A LOW-RISE eco-village, canal streets, a coastal shopping promenade and terraced communal green roofs - coupled with dramatic views and contrasting skylines. This is the living environment suggested by the winning entrants in a competition to get ideas on how Marina Bay should look.
In September, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said it will set aside 60 hectares - the Marina South Residential District (MSRD) - for 11,000 homes.
A design competition to inspire innovative ideas to distinguish the area was announced at the same time.
When the competition closed on Nov 12, 30 entries had been received from local and overseas architects. Foreign submissions came from Hong Kong, Australia, Indonesia, India and the US.
Four schemes have been selected and another two received special mention. The winners are Hong Kong’s Compass Studio and Singapore’s Khoo Teik Rong, SKPS-Project and Surbana. Special mention was given to Australia’s Chor and Singapore’s ZONG Architects.
The four winners will get $10,000 and the two special mention schemes $5,000.
‘We are impressed with the numerous interesting and novel ideas from the competition,’ said URA’s director for urban planning and design Fun Siew Leng.
‘They will serve as a starting point to stimulate reflection and inspiration to develop Marina South into a distinctive waterfront garden district for generations to come.’
MSRD will also have 1.6 million sq ft set aside for hotel use and 678,000 sq ft of commercial space. The entire project will be developed over 15 to 20 years, once supporting infrastructure has been put in place.
Source : Business Times - 1 Dec 2007
Showing posts with label Marina South. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marina South. Show all posts
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Marina South Residential District
IT’S been a hazy vision up to now but the first stunning proposals for the Marina South Residential District, unveiled yesterday, indicate that a design revolution is brewing on Singapore’s waterfront.
The four proposals - picked from a design competition that attracted 30 entries from India to Australia - promise an intoxicating cocktail of architectural flamboyance and ecological innovation in what has been touted as Singapore’s future No. 1 residential hot spot.
It is the first time a design competition has been held as part of the planning process for a residential district here.
And the ideas thrown up have not been seen here before: They include elevated condominiums, terraced buildings resembling cascading gardens, and ‘floating’ housing blocks with Amsterdam-style canals.
The winners, who each get $10,000, include local architecture firm Surbana, Hong Kong’s Compass Studio and national serviceman Khoo Teik Rong, an architecture graduate from Melbourne’s RMIT University.
The designs remain just suggestions at this stage and may not be part of the final plan, but they serve as a striking starting point for the ambitious project.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) will now compile a final plan for the 60ha site, which will be developed over 15 to 20 years and will have up to 11,000 homes.
The competition, organised by the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) and the URA, asked entrants to unscramble what amounted to a Rubik’s cube of design challenges.
At the basic level, 11,000 housing units had to be incorporated with commercial, hotel and community facilities on a prime site near the upcoming Gardens at Marina South and Marina Bay Sands integrated resort.
But proposals had to show how high-density living could be achieved while retaining the ambience of a waterfront garden.
The judges also looked for environmental sustainability and a sense of community, while calling for designs that would allow Marina South to showcase the City in a Garden vision.
Mr Khoo, 23, drew on inspiration from a visit to Amsterdam and opted for canals to run through the site to make the area more intimate.
‘I didn’t want a site that would have only large-scale buildings,’ he said.
The Surbana team had a ‘green and blue’ strategy. Green in the form of plants on the roofs of low-rise buildings, which would be terraced to give the appearance of gardens sloping to the marina.
Blue covered their housing idea - 30- to 50-storey-high blocks placed on shallow pools, making them appear to float on water.
Compass Studio, meanwhile, used hills as its inspiration - it wanted high-rise buildings to resemble hills that meet the lower plains. It also proposed a low-rise eco-village.
The fourth winner was SKPS-Project, a group of five architects, mostly from Singapore. They proposed lifting residential blocks 30m above the ground and planting trees underneath.
Reacting to the designs, Mr Mink Tan of Mink Architects said they were visually evocative, with ‘a mix of everything’. ‘If done successfully, this can be a…shining example of Asian urban living.’
Ex-SIA president John Ting of AIM & Associates was encouraged by the designs, but said more refinement was needed. He suggested the land can be split into smaller parcels and various architects let loose: ‘Then we can learn how to work the land better.’
Property developers and consultants were more hardheaded, telling The Straits Times that it was too early to judge if the designs were commercially viable.
The 30 entries are on display at City Hall until Dec 8.
Source : Straits Times - 1 Dec 2007
The four proposals - picked from a design competition that attracted 30 entries from India to Australia - promise an intoxicating cocktail of architectural flamboyance and ecological innovation in what has been touted as Singapore’s future No. 1 residential hot spot.
It is the first time a design competition has been held as part of the planning process for a residential district here.
And the ideas thrown up have not been seen here before: They include elevated condominiums, terraced buildings resembling cascading gardens, and ‘floating’ housing blocks with Amsterdam-style canals.
The winners, who each get $10,000, include local architecture firm Surbana, Hong Kong’s Compass Studio and national serviceman Khoo Teik Rong, an architecture graduate from Melbourne’s RMIT University.
The designs remain just suggestions at this stage and may not be part of the final plan, but they serve as a striking starting point for the ambitious project.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) will now compile a final plan for the 60ha site, which will be developed over 15 to 20 years and will have up to 11,000 homes.
The competition, organised by the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) and the URA, asked entrants to unscramble what amounted to a Rubik’s cube of design challenges.
At the basic level, 11,000 housing units had to be incorporated with commercial, hotel and community facilities on a prime site near the upcoming Gardens at Marina South and Marina Bay Sands integrated resort.
But proposals had to show how high-density living could be achieved while retaining the ambience of a waterfront garden.
The judges also looked for environmental sustainability and a sense of community, while calling for designs that would allow Marina South to showcase the City in a Garden vision.
Mr Khoo, 23, drew on inspiration from a visit to Amsterdam and opted for canals to run through the site to make the area more intimate.
‘I didn’t want a site that would have only large-scale buildings,’ he said.
The Surbana team had a ‘green and blue’ strategy. Green in the form of plants on the roofs of low-rise buildings, which would be terraced to give the appearance of gardens sloping to the marina.
Blue covered their housing idea - 30- to 50-storey-high blocks placed on shallow pools, making them appear to float on water.
Compass Studio, meanwhile, used hills as its inspiration - it wanted high-rise buildings to resemble hills that meet the lower plains. It also proposed a low-rise eco-village.
The fourth winner was SKPS-Project, a group of five architects, mostly from Singapore. They proposed lifting residential blocks 30m above the ground and planting trees underneath.
Reacting to the designs, Mr Mink Tan of Mink Architects said they were visually evocative, with ‘a mix of everything’. ‘If done successfully, this can be a…shining example of Asian urban living.’
Ex-SIA president John Ting of AIM & Associates was encouraged by the designs, but said more refinement was needed. He suggested the land can be split into smaller parcels and various architects let loose: ‘Then we can learn how to work the land better.’
Property developers and consultants were more hardheaded, telling The Straits Times that it was too early to judge if the designs were commercially viable.
The 30 entries are on display at City Hall until Dec 8.
Source : Straits Times - 1 Dec 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
The Gardens by the Bay project - comprising three themed gardens at Marina South, Marina East and Marina Centre - is expected to draw 2.7 million
The Gardens by the Bay project - comprising three themed gardens at Marina South, Marina East and Marina Centre - is expected to draw 2.7 million visitors a year and contribute around $1 billion of tourism receipts over 10 years.
But the 101 hectare project will not come cheap. The first phase - the 54-ha Gardens at Marina South, slated for completion by end-2010 - will cost $900 million. Development of the 32-ha Marina East and 15-ha Marina Centre gardens will take place later.
Highlighting the intangible value of the gardens, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said that their worth cannot be measured in dollars and cents alone.
‘Gardens by the Bay will be a national garden set in the heart of Singapore on prime waterfront land,’ he said in his speech at the ground-breaking ceremony yesterday morning. ‘Gardens by the Bay will offer a compelling leisure experience for Singaporeans and visitors alike. It will add value to the surrounding real estate.’
According to Mr Mah, the Gardens will boost Singapore’s international standing and differentiate it from other emerging cities.
Gardens at Marina South will boast two cool conservatories - a 1.4 ha ‘cool dry’ conservatory and a 0.9 ha ‘cool moist’ one - that will exhibit flowers and plants from the Tropical Montane and Mediterranean environments.
The National Parks Board (NParks) is looking into sustainable energy and water technology for the gardens. A commissioned study showed that cooling technology can cut energy consumption for each conservatory to less than that of a comparable commercial building in Singapore of similar size.
NParks adviser and project director for Gardens by the Bay, Tan Wee Kiat, said: ‘Singapore is a garden city of perpetual summer. We are bringing spring into the picture. On top of that, the challenge to our staff is to use as many species of plants that are seldom seen in our other parks. Not only that, we want to use them in very creative ways.‘
Visitors can also look forward to horticultural show gardens, ‘edu-tainment’ gardens, a flower market, a space for events and SuperTrees.
SuperTrees are steel structures 25 to 50 metres high that will act as vertical gardens. They will feature tropical flowering climbers, epiphytes and ferns, as well as a canopy to provide shade. At night, the canopies will feature lighting and projected media.
‘The most exciting part is this is the most precious part of modern Singapore,’ said Dr Tan. ‘If you’re very pragmatic, that is sold to the highest bidder. Yet this piece of territory belongs to everybody in Singapore.’
Source : Business Times - 10 Nov 2007
But the 101 hectare project will not come cheap. The first phase - the 54-ha Gardens at Marina South, slated for completion by end-2010 - will cost $900 million. Development of the 32-ha Marina East and 15-ha Marina Centre gardens will take place later.
Highlighting the intangible value of the gardens, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said that their worth cannot be measured in dollars and cents alone.
‘Gardens by the Bay will be a national garden set in the heart of Singapore on prime waterfront land,’ he said in his speech at the ground-breaking ceremony yesterday morning. ‘Gardens by the Bay will offer a compelling leisure experience for Singaporeans and visitors alike. It will add value to the surrounding real estate.’
According to Mr Mah, the Gardens will boost Singapore’s international standing and differentiate it from other emerging cities.
Gardens at Marina South will boast two cool conservatories - a 1.4 ha ‘cool dry’ conservatory and a 0.9 ha ‘cool moist’ one - that will exhibit flowers and plants from the Tropical Montane and Mediterranean environments.
The National Parks Board (NParks) is looking into sustainable energy and water technology for the gardens. A commissioned study showed that cooling technology can cut energy consumption for each conservatory to less than that of a comparable commercial building in Singapore of similar size.
NParks adviser and project director for Gardens by the Bay, Tan Wee Kiat, said: ‘Singapore is a garden city of perpetual summer. We are bringing spring into the picture. On top of that, the challenge to our staff is to use as many species of plants that are seldom seen in our other parks. Not only that, we want to use them in very creative ways.‘
Visitors can also look forward to horticultural show gardens, ‘edu-tainment’ gardens, a flower market, a space for events and SuperTrees.
SuperTrees are steel structures 25 to 50 metres high that will act as vertical gardens. They will feature tropical flowering climbers, epiphytes and ferns, as well as a canopy to provide shade. At night, the canopies will feature lighting and projected media.
‘The most exciting part is this is the most precious part of modern Singapore,’ said Dr Tan. ‘If you’re very pragmatic, that is sold to the highest bidder. Yet this piece of territory belongs to everybody in Singapore.’
Source : Business Times - 10 Nov 2007
Friday, June 1, 2007
Marina Bay Sands project is on track to be completed by the second half of 2009.
SINGAPORE : The S$5 billion Marina Bay Sands project is on track to be completed by the second half of 2009.
This is despite the recent sand ban and disruption in the supply of granite.
Meanwhile, according to project designer and architect Moshe Safdie, some of the original designs have been updated.
The new addition to Singapore’s cityscape is a mammoth task, especially given obstacles such as rising costs and a shortage of manpower.
Mr Moshe Safdie said, “It’s one of those things that happen when you take a project of such a scale. It certainly didn’t make it easier for us. Marina Bay Sands is looking for alternative sources as everybody else is and we’ll keep going and overcome the issue.”
He also said some of the designs have evolved since they were first conceptualised - like the Art-Science museum.
He said, “The form of the Art-Science museum was free form. We spent months making it a very orderly mathematical structure of spheroids which makes it a sounder structure, cheaper to build and I think more beautiful at the same time.”
Mr Moshe Safdie said, “The first shock and surprise is when we started excavating and we found the old sea wall which used to be the wave break which used to protect the boats in the bay. And we’ve had to remove that and it’s been an extremely costly and complicated process.”
Las Vegas Sands signed an agreement with the Singapore government in May last year, to build a S$5 billion (US$3.2 billion) integrated resort, three months after winning the bid.
The Singapore Government announced today that it will award the project to develop the Integrated Resort (IR) at Marina Bay to Las Vegas Sands Corporation (“Sands”).
The Ministerial Committee (Tender Approving Authority or TAA) evaluating the four proposals, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Professor S Jayakumar , announced their decision at a press conference this evening. Prof Jayakumar said, “All four proposers submitted very strong proposals which reflected their commitment to developing a truly outstanding integrated resort in Singapore”. He added that “Sands had submitted the best overall proposal that meets our economic and tourism objectives.”
The RFP for the Marina Bay IR was launched on 15 Nov 2005 and closed on 29 Mar 2006. Four proposers responded to the RFP – i.e. Sands; Harrah’s Entertainment and Keppel Land (“Harrah’s”); Genting International and Star Cruises (“Genting”); and MGM Mirage and CapitaLand (“MGM”).
Each of the four proposers committed to invest a total of $4 billion to $5 billion in a world-class development that would generate substantial economic benefits for Singapore. This reflects the strong confidence of international investors in Singapore’s tourism sector. All the proposals offered an excellent range of tourism products, ranging from MICE (i.e. Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) facilities to leisure attractions and entertainment shows. The proposals also all met the stringent social safeguards set by the Singapore Government for the casino component.
The evaluation of the proposals was based on the following four main criteria, with approximate weights as shown:
a. Tourism appeal and contribution (40%);
b. Architectural concept and design (30%);
c. Development investment (20%); and
d. Strength of consortium and partners (10%).
Sands committed to the highest development investment of $3.85 billion. Together with the land price and other associated capital costs, the total investment by Sands would exceed $5 billion. This is one of the largest investments in the world for a single IR. The Marina Bay Sands is expected to stimulate an additional $2.7 billion (or approximately 0.8%) to Singapore’s annual Gross Domestic Product and generate 30,000 jobs throughout the economy by 2015.
This is despite the recent sand ban and disruption in the supply of granite.
Meanwhile, according to project designer and architect Moshe Safdie, some of the original designs have been updated.
The new addition to Singapore’s cityscape is a mammoth task, especially given obstacles such as rising costs and a shortage of manpower.
Mr Moshe Safdie said, “It’s one of those things that happen when you take a project of such a scale. It certainly didn’t make it easier for us. Marina Bay Sands is looking for alternative sources as everybody else is and we’ll keep going and overcome the issue.”
He also said some of the designs have evolved since they were first conceptualised - like the Art-Science museum.
He said, “The form of the Art-Science museum was free form. We spent months making it a very orderly mathematical structure of spheroids which makes it a sounder structure, cheaper to build and I think more beautiful at the same time.”
Mr Moshe Safdie said, “The first shock and surprise is when we started excavating and we found the old sea wall which used to be the wave break which used to protect the boats in the bay. And we’ve had to remove that and it’s been an extremely costly and complicated process.”
Las Vegas Sands signed an agreement with the Singapore government in May last year, to build a S$5 billion (US$3.2 billion) integrated resort, three months after winning the bid.
The Singapore Government announced today that it will award the project to develop the Integrated Resort (IR) at Marina Bay to Las Vegas Sands Corporation (“Sands”).
The Ministerial Committee (Tender Approving Authority or TAA) evaluating the four proposals, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Professor S Jayakumar , announced their decision at a press conference this evening. Prof Jayakumar said, “All four proposers submitted very strong proposals which reflected their commitment to developing a truly outstanding integrated resort in Singapore”. He added that “Sands had submitted the best overall proposal that meets our economic and tourism objectives.”
The RFP for the Marina Bay IR was launched on 15 Nov 2005 and closed on 29 Mar 2006. Four proposers responded to the RFP – i.e. Sands; Harrah’s Entertainment and Keppel Land (“Harrah’s”); Genting International and Star Cruises (“Genting”); and MGM Mirage and CapitaLand (“MGM”).
Each of the four proposers committed to invest a total of $4 billion to $5 billion in a world-class development that would generate substantial economic benefits for Singapore. This reflects the strong confidence of international investors in Singapore’s tourism sector. All the proposals offered an excellent range of tourism products, ranging from MICE (i.e. Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) facilities to leisure attractions and entertainment shows. The proposals also all met the stringent social safeguards set by the Singapore Government for the casino component.
The evaluation of the proposals was based on the following four main criteria, with approximate weights as shown:
a. Tourism appeal and contribution (40%);
b. Architectural concept and design (30%);
c. Development investment (20%); and
d. Strength of consortium and partners (10%).
Sands committed to the highest development investment of $3.85 billion. Together with the land price and other associated capital costs, the total investment by Sands would exceed $5 billion. This is one of the largest investments in the world for a single IR. The Marina Bay Sands is expected to stimulate an additional $2.7 billion (or approximately 0.8%) to Singapore’s annual Gross Domestic Product and generate 30,000 jobs throughout the economy by 2015.
Friday, May 4, 2007
$700 million for the upcoming Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC)
Construction contracts worth more than $700 million for the upcoming Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC) have been awarded and the principal contractor for the two commercial towers is a consortium of Kajima Overseas Asia and Tiong Seng Contractors.
Woh Hup was named the main contractor for the residential tower.
Together, these buildings make up the 244,000 sq metre Phase 1 of the MBFC.
In February, the owners of MBFC - a consortium of Keppel Land, Cheung Kong Holdings/Hutchison Whampoa, and Hongkong Land - acquired a further 194,000 sq metres of land next to Phase 1 for $907.67 million.
In a statement yesterday, David Martin, general manager of BFC Development, the company in charge of MBFC, said: ‘The tenders for both the commercial and residential towers attracted strong interest and competitive bids from several quality contractors. We believe we have assembled from this bidding process a very strong construction team with the experience and expertise to execute large-scale projects.’
The appointment of the main contractors puts Phase 1 of MBFC on track for completion in 2010, he said.
Tiong Seng Contractors was earlier awarded the piling contract for Phase 1 of the development.
Director Pek Lian Guan said: ‘With Tiong Seng’s recent experience on the site with the piling process, we are off to a head start in ensuring a smooth process for construction through our deep understanding of the project and existing knowledge of the particular dynamics of this site.’
The contracts announced were only for Phase 1. Mr Martin said that design and construction planning is still in progress on Phase 2.
Also still in the planning stage is CapitaMall Trust’s plan to expand Funan DigitaLife Mall. In a statement yesterday, CMT said it is appealing to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) for an ‘alternative waiver scheme so as to achieve a more efficient floor plate for the proposed development of an office block and to minimise disruptions to the retail tenants’.
BT reported on April 28 that CMT had received provisional permission from the URA to erect a nine-storey commercial building and for additions and alterations to the existing mall.
It is understood that the URA waiver CMT is seeking involves the height restriction of nine storeys for the new extension.
CMT said further information will be provided when details are agreed with the URA.
Woh Hup was named the main contractor for the residential tower.
Together, these buildings make up the 244,000 sq metre Phase 1 of the MBFC.
In February, the owners of MBFC - a consortium of Keppel Land, Cheung Kong Holdings/Hutchison Whampoa, and Hongkong Land - acquired a further 194,000 sq metres of land next to Phase 1 for $907.67 million.
In a statement yesterday, David Martin, general manager of BFC Development, the company in charge of MBFC, said: ‘The tenders for both the commercial and residential towers attracted strong interest and competitive bids from several quality contractors. We believe we have assembled from this bidding process a very strong construction team with the experience and expertise to execute large-scale projects.’
The appointment of the main contractors puts Phase 1 of MBFC on track for completion in 2010, he said.
Tiong Seng Contractors was earlier awarded the piling contract for Phase 1 of the development.
Director Pek Lian Guan said: ‘With Tiong Seng’s recent experience on the site with the piling process, we are off to a head start in ensuring a smooth process for construction through our deep understanding of the project and existing knowledge of the particular dynamics of this site.’
The contracts announced were only for Phase 1. Mr Martin said that design and construction planning is still in progress on Phase 2.
Also still in the planning stage is CapitaMall Trust’s plan to expand Funan DigitaLife Mall. In a statement yesterday, CMT said it is appealing to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) for an ‘alternative waiver scheme so as to achieve a more efficient floor plate for the proposed development of an office block and to minimise disruptions to the retail tenants’.
BT reported on April 28 that CMT had received provisional permission from the URA to erect a nine-storey commercial building and for additions and alterations to the existing mall.
It is understood that the URA waiver CMT is seeking involves the height restriction of nine storeys for the new extension.
CMT said further information will be provided when details are agreed with the URA.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Cruise terminal in Marina South ready in 6 years
With the cruise business in Asia heating up, the snail’s crawl so far to develop a cruise terminal at Marina South looks to have been finally given the nod by the authorities — but it may take up to six years before its docks are ready for operations.
A representative from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) had said that “the cruise terminal in Marina South would be ready (by) 2012, 2013″ during a trade event two weeks ago in Miami, the Singapore Cruise Centre’s (SCC) president Cheong Teow Cheng told Today. He was also a participant at the same four-day event, called the Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention.
The SCC, which has been “unwavering” in its interest in this new terminal ever since the site was earmarked more than six years ago, will be keen to participate in this development, Mr Cheong added.
In fact, in 2003, the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Public Spaces and Urban Waterfront Master Plan identified the proposed cruise terminal alonsgside other passenger and ferry terminals to form the Maritime Hub at Marina South.
A preliminary site study conducted in Marina South in the second half of last year on tidal movement and how passing vessels can affect cruise vessels docked at the site have wrapped up. It is believed to be the first such study the STB has carried out in the area.
When contacted, the tourism board’s director (Sightseeing and cruise) Dayne Lim would only say that “we are planning and in discussion with the related government agencies and cruise industry partners toward the development of the new cruise terminal at Marina South over the next five years”.
Yesterday, the SCC and iCell Network rolled out the free wireless programme, Wireless@SG, for passengers at three terminals that the former operates: the international passenger terminal and regional ferry terminal at HarbourFront, and the Tanah Merah regional ferry terminal.
This move makes the SCC’s terminals the first entry points in Singapore, as well as the first cruise and ferry terminals in the region, to provide free Internet connectivity to its passengers.
In the pipeline are VOIP services that will allow users to make low-cost international calls in the second half of this year, as well as a digital concierge service for users to customise the information they wish to receive on WiFi-enabled devices such as like laptops and mobile phones. These initiatives — along with other systems upgrading at the SCC terminals — add up to some $2.5 million, Mr Cheong said.
“The SCC recognises the challenges and IT demands of tomorrow and is taking pro-active steps to not just stay relevant, but also to stay ahead of the needs of the future.”
Source: Today, 30 March 2007
A representative from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) had said that “the cruise terminal in Marina South would be ready (by) 2012, 2013″ during a trade event two weeks ago in Miami, the Singapore Cruise Centre’s (SCC) president Cheong Teow Cheng told Today. He was also a participant at the same four-day event, called the Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention.
The SCC, which has been “unwavering” in its interest in this new terminal ever since the site was earmarked more than six years ago, will be keen to participate in this development, Mr Cheong added.
In fact, in 2003, the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Public Spaces and Urban Waterfront Master Plan identified the proposed cruise terminal alonsgside other passenger and ferry terminals to form the Maritime Hub at Marina South.
A preliminary site study conducted in Marina South in the second half of last year on tidal movement and how passing vessels can affect cruise vessels docked at the site have wrapped up. It is believed to be the first such study the STB has carried out in the area.
When contacted, the tourism board’s director (Sightseeing and cruise) Dayne Lim would only say that “we are planning and in discussion with the related government agencies and cruise industry partners toward the development of the new cruise terminal at Marina South over the next five years”.
Yesterday, the SCC and iCell Network rolled out the free wireless programme, Wireless@SG, for passengers at three terminals that the former operates: the international passenger terminal and regional ferry terminal at HarbourFront, and the Tanah Merah regional ferry terminal.
This move makes the SCC’s terminals the first entry points in Singapore, as well as the first cruise and ferry terminals in the region, to provide free Internet connectivity to its passengers.
In the pipeline are VOIP services that will allow users to make low-cost international calls in the second half of this year, as well as a digital concierge service for users to customise the information they wish to receive on WiFi-enabled devices such as like laptops and mobile phones. These initiatives — along with other systems upgrading at the SCC terminals — add up to some $2.5 million, Mr Cheong said.
“The SCC recognises the challenges and IT demands of tomorrow and is taking pro-active steps to not just stay relevant, but also to stay ahead of the needs of the future.”
Source: Today, 30 March 2007
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