade features a 900m sports and recreational space around the National Stadium and is Singapore’s largest, fully sheltered civic space. Open to the public all day, the elevated platform acts as an urban park and connects the hub’s venues. The promenade is surrounded by a number of community areas which provide a myriad of sports and activities – a number of hard courts for racquet sports and basketball; a skate park; lawn ball areas; climbing walls; beach volleyball and cycling paths. Elsewhere, the visitor centre – which also houses a sports library and sports museum – is located outside the main transport station. Across the promenade from the visitor centre is the main, 41,000sq m retail and food zone. Lawrence Wong, minister for culture, community and youth, is confident that the hub will catch the public’s imagination. “It is a place for all Singaporeans to enjoy and to live better through sports,” he says. l
This feature first appeared in Sports Management, Issue 2 2014
ISSUE 4 2014 © cybertrek 2014
PHOTO: ©ARUP
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