HomeTeamNS Bedok Reservoir is a sustainable haven that would leave every Singaporean proud…and also excited. The longest indoor waterslide? Count us in!
If you’ve ever been to HomeTeamNS Khatib’s Adventure HQ, you’ve probably noted how cool the place is despite the lack of air conditioning. It turns out that with a little bit (actually, a lot) of calculations and carefully curated engineering and architecture, an indoor space can be cool, airy, and yet still away from the elements!
In conversation with HomeTeamNS’ Chief Executive Ms. Agnes Eu, the futr Singapore team discovered what exactly it takes for a building to be sustainable and eco-friendly while still remaining comfortable for its guests.
And with HomeTeamNS Bedok Reservoir having just opened a little more than a week ago, we figured it was high time to take a deep dive into HomeTeamNS’ eco-success. Plus, of course, grab a sneak peek at all its new attractions – we wouldn’t waste an opportunity like that 😉 So if you’ve ever wondered how your afternoons enjoying high elements no longer require a beating from the Singapore sun thanks to HomeTeamNS, you’re on the right page.
1. the way of the wind.
If you’re a Singaporean, you’re a fan of air conditioning. The Singaporean sun is a painful thing to be stuck under, even if you love the outdoors! But what do you do when you want to stay green while still enjoying lowered temperatures and nice breezes?
For HomeTeamNS, the architects designing the clubhouses made use of the air around them, creating buildings that would catch any wind passing by, cooling a space naturally without air conditioning and saving on energy consumption.
“From the very onset, we knew that we didn’t want a clubhouse with an air conditioned lobby. There was a time where everybody wanted everything to be air conditioned, so the lobby and everything else would be air conditioned. But moving forward, we realised it was not sustainable, it’s not very green. So when we were building Khatib (& Bedok) we were very sure that we didn’t want this. That’s why you’ll find that our biggest anchor facility, the Adventure HQ, is totally naturally ventilated,” Ms. Agnes told futr Singapore.
In addition to the naturally ventilated common areas, HomeTeamNS also uses large overhang balconies on higher floors to provide shade for lower floors.
Action Motion at HomeTeamNS Bedok Reservoir
“Really, we wanted the cake and to eat it too. We didn’t want the sun because it’s very hot, nor did we want the rain, but we didn’t want aircon either!” laughed Ms. Agnes. “We wanted it to be airy, but with just natural air. So if you were to stand in our lobby you would feel wind coming, but it’s like where is it coming from? It’s the way the building is built – they draw the wind in and keep the place cool.”
If you’re dropping by HomeTeamNS Bedok Reservoir for ActionMotion or Aqua Adventure, you’ll notice that you never feel warm despite all the physical fun – and that’s all thanks to the natural ventilation!
Brought to you by the same people behind Adventure HQ and Clip ‘n Climb HomeTeamNS, Aqua Adventure is Singapore’s first integrated all-weather water adventure centre, it spans 3 storeys and features Singapore’s longest indoor waterslide at 114m. It’s also home to an 85 m long indoor Black Hole Water Slide with Aqualucent Strips and an indoor net obstacle arena. If you’re here for the adrenaline though, be sure to check out Aqua Adventure’s indoor aquatic challenge rope course and climbing walls.
Aqua Adventure has yet to officially open, but we’re all very excited!
“(During the opening of HomeTeamNS Bedok Reservoir), my colleagues armed themselves with a microphone and were bringing people around like tour groups.. you know, introducing everyone to the place – and we had members coming out and saying, “this one has USS feels,” and I was so happy!” Ms. Agnes said.
If you’re into a little more competition though, Action Motion is for you. Action Motion is Singapore’s first digital active experience arena with a score-tabulating gamifier system, featuring Augmented-Reality (AR) bouldering walls, AR trampoline, multi-level obstacle course and a net maze. The gamifier system even tracks participants’ scores and timings, and displays them on a leaderboard for all to see. It’ll kind of be like you’re competing in a Ninja Course of your very own.
2. blue & green roofs.
“We were able to build (the new clubhouses) from scratch, so we could plan with our architect how we wanted to do things, including whether we wanted it sustainable, all the dream things that we would want, we could plan it right from the start,” Ms. Agnes said when asked about the start of HomeTeamNS’ sustainable clubhouses. And this included the clubhouses’ blue and green roofs!
HomeTeamNS’ blue and green roofs use high solar reflectance index (SRI) building materials, which allow the clubhouse to reflect solar heat away from the building. Heat gain on facade walls is also reduced by using building materials with low U-value* and low-emissivity coating on glass. In short, using these materials ensures less heat gain from the building’s exterior into the interior, cooling the space down without air conditioning and saving on energy.
Beyond that, HomeTeamNS Bedok Reservoir also made sure to use low carbon and Singapore Green Building certified products, in support of the Singapore’s Green Plan 2030.
*U-value refers to the thermal transmittance of a material.
3. biophilic designs and being one with nature.
“For laymen like me, biophilic designs simply means living with the natural environment around you! Our designs (for both Bedok and Khatib) draw the environment, the natural, into the building and out,” said Ms. Agnes.
As HomeTeamNS Bedok Reservoir was being built, the team behind the clubhouse were conscious of the fact that the building was going to be built in a park. To ensure that the building would seamlessly meld into its environment, HomeTeamNS Bedok Reservoir adopted a biophilic design approach that would add value to the park, rather than taking away from it.
The clubhouse grows over 50% of native species plants on its building, and makes use of rainwater harvesting and drip irrigation system for landscaping maintenance. It also ensures that every part of its external facade blends into its surroundings – from creating a curved building that would compliment the reservoir and the greenery surrounding it, to the infinity pool that looks out into the reservoir. Even the car park opens up straight into the park!
4. adopting a paperless culture.
If you’re a member with HomeTeamNS, you might already know about this! HomeTeamNS has gone almost paper-free with their operations. They walk the talk when it comes to sustainability, and it starts with their staff and members!
Instead of printing out cards for members, HomeTeamNS built an all-encompassing mobile app that’s both green and empowering. Almost like a virtual club, a member can enjoy the entire clubhouse with just the app. From booking activities and rooms to accessing them on their own, members are empowered to not only stay green but also roam the clubhouse freely without the help of a security guard or guide. Although, the clubhouse is looking into a cool concierge robot!
“Even if you book like Adventure HQ, you book your slot, you get a QR code, print out your own wrist tag and then you can enter through the gantry on your own. You can even get your own locker which is keyless and put in your stuff so everything is just like this – you are empowered to do everything!” Ms. Agnes said.
And for those who do need a little guidance, there’s always help. Although going wireless means there’s no longer a need for a service counter, ambassadors are available to engage with the community, speak to members and help out those who might need a little more guidance.
5. taking advantage of the tropical sun.
If you’ve ever been to Bedok Reservoir, you know it can get really hot – especially during the midday. So why not take advantage of the heat to help stay green and eco-friendly! HomeTeamNS Bedok Reservoir and Khatib both have solar panels in place, saving about 2-5% of each clubhouses’ energy needs.
6. electric vehicle charging stations.
We saved the best for last: EV charging spots are in the works for both Bedok and Khatib HomeTeamNS clubhouses! While the details have yet to be confirmed, EV charging stations are definitely in the works, and we might just see news about it in the future.
From new water parks and Man Caves to cool, eco-friendly vibes, HomeTeamNS Bedok Reservoir is definitely worth checking out. Especially if you’ve been a fan of HomeTeamNS Khatib and all of HomeTeamNS’ clubhouses so far!
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