Cracks in Kallang Wave glass ceiling
PUBLISHED ONJuly 30, 2014 1:05 AMByHoe Pei Shan
SINGAPORE - Just a month after its opening, cracks have appeared in the glass ceiling of the Singapore Sports Hub's Kallang Wave retail mall.
The affected area is located above Climb Central - Singapore's tallest indoor climbing walls - where activities have been suspended since Monday evening.
"Activities on the climbing walls within the Kallang Wave Mall were suspended due to a fracture within the upper layer of one double laminated glass panel on the ceiling above the climbing walls," said Philippe Collin Delavaud, chief executive of Singapore Sports Hub in a statement late last night.
Engineers have since inspected the skylight and have confirmed the double-laminated glass panel to be structurally safe, with the bottom layer fully intact, added Mr Delavaud. The upper layer within the glass panel will be replaced by next week.
"It is suspected that the upper layer in this one glass panel inherited material impurities during the toughening process," he said. "Moving forward, Sports Hub will continue to conduct regular checks to all glass panels in the skylight for any irregularities."
The 41,000 sq m Kallang Wave mall is part of the $1.3-billion Singapore Sports Hub, which opened its doors four weeks ago.
When The Straits Times visited the mall yesterday, the affected glass panel appeared to have cracks covering its entire surface.
Only the climbing facility was cordoned off and patrons of the mall could still access the rest of the atrium covered by the glass ceiling. There did not appear to be warning signs or notices about the cracks.
Several major tenants of the mall have already begun business, such as fashion giants Forever 21, H&M and Uniqlo, as well as a "sports-themed" FairPrice Xtra hypermarket.
The rock climbing wall will resume operations as usual from today, said Mr Delavaud, adding that stores within the Kallang Wave Mall have not been affected by the incident and remain open for business.
Members of the public who had already booked and paid to use the facility on Monday have been offered alternative dates to use the rock climbing wall or a full refund.
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