The Singapore Discovery Centre (SDC) is an '

edutainment Educational entertainment (also referred to as edutainment) is media designed to educate through entertainment. The term was used as early as 1954 by Walt Disney. Most often it includes content intended to teach but has incidental entertainment ...

' and

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural b ...

by the Ministry of Defence of Singapore in

Jurong West Jurong West is a planning area and residential town located in the West Region of Singapore. Jurong West shares boundaries with Tengah in the north, Jurong East in the east, Boon Lay and Pioneer in the south, and Western Water Catchment in t ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

. The centre includes exhibits which display the history of Singapore as well as an insight on the future.

History

In 1992, Heritage Technology Exhibition, a member of the Singapore Technologies Group, announced to build a centre to show Singapore's success. The centre was projected to cost SGD30 million and to be built within

SAFTI Military Institute The SAFTI Military Institute (SAFTI MI) is a military institute of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) comprising five schools: the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College, three SAF Advanced Schools, and the Officer Cadet School. Located on an ...

in Jurong. The center will have 10,000 square meters of exhibition space. SDC was opened on 24 October 1996. The centre was built beside SAFTI Military Institute at a cost of SGD70 million. It was officially opened on 23 November 1996. SDC closed for redevelopment from November 2004 to June 2006. The centre reopened on 18 July 2006 by then Minister for Defence, Mr Teo Chee Hean.

Exhibits

In its first phase it developed showing Singapore's recent history - living under the flags of Britain, Japan, Britain, Malaysia before becoming an independent nation. Milestones in that journey were picked out in a theatrical setting. 'Singapore Today' showed the vibrant life in late 20th century Singapore. Other galleries include mini-theaters showing the role of tactics and planning in everyday life and showcased the Singapore Armed Forces. Indoor exhibits include 'So Singapore Theatre, Gateway, Portals, Build it, Crisis Simulation Theatre, Harmony Circle etc. Outdoor exhibits includes a playground and the a display of aircraft. The Chief Exhibit Designer for the centre's creation is UK based Neal Potter. The centre was planned by Canadian company Lord Cultural Resources and the building was designed by mgt Architects from Australia.

Outdoor exhibits

The centre also has an outdoor exhibition of military hardware used by the

Singapore Armed Forces The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) are the military services of the Republic of Singapore, responsible for protecting and defending the security interests and the sovereignty of the country. A military component of the Ministry of Defence (MINDE ...

. Permanent exhibits include an

AMX-13 The AMX-13 is a French light tank produced from 1952 to 1987. It served with the French Army, as the Char 13t-75 Modèle 51, and was exported to more than 26 other nations. Named after its initial weight of 13 tonnes, and featuring a tough and re ...

tank,

UH-1H The Bell UH-1 Iroquois military helicopter, first introduced in 1959, is the first production member of the prolific Huey family of helicopters, and was itself developed in over twenty variants, which are listed below. XH-40 and YH-40 The firs ...

helicopter and a Skyhawk fighter jet.

Awards and recognition

* Tripartite Committee on Work-Life Strategy, 2012 ** Work-Life Achiever Award 2012 * Minister for Defence Award (MiDAs), 2013 ** Inducted into the MiDAs League for a five-year tenure as advocates of national defence * Singapore Book of Records, 2020 ** Longest Sheltered Walkway Fitted With Solar Panels * Singapore Good Design Award (SG Mark) – Interior Design, 2021 ** Awarded for SDC’s Permanent Exhibits Gallery: Through the Lens of Time * NS Mark (Gold), 2021

References

External links

Official site
{{Major Tourist Attractions in Singapore 1996 establishments in Singapore Jurong West Science museums in Singapore Science and technology in Singapore Scientific organisations based in Singapore