Cracks found above Sports Hub mall’s rock climbing walls

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http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/cracks-found-above-sports-hub-malls-rock-climbing-walls?singlepage=true

Only a month after it opened, the much-touted indoor rock climbing walls at Kallang Wave Mall at the Singapore Sports Hub had to be shut down temporarily after cracks appeared on the glass panel of the ceiling above the walls on Monday evening.

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The walls, managed by Climb Central, were cordoned off immediately and activities were suspended due to a fracture in the upper layer of one double-laminated glass panel on the ceiling, said Mr Philippe Delavaud, SportsHub Pte Ltd’s chief executive, in a statement last night.

A maintenance team was immediately called in to inspect the skylight.

“After their inspection, qualified engineers have confirmed the double-laminated glass panel (is) structurally safe, with the bottom layer fully intact,” said Mr Delavaud, adding that the upper layer within the glass panel would be replaced by next week.

“It is suspected that the upper layer in this one glass panel inherited material impurities during the toughening process,” he said.

Mr Delavaud stressed that Sports­Hub would “continue to conduct regular checks to all glass panels in the skylight for any irregularities”.

Undergraduate Sam Tan, 26, a first-time visitor to the mall, said: “It looks dangerous, because it looks like the ceiling is cracked.”

A spokesperson for the FairPrice Xtra store at the mall described Monday evening’s incident as isolated and concentrated only in the area above the climbing facility.

“The safety of our customers and staff is our utmost priority, and we are in touch with the retail operator and maintenance operator on this matter,” the spokesperson said, adding that the store will remain open.