Underground museums next?

A STUDY will look at ways to carve out more underground space – for possible use as public areas such as museums and galleries.

It could also be used for facilities such as power stations and for storage, said Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education Grace Fu.

Singapore now has underground malls and pedestrian walkways, though underground uses can be ‘quite varied’, she said.

‘We can foresee a museum, an art gallery, a science museum, something for the public to use as well as public infrastructure like an electrical substation,’ said Ms Fu, co-chair of the ESC sub-committee on land productivity.

Talks are under way on using MRT stations for such functions. ‘URA has always been thinking about what we can do at the Botanic Gardens station… We know there’s a potential there; we haven’t found a specific use so we will look out for the opportunity,’ she said.

Architect Tai Lee Siang said if underground space was promoted properly, ‘people’s acceptance… will change rapidly, especially because Singapore has a finite land resource’. He added underground areas can suit uses needing little or no daylight, such as theatres.

Ms Fu said a national geology office could be set up almost immediately, with an underground masterplan to follow.

Source: Straits Times, 5 Feb 2010