Three reveal plans for Sports Hub

THE three consortia bidding for the Sports Hub project delivered their proposals to the Singapore Sports Council yesterday.

And the trio - Singapore Gold, Singapore Sports Hub and Alpine Mayreder - each revealed different facets of their bids that they felt would give them an edge.

Singapore Gold is banking on the reputation of its partner companies, and its design will boast 'stunning waterways'.

Singapore Sports Hub is relying on its companies' wealth of experience in the region and Singapore.

Alpine Mayreder is hoping to land the project with its environmentally-friendly design.

Expected to cost between $600million and $800 million, work on the 35-hectare site in Kallang will begin when the National Stadium is torn down later in the year.

When completed in mid-2011, the hub will include a new 55,000-capacity National Stadium with a retractable roof, a 6,000-capacity indoor aquatic centre and a 3,000-seater multi-purpose arena.

Yesterday, Singapore Gold's officials were the first to arrive at the National Stadium's West entrance at 1.15pm. In blazers, pressed shirts and ties, the group came in taxis.

Executive director Neil Arora, of Macquarie Securities (Asia), said their design would make use of stunning waterways and let people 'picture Singapore's city skyline every day'.

'It will be a design never seen before in the world,' he added.

Macquarie is the leader for the Singapore Gold consortium.

It consulted former Olympic swimmer Ang Peng Siong and paralympian Theresa Goh over the hub's design.

Arora also cited Macquarie's partnership with funding partner John Laing Infrastructure as a strong point.

The firm has developed over 50 public-private partnerships (PPPs) across Europe.

The PPP scheme is one where the private sector designs, builds, finances and operates facilities.

The Sports Hub is the world's first and largest sports facility infrastructure PPP. Under the scheme, the SSC will pay the developer monthly payments for the site's 25-year lease.

Gold's lead architect, HOK Sport, also boasts an impressive resume. This includes London's Wembley Stadium and Sydney's Telstra Stadium.

Premier event company IMG & Ogden IFC are the consortium's event management firm.

'They represent and have the ability to bring in world-class events to Singapore. These include pop concerts, classical concerts and sports events,' said Arora.

The second group, Singapore Sports Hub, made an impact just by their sheer number. About 50 people - all in red polo shirts to display 'Singapore's vibrancy and life' - arrived at 2.30pm.

They hailed from companies such as World Sport Group (WSG), United Premas, HSBC Singapore and lead architect Arup Sports.

Seamus O'Brien, president and chief executive officer of WSG, pointed out that its wealth of experience in the region and locally was his consortium's key advantage.

WSG is the consortium's event promoter, and has its head office here.

Said Anthony Seah, chief executive officer of United Premas: 'Our winning edge is we know what the SSC wants, and we'll deliver that,'

The firm, whose headquarters are in Singapore, is the consortium's facility management company.

Other local firms such as law company Rajah and Tann, are also behind Singapore Sports Hub's bid, together with DP Architects.

'We want to embody the Singaporean culture and nature in our architectural design,' said Teoh Hai Pin, a director of DP Architects.

'Greenery will play a huge role in our design because of Singapore's reputation as a garden city, and we are incorporating large spaces for youth activities.'

Arup Sports is currently working on the Beijing Olympic Stadium, which is due to be completed late this year.

Representatives from Alpine Consortium, whose lead architect Tim Hupe was behind Munich's Allianz Arena, were last to arrive at about 3.30pm.

Woh Hup director Eugene Yong and his team of about five came with huge, rectangular-shaped crates that were unloaded from five lorries. Woh Hup is the construction firm for Alpine.

Said Yong: 'Our design will have a 'green' focus. Some materials used will be recyclable, and certain requirements for reducing energy use in maintenance and running costs of the facility have been factored in.'

The three consortiums will give separate briefings to the SSC next week.

Their proposals will be evaluated, starting this month. The successful consortium is expected to be announced by the middle of the year.

Bids will be evaluated based on four criteria:

Appeal of sports, leisure and entertainment programming (40 per cent)

Functionality and quality design (25 per cent)

Financial and legal appeal (25 per cent)

Facilities management (10 per cent).

limze@sph.com.sg

hpeishan@sph.com.sg