Lasalle’s 12-storey expansion plan delayed by Covid-19 pandemic

SINGAPORE – Construction of a 12-storey block at Lasalle College of the Arts, previously slated to start in 2021 and be completed by 2025, has been delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The new building, designed to house facilities such as a 300-seat lecture theatre and a music recital hall, as well as provide a connection to Rochor MRT station, was intended to help the school centralise its facilities and classes.

But as at January, there have been no signs of work beginning on the site earmarked for the building next to Lasalle’s campus at 1 McNally Street, which opened in 2007.

When asked for an update on the planned expansion, a Lasalle spokeswoman said construction has been delayed due to the pandemic.

“We are working on the development plans and will provide updates in due course,” she said, without giving an updated timeline for the project.

It was announced in November 2019 that the college had

received a $50 million donation from Ngee Ann Kongsi

to build a 12-storey building in an expansion of the current college campus, which was intended for 1,850 students.

Based on the Ministry of Education’s data, Lasalle has had more than 2,300 active students enrolled annually in its degree and diploma programmes since the expansion was announced, with 2,374 students enrolled as at 2023.

Besides the lecture theatre and music recital hall, the new building was also to have a film studio, publicly accessible ground-floor galleries and a glass facade that opens out to Rochor Canal Road.

The expansion was intended to help Lasalle accommodate 2,700 students and eliminate the need to travel between campuses for classes.

Some students currently take classes in buildings in Winstedt Road that were formerly occupied by Monk’s Hill Primary School and Newton Boys’ School and now house studios and technical workshops.

Lasalle’s School of Design Communication and School of Fashion also have classes at Wilkie Edge, a mall near the McNally campus.

Lasalle students told The Straits Times that they hope the expanded campus will have a canteen.

They said the current campus lacks affordable food options as it has only one cafe, and the surrounding area has inadequate halal options.

Mr Irfan Mohd, 21, who is studying for a diploma in design communication, said a larger campus would make attending classes more convenient, as some of his classes are at Wilkie Edge.

“Although you get used to it after a while, things can be quite confusing at the start of the semester as I have to keep checking the timetable to make sure I’m in the right place,” he said.