ABOUT
MAD CAD June 2013 Issue
Spotlight on Sports Hub through Shakilah Shakilah shares experiences on canopy detailing Pg. 2 – 3
Peering Into our Sports Future What to expect next April! Pg. 4
Sports Hub: Did You Know? Interesting Facts & Figures Pg. 5
Building the MRT Lines A summary of the journey undertaken. Pg. 6 – 7
What’s new in AcePLP? Check out The Bulletin for upcoming events & new updates Pg. 8
Spotlight on Sports Hub through Shakilah Shakilah gets her groove back while working on the exciting Sports Hub project, in spite of her initial set back of a disheartening clientele rejection. The Sports Hub is the next big development happening in Singapore. Even in its construction phase, the complex breathes inspiration even as its skeletal dome-shaped architecture comes to life. By April 2014, the unique fully retractable dome-roof will be yet another worldwide iconic building for Singapore. AcePLP CAD Engineer Nur Shakilah Bte Mohd Zahren, plays an integral role in assisting our client YJ International with this exciting project. She works closely with a small team of six (comprising 2 Project Manager/ Engineer, 2 Designers, 2 CAD personnel) to create comfortable walkways around the complex, ensuring that visitors are coolly sheltered from the sweltering heat or falling rain typical of Singapore’s weather. Reporting directly to the designers, she has been charged with drafting the architectural and structural details for the canopy link ways, 48 in total. On a daily basis, she re-draws and inserts details into existing canopy drawings.
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The detailing part was quite tough initially… until I started to take notice of shelters, walkways… wherever I walked.
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“I cannot wait to see the project build up!” She says, bubbling with enthusiasm. What aspects of the canopy link ways do you currently handle ? Initially, I was tasked to do structural amendments, but after some time, I was given the opportunity to take on structural and architectural detailing work too. Specifically, I assist the detailing designer to work out interfacing details for the joining of separate canopies, and produce the section drawings by incorporating architectural details. I also create shelter’s roofing detail layouts for fabrication purposes. I am in charge of drawing the structural framing of the canopy, according to the structural designer’s framing plan and load bearing calculations. I would follow the structural designer's calculations tabulated, then come up with the framing drawing to indicate where each structural member (such as a beam or column) is in order to produce the sections drawings. In addition, I also liaise with the structural designer to check that the details for each individual canopy comply with its load bearing.
Why was it challenging at the beginning and how did you overcome the problems ? When I first started my assignment at YJ International, I had no specialized knowledge in Architectural and Structural drafting so it was tough when I asked to assist in interfacing designs of the canopies. I was quite lucky though, because I was assigned there before the drawings were finalized, so I had lead time to study the drawings and understand them. I also tried my best to learn as much as possible from the designers as the project progressed. The detailing part was quite tough initially because I had never seen canopy drawings before. I found it difficult to comprehend and visualize how the actual canopies look like….until I started to take notice of shelters, walkways and other similar structures’ details wherever I walked. For example, on my way home, I started to look for and observe shelters that are quite similar to the drawings I am working on. It helps me to understand better.
Shakilah with her clients – the director, Sports Hub project director and structural designer, and quantity surveyor.
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The Singapore Sports Hub in the earlier phase of construction. Sounds like you have gotten a hang of it already. Does that mean it’s all smooth sailing now? Not yet…I still face problems especially since there are so many drawings to work on. When the drawings are submitted, comments would keep rolling in and it always seems that all drawings are urgent. But I do not know for sure which are the ones to focus on. So I learned to always check with the client on for the most urgent drawings before proceeding. It is important to clarify with your client on the level of urgency so as to prioritize correctly.
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This assignment has given me back my confidence because the team I work with trust me.
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Is your ultimate goal to become a designer?
At present I am not too sure. My clients at YJ have been asking me to consider this route, but I have not considered that far yet. Based on what I have seen, a good Designer needs to come up with every detail in the overall design and has a very sure design intent, so that a drafter can input and execute clearly according to the designer’s plan. I do not know whether I can achieve this yet though, but it is a possible option to explore at a later date. Right now I am just focusing on learning as much as possible in my current role.
Which part of the in-house training is helping you the most onsite? The shortcuts our inhouse trainers, Dave and Jack, taught us, are really useful. They help me do my work quickly and accurately. I was even able to pick up a lot more shortcuts in the course of my work, such as an amazing Align Command, to align drawing angle, which is faster that rotating it. It was a Eureka! moment when I learned it from one of the Designers. Despite facing initial client rejection of your work, are you proud of what you have accomplished on this project so far ? Yes! I am quite amazed at the amount of drafting and detailing work I have done, but I know that I still have so much to learn. When I was rejected from my first assignment after just 8 days , I felt very upset and demoralized, but I realized that my rejection was because I had not really grasped the shortcuts in AutoCAD sufficiently. As a result, the client found me slow and inefficient in my work. However, this assignment has given me back my confidence because the team I work with trust me to complete my work on time and I also have a better grasp of my AutoCAD skills. Now I know that I am capable of learning continuously and translating what I have learnt into my work.
You go girl! We can already see you taking long strolls under the canopy walkway next year, beaming with pride at your completed masterpiece.
Got an experience to share? Write in to hr@aceplp.com.sg to let us know! MaC|3
Peering Into Our Sports Future
Here’s what you can expect to
experience next April:
A new 55,000 capacity National Stadium with a retractable roof and comfort cooling for spectators, which when completed will be the largest free spanning structure in the world A 3,000-capacity indoor Aquatic Centre complete with leisure facilities, expandable to 6,000-capacity for specific events that meets world tournament standards A 3,000-capacity multi-purpose Indoor Sports Arena which will be scalable, modular and flexible in layout 41,000 sqm of commercial space for leisure, shopping and dining activities A Water Sports Centre to enhance sports offerings in the Kallang Basin The existing 13,000-capacity Singapore Indoor Stadium featuring an exciting line-up of vibrant entertainment Sports Promenade and Community Facilities A Sports Information and Resource Centre (SIRC), comprising a library, a museum and an exhibition centre
Are you excited to experience a new sports arena? We certainly are!
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DID YOU KNOW?
The Fun Facts of Sports Hub + A closely pictured construction progress. Its steel structures are sheer majestic beauty.
<< Nov 2012 A total of 22-26 cranes are required throughout the 43 months of construction time. 6,000 piles were established for its foundations.
<< Jan 2013 The National Stadium Dome measures 80 metres in height and 312 metres in diameter. The whole 35 hectares site equals to 70 football fields.
<< Apr 2013 Total materials used: 250,000 cubic metres of concrete (would fill 100 olympic-sized swimming pools) 13,500 tonnes of steel structure (equals to 3,650 adult asian elephants) 30,000 tonnes of rebar (equals to 1,300 double decker buses)
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Building the
MRT LINES Information courtesy of The Straits Times
As some of our trainees very well know, it takes tremendous effort and time to plan and build an MRT line, 13 to 14 years to be exact. During this period, feasibility studies, soil investigation and final tests need to be completed. The bulk of this Herculean task involves going underground to build tunnels, which is a challenge in itself. Here’s a look at the work that went on behind the scenes: Feasibility studies 24 months Soil investigation 70m-deep holes are bored every 15m to 20m along the planned train track to get soil samples such as alluvium, marine clay or soft soil, to assess if the soil in the tunneling area must be further strengthened to support the excavation work.
2 Detailed Engineering Study 22 to 24 months
Decision-making time! At this stage, several important decisions are made on: •Construction method • Size of MRT stations •Road diversions required according to Traffic impact assessment •Depth of tunnel
Surrounding structures A close study of the foundations of nearby buildings (within 200m of the expected tunneling area) is done to determine the most suitable construction method.
•Existing utilities diversion required These are followed by: •Announcement of number of stations and their locations near the end of this phase; and •Calling for tenders (6 months) for the various services such as civil works after this phase.
DID YOU KNOW? The deepest MRT Tunnel to date is at Bencoolen, at a depth of 43m. That’s as deep as 8 basements of Ion Orchard!
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3 Actual Construction
4 Electrical, mechanical & architectural works
48 to 60 months
2 to 3 years
•Excavation, concreting and foundation works The diversion of the roads takes place in various stages to make way for the construction. The time taken for the excavation and concreting works will depend on the factors which were assessed in the 2nd stage, for example, if the soil is assessed to be marine clay, they will be able to dig up to 3 m to an underground structure.
•Stations are then installed with the interior design features as well as the fare machines and gates. •Operation essentials such as the electrical systems for train signalling and the platforms are fitted out.
5 Testing & commissioning
•Tunnel-boring machines (TBMs) costing 20 million each do the boring . Thrust Hydraulic cylinders are used to push against concrete segments as the TBM moves forward. •Average tunneling rates -Soft soil : 8.4m/day -Rock : 3.5m/day -Mixed ground : 2.8m/day •Round-the-clock boring operations -One boring machine bores a roughly 1km-long tunnel. -Each boring machine can move 1m to 7m per day. -Downtown line 2 (16.6km) : 19 TBMs. -Downtown line 3 (21km) : 29 TBMs.
6 to 8 months
•Stress test -Electrical systems and train signaling system are stresstested. -Trains are also test-run to ensure that the communications system are functioning properly. -Everything must be certified as safe for operations before opening.
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13 years’ journey…
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The Bulletin SHARE YOUR IDEAS! MAD about CAD MAD about CAD (MaC) has been ongoing for a while now… A big THANK YOU to all the trainees who have so helpfully shared with us! We hope that you, the reader, have enjoyed and benefited from reading about their experiences. We aim to share more on industry trends, fellow CAD staff’s experiences and tips & tricks which will be a valuable companion to all of our onsite staff. If there is anything you feel should be included in an MaC issue, drop us a note! For example: INDUSTRY ARTICLES Industry trends like BIM projects, Green Buildings, MRT lines… FUN STUFF Food, things to do on holidays, the best way to stretch your dollar, the most ‘IN’ sports…
We would love to hear from you!
Please take note! MOST UPDATED FORMS The most updated version of our company forms such as leave forms, timesheets etc. are available on the CADPRO website under “Download Forms”. All staff are to use the forms available there for any submissions.
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