Revamped *Scape to reopen in Nov with more spaces for youth, eyes 2 million annual visitors

The revamped *Scape will officially be relaunched in November with more dedicated spaces for young people, aiming to reach more than two million people in footfall within a year.

The youth-centric hub, which was established in 2007, underwent redevelopment in the past few years as part of the rejuvenation of the Somerset Belt.

Some spaces in the five-storey building, like dance spaces, are already open for use, while others are still undergoing renovation.

Among the changes after renovation works is the almost doubling of capacity at The Ground Theatre, an event space within *Scape that opened in 2013. It will now be able to host 870 guests, up from 450.

Mr Ethen Ong, deputy executive director of *Scape, said around 20 per cent of the building will be dedicated to free spaces and seating that young people can use freely for hanging out.

"Since the Covid pandemic, we noticed that there is a need for youth to find common spaces for them to connect and build friendships. We want that community to be built in *Scape," he added.

The remaining space in the building will be occupied by organisations and businesses, most of which are catered to young people.

One of them is Access Singapore, a charity that aims to help students facing academic, financial or social challenges.

The Centre of Excellence for Youth Mental Health (Chat), a mental health service for young people, will continue with its lease at *Scape. It has been running its services there since 2010.

SM Universe, a subsidiary group of SM Entertainment that specialises in training programmes related to K-pop, will also house its Singapore campus at *Scape.

This will be SM Entertainment's first K-pop training academy in South-east Asia. Dance lessons will be held for trainees on the fourth level of the building.

Around 30 per cent of the businesses in the building are up and running, with the rest progressively finishing renovation works before November.

The first and second floors of the building will be occupied by Innovate 360, an organisation that supports start-ups. It will bring together youth-run businesses like cafes and photo booths.

The outdoor courtyard of *Scape, which was long occupied by tenants like McDonald's and The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, has been redeveloped into an open space where young people can hold performances or sit with their friends.

A seating deck that overlooks Grange Road has also been extended to fit more seats.

"We got feedback from youth that they would like to have more seating capacity and more open spaces for them to catch up with friends and connect. It is also designed in such a way that allows these youth to run their events and performances here," said Mr Ong.

Mr David Chua, chairman of *Scape, said the hub will be the key node in the Somerset Belt precinct from which partnerships and new programmes can be made to provide more opportunities for young people.

For example, *Scape will be collaborating with its neighbour Cineleisure to develop design programmes for young people, and with Youth Corps Singapore across the road to tap volunteering opportunities.