Singapore, 2 April 2016 – In support of Singapore’s vision to become the world’s first Smart Nation, City Developments Limited (CDL) has adopted ‘Make The SMART Move’ as the theme for its annual eco-race for youths this year. Participants in the CDL E-Generation Challenge 2016 were empowered to strategise their routes and make the smart moves to complete up to ten stations scattered around Singapore.

Speaking at the Challenge that attracted 360 young and smart minds from 14 different institutions, CDL’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Grant Kelley, said, “The CDL E-Generation Challenge is our signature eco outreach initiative for youths. We aim to cultivate the next generation of influencers who will eventually be users and creators of smart and eco-friendly solutions. Through the various challenges and activities, the participants take away useful tips and knowledge as Singapore gears up to become a smart and sustainable nation.”

For this year’s Challenge, CDL has introduced a new Escape Room format known as the ‘Escape Maze’. Held at CDL’s Republic Plaza in Raffles Place, the ‘Escape Maze’ required participants to solve mind-bending puzzles related to the Smart Nation theme. It also included a deceptive element that tested participants’ ability to stay focussed, be mindful of distractions and persevere till the very end.

Another station was iExperience – the Information and Communications Technology Experience Centre at Esplanade Xchange. The station gave participants a preview of Singapore as a Smart Nation, featuring a wide range of services and applications enabled through the innovative use of infocomm and technology to improve lives.

Now into its seventh year, the annual Challenge was launched in 2010 to foster a new generation of green champions to drive eco-friendly practices for a more sustainable future. To date, the Challenge has reached out to some 2,560 youth participants, with an expanded reach on social media.

The Challenge is supported by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), National Environment Agency (NEA), and National Parks Board (NParks). Event partners include CDL’s City Square Mall and Star Horizon Learning.

This year’s Challenge comes on the heels of CDL’s S$2.25 million gift to the National University of Singapore (NUS) School of Design and Environment to establish two first-of-its-kind research laboratories, NUS-CDL Smart Green Home and NUS-CDL Tropical Technologies Laboratory (T2 Lab). Dedicated to the study of smart building technologies for indoor and outdoor environments, these new programmes are tailored to the tropical climate and will improve the quality of life in Singapore’s urbanised environment.

With CDL’s expertise in pioneering sustainable building innovations, the eco-developer will share its industry knowledge and carry out pilot testing at its future developments. The capabilities developed by the two NUS-CDL platforms will also set new benchmarks for Singapore’s building industry, as the country gears up to become a smart and sustainable nation.