At universities in land-strapped Singapore, students may one day borrow books from an underground library, attend lectures in a subterranean auditorium or even swim in an Olympic-size swimming pool below sea level. NTU and NUS have completed preliminary studies on developing the space beneath their campuses for lecture theatres, laboratories, sports facilities and performance halls. SMU, on the other hand, has already constructed a basement-level space linking its main above-ground buildings. SMU began using the space below its campus in 2005, building a one-level basement concourse to link its five main buildings and the mass rapid transit system nearby – namely Bras Basah train station. Director of SMU Campus Development Loke Mun Sing said: “As in any city location, especially in dense urbanised locations like our university’s campus, the presence of existing underground utility services, including transit lines, were challenges the university had to overcome.” The 19,000-square-meter, or 205,000-square-foot, air-conditioned concourse also houses facilities and amenities including offices, retail outlets, courtyards, a medical clinic and the university gymnasium.