Good intention, less efficient implementation — The Wave at NTU’s Sports and Recreation Centre

A massive wood structure looking like a huge wave spans across a whole field at NTU's Sports and Recreation Centre. This grand and futuristic building has got many turning heads.

Called 'The Wave', a sports hall of 13 badminton courts in size, the building part of NTU’s initiative to involve students in its eco-campus campaign.

The Wave is built with engineered wood from sustainable forests, and is the first large-scale building in this region to do so.

The sports hall is the newest addition to NTU's sports facilities, built in April this year.

But though The Wave is there to expand recreation space, it may not be as well received as anticipated.

“We can’t even train inside,” says Darrell Er, a second-year Wee Kim Wee student in NTU’s floorball team.

Darrell claims, that despite being fitted with floorball flooring, his team is not allowed to train in The Wave as they would harm its flooring.

Darrell says that he is just one of many who is denied training permission there. Some claimed that they have only gone to The Wave for events instead of training.

The Wave is constructed with Mass Engineered Timber, allowing faster construction and support for its 72m-long roof without internal pillars. This new innovation saves 40% more energy through good insulation, by making air-conditioners redundant.

Users generally praise this energy-saving concept, however, for Ma Wai Cheung, it is unfeasible.

“When I train, I wouldn’t be concerned about saving energy, but rather getting cool air,” says the final-year Material Science student.

An active participant of his hall’s sports, Wai Cheung visits the SRC regularly, but like Darrell, does not train in The Wave. He felt that although commendable, the green initiative would not be the sportspeople’s priority.

Regardless of its flaws, the students are still generally supportive of The Wave’s green efforts.

Although he does not train there, Wai Cheung feels that The Wave did give his sport more space, since some sports he shared training grounds with have shifted to The Wave.

“I just wish that other sports can use the facilities too,” he says, for the changes he wants to see in The Wave.

(Sept 2017)