Media Release

To News Editors

SAFRA TO OFFER TRAMPOLINE PARK, INDOOR CLIMBING FACILITY, INTEGRATED ENTERTAINMENT HUB AND ECO-FRIENDLY FEATURES

 Expected to draw over 1.4 million visitors annually

Come 2022, over 90,000 Armed Forces (SAF) National Servicemen and their families residing within the north-western part of Singapore, will have convenient access to a wide range of unique facilities for fitness and recreation when SAFRA’s seventh club is built within . SAFRA Choa Chu Kang is part of the government’s continuing efforts to recognise NSmen for their contributions towards national defence and is expected to draw over 1.4 million visitors annually.

The Groundbreaking Ceremony of the club was graced by Minister for Health and Advisor to Chua Chu Kang Group Representative Constituency Grassroots Organisations Mr . The event was also graced by Senior Minister of State for Defence and President of SAFRA Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman.

Unique Fitness Facilities

Themed as a ‘Fitness Oasis’, SAFRA Choa Chu Kang will feature many firsts among SAFRA clubs and provide NSmen and their families with many avenues to keep fit. It will be the first among SAFRA clubhouses to house a trampoline park. The trampoline park will be operated by Katapult, and will have an obstacle course section and offer fun-filled trampoline aerobics programmes for both adults and children.

The club will also be the first among SAFRA clubhouses to have a sheltered swimming pool, aquagym, sheltered futsal court and sky running track, for NSmen to enjoy, rain or shine. The sky running track, which makes a 150-metre loop along the fourth level of the club, is directly accessible from the surrounding park via a stairway aptly named the Steps of Life. This set-up caters to those who wish to do circuit training. For example, NSmen can run or do calisthenics workouts within the park, followed by stair climbing up the Steps of Life, then a sprint along the sky running track, before going back down to the park to repeat their circuit.

SAFRA Choa Chu Kang will also be the first among SAFRA clubs to have an Integrated Fitness and Wellness Hub, spanning almost 29,000 square feet. It will house an EnergyOne gym, occupying 17,000 square feet, where NSmen and their families can work out and participate in various high intensity interval training programmes. It will also have a spa where NSmen and their families can unwind, and a fitness studio, where a variety of dance and fitness classes will be provided by Amore Fitness.

The club will also house an indoor climbing facility operated by Climb Asia Group, featuring an international 15-meter high speed climbing wall, lead climbing walls, as well as 10-meter high walls with auto-belay devices. This will provide a total of over 40 climbing lanes across 1,000 square meters of climbing surface. The facility will also have bouldering amenities and will cater to both adventure enthusiasts and families alike.

Integrated Entertainment Hub

The new SAFRA Choa Chu Kang will also provide plenty of entertainment facilities for NSmen and their loved ones to get together, have fun and bond. It will have an Integrated Entertainment Hub, which will feature facilities for bowling, darts, KTV, and food and beverage, all housed within a common area spanning over 23,000 square feet. There will be a slew of dining options at the club, including a Burger King outlet with a drive-through – the only one in Singapore since the one at Raintree Cove closed.

SAFRA is also working closely with NParks on the seamless integration of SAFRA Choa Chu Kang with the surrounding parkland to leverage its greenery and amenities to provide more wide open spaces for outdoor activities to be organised, as well as for NSmen and their families to exercise, recreate and relax. An outdoor amphitheatre, which will extend from the club to Choa Chu Kang Park, is expected to host events and activities such as mass workouts and live entertainment. There are also plans to build a biophilic playground for families to enjoy.

All these will make both the clubhouse and Choa Chu Kang Park a more holistic and compelling recreational destination. NSmen training at the nearby SAF camps located at , , Tengah and Sungei Gedong will also benefit from having convenient access to all these facilities for recreation, and also for bonding through unit cohesion activities organised by SAFRA during their annual In-camp Training. SAFRA intends to organise over 80 unit cohesion activities at the club for over 8,000 NSmen within the first year once SAFRA Choa Chu Kang is ready in 2022.

Eco-friendly Features

Building on SAFRA’s ongoing sustainability efforts, SAFRA Choa Chu Kang will have many eco-friendly features to reduce its environmental footprint. Solar panels placed on the roof of the club will generate over 470,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually, the highest among SAFRA clubs. Many spaces within the club are also architecturally oriented to maximise natural ventilation and sunlight to reduce energy consumption. There are also plans to harvest rainwater from rooftop collection points and store them for irrigation purposes, which is expected to save enough water per annum to fill two Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Convenient and Accessible Location

SAFRA Choa Chu Kang is only within a 5-minute walk from the nearby Choa Chu Kang MRT and LRT stations. Once the Region Line is ready in the coming years, NSmen and their families residing within new towns such as Tengah will enjoy even greater accessibility to the club.

For more details on SAFRA Choa Chu Kang, kindly refer to the fact sheet at Annex A. The latest artist’s impressions of the new club are at Annex B.

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About SAFRA National Service Association

SAFRA was formed in 1972 to provide for the social and recreational needs of NSmen and their families through quality sports, social, educational and cultural programmes to recognise NSmen for their contributions to National Defence. SAFRA currently has a network of six clubs conveniently located in Jurong, , , , and . Complementing the modern facilities at SAFRA clubs are a host of quality membership benefits and activities specially packaged for over 450,000 members (as of 31 March 2019) and their families. ______Issued by SAFRA National Service Association on 3 October 2019

Annex A

GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY OF SAFRA CHOA CHU KANG THURSDAY, 03 OCTOBER 2019

FACT SHEET

ABOUT SAFRA CHOA CHU KANG 1. Location : Along Choa Chu Kang Drive 5 minutes walk from Choa Chu Kang MRT & LRT stations

2. Size of Land : 1.4 ha/ 14,000 m2

3. Gross Floor Area : 19,600 m2 4. Number of storeys : 5 storeys 5. Project Consultant : DP Architects Pte Ltd

6. List of Facilities : Basement Storey  Car park

1st Storey  NurtureStars Preschool  Trampoline park operated by Katapult  Burger King outlet with a drive-through  Other F&B outlets

2nd Storey  Sheltered swimming pool  Sheltered futsal court  Enrichment facilities

3rd Storey  Indoor climbing facility operated by Climb Asia Group (spanning 3rd to 5th storeys)  Integrated Fitness & Wellness Hub - EnergyOne gym - Fitness studio - Spa

4th Storey  Integrated Entertainment Hub - Bowling - Darts - KTV - F&B  Sheltered sky running track

5th Storey  Function Rooms  Volunteers’ Lounge

SAFRA Choa Chu Kang Development Committee

1. Chairman : LTC (NS) Andy Tan Heok, BBM 2. 1st Vice Chairman : 1WO (NS) Leng Chiak Sun 3. 2nd Vice Chairman : MAJ (NS) Khoo Sze Boon 4. Advisors : Mr Michael Sengol Mr Cheong Hai Poh 5. Members : Associate Professor Daniel Wong Mr Hoong Bee Lok ME5(NS) Daniel Lian Chin Wah Mr James Tan Seng Kiat Mr Rajavarman Mathichandran Mr Freddy Ong Mr Ernest Ng 6. Ex-officio Members : Ms Sandy Ng Ms Kristina Koh Mr Edmund Teo

Annex B GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY OF SAFRA CHOA CHU KANG THURSDAY, 03 OCTOBER 2019

ARTIST’S IMPRESSIONS

Aerial View of Club

Club Facade

Club Interior with View of Sheltered Swimming Pool and Futsal Court

Sheltered Swimming Pool

EnergyOne Gym

Club’s Main Atrium