All national service matters will come under one roof; centre will be open to the public too
By Lim Min Zhang, The Straits Times, 26 Nov 2019
Smart technology, such as facial recognition, at the new one-stop centre for national servicemen should cut queueing time for medical screenings by 30 per cent.
NS Hub in Bukit Gombak - which aims to be among the top 10 per cent of energy-efficient buildings in Singapore - could also save more than $700,000 in utility bills every year.
The features were unveiled yesterday at the ground-breaking ceremony for the building, which is scheduled for completion in 2023.
Announced in March, NS Hub will see services for national servicemen - from national service registration to physical fitness training - brought under one roof. It will be located near the Ministry of Defence and connected to Cashew MRT station by an overhead bridge.
Currently, national servicemen go to the Central Manpower Base (CMPB) for NS registration, fitness conditioning centres for physical training tests and the Military Medicine Institute in Kent Ridge for specialist medical and dental care.
The hub will house the first purpose-built, all-weather facility for the Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) - with a 400m indoor running track - that can accommodate 300 to 500 servicemen a session.
NS Hub will be open to the public and have facilities such as a foodcourt, an e-mart, a childcare centre, a 500m outdoor running track and an exercise corner.
A mobile app will allow servicemen to book appointments and receive updates.
Mr Pang Lu Kit, 45, who is the NS Hub project lead from the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), said that simulations were done to determine the best way to place the building for maximum natural ventilation.
"We are benchmarking ourselves against the BCA (Building and Construction Authority) Green Mark Platinum standard. We are benchmarking ourselves against the super low energy certification and, ultimately, we want to be among the top 10 per cent of energy-efficient buildings in Singapore," he told reporters.
Rainwater-harvesting features will result in estimated savings of 32,000 cubic m of water a year. That is enough for the use of 150 four-room Housing Board units in a year, said Mr Pang.
About 600 new trees will be planted - four times the existing number of trees on the current 9ha site where NS Hub sits. Half of the felled trees will be converted into usable features, such as seats.
CMPB, which administers the NS registration process, was first situated at Pearl's Hill Barracks in 1966, before moving to Kallang Camp the following year. In 1972, it moved to Tanglin Camp in Dempsey Road, before relocating to its current site in Depot Road in 1989.
Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, who officiated the ground-breaking ceremony, said in his speech that NS Hub would likely be CMPB's permanent site, where many generations of national servicemen would enlist.
Dr Ng was accompanied by Senior Ministers of State for Defence Heng Chee How and Maliki Osman; the Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant-General Melvyn Ong; and DSTA chief executive Tan Peng Yam; as well as other senior defence officials.
Mr Matthew Yeo, 18, who completed junior college education this year and will enlist in two months, welcomed the decision to open NS Hub to the public.
"I think it's also really good that they decided to integrate public facilities into the place. Having public facilities allows us to bring Singaporeans closer to the NS experience, which is a common experience for all Singaporeans," he said.
Upcoming hub will benefit public as well as servicemen
By Lim Min Zhang, The Straits Times, 26 Nov 2019
National servicemen will not be the only ones to benefit from an upcoming one-stop hub in Bukit Gombak - it will be open to their families and the public too.
The facilities and amenities at the NS Hub - to be ready in 2023 - include food and beverage outlets, a childcare centre, outdoor community areas with fitness equipment, a running track and a football field.
Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony yesterday, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said the NS Hub will represent more than a building where national servicemen gather.
It will let pre-enlistees do their psychometric tests and medical checks, while full-time national servicemen can visit the Military Medicine Institute for specialist medical and dental care, among other things.
The hub will be directly connected to Cashew MRT station via an overhead bridge, as well as to the Rail Corridor, a green stretch that runs from Woodlands in the north to Tanjong Pagar in the south.
"The NS Hub is the physical embodiment of Singapore's unique national service commitment and culture. After 52 years since its inception, national service has become an accepted rite of passage for all male citizens and permanent residents," said Dr Ng.
"Beyond training to defend our country, national service is also where they forge deep bonds that last their lifetime. NS is part and parcel of the Singapore identity."
Dr Ng said the public can use the hub as a place for leisure, to learn more about national service, and consider a career in the defence industry. Like Safra clubhouses, it will be a good place to relax with family and friends, he added.
In his speech, Dr Ng reiterated the importance of national service, which started in 1967 because of the pain and suffering in World War II.
"Many of us, of you, have parents, grandparents, who lived through the Japanese Occupation when Singapore fell, even though it was protected by a seemingly invincible military."
Dr Ng said the Central Manpower Base, where he enlisted, used to be in Dempsey Road. He said that when his family eats at one of the restaurants there, he would tell his children that this was where the doctors had examined him.
"I don't think they are very interested... But it's embedded, and I believe that when we build this NS Hub, that will be the experience of future generations of NSmen...
"They, I hope, will recount to their children when they are older - and there is still national service, and a Singapore that we can and want to protect - of their experiences here," he said, adding that the NS Hub is likely to be a permanent site.
He hoped the hub will become a national icon for future generations of servicemen - "one that represents this nation's commitment to a strong defence for Singapore".
By Lim Min Zhang, The Straits Times, 26 Nov 2019
NS Hub in Bukit Gombak - which aims to be among the top 10 per cent of energy-efficient buildings in Singapore - could also save more than $700,000 in utility bills every year.
The features were unveiled yesterday at the ground-breaking ceremony for the building, which is scheduled for completion in 2023.
Announced in March, NS Hub will see services for national servicemen - from national service registration to physical fitness training - brought under one roof. It will be located near the Ministry of Defence and connected to Cashew MRT station by an overhead bridge.
Currently, national servicemen go to the Central Manpower Base (CMPB) for NS registration, fitness conditioning centres for physical training tests and the Military Medicine Institute in Kent Ridge for specialist medical and dental care.
The hub will house the first purpose-built, all-weather facility for the Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) - with a 400m indoor running track - that can accommodate 300 to 500 servicemen a session.
NS Hub will be open to the public and have facilities such as a foodcourt, an e-mart, a childcare centre, a 500m outdoor running track and an exercise corner.
A mobile app will allow servicemen to book appointments and receive updates.
Mr Pang Lu Kit, 45, who is the NS Hub project lead from the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), said that simulations were done to determine the best way to place the building for maximum natural ventilation.
"We are benchmarking ourselves against the BCA (Building and Construction Authority) Green Mark Platinum standard. We are benchmarking ourselves against the super low energy certification and, ultimately, we want to be among the top 10 per cent of energy-efficient buildings in Singapore," he told reporters.
Rainwater-harvesting features will result in estimated savings of 32,000 cubic m of water a year. That is enough for the use of 150 four-room Housing Board units in a year, said Mr Pang.
About 600 new trees will be planted - four times the existing number of trees on the current 9ha site where NS Hub sits. Half of the felled trees will be converted into usable features, such as seats.
CMPB, which administers the NS registration process, was first situated at Pearl's Hill Barracks in 1966, before moving to Kallang Camp the following year. In 1972, it moved to Tanglin Camp in Dempsey Road, before relocating to its current site in Depot Road in 1989.
Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, who officiated the ground-breaking ceremony, said in his speech that NS Hub would likely be CMPB's permanent site, where many generations of national servicemen would enlist.
Dr Ng was accompanied by Senior Ministers of State for Defence Heng Chee How and Maliki Osman; the Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant-General Melvyn Ong; and DSTA chief executive Tan Peng Yam; as well as other senior defence officials.
Mr Matthew Yeo, 18, who completed junior college education this year and will enlist in two months, welcomed the decision to open NS Hub to the public.
"I think it's also really good that they decided to integrate public facilities into the place. Having public facilities allows us to bring Singaporeans closer to the NS experience, which is a common experience for all Singaporeans," he said.
Upcoming hub will benefit public as well as servicemen
By Lim Min Zhang, The Straits Times, 26 Nov 2019
National servicemen will not be the only ones to benefit from an upcoming one-stop hub in Bukit Gombak - it will be open to their families and the public too.
The facilities and amenities at the NS Hub - to be ready in 2023 - include food and beverage outlets, a childcare centre, outdoor community areas with fitness equipment, a running track and a football field.
Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony yesterday, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said the NS Hub will represent more than a building where national servicemen gather.
It will let pre-enlistees do their psychometric tests and medical checks, while full-time national servicemen can visit the Military Medicine Institute for specialist medical and dental care, among other things.
The hub will be directly connected to Cashew MRT station via an overhead bridge, as well as to the Rail Corridor, a green stretch that runs from Woodlands in the north to Tanjong Pagar in the south.
"The NS Hub is the physical embodiment of Singapore's unique national service commitment and culture. After 52 years since its inception, national service has become an accepted rite of passage for all male citizens and permanent residents," said Dr Ng.
"Beyond training to defend our country, national service is also where they forge deep bonds that last their lifetime. NS is part and parcel of the Singapore identity."
Dr Ng said the public can use the hub as a place for leisure, to learn more about national service, and consider a career in the defence industry. Like Safra clubhouses, it will be a good place to relax with family and friends, he added.
In his speech, Dr Ng reiterated the importance of national service, which started in 1967 because of the pain and suffering in World War II.
"Many of us, of you, have parents, grandparents, who lived through the Japanese Occupation when Singapore fell, even though it was protected by a seemingly invincible military."
Dr Ng said the Central Manpower Base, where he enlisted, used to be in Dempsey Road. He said that when his family eats at one of the restaurants there, he would tell his children that this was where the doctors had examined him.
"I don't think they are very interested... But it's embedded, and I believe that when we build this NS Hub, that will be the experience of future generations of NSmen...
"They, I hope, will recount to their children when they are older - and there is still national service, and a Singapore that we can and want to protect - of their experiences here," he said, adding that the NS Hub is likely to be a permanent site.
He hoped the hub will become a national icon for future generations of servicemen - "one that represents this nation's commitment to a strong defence for Singapore".
No comments:
Post a Comment