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I went to visit SIT’s new campus & accidentally got lost in the future
Future, future, future, future.
Even as a non sci-fi fan, I’ve always been intrigued by time travel stories.
Especially the kind where an unsuspecting character somehow stumbles into a futuristic world.
Well, it finally happened to me. I accidentally time-travelled to the future.
Or so I thought.
I double-checked my ride-sharing app.
The address, SIT’s new Punggol Campus, was correct.
And the car I had arrived in was a Toyota Prius and not a DeLorean.
Where are the doors?
Photo by Mothership.
The first sign that I was no longer in 2024 was the futuristic combination of open spaces and lush greenery.
It seems that the architects of tomorrow had designed the ground floors with a “porous” concept in mind, to create a fluid learning and campus experience.
Located within the “Campus Court”, it’s in these conducive spaces that the ideas of the future can be exchanged.
This is where students of business, communication and design, and infocomm technology perfect their futuristic crafts!
Photo by Mothership.
I was also relieved to know that the future is a hospitable and welcoming place, as evidenced by the warmly named “Campus Heart”, which is the other plot of SIT’s Punggol Campus that will be ready in 2025.
The campus will cater to students from the remaining clusters in engineering, food, chemical and biotechnology, and health and social sciences upon completion.
Amongst the forward-thinking facilities, such as the 10-storey Hatchery, where students and staff can work directly alongside industry partners, there is even a 1.3km green heritage trail nestled within a forest conservation project.
Photo by Mothership
All of this is part of the Punggol Digital District. JTC’s sprawling business park where the future’s future is being built.
Naturally, I got lost in this architectural marvel of concrete, foliage and probably some materials and technologies that don’t even exist yet.
Technologies such as the Integrated Building Management System – these buildings apparently use more than 20,000 sensors to collect data and optimise energy across the campus.
And I thought my smart TV was cool.
No hoverboards
Luckily, it seems like the future has contingencies for the navigationally-clueless amongst us.
Behold, SIT’s Autonomous Vehicle Lab.
Photo courtesy of SIT
With the rise of self-driving vehicles in this future, I won’t even have to think about reading a map anymore.
Students of this timeline have access to high-tech hardware components and high-performance computers to run simulation software and machine learning development platforms to make cars that literally drive themselves.
It’s pretty clear that the students of this future have access to some impressive tools for applied learning.
In fact, everywhere you walk you are reminded of the progress our descendants have made.
Back in my day (the past), hallways were just a way to get from A to B.
But here, walkways are being futurised into “Digital Competency Corridors”.
AI concierges and programmable robots are just some of the exciting features that are being implemented at this campus that you’ll come across as you explore the campus grounds.
Sadly, I still had to use my feet to move through this campus, as hoverboards had been left in 2015.
Amidst my aimless wandering, I managed to find myself in the food court.
A food court from another timeline
Photo by Mothership.
The 600-seater food court was constructed with a Mass Engineered Timber (MET) structure, and solar-power harnessing building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) panels to achieve a Super-Low Energy status.
Essentially, a super cost- and energy-efficient air-conditioning system.
Innovative technology that I, as a time-traveller from the past, could only dream of.
Photo courtesy of SIT
It was nice knowing that even in the future, old favourites like cai png, chicken rice and Western food, are still staples.
Screens… everywhere!
My journey through time continued as I walked into what seemed initially like an ordinary classroom.
But a closer inspection revealed that this was no ordinary classroom.
SIT’s lecture halls and tutorial rooms have been redesigned into “lectorials”, combining the two.
As a bespectacled person, I often struggle to see notes projected at the front of the class.
Fret not, my fellow near-sighted friends. The future has thought of you.
These “lectorials” have an abundance of digital displays strategically located to ensure every student can learn optimally.
They even have screens in the back, so no one can run away from learning. Photo by Mothership.
Designed to encourage more active participation from students, these classrooms combine the experience of lectures and tutorials to better suit the needs of applied learning.
This is in addition to 27 high-tech labs that allow students hands-on experiences in Infocomm Technology studies.
Photo courtesy of SIT
Students in cybersecurity, software engineering and immersive media are well exposed to state-of-the-art server facilities, which feature InRow cooling systems.
All of this, by the way, powered by more air-con from the future. The District Cooling system uses chilled water and reduces carbon footprints by improving energy efficiency by 30 per cent!
Taking sports seriously
At this point, I was beginning to worry if I would ever find my way back to the past.
Back in 2024, I remembered we were just celebrating another Olympic medallist on our shores.
And now, I could see the obvious impact that our heroes in Paris must’ve had on our sporting aspirations.
We clearly take sports seriously. Photo by Mothership.
Best exemplified by a six-storey building with two multi-purpose halls, which houses gyms, a bouldering enclave, two rooftop tennis courts, martial arts and dance studios.
Its 809-seater arena for sporting events is also conveniently large enough to host examinations.
SIT students clearly take their “play” as seriously as their “work”.
Feeling anxious?
The uncertainty of knowing if I would remain lost in time for eternity was now causing me a lot of distress.
Looking for a place to calm my nerves, I found that the campus was in no short supply of places to unwind.
Photo by Mothership.
One thing I’m relieved to find out about the “future”, is that green spaces and nature are still valued.
It is widely believed that taking a walk or just being amongst natural environments is a good way to help reduce stress and anxiety.
That’s good news for these students of the future: The lush scenery of Coney Island is just a stone’s throw away, offering a pleasant escape from the stresses of exams and assignments.
It’s also good news for my Instagram account, since there are quite a few Instagram-worthy photo spots.
Scenic much? Photo by Mothership.
With this many picturesque details to take in, it’s probably best that the campus is in a car-lite district.
Public transport (with a new MRT station on the horizon), cycling and walking are encouraged for the sustainability of the future. And you get to feel healthier too.
Thankfully, in the “future”, SIT has decided to provide shower facilities for students and the public, so you can wash off your futuristic stink after a sweaty day in nature.
Back to reality
After a good hour of believing I had somehow travelled into the year 2050, a good stroll in nature had cleared my head.
I realised I was still firmly in the present, just at SIT’s futuristic Punggol Campus.
Walking around this newly-built site, I couldn’t help but feel envious of the students who would become the campus’s inaugural graduating class.
Next year, the 800-seater Ho Bee auditorium will see its first batch of graduates walking through the reception area with its incredible panoramic view of Coney Island.
So, if you feel like you’re ready to step into the future, you can check out more of the campus’ notable features here.
Now, how do I get home?
This sponsored article by SIT sent this writer to the future and now she’s stuck there. Help.
Top photos by Mothership.
