Architecture
There is much symbolism in the SAFTI MI campus. The Officer Cadet School HQ is described by the architect as being shaped like a cradle, from which officers are born (paraphrased).
SAFTI MI sits on a hill. The locations of each school are metaphors for the career of an SAF officer. The lower reaches house the barracks for Officer Cadets. Advancing up the hill, SAF Advanced Schools are encountered. Finally, at the pinnacle, is the Singapore Command and Staff College.
A prominent feature is the Tower, approximately 60 m tall and visible from many parts of western Singapore. It is a three-sided tower, for the tri-service nature of the SAF. It is served by a lift and a 265 step stairway which symbolises the days a cadet requires to take towards commissioning day. This number should not be taken literally as the various commissioning courses vary in length.
The OCS parade square is 120 m by 170 m in area. It is designed to reduce the heat and glare of the sun. The viewing stands are able to accommodate up to 5000 people.
SAFTI MI was originally intended to be an "open camp" like the United States Military Academy and the United States Naval Academy, prior to the September 11 terrorist attacks, civilians did not need passes nor security checks before entering the complex. The only restricted areas were the offices and living quarters. Since 9/11, armed sentries are now posted at the main entrances, and side entrances have been barricaded with concertina wire. Passes and security checks are now mandatory for all, including military personnel in uniform, in military vehicles.
Read more about this topic: SAFTI Military Institute
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—Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834)
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)