Last Updated on 2020-03-05 , 6:09 pm
When it comes to the northeast of Singapore, these are the few things that usually come to a person’s mind: BTO because of Punggol, young families because of Punggol and Punggol Waterway Park because of Punggol.
It’s almost like the northeast is all about BTO.
But boy, are you wrong. Do you know that the northeast includes places like Ang Mo Kio, Hougang and of course Serangoon as well? And this region has a few malls as well, with most of them being completed only in the last ten years.
One of which is The Seletar Mall, located just next to Fernvale LRT (linked to Sengkang MRT.) Now, other than the fact that it is a mall (wait, isn’t the name obvious enough?), this hidden gem in the northeast has some fascinating facts that might make you visit it this weekend.
The Mall Has Almost No Windows for a Good Reason
Some malls have lots of glass panels in its facade so that people inside the mall can see whether it’s raining outside while people outside the mall can see what food some diners are having. But jokes aside, the key consideration for having glass panels is for aesthetics: it makes a mall looks good and almost welcoming.
The reason why most of the facade of The Seletar Mall is solid wall (except the the main atrium near the cross junction) is to help reduce heat from entering the mall, allowing the mall to save more energy in keeping the interior of the mall cool.
Bet even people who have been to the mall six million times won’t know about this. Now you know what to say when you need to impress your date this weekend in the mall.
There’s an Open Rooftop Playground to Throw Your Kids There While You Shop
…or when you and your SO just want to watch a movie that has many shades of a colour. Open from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., it’s a perfect respite for young couples who want to relive their playground days or for parents to take a break after shopping.
And lest it’s not clear enough, I was kidding when I suggested you to leave your kids there while you run your errands. Your kids should leave you there while they run their errands (like having five Happy Meals in McDonald’s).
The Mall Breathed Life into a Young Town
Fernvale was one of the youngest neighbourhoods to join the big Sengkang family. According to a marketing and retail lecturer then, the entire area seemed “quite dead” then.
And in the same article that was published in late 2014, a resident there had to go to town to “buy socks”. That might sound extreme, because from my understanding, NSFs who were posted to Sungei Gedong Camp didn’t need to go to town to buy their socks. Okay, I digress, but you get the idea: it was really quite dead then.
In other words, the mall doesn’t just bring entertainment to the neighbourhood; it makes it more lively.
The Mall Uses Natural Lighting During the Day
Yeah, while most of the facade of the mall prevents heat and light from entering the mall, there’s a large atrium on the top of the building to allow natural light to shine into the mall, minimizing the need for artificial lighting during the day. This saves almost 20% of power.
Interesting much, no?
If not, here’s something even more interesting: natural lighting is good for photography. All you Instagramers are all excited now, eh?
There’s an Indoor Playground for the Young Parents, Too
So, now you know there’s an outdoor playground at the rooftop. Do you know there’s an indoor one as well, in the basement? Known as Hokey Pokey, the playground is catered for toddlers, which the founders have called it “an educational and fun haven where mommies and daddies can bring their little kiddos to with a peace of mind.”
You can even book the entire place for your little one’s event! Another place to throw your kids in—I mean, bond with your kids.
The Name of the Mall Has “The”
Confused? Here’s something to make you less confused: saying “I just went to Seletar Mall” is wrong. Saying “I just went to The Seletar Mall” is correct.
If a Grammar Nazi ever corrected you for using an article before a proper noun, just tell him or her that the full proper noun is “The Seletar Mall”.
So, when you’re free, show this off to friends who didn’t know about this. Just use the exact words in the previous paragraph and trust me on that: I’m an English major. My England quite the best-est.
There’s a Lunchtime Shuttle Bus for People Working Near the Mall
Do you work near Ang Mo Kio / Yio Chu Kang Industrial Park? Well, there’s a shuttle bus during weekdays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. that brings you from your workplace to the mall. With the mall dedicating 30% of its area to F&B, and with air-con as well, it’s the perfect opportunity to have a long lunch break.
Just make sure you go back to work after your lunch break.
You Can Get Lots of Baby Necessities There
Want to get something interesting for your babies? No need to go all the way to places that specialized in stocking kids’ stuff; there’re numerous shops in The Seletar Mall that are catered for young parents, from learning centres to kids’ essentials. After all, remember: the main target audience of the mall is young families.
Even Lamkins, the popular online store that sells toys has set up its first retail shop there, so you can bet on finding everything about kids there.
And girlfriends and wives, this is the perfect place to hint to your SO about marriage or babies. #justsuggesting
It is One of the Few Malls Beside an LRT Line
For a start, it’s not common for an LRT station to have a shopping mall next to it. After all, you can consider an LRT a feeder bus; you won’t see a mall next to a stand-alone bus stop, right?
And you know what this means? Lesser people. And that means more seats in the foodcourt, more empty waiting area and more seats in the cinema.
There’s a Free 2-hour Parking from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
It’s common for malls to provide free parking for one or two hours, but it’s usually during lunch hours so as to attract drivers to come during their lunch break. However, The Seletar Mall upped the game by providing two hours from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; that’s the entire day.
The condition is that you have to spend $30, but come on lah: unless you’re there just for the air-con, you’ll spend at least $30 if you’re driving there. In other words, I think I can safely say that parking is almost free.
Now, don’t take my words for it. Try visiting the mall and you might just be a regular there. And just so you know, the mall is celebrating its second anniversary, with an escape-room-style game for you to win more than $3000 worth of vouchers.
Shop, eat and…play. Isn’t that the best of both—three worlds?
This article was first published on goodyfeed.com and is written in collaboration with The Seletar Mall.
