Privy only to a select group of Singaporeans, this area of Choa Chu Kang used to house Keat Hong Camps I and II, the old training camps for Singapore’s Armed Forces. To pay homage to and honour the forces that protect Singapore, we designed two military-themed playgrounds at Keat Hong Mirage and Keat Hong Quad.

At Keat Hong Mirage, the “army camp” playground is demarcated with green, black, and brown shades, mimicking the colour of military camouflage. Stealing the limelight, will be the lime green truck and watchtower, no one can possibly miss out its bright hues.

The other path to the watchtower features a balancing beam for children to strengthen their balancing skills. For the less-confident child, an accompanying rope is strung across to provide additional assistance so that they may one day traverse confidently across the balancing beam without fear. The simple design of the balancing beam also lets children explore different ways of play – such as turning it into a makeshift slide.

Children are also prompted to choose between two routes leading up to the nest of the watchtower. The more straightforward way is a hanging rope ladder suspended in the middle. On the other side, a yellow and blue wall has in-built climbing cleats that allow children to clamber up its surface, providing a more challenging ascension to the top.

A fireman’s pole leads from the watchtower to the ground, allowing children to make a quick getaway from the watch tower. This provides an opportunity for our children to explore safe risk-taking, while adding on to the imaginative play aspect of active soldiers standing guard.

By paying homage to the different cultural sites of each neighbourhood, and immortalising them through our playground designs, we provide children the chance to explore and learn about olden-day Singapore. For the older generations who were once stationed at the old Keat Hong Camps, the military-themed playground serves as a springboard to evoke their nostalgia of their days in National Service.

The open concept of the playground space gives children the freedom to choose their play routes throughout the space. In addition, the area can be doubled up for use as a communal hub for members to gather. For instance, the boxes can be visualised as a sitting area, or as a place to conduct community-based performances and talks.

To this end, we hope that the military playgrounds at Keat Hong Mirage and Keat Hong Quad can inspire new imaginative stories of play between young and old alike, giving them a platform to connect over. One reminisces, the other learns, thus forging a stronger bond connecting across generations.