AMK Hub Topping Out Ceremony
27 October 2006
Media Release
1 Residents of Ang Mo Kio have more reasons to smile come first quarter of 2007 as AMK Hub, a seven-level retail mall integrated with an air-conditioned bus interchange and an underground pass to the Ang Mo Kio Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) Station, is now a step closer to completion and serving them. Jointly developed by the Singapore Labour Foundation, NTUC Income and NTUC FairPrice, AMK Hub – earlier named NTUC Ang Mo Kio Retail Mall, forms part of a larger rejuvenation plan for the Ang Mo Kio Town Centre.
AMK Hub’s Topping Out Ceremony
2 At AMK Hub’s Topping Out Ceremony (TOC) this morning, Guest-of-Honour Mr Lim Boon Heng, Secretary-General, National Trades Union Congress, and Minister, Prime Minister’s Office, and other guests , prepared a cement foundation at the fourth level and laid a plaque to mark the occasion. The TOC is symbolic as it signifies the completion of AMK Hub’s building structure. It also means that AMK Hub is a step closer to serving Ang Mo Kio residents and visitors alike.
3 Today’s TOC marked another key milestone for AMK Hub following its groundbreaking on 27 March 2005. The retail mall building, which has a total gross floor area of 48,250 square metres, has now taken shape despite a tight construction schedule, which started on 7 April 2005. When completed, it will have four storeys and three basement levels of retail, entertainment, learning and community space, aim to draw more residents and visitors, and consequently, add more vibrancy, to the Ang Mo Kio Town Centre.
4 Currently, Ang Mo Kio residents and visitors can see that AMK Hub’s primary concrete structure has already been completed substantially. Internally, mechanical and engineering works are currently undergoing the testing and commissioning phase. Over the next few months, work on its architecture and external façade will continue to be carried out. All works are targeted to be completed by first quarter of 2007.
5 Built in tandem with AMK Hub, the new bus interchange is also scheduled for completion in early 2007, upon which the Land Transport Authority will take over its ownership. To give Ang Mo Kio residents and visitors greater links and accessibility to Ang Mo Kio Town Centre and AMK Hub, the underground pass to Ang Mo Kio MRT Station and a new pedestrian overhead bridge spanning across Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 is scheduled for completion in the same period.
Labour Movement’s LM 2011 Vision
6 The development of AMK Hub also signifies an important phase for the Labour Movement as it illustrates the inclusive spirit of the Labour Movement 2011 or LM 2011 vision – ‘Labour Movement for All, All for Labour Movement’. In August 2006, the Labour Movement set out on this five-year LM 2011 vision to work closely with unions and cooperatives, and tripartite partners, to improve the lives of all our workers and their families in a holistic manner at work, live and play.
7 AMK Hub is one such example of how the Labour Movement and its economic and social partners can come together to better serve Ang Mo Kio residents, and workers and Singaporeans. NTUC’s various cooperatives like NTUC FairPrice, NTUC Income, NTUC Foodfare, NTUC Healthcare, NTUC Childcare and NTUC Eldercare, and NTUC Club, will all come under one roof in AMK Hub to provide a holistic range of affordable products and services for residents and visitors of all ages, bringing them greater convenience, and cost and time savings.
8 Residents and visitors will find anchor tenant, NTUC FairPrice, occupying AMK Hub’s Basement Two with its first-ever and biggest hypermarket, which stands at approximately 7,100 square metres (77,000 square feet), and offering a wide variety of products ranging from groceries to electrical and electronic goods. For NTUC Income, it has plans to set up a branch to offer full servicing facilities and may set up its third Insurance Business Centre there. With these facilities from NTUC Income, residents will be able to carry out all their insurance and payment transactions, and do their financial planning, at a greater convenience. To provide residents with a good spread of hawker fare, NTUC Foodfare will open a foodcourt at Level Three while NTUC Club will keep residents entertained at Level Four with an Integrated Entertainment Centre, featuring club facilities, games arcade and an eight-screen cineplex.
9 To give residents and visitors a comprehensive retail mix, there will also be many other popular retail, food and beverages outlets, and banks to serve them. AMK Hub’s developers have also ensured that the retail mall building looks after the needs of both the elderly and disabled, by having handicapped ramps, toilets and lifts conveniently located for their use. Additionally, nursery rooms will cater for the needs of parents with young children.
AMK Hub’s Name
10 As AMK Hub will become an integral part of Ang Mo Kio residents’ lives, its developers decided to involve them in suggesting a suitable name for the retail mall through a “Name-the-Mall” competition in March 2005. The competition was publicised in the magazine, Ang Mo Kio The Home March 2005, and attracted the participation of 59 residents. Based on the AMK Hub Management Committee’s judging criteria of suitability, creativity and rationale for the retail mall’s name, there were 20 residents that gave good suggestions for the name. Each of them was given a consolation prize of $50 NTUC FairPrice voucher to recognise their efforts and contributions.
11 With the suggested names and after much consideration, the AMK Hub Management Committee decided on the name, “AMK Hub”, as the development is expected to be more than just a retail mall. With the integrated bus interchange and link to the Ang Mo Kio MRT station, the AMK Hub will become an exciting and vibrant hub in Ang Mo Kio Town Centre for Ang Mo Kio residents and visitors to meet, interact, connect and transit.
Jointly issued by:
Singapore Labour Foundation
NTUC Income Insurance Co-operative Limited
NTUC Fairprice Co-operative Limited
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Please contact Knight Frank Shopping Centre Management Pte Ltd (As managing agent for AMK Hub) for queries on:
