The new Funan is “envisioned as a vibrant live-work-play hub that fosters emotional connections with its users”. The retail and office components of the building will open to the public first, followed by the serviced apartments called the lyf Funan Singapore and managed by The Ascott Limited, which has also been brought forward from 2020 to the fourth quarter of next year. The former Funan DigitaLife Mall, which closed in July 2016, has been undergoing a S$560 million renovation to turn it into a “creative hub”.Some of the features at the new mall include an interactive directory that uses facial recognition to provide customised recommendations, video analytics to study shopper traffic and crowd density and those living at the residences will be able to use an app for social networking and room booking. The app is also integrated with the mall’s smart parking lots, allowing drivers to reserve parking lots in advance, find their car, and pay their parking fees with it.Shoppers will also be able to ditch their wallets and make payment for purchases using the in-app ePayment feature StarPay. Hands-free shopping is also made possible with an in-mall robot that will pick up purchases from stores and then deposit the bags at the mall’s click-and-collect boxes at Basement 2.Card-less office access for those working at Funan is also made possible with facial recognition technology. Funan will also be home to an urban farm by Edible Garden City, the only futsal court in the CBD by Ark Futsal, and the largest rock-climbing facility in the CBD by Climb Central.