As my mum would probably attest to, I’m a man of many dreams. Many. For example, I once dreamt of…
Becoming a doctor.
Writing a best-selling book that eclipses the fame achieved by Parry Otter and the Cheating Buckteeth.
Making the world a truly peaceful one, one that spews out rainbows and whatnot.
Yet, as my mum also adds on; I’m an achiever of none.
But I’m not giving up. Despite this savage mum of mine, I held true to one single dream:
Of one day constructing a building that claims to have 10 floors, but actually possesses 11.
A secret floor all to myself? Dope!
But it seems that it’s just not meant to be, as apparently, this dream of mine violates some shady ass Building Control Act.
Though hey, it doesn’t seem to have stopped this particular owner from making it a reality anyway.
What happened?
On 26 Feb 2019, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) proceeded with a fire safety inspection at the Alexcier.
But it seems that they got more than they bargained for, as an entire new floor was uncovered in the process.
Now, for those unaware, the Alexcier is a multi-use industrial building (i.e. can be used for warehousing lah, office lah or anything commercial lah) with a lift that displays up to eight floors.
But as it turns out, there’s one that’s not quite accessible by lift.
Movie Entrance
Think those cool but totally ludicrous secret entrances only exist in movies?
Think again.
Having conducted a safety inspection based on feedback received from a member of the public, the SCDF ended up discovering an entire hidden level.
But that’s not the only revelation that’s startling, for if The Straits Times were to be believed (which, by the way, should be believed because it’s mainstream media leh), the apparent entry process goes something like this:
1. Go in a specific office pantry on the eight floor.
2. Enter a number on a keypad on the wall.
3. This will unlock a door, disguised as a display shelf.
4. Go up two flights of stairs to find yourself in a 5,000 sq ft room.
But cool as it is, it has to be noted that the process is really pretty illegal.
So yeah, those spies you see in the movies? They’ll be violating laws if it was in Singapore.
And no, it’s not because the door is way too hidden. Hiding a door is perfectly fine, just like how our boss hides his door by covering it with soft toys so we won’t know he’s not in.
Hiding an entire floor that’s not exactly being approved?
Nah.
And it’s really pretty understandably so, considering how the Building and Construction Authority and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) have also shared that this modification is in fact, unauthorised.
According to Mothership, SCDF has revealed they will be undertaking enforcement actions against the premise owners.
And more deets
Apparently, the eighth floor is owned by ZACD investments, which leased it to ZACD Posh. Both, lest you haven’t caught on, belong to ZACD Group.
After the whole fiasco, Stanley Yeo, chief executive officer of ZACD Group, maintains that the 9th floor isn’t really an extra floor.
“It’s not an additional floor. It’s a racking system,” Yeo said in an interview with ST. “We built it four to five years ago for storage purposes. It’s only about 3,000 to 4,000 sq ft.”
But according to ST, the floor was the size of eight three-room HDB flats, with workstations, beds, a kitchen and a meeting room.
“Nobody lives there, but we have people who work overtime and overnight,” Yeo stated.
“We have a software engineering business and people work late. They are not there most of the time. Only once in a while.”
He also said that the ninth floor was only being utilised as a storage space. According to him, the furniture was moved there following usage in showrooms, and the workstations from computers were slotted there after the company’s IT system was hacked.
Eh. Like that one?
Though it has to be speculated… the disclosure might’ve been for a reason
According to ST, Yeo would’ve ended up forking out more than S$1 million for the additional floor space, had it been approved by the URA. A tough amount to hand out for anyone, and it might just offer food for thought.
As it is, however, Yeo will reportedly be sealing off the stairway to the ninth floor later this month.
Apparently, those who are found guilty of breaching the Building Control Act will be liable upon conviction to a fine of up to S$200,000 and/or jail of up to two years.
So yeah, with all things considered…
I’ll probably not be fulfilling my dream anytime soon.
If you watch at least 10 minutes of brain rot content daily, you must know this:
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