Credit: NUS
The construction you might have seen near the University Town (UTown) green and Starbucks is the upcoming EduSports complex. Several new facilities will be housed within the EduSports complex which will soon be open for the enjoyment of NUS students. The brand new complex, which is slated to be ready by January next year, will include amenities such as a new rock-climbing wall, an infinity swimming pool as well as various dining and retail outlets.
Sports enthusiasts can look forward to scaling a wall of about 16 metres wide by 15 metres high, engaging in an activity referred to as sport climbing. The current rock climbing gym located at SRC is used for bouldering, a form of climbing where participants usually goes no more than 5 metres off the ground. Avid swimmers can also enjoy their laps with a luxurious sight of the campus to behold.
The brand new complex, which is slated to be ready by January next year, will include amenities such as a new rock-climbing wall, an infinity swimming pool as well as various dining and retail outlets.
Edusports will also house Go Play Sports, the very first sports shop on the campus. It will carry sports merchandise ranging from accessories, apparel to footwear. “The sports shop will carry mainly Adidas items as they are one of the main distributors of Adidas,” said Jeslin Pang, the senior in charge of Retail and Dining Services. She added that NUS students will also stand to enjoy a 10 percent discount on regular priced items sold at the shop.
Not all of the new retail and facilities are related to sports though. Food lovers can look forward to more dining options as EduSports is designed to cater to different tastes within the NUS community. This spans from inexpensive canteen delights to upscale fine dining options. In this case, cravings for assorted dishes can be satisfied at Food Clique, which will boast a sitting capacity of about 700 seats.
Something to look out for is eco-friendly cafe, Raw + Vegan, which will offer creative, healthy, organic, raw and vegan cuisine. The outlet has engaged celebrity raw food Chef Matthew Kenney as its consultant. Chef Kenney is an entrepreneur and author known for his unique brand of raw food cuisine. Another restaurant to join the mix would be Sakae Sushi, which is known for providing Japanese cuisine at pocket-friendly prices. Students can look forward to a wide array of sushi, sashimi and ramen amongst other usual specialties of the Singaporean foodchain.
Those in need of retail therapy can also pay a visit to stores such as Fairprice Express, Guardian Health and Beauty as well as bookstore Words Aroma. Fairprice Express is set to operate around-the-clock on a daily basis, which will benefit students staying on campus, especially those looking for a midnight snack. Additionally, both Guardian Health and Beauty would carry products ranging from cosmetics to health supplements to toiletries.
Words Aroma is set to be the biggest bookstore on campus. It will also be the first to administer the purchase of eBooks. “With the computer terminals in the bookstore, anyone can browse the 5000 titles, which will be available for instant purchase, after browsing. One can also do an instant print after the purchase. The print on demand machine is able to print and bind the book to the size and look of those books sold on shelves,” Pang explained.
EduSports will be fully utilized for academic purposes and student services in the day and for recreational and student groups in the night. Geraldine Lee, the Director in charge of Community Engagement and Development for the Office of the Vice President (Campus Infrastructure), believes that the new complex, which will cater to the cultural, educational and sporting needs of the NUS community, can safely “be considered the most diverse building in UTown” when it starts its operations.
[Corrections]
22/12/12: We identified Ms. Geraldine Lee as Director in charge of Community Engagement and Development for the school but she is actually the Director in charge of Community Engagement and Development for the Office of the Vice President (Campus Infrastructure).