Preparing National Stadium for NDP after 10 years
After a decade at either the Floating Platform of at the Padang, the National Day Parade returns to the National Stadium
Despite the size of the National Stadium, it took only 22 days to turn it into this year's National Day Parade (NDP) venue. The features include a 3,760 sq m stage - about the size of nine basketball courts - lights, speakers and aerialist platforms.
Chairman of the Infrastructure & Decorations Committee (IDC), Colonel (NS) (Ret) Clement Hendricks, 63, said at a press interview last month: "One of the driving forces... to finish it as early as possible (is that) we are very excited about the amount of things the Show Committee (which is in charge of arranging the performances) can do."
He said: "We just want to give it to (the Show Committee) as early as possible so that they can start rehearsals."
This year's parade will return to the National Stadium for the first time in 10 years.
Unlike past parades, held at the open-air Marina Bay Floating Platform, the new venue is an enclosed area.
And Col (NS) (Ret) Hendricks made sure he used that to his advantage.
Spectators this year can expect props and performers above them.
Four aerialist platforms were constructed and rigged up onto the dome to facilitate movement in eight different directions.
The IDC also installed 1,020 lighting fixtures and 36 high-powered laser units on the dome. (See report)
STRUCTURE
Col (NS) (Ret) Hendricks said the structure of the National Stadium made their job easier as they could save time.
He said: "(It is an) enclosed environment so there is no weather interference."
They did not need to build the seats and the existing trusses need only be augmented, he said.
"The overhead trusses can augment the show and give it a different dimension," he said.
A total of 320 workers from 12 contractors worked on this project.
Adding that the contractors were specialists that have worked on big projects, he said: "Combining their expertise with ours, I think we have a winning team."
The overhead trusses can augment the show and give it a different dimension.
- Colonel (NS) (Ret) Clement Hendricks, Chairman of the Infrastructure & Decorations Committee, on the National Stadium
By the numbers
55,000
Number of expected spectators at the parade
320
Number of workers to transform the stadium
22
Number of days of construction
84,480
Number of man-hours used in construction
3,760
Size of the stage in sq m
12,000
Pieces of plywood used to construct the stage
224
Tonnes of structural steel used to construct the stage
250
Number of speakers
1,020
Number of lighting fixtures
36
Number of high-powered laser units
66
Number of digital projectors
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