Singapore Sports Hub On Track To Open In April 2014

Singapore Sports Hub On Track To Open In April 2014

Singapore, 10 June 2013 - Mr. Lawrence Wong, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, today visited the development site of the Singapore Sports Hub to view the successfully installed highest truss of the new National Stadium, which measures approximately 77.5 metres above pitch level.

2. This construction milestone represents another step towards the completion of this new Singapore landmark and the crown jewel of the Sports Hub, with the entire construction project on track to open in April 2014.

3. Noting this latest milestone in the Hub's construction, Acting Minister Wong said, "I'm glad that we've reached this major milestone in the construction of the National Stadium. This testifies to the commitment and dedication of our partners to deliver the project on schedule. I've talked to many people in the sports community, and we are all excited about the completion of the Stadium and the Sports Hub."

Welcoming in the community for sporting and recreational play year-round

4. Besides the National Stadium and other world-class training and competition venues, the Sports Hub will offer a wide range of community sports facilities, including a skate park, beach volleyball and basketball courts, fitness stations, lawn bowling green, a giant chess set, as well as cycling and jogging paths that the public can enjoy for free. The Hub will also feature a sports promenade integrated with retail and waterfront offerings, which will encourage Singaporeans to embrace sport and recreation as part of their lifestyle.

5. "With the Sports Hub, Singaporeans will soon have an exciting destination that will provide a wide range of sports programmes and facilities, integrated with lifestyle and entertainment offerings. We look forward to welcoming Singaporeans into the Sports Hub in April 2014 - this will be a place for all Singaporeans to enjoy and to live better through sports," added Acting Minister Wong.

6. Explaining how the Sports Hub's vision of serving the community through sport has also been embedded in the design and development of its world-class sports facilities, Mr. Ludwig Reichhold, Managing Director, Dragages Singapore Pte. Ltd. said, "The National Stadium aside, we are concurrently working on other facilities for the community such as the Aquatics Centre and Multi-purpose Indoor Arena. These structures that we are building are scalable and able to adapt to the different needs of Singaporeans - from competitions for elite athletes to everyday use by the general public."

National Stadium to feature world's largest dome

7. When completed, the new National Stadium will have the largest free-spanning dome roof in the world, covering 310 metres wide. This dome will incorporate a moving roof, ensuring the stadium is protected from extreme weather conditions. The result is a stadium design with an integrated bowl cooling system that uses less than 15 per cent of energy as compared to a conventional air-conditioned stadium.

8. The integrated design approach adopted by the design team resulted in an efficient dome structure which is very light as compared to similarly sized stadiums of this scale. The total weight of steel used in the construction of the dome would be equivalent to a 14mm sheet of flat steel laid over the surface of the dome.

9. "Designing and building the largest free-spanning dome in the world is definitely not an easy feat and much credit goes to the very close working relationship between the design and production teams. Once finished, we will have constructed a fixed roof which has around 12,000 elements ? along with a retractable roof over the stadium pitch with the approximate weight of about 1,000 tons - a testament to the high level of engineering and ingenuity that has gone into this innovative design. Levering the highest truss into place is a defining point in time and a symbolic pillar in the build of the National Stadium, and keeps us on track to finish the project by April 2014," explained Mr. Reichhold.

10. The construction project is also expected to reach various notable milestones this year. These include the completion of both the fixed and retractable roofs of the National Stadium, along with some key milestones for some of the community facilities as well.