Things to do for Kids | Learning Fusionopolis Way

Things to do for kids along Fusionopolis Way can become a learning day about research clusters, physical sciences, engineering, ICT, media, collaborative workplaces, goods lifts, loading bays, car-lite planning, pedestrianisation, first-and-last-mile travel and how a business park can be designed to make people and ideas meet more easily.

Fusionopolis forms one of the major research precincts inside one-north. JTC describes the wider Fusionopolis estate as spread across about 30 hectares and designed to support information and communications technology, media, physical sciences and engineering. Fusionopolis One occupies 1 and 3 Fusionopolis Way, while Fusionopolis Two occupies 2, 4 and 6.

The precinct is also an important transport-planning case study. In 2019, one-north became Singapore’s first car-lite business park, and JTC trialled the pedestrianisation of around 60 metres of Fusionopolis Way. JTC also announced wider footpaths, covered linkways and stronger first-and-last-mile connections to one-north and Buona Vista MRT stations.

For children, the central question is useful: how does a science-and-technology district work differently when buildings, transport, research facilities and public spaces are designed as one connected system?

• begin with Fusionopolis as an R&D cluster;
• use 30 hectares for area scale;
• use ICT, media, physical sciences and engineering as four knowledge domains;
• use Fusionopolis One and Two for building-system comparison;
• use goods lifts and loading bays for research logistics;
• use floor loading and ceiling height for engineering constraints;
• use the 2019 car-lite programme for transport planning;
• use pedestrianised streets for public-space design;
• finish by mapping how people, equipment and ideas move.

Explore Fusionopolis One

Explore Fusionopolis Two

Explore one-north car-lite planning

Begin with 30 Hectares

JTC describes Fusionopolis as spread over about 30 hectares within one-north.

Thirty hectares equals 300,000 square metres, giving children a concrete sense of precinct scale.

Teach Area Conversion

One hectare equals 10,000 square metres.

Large business districts become easier to compare when converted into common units.

Use a Square Model

A hypothetical square of 300,000 square metres would have sides of about 548 metres.

Fusionopolis is not square; the model only helps visualise scale.

Teach Shape versus Area

Equal area does not mean equal travel distance.

Long narrow districts and compact districts behave differently.

Use Fusionopolis One

Fusionopolis One occupies 1 and 3 Fusionopolis Way and combines business-park space with retail and services.

A research building can also support food, exercise and childcare functions.

Teach Mixed-Use Support

Researchers still need lunch, errands and daily services.

Amenities reduce the need to leave the precinct for every small task.

Use Fusionopolis Two

Fusionopolis Two occupies 2, 4 and 6 Fusionopolis Way and provides larger specialised spaces for infocomm, media and research users.

Several buildings can share one precinct identity while serving different tenants.

Teach Campus Systems

A campus is more than one building.

Shared roads, paths, utilities and amenities connect separate structures into one operating environment.

Use ICT

Information and communications technology moves, stores and processes information.

Its infrastructure includes software, networks, servers and people.

Use Media

Media work combines creative production with technology, distribution and audience systems.

Digital content still depends on studios, networks and physical workplaces.

Use Physical Sciences

Physical sciences study matter, energy and fundamental processes.

Research may require specialised instruments, laboratories and environmental control.

Use Engineering

Engineering applies scientific and mathematical knowledge to design useful systems.

A research precinct supports both discovery and application.

Teach Domain Overlap

ICT, media, physical sciences and engineering often overlap.

A sensor project may involve materials, electronics, software and visual communication at the same time.

Use Collaboration

JTC emphasises collaboration as a core feature of Fusionopolis.

Physical proximity increases the chance that people from different fields can meet.

Teach Interdisciplinary Work

Interdisciplinary work combines methods from several fields to solve one problem.

Complex systems rarely fit neatly into one school subject.

Use Shared Meeting Space

Fusionopolis One provides shared meeting rooms.

Shared rooms reduce duplicated floor area when many organisations need large rooms only occasionally.

Teach Utilisation

A room used by ten teams can have higher utilisation than ten separate rooms used rarely.

Sharing converts time into space efficiency.

Use Business Park Units

Current JTC listings include units ranging from under 100 square metres to several hundred square metres.

Different team sizes require different workspace scales.

Teach Modular Growth

Companies can move or reconfigure as staff and equipment needs change.

Flexible space supports organisational growth.

Use Floor Loading

JTC lists business-park floor loading figures for Fusionopolis units.

Floor loading determines how much weight the structure can safely support.

Teach Load per Area

A heavy machine concentrates force onto the floor.

Engineers compare equipment weight with allowed loading and support conditions.

Use a 5 kN per Square Metre Example

A floor rating of 5 kilonewtons per square metre represents a distributed load rather than one point load.

The example introduces structural capacity without treating every unit as identical.

Teach Distributed versus Point Load

A heavy cabinet spread over a large base differs from one concentrated foot.

Load distribution changes structural demand.

Use Ceiling Height

Some Fusionopolis units have very high ceiling zones, while others are more conventional.

Ceiling height affects equipment, ducts, lighting and the sense of space.

Teach Volume

A 100-square-metre room with a 3-metre ceiling encloses 300 cubic metres.

Research space is three-dimensional.

Use Chilled Water

JTC listings note chilled-water requirements for some business-park units.

District cooling or chilled-water systems can support air-conditioning efficiently at building scale.

Teach Heat Removal

Computers, people and equipment generate heat.

Cooling systems remove heat to maintain comfort and safe operating conditions.

Use Electrical Loading

Research and technology spaces need substantial electrical capacity.

Power demand increases with computers, equipment and cooling.

Teach Power Budgets

Every device adds to total electrical load.

Designers must ensure the supply can handle simultaneous use.

Use Goods Lifts

Fusionopolis One includes a large goods lift with multi-tonne capacity.

Research and media equipment sometimes requires transport far beyond ordinary passenger-lift limits.

Teach Tonnage

One tonne equals 1,000 kilograms.

A six-tonne lift capacity is roughly the mass of several cars, though exact comparisons vary.

Use Lift Dimensions

Goods-lift door and cabin dimensions determine whether large equipment can physically fit.

Capacity is limited by both weight and geometry.

Teach Bounding Boxes

An object may be light enough but too wide or tall for the lift.

Logistics checks mass and dimensions together.

Use Loading Bays

Fusionopolis One lists three loading bays.

Loading bays connect building logistics to trucks and service vehicles.

Teach Throughput

If one bay handles one truck every 30 minutes, three bays could theoretically handle six trucks per hour.

Real operations vary with loading time and scheduling.

Use Bottlenecks

A building may have enough lift capacity but too few loading bays, or the reverse.

The slowest stage constrains total flow.

Teach Systems Thinking

Optimising one component does not guarantee the whole system improves.

Interfaces and bottlenecks matter.

Use Car Parks

Fusionopolis One lists hundreds of car and motorcycle lots.

Parking consumes valuable land and building volume.

Teach Parking Opportunity Cost

Space used for parking cannot simultaneously be lab, office, park or public realm.

Transport choices affect land use.

Use One-North MRT Integration

Fusionopolis One is integrated with one-north MRT.

Direct integration shortens the first-and-last-mile connection.

Teach Seamless Transfers

A transfer feels easier when routes are sheltered, short and legible.

Transport quality includes walking before and after the train.

Use Buona Vista MRT

Fusionopolis is also within walking distance of Buona Vista MRT.

Multiple nearby stations increase route choice and network resilience.

Teach Redundancy

Two practical rail options reduce dependence on one station.

Redundancy makes systems more robust.

Use 2019 Car-Lite Designation

JTC designated one-north as Singapore’s first car-lite business park in 2019.

Car-lite planning prioritises alternatives without eliminating every vehicle.

Teach Mode Share

Mode share measures how trips are divided among walking, cycling, rail, bus and cars.

Planning can shift mode share by making some options easier.

Use the 60-Metre Pedestrianisation Trial

JTC trialled converting about 60 metres of Fusionopolis Way into pedestrian space.

Temporary trials allow planners to learn before permanent change.

Teach Tactical Urbanism Conceptually

Temporary streetscape changes can test how people respond.

Evidence from a trial can guide later investment.

Use Public Space

A road closed to ordinary traffic can become space for seating, events and community activity.

Transport space can be reallocated rather than remaining fixed forever.

Teach Street Reallocation

Every metre of street width has competing uses.

Cars, bikes, trees and pedestrians all need space.

Use More Than 90 Companies

JTC reported more than 90 companies in the Fusionopolis precinct during the 2019 car-lite initiative.

A dense employment cluster creates strong daily travel demand.

Use 13,000 Workers

JTC also reported about 13,000 workers in the precinct at that time.

Large employment populations make transport planning critical.

Teach Worker Density

13,000 workers arriving over a few morning hours create intense peak demand.

Average daily numbers hide short peaks.

Use Peak-Hour Flow

If 40 per cent of 13,000 workers arrived in one hour, that would be 5,200 arrivals in the simplified scenario.

Real arrival patterns differ.

Teach Capacity Planning

Stations, lifts, paths and food outlets need enough capacity for peaks.

Designing only for quiet periods causes queues.

Use Six Kilometres of Wider Footpaths

JTC announced widening around six kilometres of footpaths across one-north.

Wider paths increase pedestrian capacity and comfort.

Teach Path Width

A 1.5-metre path and a 3.5-metre path support very different passing and cycling conditions.

Width changes throughput and accessibility.

Use Eight Hundred Metres of Covered Links

JTC planned around 800 metres of additional covered linkways.

Shelter improves walking reliability in sun and rain.

Teach Weather-Protected Networks

One covered segment helps locally.

A connected sheltered network is far more useful.

Use First-and-Last-Mile Connectivity

JTC improved links from workplaces to one-north and Buona Vista MRT stations.

High-capacity rail depends on lower-capacity local connections.

Teach Network Hierarchy

Rail carries many people long distances.

Footpaths and shuttles distribute them locally.

Use One-North Rider

The one-north Rider provides on-demand shuttle connections across the estate.

Demand-responsive transport differs from fixed-route buses.

Teach On-Demand Routing

A fixed bus follows a timetable and route.

An on-demand service adjusts trips based on requests.

Use Thirty-One Stops

Current JTC one-north information describes an on-demand shuttle network with 31 stops.

Many stops increase coverage but can complicate routing.

Teach Route Optimisation

A shuttle should minimise waiting and detours while serving requests fairly.

Routing problems combine Mathematics and computing.

Use a Graph Model

Represent stops as nodes and possible travel links as edges.

Graph theory provides a simple language for transport networks.

Teach Shortest Paths

The shortest distance route is not always the fastest if congestion or stop delays differ.

Optimisation uses weighted edges.

Use Research Logistics

Scientists need samples, instruments, chemicals and data to reach the right place on time.

Research depends on logistics as much as ideas.

Teach Cold Chains Conceptually

Some scientific materials require controlled temperature during storage and transport.

Temperature becomes part of the logistics specification.

Use Security

Research buildings may restrict access to laboratories while public retail areas remain open.

One building can contain several security zones.

Teach Access Zoning

Public, tenant-only and restricted spaces require different permissions.

Access control supports safety and confidentiality.

Use Intellectual Property

Technology companies may protect inventions, designs or software as intellectual property.

Knowledge can have legal and economic value.

Teach Patents Conceptually

A patent can protect an eligible invention for a limited period in exchange for public disclosure.

Not every idea qualifies.

Use Metrology

Physical-science and engineering work often depends on precise measurement.

Metrology is the science of measurement.

Teach Calibration

Instruments need calibration against known standards.

Uncalibrated measurements can be precise-looking but wrong.

Use Clean Environments

Some research processes require controlled dust, temperature or humidity.

Environmental control becomes part of the experiment.

Teach Variables

Scientists try to control variables so one factor can be studied clearly.

Building systems help maintain those conditions.

Use Computational Work

ICT research may happen mostly through code and data rather than heavy equipment.

Different research fields place different demands on buildings.

Teach Data Centres Conceptually

Large computing systems require power, cooling and networks.

Digital work still depends on physical infrastructure.

Use Media Production

Media teams may need studios, editing suites and acoustic control.

Sound behaves differently from ordinary office noise.

Teach Acoustics

Hard surfaces reflect sound; absorptive materials reduce reflections.

Room design changes how speech and music are heard.

Use Collaborative Corridors

Shared spaces encourage informal encounters.

Architecture can influence social interaction without guaranteeing collaboration.

Teach Probability, Not Certainty

Putting researchers close together increases opportunities to meet.

It does not guarantee useful ideas.

Use One-North Park

Nearby one-north Park provides green relief within the business district. Part of one-north Park is closed for enhancement works from 2 June 2026, with completion expected on 31 March 2027. Follow the open paths and orange alternative route shown on NParks’ closure map.

Research districts benefit from non-work spaces too.

Teach Attention Restoration

Breaks and greenery can support perceived well-being, though individual responses vary.

Do not overstate medical effects without evidence.

Use a Workday Systems Map

Mark MRT, office, lab, food, park, loading bay and meeting room.

Draw arrows for people, goods and information.

Teach Three Flows

People move physically.

Goods move through logistics.

Use a Pedestrianisation Design Exercise

Give the child 60 metres of road and ask how to divide it among trees, seating, events and emergency access.

The task turns transport planning into spatial design.

Teach Emergency Access

Pedestrianised streets still need plans for fire and emergency vehicles.

Public space design includes exceptional conditions.

Use a Goods-Lift Fit Exercise

Give equipment dimensions and a lift-door size.

Ask whether the equipment can fit without rotating or disassembly.

Teach Constraint Satisfaction

A solution must satisfy all constraints, not only one.

Weight, height, width and route all matter.

Use Walking Time

A 1.6-kilometre public learning loop around Fusionopolis at 3 kilometres per hour takes about 32 minutes before stops.

Use only public or publicly accessible spaces.

Teach Workplace Respect

Fusionopolis is an active research and business district.

Do not enter labs, offices or loading areas without permission.

Build English from Fusionopolis Way Vocabulary

• research cluster;
• interdisciplinary;
• floor loading;
• throughput;
• car-lite;
• pedestrianisation;
• metrology;
• calibration.

Write One Fusionopolis Way Scene

• The Scientist Moving a Six-Tonne Machine
• The Pedestrian Street during a Trial
• The Shuttle Choosing among Thirty-One Stops
• The Engineer Calibrating an Instrument
• The Researcher Crossing from Lab to Park

A Simple Fusionopolis Way Learning Route

Stage 1: Precinct scale

Begin with 30 hectares, Fusionopolis One and Fusionopolis Two.

Stage 2: Research infrastructure

Use floor loading, ceiling height, chilled water and power.

Stage 3: Logistics

Use goods lifts, loading bays and bottlenecks.

Stage 4: Transport

Use MRT integration, shuttle service and first-and-last-mile access.

Stage 5: Car-lite planning

Use 2019, footpath widening, covered links and pedestrianisation.

Stage 6: Collaboration

Use shared spaces, interdisciplinary work and knowledge flows.

How to Adjust the Day by Age

Ages 5 to 7

• draw a tall research building;
• draw a train and footpath;
• find a public green space;
• learn the word science.

Ages 8 to 10

• convert 30 hectares to square metres;
• solve one lift-fit problem;
• draw a shuttle graph;
• use five engineering words.

Ages 11 to 12

• explain car-lite planning;
• analyse one bottleneck;
• compare fixed-route and on-demand transport;
• write one evidence-based paragraph.

Secondary students

• analyse research-cluster economics;
• evaluate pedestrianisation trade-offs;
• model network capacity;
• discuss interdisciplinary infrastructure.

What Parents Should Avoid

• Do not enter laboratories or offices without permission.
• Do not enter loading areas or stand near service vehicles.
• Do not treat 2019 company and worker counts as current 2026 counts.
• Do not assume every unit has identical structural or electrical specifications.
• Use public spaces and current JTC information.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Fusionopolis?

It is a major one-north research and business precinct focused on ICT, media, physical sciences and engineering.

How large is the precinct?

JTC describes Fusionopolis as spread across about 30 hectares.

Why is Fusionopolis Way useful for transport learning?

It sits inside one-north’s car-lite business-park planning and was used for a pedestrianisation trial.

What makes research buildings different from ordinary offices?

They may need specialised floor loading, goods lifts, cooling, electrical capacity and secure laboratory space.

What is a useful final question?

Ask: “Which Fusionopolis system matters most when research grows—space, power, transport, equipment or collaboration?”

Helpful Links for a Fusionopolis Way Learning Day

• Fusionopolis One
• Fusionopolis Two
• one-north car-lite planning
• one-north estate

Things to do for Kids | Learning Fusionopolis Way

Fusionopolis Way teaches children that research depends on far more than scientists at desks.

Buildings carry heavy equipment.

Cooling stabilises environments.

Power runs instruments and computers.

Goods lifts move machines.

MRT and paths move people.

Shared spaces move ideas.

A child who connects those layers begins to understand that innovation is physical as well as intellectual: knowledge grows faster when the infrastructure around it is designed for movement, measurement and collaboration.

Properly taught kids shine a bright light into the future.