THE MAGAZINE OF THE INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS, SINGAPORE
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER
www.ies.org.sg
May 2019 | MCI (P) 105/03/2019
COVER STORY: Tunnelling starts for Phase 2 of used water superhighway
PLUS
PROJECT APPLICATION: Building bridges with BIM CORPORATE PROFILE: CPG marks 20 years since corpora sa on with new Singapore record HEALTH & SAFETY ENGINEERING: A Study of Protec ve Features in Singapore’s Buildings - Part 2 (Implementa on)
CONTENTS FEATURES COVER STORY
22 Tunnelling Works begin for DTSS Phase 2 A highlight will be the use of digital technologies and the smart tunnel monitoring process to gather realme informa on on the progress and loca on of the machines.
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PROJECT APPLICATION 28 Milling the surface course at the foot of Mont Blanc The use of a large machine shortened the me required. 30 Building bridges with BIM The result was an efficient and easily adaptable formwork solu on for the widening of a motorway.
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President Prof Yeoh Lean Weng Chief Editor T Bhaskaran t_b_n8@yahoo.com
Publica ons Manager Desmond Teo desmond@iesnet.org.sg Publica ons Execu ve Queek Jiayu jiayu@iesnet.org.sg
Editorial Panel Er. Chong Kee Sen Dr Chandra Segaran Dr Ang Keng Been Mr Gary Ong Dr Victor Sim Mr Syafiq Shahul Media Representa ve Mul Nine Corpora on Pte Ltd sales@mul 9.com.sg
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Design & layout by 2EZ Asia Pte Ltd Cover designed by Irin Kuah Cover image by PUB, Singapore’s Na onal Water Agency Published by The Ins tu on of Engineers, Singapore 70 Bukit Tinggi Road, Singapore 289758 Tel: 6469 5000 I Fax: 6467 1108 Printed in Singapore
www.ies.org.sg
MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY 32 Flame your imagina on but not your facade Porcelain panels offer many advantages including fire safety.
CORPORATE PROFILE 34 CPG marks 20 years since corpora sa on with new Singapore record The former Public Works Department creates the largest artwork made of fabric strips.
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HEALTH & SAFETY ENGINEERING 40 A Study of Protec ve Features in Singapore’s Buildings - Part 2 (Implementa on) In this second part of the three-part series, the authors present the survey and interview findings on the degree of implementa on of protec ve features in Singapore’s building projects.
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REGULAR SECTIONS 04 INDUSTRY NEWS 20 EVENTS 47 IES UPDATE
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The Singapore Engineer is published monthly by The Ins tu on of Engineers, Singapore (IES). The publica on is distributed free-of-charge to IES members and affiliates. Views expressed in this publica on do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or IES. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine shall be reproduced, mechanically or electronically, without the prior consent of IES. Whilst every care is taken to ensure accuracy of the content at press me, IES will not be liable for any discrepancies. Unsolicited contribu ons are welcome but their inclusion in the magazine is at the discre on of the Editor.
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INDUSTRY NEWS
GLOBAL MEWP RENTAL FLEET NEARS 1.5 M
BUT UNCERTAINTY CLOUDS HORIZON The mobile eleva ng work pla orm (MEWP) rental market is s ll booming, with the worldwide fleet nearing 1.5 million units, but uncertainty clouds longer-term outlooks, according to the latest market analysis from the Interna onal Powered Access Federa on (IPAF). In the UK, revenue per unit fell by 3% across 2018, and was overtaken by France for the first me, a er French revenue per unit rose 5% in 2017. While persis ng Brexit uncertainty in the UK, the USChina trade war and the US Presiden al elec ons set for 2020, muddy the waters, markets are booming in Spain, Germany and the Netherlands, where MEWP rental grew very strongly in the past year, by 8% to 10%. IPAF’s Global Powered Access Rental Market Report is exclusively compiled by leading research intelligence company DuckerFron er, formerly Ducker Worldwide. The report gives essen al business insight and offers a unique opportunity to drill down into certain key markets using a series of economic indicators and measurements. Last year, IPAF and Ducker Worldwide won a pres gious European Rental Associa on award for business intelligence, for these reports. For the past two years, IPAF’s Powered Access Rental Market Report was posi ve across the board, with the US, in par cular, exceeding expecta ons and experiencing steady growth. And the European MEWP rental market also sustained impressive growth across most key indicators in all 10 countries under study. In the UK and some Nordic countries, however, growth plateaued and outlooks were more pessimis c. The European MEWP rental market, as a whole, began to show growth in 2015. This was sustained in 2016 and 2017, with France seeing double-digit growth in 2017. This trend con nued in con nental Europe through 2018, with France and Italy experiencing 7% annual market growth, the Netherlands seeing an 8% increase and Germany and Spain growing by 9% and 10%, respec vely. In 2018, the European MEWP rental market revenue was worth an es mated EUR 2.75 billion, the market having grown significantly in 2018 (6%). The overall economic situa on is good and both construc on and nonconstruc on sectors generated increased demand.
from 2019 onwards The European MEWP rental market, in par cular, con nues a shi towards greener machines. The market outlook in 2019 and beyond shows that uncertainty prevails, however, par cularly in the UK, where Brexit is far from resolved, and the ongoing trade war between China and the US is star ng to impact the exports of some European manufacturers, par cularly in Germany. Also in the US, few are confidently projec ng favourable outlooks beyond the 2020 Presiden al elec on. Nonetheless, the report shows that 2018 was another great year for the US market, with stronger-thanexpected growth. Double-digit growth in MEWP rental revenue was recorded and total value exceeded USD 10 billion. The level of cross-hire increased in 2018, caused by strong ongoing market demand. Sustained fleet expansion con nued in 2018 and total MEWP fleet size now exceeds 600,000 units in the US, however in light of the longer-term uncertainty, most US MEWP rental companies expect to scale back fleet expansion in the next few years. Across 2018, the worldwide rental MEWP fleet size reached 1.47 million units, up from 1.35 m at the end of 2017. Strong growth in Asia is being driven mainly by China. Growth was reported in all countries and regions. The 2018 report also contains a special China market focus which indicates almost exponen al growth. In 2018, the Chinese MEWP rental market value was USD 495 million. By all measures, it was a good year. Several major projects started during the second half of 2017 and posi vely impacted market growth in 2018. Outlooks remain posi ve for the next few years, despite challenges linked to increased compe on and the fact that downward pressure on the economy may be reflected in the MEWP rental market. The Powered Access Global Rental Market Report is compiled each year by DuckerFron er exclusively for IPAF. The report is compiled based on interviews with rental companies and other industry experts globally. The report can be purchased via www.ipaf.org/reports.
In the UK, con nued intense market compe on and uncertainty linked to Brexit forced rental rates down slightly (-2%). In Nordic countries, especially Denmark and Finland, rental companies also faced strong overall pressure on rental rates which remained sta c. MEWP rental s ll outstripped construc on growth in Denmark, Germany, Sweden and the UK. The level of investment remains significant, as rental companies focused on both expanding and renewing their MEWP fleets, with more specialist, sophis cated and generally greener equipment. It seems 2018 may be a turning point and investment is expected to stabilise, 04
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The Powered Access Global Rental Market Report is compiled each year by DuckerFron er exclusively for IPAF.
INDUSTRY NEWS
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INDUSTRY NEWS
R&D PROJECTS AWARDED FOR TRIALS OF AUTONOMOUS ROAD SWEEPING VEHICLES The Na onal Environment Agency (NEA) and the Ministry of Transport (MOT) have awarded Research & Development (R&D) projects to two consor ums for the design, development and trial of Autonomous Environmental Service Vehicles (AESVs) for road cleaning. The first consor um comprises NTU, Enway Pte Ltd, Veolia ES Singapore Industrial Pte Ltd and Wong Fong Engineering Works, while the second comprises ST Engineering Land Systems and 800 Super Waste Management Pte Ltd. According to NEA and MOT, the proposals were selected “based on their poten al to fulfil the Government’s objec ves for AESV deployment, as well as their prior experience in developing autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies and familiarity with road cleaning opera ons in Singapore”.
A proposed concept for the AESV. Photo: Enway
a rigorous safety assessment before being allowed to commence trials on public roads at designated AV test sites such as one-north.
These proposals had been received in response to a request for proposals jointly issued by NEA and MOT in December 2017.
At all mes during the trials, the AESVs are required to have on board a safety driver who is trained to take immediate control of the vehicle, in accordance to strict opera onal protocols.
Each of these projects, which will see the applica on of AV technologies to commercial mechanical road sweepers, will be carried out over a dura on of 18 months.
The successful comple on of these trials will pave the way for the pilot deployment of AESVs for road cleaning, details of which will be announced a er 2020.
It will comprise a development phase over a period of 12 months, followed by a proof-of-concept (POC) trial over a sixmonth period. Each consor um will develop one AESV unit.
“The award of (these) R&D projects marks a significant milestone in the transforma on of the Environmental Services (ES) industry … Under the NEA’s Environmental Robo cs Programme, we look forward to the con nued contribu ons of the robo cs industry in enabling the transforma on of ES, not just for road cleaning but across the en re cleaning sector,” said NEA CEO Tan Meng Dui.
The POC trials are expected to begin in 2020 in two stages. Firstly, each consor um will be required to test the safety features of their AESV units within the enclosed circuit of the CETRAN AV Test Centre. They then have to pass
SINGAPORE’S CONSTRUCTION MARKET
FACES CHALLENGES Singapore remains the 4th most expensive city in Asia to build in, according to the Interna onal Construc on Costs 2019 report published by Arcadis, a leading global design and consultancy organisa on for natural and built assets. The report details and ranks the rela ve cost of construc on in 100 of the world’s major ci es. Singapore follows Hong Kong, Macau and Tokyo in Asia as the most expensive Asian ci es to build in and ranks 48th in the world. Last year, Singapore was 27th but the change in its ranking is largely due to an increase in the size of the index from 50 ci es in 2018 to 100 in 2019. Singapore’s construc on sector shrank by 3.4% for the
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whole of 2018, primarily due to a slowdown in public sector construc on ac vi es. However, it is likely to see an improvement in 2019 as successful en-bloc transac ons awarded from 2017 to the first half of 2018 are likely to translate into construc on ac vi es in the next few quarters. Prices for key construc on materials remained stable over 2018, and prices are expected to rise in 2019. Labour costs remain rela vely high in Singapore. Arcadis expects construc on demand in Singapore to grow by 5% in 2019, and the tender price index to increase by 1% to 3%.
INDUSTRY NEWS
NEW FUNDING FRAMEWORK AND MANPOWER SCHEME TO SUPPORT
BUILT ENVIRONMENT SECTOR ANNOUNCED To support transforma on efforts in the Built Environment (BE) sector, Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Minister of State for Manpower and Na onal Development, announced two ini a ves during the Ministry of Na onal Development’s Commi ee of Supply debate in March.
three out of four stages of a construc on project.
Under the first ini a ve, top-ups totalling SGD 295 million will be made to two schemes that are a part of the BuildSG Transforma on Fund.
A new voluntary Off-Site Construc on Special Scheme (OCSS) for eligible DfMA facili es will also be introduced to encourage the shi towards DfMA, and reduce the reliance on foreign workers in the long run.
The Produc vity Innova on Project (PIP) scheme, which will receive SGD 200 million from this amount, supports firms that adopt solu ons offering at least a 30 per cent improvement in produc vity. It will also help build up integrated digital delivery capabili es through funding support for digital solu ons to be applied in at least
The remaining SGD 95 million will be channelled to the Public Sector Construc on Produc vity Fund in order to support public sector projects to adopt Design for Manufacturing Assembly (DfMA) Technologies.
This second ini a ve is an interim measure while the Government reviews how to remove the Man-Year En tlement (MYE) framework for the construc on industry, to be er align foreign manpower policies to support industry transforma on.
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INDUSTRY NEWS
NUS TEAM DEVELOPS SELF HEALING ELECTRONIC SKIN NUS scien sts have taken inspira on from underwater invertebrates like jellyfish to create an electronic skin with similar func onality – transparent, stretchable, touch-sensi ve, and self-healing in aqua c environments. It can be used in everything from water-resistant touchscreens to aqua c so robots. The team, led by NUS Materials Science and Engineering Assistant Professor Benjamin Tee, worked with collaborators from Tsinghua University and the University of California Riverside, spending just over a year to develop the material. Its inven on was featured on the front cover of the journal Nature Electronics in February 2019.
such as broken mobile devices, a self-repair func on could help extend their service life and make them more environmentally-friendly. The team is hoping to explore further possibili es for their crea on. Currently, they are looking into u lising it in the manufacture of new optoelectronic devices, which has possible applica ons in human-machine communica on interfaces.
Asst Prof Tee’s extensive experience in the area of electronic skins enabled him to iden fy key obstacles that self-healing electronic skins have yet to overcome. “One of the challenges with many self-healing materials today is that they are not transparent and they do not work efficiently when wet. These drawbacks make them less useful for electronic applica ons such as touchscreens which o en need to be used in wet weather condi ons.” To overcome this problem, the team created a gel consis ng of a fluorocarbon-based polymer with a fluorine-rich ionic liquid. When combined, the polymer network interacts with the ionic liquid via highly reversible ion–dipole interac ons, which allows it to selfheal. According to Asst Prof Tee, their ar ficial material is able to retain its shape in both wet and dry surroundings, and works well even in sea water, acidic or alkaline environments. The electronic skin is then created by prin ng the novel material into electronic circuits. As a so and stretchable material, its electrical proper es change when touched, pressed or strained. “The 3D printability of our material also shows poten al in crea ng fully transparent circuit boards that could be used in robo c applica ons. We hope that this material can be used to develop various applica ons in emerging types of so robots,” he added. So robots, and so electronics in general, aim to mimic biological ssues to make them more mechanically compliant for human-machine interac ons. In addi on to conven onal so robot applica ons, this novel material’s waterproof technology enables the design of amphibious robots and water-resistant electronics. One further advantage of this self-healing electronic skin is the poten al it has to reduce waste. With millions of tonnes of electronic waste origina ng from sources 10
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Asst Prof Tee (back row, right) and his team created a transparent electronic skin that repairs itself in both wet and dry condi ons. Photo: NUS
LafargeHolcim Awards for Sustainable Construc on The LafargeHolcim Awards seeks leading projects of professionals as well as bold ideas from the Next Genera on, that combine sustainable construc on solu ons with architectural excellence. The 6th cycle of the interna onal compe on is open for entries un l 25 February 2020. The awards offers a total of USD 2 million in prize money for projects and concepts in architecture, engineering, urban planning, materials and construc on technology, and related fields. Submissions in the LafargeHolcim Awards main category include sustainable construc on projects at an advanced stage of design, with a high probability of realisa on. Construc on/fabrica on must not have started before 1 January 2019. The Awards Next Genera on category seeks visionary design concepts and bold ideas at a preliminary stage of design, including design studio and research work. To be eligible for this category, par cipants may not be older than 30 years. Students and young professionals are welcome to enter the awards’ main category with projects that have reached an advanced stage of design. Entering the compe on is free. Submissions must be made in English. More informa on can be obtained from www.lafargeholcim-awards.org.
INDUSTRY NEWS
MIT RESEARCHERS BUILD MINIATURE QUADRUPED
CHEETAH ROBOT CAPABLE OF DOING BACKFLIPS A research team from MIT has unveiled a cheetah robot that is capable of performing dextrous manoeuvres such as backflips, with the aim of u lising it as a pla orm to accelerate research into robo cs. The four-legged machine, a miniaturised version of MIT’s Cheetah 3 tech demonstrator, can bend and swing its legs wide, enabling it to walk either right-side up or upside down. The nine-kilogramme robot can also trot over uneven terrain about twice as fast as an average person’s walking speed, and is able to quickly right itself should it be kicked or knocked to the ground. Its claim to fame, however, is undoubtedly its impressive ability to perform a 360-degree backflip from a standing posi on. Researchers claim the “mini cheetah” is designed to be “virtually indestruc ble”, recovering with li le damage, even if a backflip ends in a spill. As the robot was designed with modularity in mind, with many internal components engineered using off-theshelf parts, it can repaired by simply replacing damaged parts with new ones. Providing the machine logic behind the robot’s capabili es are lines of computer code wri en by the development team, which enable it to take advantage of the on-board hardware. The researchers will present the mini cheetah’s design at the Interna onal Conference on Robo cs and Automa on, in May. They are currently building more of
Photo: MIT
the four-legged machines, aiming for a set of 10, each of which they hope to loan out to other labs. Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Kim Sangbae, who heads the overall Cheetah robot project, felt that loaning these robots out to other research groups gives engineers an opportunity to test out novel algorithms and manoeuvres on a highly dynamic robot that they might not otherwise have access to. “Eventually, I’m hoping we could have a robo c dog race through an obstacle course, where each team controls a mini cheetah with different algorithms, and we can see which strategy is more effec ve. That’s how you accelerate research,” he said. Watch a demonstra on video of the robot’s capabili es at h ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNeZWP5Mx9s.
KEY APPOINTMENTS AT AURECON Global engineering and infrastructure advisory company, Aurecon, has announced the appointment of Stephane Asselin as its new Managing Director for Asia, effec ve 15 April 2019. A senior and experienced commercial leader, Asselin has spent over half of his 25-year career living and working in Asia. As the new Managing Director for Asia, Stephane will be based in Aurecon’s Hong Kong office, where he will be responsible for accelera ng growth and fully leveraging value for Aurecon clients. Meanwhile, Aurecon has appointed Chris Deakin as Rail Leader - Asia, to lead the company’s rail and mass transit prac ce in the region. In his role, Chris will be responsible for leading, developing and Stephane Asselin Chris Deakin managing the rail and mass transit service line and teams within Aurecon’s Asia business. Based in Singapore, Chris will lead key rela onships with clients and industry partners to enhance Aurecon’s market growth and posi oning. In addi on, Chris will lead the digital delivery programme for the Singapore infrastructure business.
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INDUSTRY NEWS
ST ENGINEERING DELIVERS
HIGHER REVENUE FOR FY2018 ST Engineering reported a three per cent year-on-year increase in revenue to SGD 6.7 billion for 2018 financial year, with profit before tax growing one per cent to SGD 620.7 million.
performance of its Singapore opera ons.
At the business sector level, revenue for the Aerospace sector increased four per cent to SGD 2.65 billion yearon-year, with net profit remaining constant at SGD 244.6 million due to transac on costs of proposed acquisi ons, which were par ally offset by net divestment gains.
“The Group delivered a resilient set of results and maintained the momentum for new contracts. We con nue to invest in growth ini a ves and capabili es including data analy cs and cybersecurity to drive longterm sustainable growth, backed by a healthy level of order book that provides revenue visibility for the next few years,” said Mr Vincent Chong, President & CEO of ST Engineering.
The revenue for the Electronics sector was seven per cent higher year-on-year at SGD 2.14 billion, and its net profit was up 10 per cent to SGD 186.5 million.
In 2018, commercial sales accounted for 69 per cent, or SGD 4.6 billion, of Group revenue while defence sales made up the remaining 31 per cent, or SGD 2.1 billion.
The Land Systems sector’s revenue increased three per cent year-on-year to SGD 1.28 billion, but its net profit dropped 39 per cent to SGD 52.9 million due to the absence of favourable US tax adjustments, the divestment impact of its road construc on business in India and impairment charges for its road construc on and automo ve MRO businesses in Brazil.
The Group ended the year with an order book of SGD 13.2 billion, of which SGD 4.9 billion is expected to be delivered in 2019.
At the Marine sector, while revenue dropped 10 per cent to SGD 574 million, mainly due to lower revenue recogni on from its US business, its net profit grew 67 per cent to SGD 45.2 million mainly due to be er
The Land Systems sector also secured new contracts for weapons and muni ons, as well as the supply of 20 electric buses and 111 two-door double-deck Euro 6 diesel buses to LTA.
For 2018, the new contracts announced amounted to SGD 5.24 billion, comprising SGD 2.06 billion for the Aerospace sector, SGD 2.19 billion for the Electronics sector and SGD 991 million for the Marine sector.
SURBANA JURONG AWARDED PROJECTS IN MEXICO Surbana Jurong, a global urban, industrial and infrastructure consul ng firm based in Asia, will be developing a strategic plan for the Interoceanic Corridor and master planning two economic development areas in the states of Veracruz and Oaxaca, in Mexico. The project was awarded by Mexico’s state governments of Veracruz and Oaxaca, marking a significant milestone as Surbana Jurong con nues to expand its presence in the North American market. The Interoceanic Corridor is 40 km wide and 300 km long and it will connect the port of Salinas Cruz on the Pacific coast to the port of Coatzacoalcos on the Atlan c coast. Strategically located, with direct mari me links to the Eastern Asian terminal point of China’s Belt and Road Ini a ve and the Western Europe end, the corridor will broaden market opportuni es and drive economic growth for the southern states of Mexico by facilita ng interna onal trade and investment. Surbana Jurong’s scope of work will include a detailed review of the Interoceanic Corridor, including its broad socio-economic benefits to the region and poten al
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growth of industrial clusters. The strategic plan will comprise recommenda ons on market posi oning and development direc ons to facilitate the poten al growth of industry and employment. It will also include proposals for u li es and services infrastructure development, and zoning plans to iden fy land use distribu on along the corridor. In addi on, Surbana Jurong will develop the master plan for two economic development areas within the Interoceanic Corridor, in the states of Veracruz and Oaxaca. The master plan will guide the physical development of the two industrial sites through planning of land use, infrastructure, u li es and transporta on. It seeks to lay the founda ons for economic growth, create a conducive environment for investment and provide a quality living environment for the people that live and work in it. Enterprise Singapore facilitated this partnership between Surbana Jurong and the Mexican government, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mexico in 2016 (by then-IE Singapore).
INDUSTRY NEWS
BCA CONFERS AWARDS ON FIVE PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS
FOR THEIR ENGINEERING FEATS Recognising their engineering feats which resulted in the safe implementa on of their projects despite the challenges, five Professional Engineers (PEs) were commended under the Building and Construc on Authority’s (BCA) Design and Engineering Safety Award 2019. Of the five, three PEs were given the Excellence Award, while the other two were accorded the Merit Award. BCA Group Director (Building Engineering) and Commissioner of Building Control, Er. Chew Keat Chuan, said, “Professional Engineers play an important role in our built environment, ensuring the safety of our buildings while transforming the way we build Singapore. The Design and Engineering Safety Award honours Singapore’s best engineering talents who have developed crea ve engineeringsolu ons to overcome challenging architectural designs and site constraints to bring their projects to their safe comple on. We hope that the recogni on will inspire Singaporeans towards making an impact on our country’s development through a fulfilling and rewarding career in our built environment”. Situated in the heart of Singapore’s Central Business District, Frasers Tower is an iconic and slender, 38-storey high-rise tower with a sloping façade. The challenges in this project, for Excellence Award winner, Er. Kam Mun Wai, were the variable ground condi ons that affected how he had to design its structural founda on; the site’s close proximity to other buildings which include a 94-yearold na onal monument, in the dense city centre; and its architectural design with the façade sloped at a 5° angle.
also connected to other buildings, and the project’s close proximity to many exis ng buildings. To overcome these challenges, Er. Foong used building informa on modelling (BIM) for The Arc’s design and construc on of the founda on, in order to detect and avoid clashes with the exis ng service pipes and cables. Er. Foong’s engineering solu on allowed these exis ng underground services to co-exist with The Arc’s piled founda on, without costly and me-consuming works to divert them. Also, he modelled a three-dimensional sequence of the excava on works for the 16 m unbalanced slope such that the builders could complete them safely and systema cally. The Design and Engineering Safety Award winners were recognised at the BCA AWARDS 2019 ceremony which was held on 29 May 2019, at the Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore.
WINNERS OF THE BCA DESIGN AND ENGINEERING SAFETY AWARD 2019 COMMERCIAL (EXCELLENCE) FRASERS TOWER
To protect the structural integrity of the adjacent buildings, including the monument, Er. Kam devised a solu on using earth retaining wall structures and a ‘top-down’ construc on method to minimise any ground movement during construc on. In catering for the building’s angled façade, Er. Kam designed a complex but robust system of structural elements, by analysing the forces and loads that were exerted on each element while keeping to its architectural design. He also designed the building’s founda on such that it op mises the favourable ground condi ons, reducing the amount of materials and resources needed for its construc on. With smart classrooms and a 108-seat lecture theatre, The Arc is one of Nanyang Technological University’s newest buildings in its campus. Its architectural design resembles a piano or a harp (ie it has a curvilinear building geometry) and includes two basement levels of classrooms and workshops. The challenges in this project, for Er. Aaron Foong, related to the integra on of the building’s architecture on a 16 m high, unbalanced, sloping terrain which accommodates an exis ng network of telecommunica on and electrical cables as well as fire hydrant pipes, that are 14
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Frasers Tower.
INDUSTRY NEWS
Qualified Person Er. Kam Mun Wai C&S Consultant Meinhardt (Singapore) Pte Ltd Builder Hyundai Engineering & Construc on Co Ltd Developer Frasers Property Singapore Architectural Consultant DP Architects Pte Ltd
INSTITUTIONAL & INDUSTRIAL (EXCELLENCE) THE ARC
Challenges • Iconic and slender high-rise tower with a sloping façade. • Deep basement construc on in highly variable Jurong Forma on. • Close proximity to Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church (Na onal Monument of Singapore), the Cli and Bangkok Bank Building. • Construc on of underground pedestrian walkway to Tanjong Pagar MRT Sta on Underpass. • Congested site and access constraint in dense city centre.
Solu ons and Features • Adop on of a robust, prac cal and yet cost-efficient Earth Retaining and Stabilising Structure (ERSS) system comprising secant pile wall and top-down construc on method to minimise wall deflec on, ground movement and water drawdown. This resulted in the safe execu on of the 3-level basement construc on, without adversely affec ng the integrity of sensi ve adjacent proper es and structures. • Sustainable ra founda on system with se lement-reducing piles for the high-rise tower and tension piles for the podium. The favourable ground stratum below the basement was strategically considered to provide support to the building structure. Piles were introduced to reduce stress concentra on and control se lements. The use of this innova ve hybrid founda on system for the high-rise building resulted in substan al me and cost savings, compared to a conven onal fully-piled founda on system. • Flat plate system for basement and podium to facilitate top-down construc on and enhance buildability and produc vity. • Highly buildable, repe ve and standardised posttensioned band beam system for the typical office floors, enabling the adop on of light-weight table forms for faster construc on. • Innova ve, well-defined structural load paths and design and detailing of key structural elements, taking into due considera on the gravity loads, high wind loads and addi onal horizontal forces as a result of the sloping columns and slenderness of the high-rise tower. • Safe and prac cal top-down method for the construc on of the underground pedestrian walkway to Tanjong Pagar MRT Sta on Underpass, involving temporary traffic diversion away from Telok Ayer Street and suspension of underground services.
The Arc. Image by DCA Architects Pte Ltd /KIRK.
Qualified Person Er. Aaron Foong Kit Kuen C&S Consultant KTP Consultants Pte Ltd Builder Lian Ho Lee Construc on (Private) Limited Developer Nanyang Technological University Architectural Consultant DCA Architects Pte Ltd /KIRK
Challenges • Curvilinear building geometry within a 16 m high, sloping site surrounded by exis ng buildings on all sides. • Overlapping of mul ple, cri cal, live, underground, services corridor directly with the building footprint.
Solu ons and Features • Innova ve Building Informa on Modelling (BIM) with Virtual Design and Construc on (VDC) technology seamlessly implemented, from design to construc on, achieving a safe and buildable structure-founda on outcome. • Elimina on of intrusive services diversion, by crea vely engineering the co-loca on of building structures and services corridor, through the use of self-stabilising micropile groups as founda on. • Design of a strutless excava on system with con guous bored pile wall and removable ground anchor system to achieve safe and produc ve construc on works within the high unbalanced slope. THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
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INDUSTRY NEWS
INSTITUTIONAL & INDUSTRIAL (EXCELLENCE) NATIONAL CENTRE FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND CENTRE FOR HEALTHCARE INNOVATION
Na onal Centre for Infec ous Diseases and Centre for Healthcare Innova on.
Qualified Person Er. Kam Mun Wai
• Hybrid piled ra founda on system maximising the favourable ground condi on, resul ng in me and cost savings in the construc on of the founda on. • Flat slab system for basements to facilitate full top-down construc on and enhance buildability and produc vity. • Highly buildable, repe ve and standardised semi-precast system with band beams and hollow core slabs for the superstructure, designed for future proofing. • Robust and prac cal ERSS system for the construc on of the three underpasses, involving mul -staged diversion of traffic along Jalan Tan Tock Seng. • Light weight composite steel trusses with segmental and sequen al erec on, enabling safe construc on of the bridges over the busy Jalan Tan Tock Seng.
INSTITUTIONAL & INDUSTRIAL (EXCELLENCE) MY FIRST SKOOL LARGE CHILDCARE CENTRE AT PUNGGOL DRIVE
C&S Consultant Meinhardt (Singapore) Pte Ltd Builder Kajima Overseas Asia (Singapore) Pte Ltd Developer Ministry of Health Architectural Consultant CPG Consultants Pte Ltd
Challenges • Deep basement construc on (up to 24 m) in highly variable Jurong Forma on. • Unbalanced excava on due to undula ng ground terrain of 15 m across site. • Construc on of three deep underpasses below Jalan Tan Tock Seng. • Erec on of three bridges to provide inter-building connec vity to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Lee Kong Chian (LKC) School of Medicine. • Close proximity to exis ng hospitals, LKC conserva on building and surrounding residen al developments. • Fast-track programme.
My First Skool Large Childcare Centre at Punggol Drive.
Qualified Person Er. Lauw Su Wee C&S Consultant LSW Consul ng Engineers Pte Ltd Builder Kwan Yong Construc on Pte Ltd Developer NTUC First Campus Co-Opera ve Limited Architectural Consultant LAUD Architects Pte Ltd
Solu ons and Features • Innova ve and robust ERSS system, comprising conguous bored pile wall and full top-down construc on method to minimise wall deflec on, ground movement and water drawdown. This resulted in the safe execu on of the 4-level basement construc on, without adversely affec ng the integrity of adjacent sensi ve proper es and structures. • Adop on of full top-down method, to enable excavaon and superstructure construc on concurrently, due to the fast-track programme. 16
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
Challenges • It is a fast-track project aimed at delivering the building in one year, for the opera on of the new childcare centre, on me. • The building is of irregular shape, like ‘two seashells pivo ng around a centre-point’. • The building also features a 12 m high, curved glass façade supported by steel framing, at the back of each seashell.
INDUSTRY NEWS
• The client wanted to have a more open space and fewer columns, for flexibility and to enable re-par oning of the rooms in the near future.
Solu ons and Features • Full precast floor system with precast pre-tensioned rib beams and POWERDEK steel structural decking system used as formwork, such that the basic structure of the 2-storey building with roof terrace was completed within three months. • Long span (up to 18 m), post-tensioned, curved, main beams were adopted, so as to give more column-free space within the building. • A DfMA solu on was adopted for the 12 m high, curved façade, with standardised and repe ve ver cal and horizontal trusses, fabricated in the factory and assembled on site.
INSTITUTIONAL & INDUSTRIAL (MERIT) ASSISI HOSPICE
• Unbalanced excava on due to undula ng ground terrain with a 10 m difference next to the exis ng Assisi Hospice. • Long span link bridge connec ng the north and the south of the building, at the 4th storey.
Solu ons and Features • A robust ERSS system comprising sheetpiles, with par al excava on on two sides and secant bored piles (SBP) on two sides, stru ed to the central basement structure / island. Analysis carried out took into account movement limits imposed by LTA. Detailed 2D and 3D finite element modelling was carried out systema cally to analyse and design the SBP system. • The robust ERSS system minimised the impact of ground movement on neighbouring properties, including sensitive structures such as MRT Circle Line tunnels, flyover viaduct structure and existing Mount Alvernia hospitals and Assisi Hospice structures. The use of SBP, instead of the conventional cut and cover method, mitigated the impact of ground movements, vibrations, existing structure movements etc. • A repe ve flat plate structural system designed for typical ward levels, minimised floor-to-floor height and construc on me, and enhanced site produc vity and construc on safety. • Extensive coordina on on rou ng of M&E services within ceiling spaces and provision of penetra on through slabs and beams using BIM, and extensive collabora on among consultants, builder and client, throughout the design and construc on stages to meet client requirements. • Composite steel floor system for the link bridge enhanced buildability, produc vity and safety in construc on.
Assisi Hospice.
Qualified Person Er. Tan Wai Houng C&S Consultant Meinhardt (Singapore) Pte Ltd
CIVIL ENGINEERING (MERIT) CONTRACT 1688- CONSTRUCTION OF STATION EW30 AND VIADUCT FOR TUAS WEST EXTENSION
Builder Soil-Build (Pte) Ltd Developer Assisi Hospice Architectural Consultant New Space Architects Pte Ltd
Challenges • The site had surrounding constraints with exis ng MRT Circle Line tunnels, Marymount Flyover, MacRitchie Viaduct, Thomson Road, Future MRT Thomson Line and Future North-South Expressway tunnels.
Contract 1688- Construc on of Sta on EW30 and Viaduct for Tuas West Extension. THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Qualified Person Er. Rengasamy Selvaraju C&S Consultant AECOM Singapore Pte Ltd Builder Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co (Singapore) Pte Ltd Developer Land Transport Authority Architectural Consultant Aedas Pte Ltd
Challenges • The design and construc on of a 4-level interchange sta on above live 6-lane roadway (two carriageways). • The crea on of five con nuous, long spans (53 m, 75 m, 75 m, 75 m and 53 m) with curved alignment at the crossing of Pan-Island Expressway along Tuas Road, where the rail viaduct is constructed over live traffic. • Construc on of the rail viaduct that crosses over an exis ng road viaduct at a height of 21 m, over busy, live traffic at Ayer Rajah Expressway. • Limestone cavity encountered during piling.
Solu ons and Features • Main RC frames were cast-in-situ, every 25 m, to piled founda ons and prestressed precast (PSPC) girders, as main floor elements between frames. Precast planks / metal decking were used between PSPC beams. The roof is a steel diagrid modular truss system erected on site. Many stages of traffic diversions were carried out to construct founda ons and enable the use of li ing equipment where necessary. • The balanced can lever method was used over the live Pan-Island Expressway with the segmental post-tensioned precast beams across. This method adjusts for changes in pier distances and is suitable for curved spans. Also, the system minimises construc on and footprint over live traffic, and work can be staged to suit ongoing traffic condi ons. • The span-by-span technique was employed to construct the rail viaduct over an exis ng road viaduct at Ayer Rajah Expressway. The beams were launched at 21 m above ground and with a 36 m long span, maintaining a safe working environment at height, with no impact on the Ayer Rajah Expressway. • Addi onal probing was carried out at every pile proposed at the cavity-prone loca on, to ensure the cavity depth from ground level and the pile design were revised accordingly. Permeant casing was provided from ground level and terminated below 500 mm from the bo om of the cavity. 18
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
Gammon Construc on presents Inspecto Within the integrated digital project delivery (IDPD) strategy of Gammon Construc on (Gammon) comes its latest digital solu on, one conceived to bring transparency to the en re site inspec on procedure. Called Inspecto, the innova on strengthens the scru ny of inspec on prac ces with consistency and reliability.
The IDPD approach A construc on management approach, Gammon’s IDPD focus sees a variety of digital tools u lised to fully integrate processes and people over the en re course of a project, from the ini al planning and design stages through to facili es management, resul ng in faster, safer and smarter building capabili es. The company views this approach as an an dote to the current issues of rising construc on costs, ageing manpower and pressing housing needs. Included under Gammon’s IDPD umbrella are construc on principals such as Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) which seeks to find the most efficient methods of delivering a project, including performing a large part of the work under factory condi ons. Gammon recently delivered a data centre project in Singapore in which a DfMA mindset resulted in 70% of the structure being precast offsite, 70% of the façade delivered as prefabricated modules and 69% of the mechanical and electrical works modularised off site. The project has since become a showcase for Singapore’s Building and Construc on Authority. Thomas Ho, Chief Execu ve of Gammon, commented, “I firmly believe the DfMA approach provides the solu ons to overcome construc on challenges and deliver greater value to our clients. This direc on aligns with the trend of the global construc on industry and Gammon is commi ed to taking the lead in this process of digital transforma on”.
Seamless inspec ons and record-keeping In response to recent issues concerning site inspec on records, Gammon has proac vely worked to ghten its scru ny system by developing Inspecto which is a digital solu on for site inspec on processes, for contractors, consultants and clients, that operates in a seamless, trustworthy and eco-friendly manner. Comprising a mobile app, a dashboard and proac ve real- me alerts, Inspecto integrates process tasks with site inspec on and test plans to enhance efficiency and traceability. It supports performance of all Request for Inspec on and Survey Check (RISC) process tasks, including RISC status monitoring, on-the-spot inspec ons and results endorsement. The system also proac vely sends real- me no fica ons and daily summaries of outstanding tasks to relevant par es. To address the increasing threats to cyber security, Inspecto is protected with the latest security so ware and all data is encrypted - whether on a mobile device or cloud storage.
EVENTS
RECORD BAUMA ATTRACTS
MORE THAN 620,000 VISITORS bauma 2019, the 32nd Edition of the World’s Leading Trade Fair for Construction Machinery, Building Material Machines, Mining Machines, Construction Vehicles and Construction Equipment, was held from 8 to 14 April 2019, at Messe München Exhibition Center, Germany. With more than 620,000 visitors from over 200 countries, bauma 2019 generated the best results in the exhibi on’s 65-year history. The number of visitors rose by about 40,000 over the total number that a ended the previous event in 2016. More than 250,000 visitors came from countries outside Germany. The top 10 visitor countries, a er Germany, were Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Poland and the UK. The trade fair also saw an increase in the number of visitors from other countries, including China, Australia and Japan. More than 5,500 visitors came from China, alone.
Good business for exhibitors The number of exhibitors totalled about 3,700 from 63 countries - which is, likewise, a record. The exhibits were displayed over an unprecedented 614,000 m2 of space. During the 2019 edi on, exhibitors unveiled a huge number of innova ons and new products to the trade fair’s global visitors. Zeppelin/Caterpillar, for instance, had more than 20 world premieres. Business conducted at the exhibition was correspondingly good. Many exhibitors spoke of a high willingness to invest. The record-setting bauma also had a strong impact on order books as exhibitors generated the highest sales in the history of their participation at the trade fair. Thanks to the smooth opera on of the exhibi on and the posi ve feedback by exhibitors, Klaus Di rich, Chairman and CEO of Messe München, the organisers, was more than sa sfied with the results. “For the industry, bauma is by far the world’s most important innovation platform and economic engine, something that we clearly saw this year. Particularly in these times of sweeping technological change that is being triggered by digitalisation, bauma provides the industry with security and confidence. Thanks to the momentum in demand generated by the fair’s seven days, companies will be able to calmly face economic slowdowns. bauma 2019 highlighted the opportunity and tremendous outlook of the industry as a whole”, he said. Franz-Josef Paus, Managing Director of Hermann Paus Maschinenfabrik, and Chairman of the bauma Advisory 20
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
Council, said, “With exhibitors from more than 60 countries and visitors from over 200 na ons, bauma is an industry pla orm where technological variety, ingenuity and performance can be demonstrated to an immense interna onal business audience”. Joachim Schmid, Managing Director of the Construcon Machinery and Building Material Associa on of the German Engineering Federa on, said he learned one thing in his conversa ons with exhibitors. He said, “Many trade fair exhibitors had a specific interest in buying, when they dropped by company booths, something that fuels hopes for con nuing economic stability”.
Professional industry visitors bauma 2019 was impressive not just because of the interna onality of the visitors who journeyed from all parts of the world to Munich. “The quality and quan ty of decision-makers from our target groups were excep onal”, said Dr Mar n Herrenknecht, Chairman of the Board of Management, Herrenknecht AG. Gernot Hein, Director of Communica ons and Public Affairs at ZF Friedrichshafen, said, “The number and quality of professional conversa ons were very high”. Riccardo Magni, the President of Magni Telescopic Handlers, had an explana on for the trade fair’s tremendous performance. He said, “The experienced and professional visitors and the careful organisa on were the foundaon of bauma’s success”.
Digitalisa on - a megatrend The clear focal point of this year’s bauma was sustainable and digital solu ons. All exhibitors agreed that digitalisa on is a ‘megatrend’ in the construc on machinery industry, said Andreas Klauser, the CEO of PALFINGER AG. Sensors and communica on interfaces that collect and analyse data have become standard equipment. Overall, machines and vehicles are becoming cleaner, quieter and more efficient. Many now have electric and hybrid drive systems. “Customers’ interest in electric drive systems has never been so high as it was this year. It was a dominant issue at bauma 2019”, said Dr Frank Hiller, Chairman of the Board of Management at DEUTZ AG. Some of the most interes ng innova ons were honoured with the bauma Innova on Award on the evening before the trade fair opened. The next bauma will be held from April 4 to 10, 2022, at the Messe München Exhibi on Center, Germany.
EVENTS
bauma 2019 featured the displays of more than 3,700 exhibitors from 63 countries, over 614,000 m2 of space, and attracted in excess of 620,000 visitors from over 200 countries. THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
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COVER STORY
TUNNELLING WORKS BEGIN FOR DTSS PHASE 2 A highlight will be the use of digital technologies and the smart tunnel monitoring process to gather real- me informa on on the progress and loca on of the machines.
The first TBM for DTSS Phase 2, named a er the Jalan Bahar work site where it will be lowered into a sha , will create a 3.5 m diameter tunnel, 42 m below ground.
PUB, Singapore’s na onal water agency, celebrated a key milestone that will bring the country a step closer to the comple on of the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS) Phase 2 project. A ceremony, to mark the launch of the first Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) in commencement of the DTSS Phase 2 tunnelling works, was officiated recently by Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources. This underground superhighway is Singapore’s solu on, for crea ng a world-class, used water management system that will protect the environment, public health and water sources. When completed, DTSS - an ambious SGD 10 billion infrastructure project, first conceived 25 years ago - will greatly enhance Singapore’s water sustainability by boos ng PUB’s capability to reclaim and recycle water in an endless cycle. The first TBM for DTSS Phase 2, named a er the Jalan Bahar work site where it will be lowered into a sha , will create a 3.5 m diameter tunnel, 42 m below ground. A total of 19 TBMs will be used for this project, to dig at depths of between 35 m and 55 m below ground and seabed, to create deep tunnels and link sewers that range from 3 m to 6 m in diameter. The TBM builds a 22
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
Machine diameter
4.87 m (OD)
Machine weight
676 t
Machine length
135 m
Power of main drive
800 kW
TBM Bahar (diameter of TBMs range from 4.3 m to 7.6 m).
tunnel by slowly cu ng through layers of soil and rock. While moving forward, pre-cast concrete segments are installed and excavated material is transported to the surface where it is treated for disposal. More than 1.8 million m3 of soil will be excavated during the tunnelling works.
Ver cal Sha Sinking Machine Tunnel construction is a complex and challenging process that requires a tremendous amount of preparatory work. It begins with the construction of the shaft, an underground passageway that facilitates access and ventilation during construction. This is followed by the
COVER STORY
Concrete Segmental Tunnel (Primary Lining) Inner Secondary Lining (MIC Resistant Concrete) Waterproof Liner HDPE Lining
The tunnel will be protected by a secondary lining of Microbiological Influenced Corrosion (MIC) - Resistant Concrete and High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). For tunnel sec ons under the seabed, an addi onal water proof membrane layer will be installed between the concrete segment and the secondary lining.
tedious and progressive assembly and commissioning of the TBM within and beyond the shaft, before it starts erecting the tunnel segments. When the tunnel is completed, the secondary lining is installed before reinstatement works is carried out to restore the site to its original condition. In a first for Asia, PUB will pioneer the use of a Ver cal Sha Sinking Machine (VSM) to construct the sha . This is an innova ve method that allows for the construc on of the sha and excava on to be carried out simultaneously, compared to conven onal methods that require the retaining wall to be installed before excava on can start. It is also safer, as all opera ons are controlled and monitored from the surface. Mr Ng Joo Hee, Chief Execu ve, PUB, said, “For us in Singapore, used water is also a source of good water. We do not waste a drop of it. In fact, we collect every drop of our sewage and turn much of it into potable water again, in the form of NEWater. The DTSS is Singapore’s very innova ve way of collec ng our wastewater, on a na onal scale, in a safe, efficient and reliable way. Because of it, we are able to reuse and recycle water endlessly”.
Smart tunnelling and innova ve tunnel features DTSS Phase 2 deep tunnels will be a showcase of cutng-edge technologies and advanced smart sensors at work. • Constructed using concrete that is resistant to Microbiological-Influenced Corrosion (MIC), the tunnel will be protected with a secondary lining of MIC-Resistant Concrete and High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), to protect against corrosion, par cularly from bacteria and other micro-organisms present, and from gaseous fumes in the sewer environment. For tunnel sec ons under the
seabed, an addi onal water proof membrane layer will be installed between the concrete segment and the secondary lining, to minimise any water ingress into the tunnel. These linings will extend the life-span of the tunnel. • During tunnelling, PUB will employ a smart tunnel monitoring system, known as the Sha and Tunnel Excava on Monitoring System (STEMS), to act as the nerve centre and provide real- me updates of the TBM loca ons and instrumenta on readings, thereby ensuring safe and smooth opera ons throughout the construc on period, with minimal disrup on to the structures in the immediate vicinity. • Fibre op c cables will be embedded between the concrete segmental primary lining and inner secondary lining along the alignment of the tunnel to enable remote monitoring of the long-term structural integrity of the tunnel lining. This will eliminate the need for manned entry for rou ne inspec ons. • Sha s are designed with isola on gates that can be lowered into the deep tunnels, temporarily isola ng the tunnels in the event that repairs are required. During repairs, incoming used water flow will bypass the isolated sec on of the tunnel via the link sewer network and reconnect to the tunnel further downstream. • DTSS Phase 2 is the first project in Singapore to use air jumpers (AJs) to minimise the number of Odour Control Facili es (OCFs) in the Air Flow Management system. AJs are installed at specific loca ons below ground along the tunnel alignment to manage air flow within the tunnel. The AJs help to push odorous air in the tunnel further downstream to the OCF where the air is treated.
A total of 100 km of deep tunnels and link sewers The DTSS Phase 2 conveyance system will traverse 100 km across the western half of the island, including the downtown area as well as upcoming developments such as the Jurong Lake District, Tengah Town and the Greater Southern Waterfront. Comprising 40 km of deep tunnels and 60 km of link sewers, works on the system will be carried out through 18 contracts, including five design and build contracts for the deep tunnel that runs along the Ayer Rajah Expressway, from Keppel Road to Tuas View Basin, and another 13 contracts for the link sewers. Tunnelling works is targeted to be completed by 2024. When completed, used water from homes, offices and industries will be conveyed via two tunnels - the 30 km long South Tunnel (carrying used water from homes) and the 10 km Industrial Tunnel (carrying used water from industries) - to the Tuas Nexus, for treatment and recycling into NEWater. THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
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COVER STORY
THE DEEP TUNNEL SEWERAGE SYSTEM A superhighway for used water management, the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS) is a core water infrastructure which provides a cost-effec ve and sustainable solu on to support Singapore’s connued growth and meet its long-term needs for used water collec on, treatment, reclama on and disposal. The DTSS uses deep tunnel sewers to convey used water en rely by gravity to centralised Water Reclama on Plants (WRPs) located at the coastal areas. The used water is then treated and further purified into ultra-clean, high-grade reclaimed water, called NEWater. DTSS Phase 1, comprising the North and Spur Tunnels, the associated link sewers, the Changi WRP and ou all, was completed in 2008. Two NEWater factories, located on the roo op of the Changi WRP, were officially opened in 2010 and 2017, to facilitate large-scale water recycling. The DTSS Phase 2 conveyance system comprises the South Tunnel which conveys domes c used water, the Industrial Tunnel for non-domes c used water and associated link sewers. Expected to be completed by 2025, DTSS Phase 2 will extend the deep tunnel system to cover the western part of Singapore, including the downtown area and major upcoming developments such as Tengah Town and Jurong Lake District. The completed DTSS will streamline the used water network with three centralised collec on and treatment points: Changi WRP in the east, Kranji WRP in the north and Tuas WRP in the west. Used water will be conveyed to the future Tuas Nexus for treatment and recycling.
Once DTSS Phase 2 is in place, the exis ng convenonal WRPs at Ulu Pandan and Jurong, as well as intermediate pumping sta ons, will be progressively phased out and the land freed up for higher value development. The implementa on of the en re DTSS will result in a 50% reduc on in land taken up by used water infrastructure, once it is fully completed, from 300 hectares in the 1990s to 150 hectares in the long term. The land freed up by DTSS is equivalent to about 214 football fields. South (Domes c) UW Tunnel
30 km Diameter: 3m–6m Tunnel Depth: 35 m - 55 m
Industrial UW Tunnel
10 km Diameter: 3.3 m to 4 m Depth: 45 m – 55 m
Link Sewers
60 km
North and Spur Tunnel
48 km
Link Sewers
60 km
Tuas Water Reclama on Plant
Ini al Capacity
Changi Water Reclama on Plant
Ini al capacity 800,000 m3 per day
• Domes c UW Treatment Module
650,000 m3 per day
Current capacity 920,000 m3 per day
• Non-domes c UW Treatment Module
150,000 m3 per day
Ou all
5 km long
Ou all
Near-shore
Cost of Phase 1 DTSS
$3.4 billion
Es mated Cost of DTSS 2
$6.5 billion
DTSS Phase 1 facts and figures
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The Tuas Nexus is an integrated used water treatment and waste management facility formed by integra ng PUB’s Tuas Water Reclama on Plant (TWRP) and NEA’s Integrated Waste Management Facility (IWMF). A ‘first of its kind’ in the world, planned from the ground up, it marks Singapore’s first ini a ve to harness poten al synergies in the water-energy-waste nexus, by integra ng used water and solid waste treatment processes. Construcon commenced in 2019 and will be completed in phases, star ng from 2023.
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
Diameter: 0.3 m – 3 m
DTSS Phase 2 facts and figures
COVER STORY
Secondary Lining
Fibre Op c Cables
Isola on Gates
Air Flow Management
In addi on to the concrete segments, a secondary lining consis ng of Microbiological Influenced Corrosion (MIC) resistant concrete with High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) lining serves as protec on against corrosion.
Fibre op c cables are installed along the length of the tunnels to remotely monitor their structural integrity.
Sha s are designed with gates deployed to isolate the tunnel, allowing safe man-access in the event repairs are required.
Air Jumpers act as forced ven la on to push air back into the tunnel for treatment by Odour Control Facili es located downstream.
Advanced features of new DTSS superhighway. THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
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COVER STORY
Company
Contract Details
Contract Works Area
Ed Zublin AG (Singapore Branch)
Contract Value: $499 million Length: 12 km
South (Domes c) Used Water Tunnel: Intersec on of Jurong Pier Rd and AYE and follow AYE to Tuas Road. Northwest Link Sewer Tunnel: Jalan Bahar / PIE junc on to Benoi Road/AYE Junc on.
Penta-Ocean Construc on Co Ltd and Koh Brothers Building & Civil Engineering Contractor (Pte) Ltd Joint Venture
Contract Value: $520 million Length: 10 km
South Tunnel: Tuas Road to TWRP. Part of which will pass under Tuas Bay. Industrial Used Water Tunnel: Jalan Buroh/Pioneer Road and Pioneer Sec on 1 before passing under Tuas Bay and termina ng at TWRP.
Leighton Contractors (Asia) Limited (Singapore Branch)
Contract Value: $495 million Length: 8 km
South Tunnel: Intersec on of Clemen Road and AYE to the intersec on at Jurong Pier Road and AYE.
Nishimatsu Construc on Co Ltd
Contract Value: $340 million Length: 7.6 km
South Tunnel: Intersec on of Portsdown Avenue and AYE to the intersec on at Clemen Road and AYE. South Tunnel and Link Sewer: Intersec on of Portsdown Avenue and AYE to Farrer Road. Pasir Panjang Link Sewer Tunnel: Intersec on of West Coast Highway and Clemen Road to AYE.
Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co (Singapore) Pte Ltd
Contract Value: $472 million Length: 11.6 km
South Tunnel: Intersec on of Keppel Road and Anson Road to the intersec on of Portsdown Avenue and AYE. Southern Region Link Sewer Tunnel: Sentosa Island to the Intersec on at Warwick Road/Alexandra Road, passing under Keppel Harbour to Telok Blangah Road.
Design & Build Contractors for the deep tunnels and link sewers of DTSS Phase 2.
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THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
PROJECT APPLICATION
MILLING THE SURFACE COURSE
AT THE FOOT OF MONT BLANC The use of a large machine shortened the me required. The Wirtgen W 220 large milling machine’s first job in Italy did not take the high-performance machine to a highway but to a winding country road at the foot of Mont Blanc in the northwest of the country. It was at this loca on that the powerful 577-kW machine made its mark, milling the surface at twice the scheduled speed.
New surface course along the route to the peak The Strada Statale 26 (SS 26) stretches from the flat landscape of Piemont to the Alpine regions around Mont Blanc and includes a link to the Mont Blanc Tunnel. The road winds its way up to the Aosta Valley, reaching al tudes of almost 1,000 m, and there is heavy traffic along all sec ons, both tourist and freight. It is used by an average of some 5,000 vehicles per day. The road was due for rehabilita on in the summer of 2018. The 4 cm-thick surface course was to be renewed across the en re width along a 10 km sec on. In some sec ons, rehabilita on of the 10 cm-thick binder course was due as well.
Cost-efficient quality Full road closures are extremely difficult to achieve in the Alps, and so only one side of the SS 26 was blocked at any one me, when the road was rehabilitated in July and August 2018. But the contractor, Italfrese srl, a Piemont-based company and one of Italy’s largest milling contractors, was able to shorten the construc-
on period by using the W 220. This is partly due to the machine’s ability to mill across 2.2 m in a single pass, meaning that just two passes were required in most areas, rather than three. What is more, the milling machine operated at an advance rate of 28 m/min to 30 m/min, even at inclines of around 5%. Ul mately, the milling contractor completed the milling work in just half the me that would have been es mated for one of the smaller machines usually used on confined secons such as those on the Alpine pass. And all of this was achieved without compromising on quality. Ernesto Franco and Emanuele Franco, Managing Director and Technical Director of Italfrese, were well aware of the me savings when planning the job. They said, “In the run-up, we inves gated which of our 12 milling machines could complete this job as economically and quickly as possible. And the answer was the new W 220. Though the milling machine was opera ng at quite a high milling speed, it had not yet reached its technical limits. The immense engine power and the sophis cated control system enabled the machine to mill at a constant speed, even in regions at higher al tudes and on hairpin bends - a feat achieved while maintaining a moderate fuel consump on”. Milling performances like these are achievable thanks to the good weight-to-power ra o of the new W 220. An opera ng weight of 36,360 kg meets an engine output of 571 kW (777 HP).
Thanks to the 2.20 m milling width, Wirtgen’s W 220 was able to mill off the surface course across the full width of the roadway in just two tracks on most sec ons of the highway. The result was a 50% me saving. 28
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
PROJECT APPLICATION
Intelligent use of power In addi on, the powerful drive enables asphalt pavements to be removed layer by layer, levelling unevenness in the surface course or increasing the grip, and also removes en re roadways down to a maximum milling depth of 350 mm in a single pass. This extra power o en makes all the difference on large, me-cri cal projects at airports or on highways. Par cularly when opera ng at large milling depths, the W 220 makes use of another handy feature. The righthand side plate can be raised by 450 mm, so that a curb can be scanned as a reference, even when working at large milling depths, and the machine can remove the pavement completely. A glance at the trac on drive shows that its power is harnessed intelligently, since Wirtgen has equipped the W 220 with the intelligent ISC trac on drive. It delivers op mum trac on with electronic trac on control, adapts the advance rate of the machine to the current engine load and regulates the current speed of the external and internal crawler tracks on bends. On the SS 26, this was par cularly advantageous on the many hairpin bends.
the standard 2.2 m milling drum assembly, but also is op onally available with a 2.5 m-wide version. To enable the machine to flexibly produce certain surface textures, the ‘FCS Light’ milling drum changing system is also op onally available for the 2.2 m milling drum assembly. As a result, milling drums can be exchanged quickly for drums with another tool spacing - be it standard milling drums, Eco Cu ers or fine milling drums - equipping the machine for a wide range of different applica ons.
Quiet power development Despite crea ng a machine with an immense power development, Wirtgen’s development engineers were able to greatly reduce noise emissions. The Italfrese team immediately no ced this on the job at the foot of Mont Blanc. Thanks to this feature, the team has no concerns about working in residen al areas, and indeed the milling contractor already has such a job lined up for its new powerhouse. All images by Wirtgen GmbH
Op mum milling results Thanks to the variable milling drum speed of the W 220, on which three speeds can be set from the operator’s stand, the machine operator can also influence the milling texture, ie the surface finish and the peak-to-valley depth. For the project on the SS 26, the Italfrese team decided to combine the maximum milling drum speed with a high advance rate when milling off the surface course. Meanwhile, the HT 22 quick-change tool-holder system and type W 7 cu ng tools ensured cost-efficiency.
High machine u lisa on Thanks to its powerful engine, the W 220 has plenty of steam, even when opera ng at large milling widths. The large milling machine therefore is not only available with
Even just in front of Mont Blanc at an al tude of 1,000 m, the W 220 operated at full capacity, effortlessly milling off the roadway at top speed.
The milled texture reveals all. In this area, the Wirtgen milling machine was opera ng with a high milling drum speed and a high advance rate. THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
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PROJECT APPLICATION
BUILDING BRIDGES WITH BIM The A85 motorway is one of the main thoroughfares connec ng the ci es of Anger and Vierzon, in France. Along the route, a total of six viaducts are expanded to improve the flow of traffic. An important contribu on was made to the infrastructure ini a ve by the applica on of BIM to deliver an efficient and easily adaptable formwork solu on for widening the ‘Viaduc de la Roumer’ sec on.
An efficient and easily adaptable formwork solu on has been provided for widening the Viaduc de la Roumer bridge sec on in France.
Unlike the other sec ons of the A85, the viaducts along the route were built with only one lane in each direc on. These sec ons needed to be widened to accommodate the growing volume of traffic. This is the reason a second bridge is built in parallel to six of the exis ng viaducts. The en re route will have two lanes in each direc on. Ul mately, the new construc on will not only ensure a faster connec on between Anger and Vierzon, it will also increase the safety of motorists.
Ingenious formwork solu on for ght spaces
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system with the large-area formwork, Top 50, and supporting construc on frames. This way, it delivers a precisely fi ng formwork solu on for the design. To keep the on-site assembly work to a minimum, the panels of the large-area formwork were pre-assembled by the Doka Ready-to-Use Service and delivered to the site, ready for immediate use. This way, the construc on company can fully concentrate on execu ng the construc on work. The cycle me for each cas ng sec on of the pier heads is between two and three weeks. A total of 2,600 m3 of concrete and 390 t of reinforcement were used for the piers and pier heads. The abutments on both ends of the bridge were poured, using the framed formwork, Framax Xlife.
Vinci Autoroutes, the construc on company, relies on the formwork exper se of Doka for the ‘Viaduc de la Roumer’ viaduct in the Langeais region. The bridge is 249 m long and 80 m wide. The tallest of the three piers measures 20 m. Since the project is built in the middle of a forest area, the topography and close proximity to the exis ng bridge dictate that the construc on work be done in very ght quarters. One of the client’s most important requirements was to achieve a well-balanced appearance. To that end, his instruc ons were to match the shape and concrete surfaces of the new piers and pier heads with the look of the exis ng ones.
The combina on with the pla orm system, Xsafe plus, provides an all-round safe workplace during reinforcement and forming tasks. Pre-assembled folding working pla orms with integrated side railings are mounted to the framed formwork horizontally and can be reposi oned simultaneously with the system. Integrated ladders and manholes also ensure a high level of workplace safety.
In the process of construc ng the piers, the advantages of the framed formwork, Framax Xlife, come into play, to their fullest. Compact reposi oning units significantly reduce the need for cranes on the site. The high-quality Xlife sheet and the galvanised and powder-coated steel frames ensure a clean and level concrete finish. It takes 10 days for each cas ng sec on to be completed. For building the pier heads, Doka combines the Framax Xlife
All of the construc on project planning was realised with the help of Building Informa on Modelling (BIM). This way, any informa on can be coordinated during all phases of the project lifecycle. BIM not only creates a uniform understanding of the project among all project par cipants, it also allows for transparent exchange of knowledge in real- me, collision tests of the individual trades and op mised construc on site management.
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
Op mised construc on site management
PROJECT APPLICATION
and the use of cranes and personnel must be coordinated perfectly to ensure that construc on progresses smoothly. This was an important aspect when the pier heads were formed, as space was a precious commodity. It was crucial to see exactly how the formwork tasks could be performed next to the exis ng bridge, in order to avoid complicated modifica ons in the course of the construc on work.
Added value with virtual tour Using a highly detailed twin in BIM, the formwork tasks were simulated virtually, and inconsistencies detected and eliminated.
Using BIM, the customer can get an exact picture of which formwork material is used when and where, in each pouring sec on.
Originally, formwork planning took place in AutoCAD 2D and was then mapped in BIM. Doka used the construc on model of project owner NGE GC as a star ng point and modelled a digital twin with the data pertaining to the structure. The advantage was that formwork jobs could be simulated virtually on the model, even before piers, pier heads and abutments were visible in concrete. This process allowed for op misa ons of the formwork solu on even before construc on. It also provided the opportunity to discover and eliminate inconsistencies early on. The finished model was made available to the client as a file in IFC format. This way, he was able to fully exploit the advantages of BIM planning such as process simula on. Another benefit was his ability to access all data regarding individual formwork systems and components, like ar cle numbers, ar cle descrip ons, weight etc. During the planning phase, Doka engineers focussed especially on mapping all 20 of the individual cas ng sec ons. In his BIM coordina on so ware, the client has the op on of exactly displaying the me when par cular systems and components are used as well as their quanes in each sec on. “Quite clearly, the important benefit lies with process design and process simula on. This means he can me the use of formwork systems perfectly. Thus, not only is onsite management of construc on op mised, this process also ensures fast and smooth construc on progress”, says Gerhard Schindler, BIM Project Coordinator at Doka.
Collision test to ensure quality of planning What is more, with the 3D model, the client is not only able to simulate the construc on process in the digital twin, he can also perform collision tests of the individual trades quickly and easily, and map their interac ons. Reinforcement and forming work, material storage loca on
Another significant step towards safer and more efficient construc on sites is to visualise construc on processes. The virtual twin of the construc on model was rendered to create a real sense of being on the construc on site. The result was that the client and site crew can move freely through the formwork model. The goal is to create a comprehensive overview of the site and thus a be er understanding of the construc on process. The model can be distributed as an executable applica on or webbased version via a link. Doka and project owner, NGE GC, are able to look back at many years of coopera on and con nue their collaboraon as partners with the Viaduc de la Roumer project. “We are par cularly happy that we are able to support our customer in this project with a 3D model, an ingenious formwork solu on and a video of a flight from every angle of the site. This way, we can significantly contribute to improved construc on site management and safe planning”, said Bodin Louis-Gonzague, Head of Engineering, Doka Nantes. Construc on work has been in full swing since April 2018. Comple on of the piers, pier heads and abutments was scheduled for May 2019. It will be followed by the construc on of the deck, before the bridge is opened for traffic, officially, in January 2020.
PROJECT DATA Project: Viaduc de la Roumer Loca on: Langeais, France Type of structure: Bridge Project owner: NGE GC Construc on Company: VINCI Autoroutes Architect: ARCADIS Formwork planning: Doka Nantes, Doka Paris, Doka Competence Center VDC/BIM Products: Framed formwork Framax Xlife, Suppor ng construc on frame, Pla orm system Xsafe plus, Large-area formwork Top 50 Services: Formwork planning, 3D BIM model in IFC format Construc on period: April 2018 to May 2019 Opening: January 2020
All images by Doka THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
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MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY
FLAME YOUR IMAGINATION
BUT NOT YOUR FACADE by Philip Kwang, Façade Global Master Pte Ltd Porcelain panels provide, among many other advantages, peace of mind to all stakeholders, knowing that they have selected a product that is their safest bet against the current uncertainty surrounding fire safety.
Project: Laguna Resort and Hotel, Singapore. Owner: Laguna Na onal. Architects: AMA Architects Singapore. Engineers: KTP Singapore. Façade Consultant: Façade Global Master Pte Ltd. Façade Specialist: Jin Yue Façade, Singapore. Cladding System: Ven lated Cladding. Porcelain Panels: Laminam 3+ Calice Grigio.
Porcelain is an earth-friendly material that has been used for thousands of years by kings and peasants, to make pots and pans, and other exquisite utensils. Some of these have withstood the test of me, to emerge as much sought a er artefacts of today. Porcelain is produced through a ‘bap sm of fire’, to become what is universally accepted as one of the most fire-resistant building materials - so much so that it is not subjected to the constraints of fire regula ons imposed by relevant authori es. This is an extremely important factor to consider, especially at this cri cal me, when clients and architects in Singapore, and even insurance companies are moving away from materials that can be considered to be, even to the slightest extent, a fire hazard. Large format, thin gauge porcelain panels from Italy are produced primarily for the benefit of the exterior cladding industry. As porcelain is essen ally stronger than normal ceramics, it is typically used to produce larger and thinner panels - with a weight and thickness to match solid aluminum. The typical size of porcelain panels can be as large as 3 m x 1 m and with a thickness as low as 3 mm. Larger sized panels are available from certain manufacturers. Architects and designers are known to have a natural preference for cladding materials that are free from stress, and have a surface quality that is op cally flat. This is where the technology for producing op cally flat porcelain panels becomes both simple and complicated. 32
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Kaolin clay and other materials are put through a 100 m long, flat-bed convec on oven, and heated at a constant temperature of 1200° C. What is complicated is the technology for building the machine. The product from this high-tech processing is known to be completely stress-free and has a flatness that is considered the equivalent of a ‘well ironed shirt’. Since the product is made under intense heat, no amount of heat from the sun’s rays will affect its op cal appearance, giving it high stability. The high temperature firing process also explains why the core of the porcelain panel will always remain inert even during the worst fire. Large format porcelain surfaces are also seen as large canvases and a rich playground for designs and crea vity. Most porcelain panels are designed to flame the architects’ imagina on for exquisite designs. Beyond the rich collec on of solid colours, there is also a wide range of designer favourites, such as stone, wood and metallic textured surfaces, all produced with careful a en on to the finest detail. Varia ons of Calaca a and Traver no stone panels, for example, can also be produced. Natural stone, such as marble and sandstone, are typically considered to be too heavy, too weak and too water absorbent for external cladding. Porcelain stone, on the other hand, may be large but they are light-weight and completely water- and fire-resistant. Besides, the supply
MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY
of natural stone is deple ng and finite. Indiscriminate harves ng of stone is also a huge environmental problem. Hence the use of engineered porcelain stone is gaining popularity, especially among architects with a strong environmental convic on. As a result, exquisite looking porcelain panels are increasingly being accepted by world-renowned architects, designers and major stores.
increasingly be specified by, and gain confidence and popularity with, discerning clients and architects, in Singapore, Malaysia and beyond. (More informa on can be obtained from philip.kwang@ facadeglobalmaster.com)
Porcelain panels are system designed and engineered to suit different applica ons and to achieve different architectural values. Facade specialists and experts in porcelain cladding can help to provide much needed technical input, in order to op mise the material and engineering designs. Porcelain cladding can be applied, externally, as ven lated facades, or internally, as luxurious floor and wall panels. Porcelain is a sustainable material. It is completely recyclable on a cradle to cradle basis. Its low embodied carbon, typically achieved with solar-energy-assisted produc on, has enabled it to gain recogni on as a green product. Having established its superiority as a cladding material, it is quite obvious that porcelain panels will
Project: South Beach Singapore. Owner: South Beach Consor um Pte Ltd. Architects: Aedas Pte Ltd. Interior Designers: Phillip Starck/DPD Singapore. Engineers: Arup Singapore. Technical Advisor: Façade Global Master Pte Ltd. Porcelain Panels: Laminam 3+ Oxide Gregio.
Project: Gleneagles Hospital Medini, Iskander, Malaysia. Architects: B+H Architects, Singapore. Façade Consultant: Façade Global Master Pte Ltd. Cladding Systems: Ven lated Cladding System. Porcelain Panels: Laminam 3+ Collec on Avario. THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
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CORPORATE PROFILE
CPG MARKS 20 YEARS SINCE CORPORATISATION WITH
NEW SINGAPORE RECORD The former Public Works Department creates the largest artwork made of fabric strips, shaped to commemorate Singapore’s iconic landmarks.
CPG staff present their finished artwork made of fabric strips.
the silhoue e of Singapore’s noteworthy structures, such as Gardens by the Bay, the Na onal Gallery of Singapore, and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, using upcycled fabric strips, wood and nails.
FROM AN IMPRESSIVE PAST TO AN INCREASINGLY INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE CPG helped to lay the founda on of Singapore and contributed to the country’s development, from its incep on as Singapore’s Public Works / Convicts in 1833 to the formaon of the Public Works Department in 1946, and to its current iden ty as CPG Corpora on, a er undergoing corpora sa on in 1999. During these 20 years as a corpora sed en ty, CPG has ventured into more than 25 countries in the world, with offices in China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Macau, India and the United Arab Emirates.
CPG President and GCEO Mr Khew Sin Khoon (right) receiving the cer ficate from the SINGAPORE BOOK OF RECORDS, for the ‘Largest Artwork made of Fabric Strips’.
CPG Corpora on (CPG), one of Asia-Pacific’s leading mul -disciplinary infrastructure and building management consultancies, celebrated its 20 years since corpora sa on, on 25 April, by se ng a new record for the largest artwork made of fabric strips, using solely upcycled materials to promote sustainability. Held at Singapore’s Marina Barrage, the half-day event saw over 500 CPG staff, including architects, engineers, project managers and facility managers, come together to weave 34
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER April 2019
Er. Leong Meng Sun, Vice-President (Civil and Structural Engineering) at CPG Consultants, a subsidiary of CPG Corporaon, said, “We at CPG are honoured to have helped shape, and to have accompanied Singapore as she grew to be a modern metropolis today. Looking ahead, we will work hard to con nue to be at the forefront of the built environment industry in Singapore and abroad”. Dr Vajahat Hussain, Chief Execu ve Officer of Amity Educaon Middle East, said, “Well-thought-out design concepts and excellent client servicing is what you can expect from CPG. We started working with CPG when we built our first school in the UAE and con nued to work with them as we opened more educa on ins tutes in the region. They have been instrumental in crea ng innova ve spaces for learning and also building our brand iden ty”.
CORPORATE PROFILE
ARTWORK MADE OF FABRIC STRIPS As CPG’s commemora on coincides with Singapore’s bicentennial year, the idea of crea ng a unique artwork to recreate the silhoue es of several significant CPG projects that have defined, and con nues to define, the Singapore cityscape, was born. The following 10 iconic projects across different typologies were selected: • Na onal Gallery Singapore (2015) • Cavenagh Bridge (1869) • Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (2010) • Gardens by the Bay Supertree Grove and Conservatories (2012) • Changi Airport (Terminal 1 - 1981, Terminal 2 - 1990, Terminal 3 - 2008) • The Istana (1869) • The Rochester (2011) • Woodlands Checkpoint (1999) • Pan Pacific Serviced Suites, Orchard (2008) • Nanyang Technological University Learning Hub / The Hive (2014) For over 2 hours, CPG management and employees took turns to produce the artwork, measuring 4.5 m by 0.3 m (on a 4.5 m by 0.6 m panel). Upon comple on, CPG was awarded a cer ficate from the SINGAPORE BOOK OF RECORDS, for the ‘Largest Artwork made of Fabric Strips’.
With Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) selected as one of the 10 projects in the commemora ve art piece, Mrs Chew Kwee Tiang, Chief Execu ve Officer, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital shared, “CPG was involved in the planning and design of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and played a key role in bringing into reality our vision of KTPH as a hassle-free hospital for our pa ents. Today, our pa ents and members of the public are beneficiaries of a pa ent-centric environment, set within a ‘Hospital in a Garden, Garden in a Hospital’. The awards we have won, such as the President’s Design Award 2011, Singapore Ins tute of Architect’s Building of The Year 2011 Award and the Stephen R. Kellert Biophilic Award 2017, are tes monies of CPG’s design flair. We congratulate CPG on their 20th anniversary and wish them success in their future endeavours”. “Throughout CPG’s almost two centuries of developing Singapore, we have completed many projects that we are deservingly proud of”, said Mr Khew Sin Khoon, President and Group CEO of CPG Corpora on. “This record-se ng event not only brought about closer collabora on and connec vity between our CPG colleagues, it also es together the past, present and future of CPG into a visual commemora ve art-piece that promotes the idea of sustainability”, Mr Khew added.
CPG projects featured on artwork. From le to right, Na onal Gallery Singapore (2015); Cavenagh Bridge (1869); Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (2010); Gardens by the Bay Supertree Grove and Conservatories (2012); Changi Airport (Terminal 1 - 1981, Terminal 2 - 1990, Terminal 3 - 2008); The Istana (1869); The Rochester (2011); Woodlands Checkpoint (1999); Pan Pacific Serviced Suites, Orchard (2008); and Nanyang Technological University Learning Hub / The Hive (2014). THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER April 2019
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CORPORATE PROFILE
In support of the na on’s push towards a year of zero waste, all materials used during the CPG20 event for the city silhoue e artwork are from sustainable sources, such as used t-shirts, recycled yarns and fabrics, disused co on and polyester, repurposed fabric tex les, as well as recycled industrial wood and iron nails. CPG staff were further encouraged to keep sustainability in mind by taking part in several hands-on upcycling ac vi es, such as crea ng their own self-watering planters out of recycled plas cs and paperboard pouches from old milk cartons.
oldest bridge across the Singapore River and was designed by Colonel G C Collyer, Chief Engineer of the Straits Se lements, with R M Ordish, of the Public Works Department. Featuring the Cavenagh family coat-of-arms on the crossbeams at both ends of the steel structure, Cavenagh Bridge underwent a five-month refurbishment in 1987 by the Public Works Department to preserve and strengthen its structure.
The finished city silhoue e art piece was displayed at Marina Barrage’s Sustainable Singapore Gallery for two weeks during May, to educate visitors on the importance of sustainability in the built environment. The art-piece will then be housed within CPG’s Singapore headquarters, as a reminder to staff to always keep sustainable principles in mind when designing and building future developments in Singapore and abroad.
CPG CORPORATION Together with more than 1,500 staff in the CPG group of companies, CPG Corpor on is one of the leading development professionals in the Asia-Pacific region, providing a full spectrum of infrastructure and building development and management services. Today, the company operates in seven countries, and has established a presence in four key regions including Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America.
TEN ICONIC PROJECTS Na onal Gallery Singapore (2015) Housed in the former Supreme Court and City Hall buildings, the Na onal Gallery Singapore was designed collabora vely by CPG Consultants and studioMilou Singapore. Its award-winning design elegantly integrates both buildings at the roof level through use of a linear draped canopy supported by tree-like columns, retaining the character and ambience of the former buildings while crea ng a modern art gallery.
Cavenagh Bridge. Image by Purple Light.
Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (2010) Situated in Yishun New Town, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital sets a new benchmark in healthcare design with its ‘hospital in a garden, garden in a hospital’ concept. The hospital opens up to an adjacent lake, while a massive sunken courtyard takes centre-stage, introducing light and greenery to the lower levels. Aluminum sunshades and light shelves provide weatherproofing, while courtyards and full-height glazing afford generous dayligh ng and ven la on.
Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.
Gardens by the Bay Supertree Grove and Conservatories (2012) Na onal Gallery Singapore.
Cavenagh Bridge (1869) The construc on of Cavenagh Bridge, named a er William Orfeur Cavenagh, was completed in 1869. The bridge is the 36
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A key project underpinning the Na onal Parks Board’s connuous strategy of transforming Singapore into a Garden City, the award-winning Gardens by the Bay project includes the development of ‘Supertrees’, the Flower Dome, and the Cloud Forest, se ng the standard for a new genera on of garden development and management prac ces. Designed
CORPORATE PROFILE
by CPG Consultants, Grant Associates and Wilkinson Eyre Architects, the Supertree Grove and Conservatories apply sustainable energy and water usage solu ons, such as an automa c shading system with lux level control and spectrally-selec ve high performance glass, among others.
Conservatory at Gardens by the Bay.
Changi Airport Control Tower.
The Istana (1869)
Supertrees at Gardens by the Bay.
The Istana spans over 40 ha and is located along Orchard Road. It was originally known as the Government House, which was extended and redesigned in the neoclassical style by George Dromgold Coleman (Founder of Singapore’s Public Works / Convicts), before it was demolished in 1859 to make way for a new Government House.
Changi Airport (Terminal 1 - 1981, Terminal 2 1990, Terminal 3 - 2008) The opening of Changi Airport Terminals 1, 2 and 3 marked the development of Singapore’s avia on sector. Besides an airfield and the iconic air traffic control tower, Terminal 1 consists of a 5-level Passenger Terminal Building with two levels of basement for ameni es. Designed to be symmetrical in form, Terminal 2 was divided into dis nct ar culated zones, each with its own purpose and personality, characterised by openness and architectural clarity. The terraced ceiling at the departure hall is modelled to allow natural light, while the external façade uses clean-cut can lever elements, with ver cal stairs along the sides and strong spiral ramps. Terminal 3 contains an expansive rec linear roof, derived from the layering of ceiling panels, baffles, skylights and high-tech ‘bu erflies’, crea ng a random aperture pa ern build-up that evokes a rainforest canopy.
The Istana. THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER April 2019
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CORPORATE PROFILE
The Rochester (2011)
Pan Pacific Serviced Suites, Orchard (2008)
Located at Vista Exchange of one-north, The Rochester is a mixed-use development comprising the conserva on of two units of exis ng two-storey detached bungalows for commercial use, a 25-storey hotel, a 37-storey residen al tower, a block of 4-storey residen al apartments, an 8-storey commercial podium and a basement. The building won BCA’s Green Mark Gold Award for incorpora ng green and sustainability features.
The Pan Pacific Serviced Suites is a 16-storey building with 120 luxury suites and six penthouses. The design intent was to create a building that would be an icon of instant visibility and urban cool, within the exis ng shopping and entertainment hubs of Orchard Road. With its me culously cra ed building skin, it creates a new expression in building envelope design, enriching the Orchard-Somerset Road skyline.
Pan Pacific Serviced Suites, Orchard.
Nanyang Technological University Learning Hub / The Hive (2014) The Rochester.
Woodlands Checkpoint (1999) An immigra on and customs clearance facility for land transport between Singapore and Malaysia, the Woodlands Checkpoint (northern gateway) comprises five building blocks, with bridges conjoining four blocks to form a single mega-structure. Opera onal zones are created based on a mul ple ground level concept, separa ng the clearance facili es for different modes of transport into different levels and dis nct zones. In between these levels and along the circula on routes are lushly landscaped inters al spaces that let in daylight and promote natural ven la on.
Woodlands Checkpoint. 38
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER April 2019
The Hive at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is an 8-storey building, which houses 56 smart classrooms where ‘pods’ stacked into towers cluster around a central space. Stemming from NTU’s ‘flipped classroom’ pedagogy, classrooms are without corners, fronts or backs, while generous corridors double up as informal study areas, encouraging interac ons and collabora ons. Designed in collabora on with Heatherwick Studio (London), the Hive possesses a self-shading architectural form, a fan-less passive displacement air-condi oning system, low wall-to-window ra o and bare finishes, enabling the building to achieve BCA’s Green Mark Pla num Award.
The Hive at NTU. Image by Hu on and Crow.
HEALTH & SAFETY ENGINEERING
A STUDY OF PROTECTIVE FEATURES IN SINGAPORE’S BUILDINGS PART 2 IMPLEMENTATION by Professor Low Sui Pheng and Clifford Yeo, Department of Building, Na onal University of Singapore Buildings are increasingly targeted and suscep ble to acts of terrorism, which underlines the need to ramp up the terrorism preparedness of Singapore’s built environment. A ques onnaire survey was conducted by the authors of this series of ar cles. In the second part of the three-part series, they present the survey and interview findings which suggest that the degree of implementa on of protec ve features in Singapore’s building projects is lower than the corresponding level of perceived importance. Survey and interview findings Based on the literature review presented in the first ar cle, a ques onnaire was developed, pilot tested and used for the survey. The ques onnaire has three secons. The first sec on, Sec on A, collects basic respondent informa on for simple descrip ve sta s cs such as the respondent’s name, designa on, department, organisa on and his or her years of experience in the construc on and real estate industry. This is to ensure the credibility of the responses and iden fy any factors that may indicate a non-representa ve sampling of the target popula on. The second sec on, Sec on B, gathers informa on on a building project that was undertaken by the respondent, and was recently completed or is nearing comple on. Each response to the survey would hence correspond to this specific project. The ques ons asked in this sec on include the name of the project, project type, project comple on date and the role of the company in the project. This ensures that the survey findings on the prevalence and implementa on status of protec ve features in buildings are recent and highly relevant. The third sec on, Sec on C, consists of eight ques ons revolving around the importance and implementa on rate of protec ve features in buildings, and the percepon of the respondent towards the proposed barriers and drivers. A brief defini on of protec ve features was introduced at the start of this sec on, to help the respondents have a basic overview of what protec ve features are, prior to their comple ng the survey ques onnaire. These ques ons are in the form of a 5-point Likert scale, and the respondents are required to rate their degree of agreement on a given statement (Jackson, 2015). The Likert scale was adopted as it was iden fied that this approach increases the convenience of the respondents to make their judgements (Lam, Tao & Lam, 2010). A majority of the ques ons in this sec on were developed, based on the findings from the literature review. A cross-sec onal survey was conducted over two months, from October 2017 to December 2017, targe ng real estate developers and design consultants such as 40
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
architects, civil engineers and project managers. A total of 350 emails were sent to the target respondents and 40 responses were received. Data cleaning was then performed on these responses, to enhance the quality and accuracy of the data (Chu, Ilyas, Krishnan & Wang, 2016). Out of the 40 survey responses collected, one response was declared void, due to its non-compliance with the study requirements. Therefore, a total of 39 completed ques onnaires was used in this study, yielding a response rate of 11.14%. The low response rate could be a ributed to the confiden ality and sensi vity of the informa on rela ng to the security of the building projects. While the sample size of 39 was not considerably large, sta s cal analyses could s ll be performed on the obtained data as the central limit theorem holds true when the sample size is greater than 30 (O & Longnecker, 2008). Following the collec on and sta s cal analysis of the survey data, interview ques ons were developed based on the survey findings. Interviews were then conducted to gather detailed perspec ves of the interviewees and to seek further clarifica on of the survey findings. Three par cipants, who had ini ally par cipated in the survey, were invited for a follow-up interview. Prior to the interview, each interviewee was presented with a summary of the survey findings. The profiles of the three interview par cipants are as follows: • Interviewee A - Director/Architect with 40 years of experience. • Interviewee B - Managing Director/Architect with 30 years of experience. • Interviewee C - Assistant Vice President (Opera ons)/ Developer with 23 years of experience. In order to ensure the reliability of the collected survey data, Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient was calculated for all the Likert scale variables present in the survey quesonnaire. Cronbach’s Alpha was developed to examine the internal consistency of a scale, and to ensure the validity of the data used for research purposes (Tavakol & Dennick, 2011). Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients, for the different categories of variables measured in the survey
HEALTH & SAFETY ENGINEERING
ques onnaire, show that the coefficients range from 0.855 (for degree of implementa on) to 0.873 (for level of importance). Since these values are greater than 0.7, it suggests that the data obtained from the survey quesonnaire is reliable and hence, further sta s cal analyses may be conducted (Nunnally, 1978).
Profiles of respondents and their organisa ons and projects The respondents had an average working experience of 13.9 years in the construc on and real estate industry. When analysed individually, the respondents have at least 1 to 40 years of working experience (minimum = 1, maximum = 40), thereby ensuring the response quality. The profile of the respondents also show that they have a good understanding of the built environment, and can therefore provide reliable answers to the ques ons asked in the survey ques onnaire. A breakdown of the roles of the respondents’ organisaons in the projects showed that a majority of the respondents were design consultants (architects, engineers and project management consultants), represen ng 76.93% of the sample. Building developers, on the other hand, represented 23.07% of the sample. The spread is hence sufficient to obtain an overall representa on of the par es involved in the design phase of a building project. A majority of the 39 respondents were involved in commercial developments (33.33%). This was followed by residen al and ins tu onal buildings, each cons tuting 17.95% of the total projects surveyed. This indicates that the findings are representa ve of the various types of construc on developments in Singapore, but may be more applicable to commercial buildings.
Implementa on characteris cs
could be done to involve facility managers in the design of protec ve features for buildings, as they are concerned with the day-to-day opera ons of the facility and hence play an essen al role in reducing the impact of a terrorist threat (Judge, 2016). It is also interes ng to note the inten ons of the respondents to incorporate protec ve features in their future projects. In this context, more than half of the respondents (56.4%) plan to incorporate protec ve features in future projects, while four respondents (10.3%) disagreed and stated that they do not intend to incorporate protec ve features in subsequent projects. The remaining 13 respondents (33.3%) indicated that they are unsure if their organisa ons intend to incorporate protec ve features in future project developments. This finding is both heartening and surprising, as it suggests that most building professionals in Singapore are aware of the threat landscape and are inclined towards implementing protec ve features in future building projects. To assess the terrorism risk to Singapore’s building projects, respondents were asked to rate the perceived level of terrorism risk for their respec ve projects, through a Likert scale of 1 (no risk) to 5 (extremely high risk). The projects were then categorised into six main types, with the mean score for each project type calculated. In this context, respondents felt that infrastructural projects (M = 3.67) are the most suscep ble to poten al terrorist a acks. This finding is unsurprising because infrastructural developments such as mass rapid transit (MRT) sta ons and transporta on hubs are publicly accessible and support large-scale human traffic. Therefore, they would likely be highly valued targets for terrorists focused on gaining extensive publicity and inflic ng extensive damage. This was followed by mixed-use developments (M = 3.50) and commercial buildings (M = 3.08). Respondents felt that these project types are highly preferred targets for poten al terrorist a acks. This finding is consistent with the results of the literature review, where it was established that terrorist groups are increasingly targe ng ‘so ’ targets such as office buildings and shopping malls (Shanmugam, 2016; Vaughn, 2008).
The survey asked the respondents several ques ons rela ng to the implementa on characteris cs rela ng to protec ve features in their building projects. Among the 39 respondents, 36 (92.31%) indicated that the protecve features in their surveyed projects were incorporated in the building during the design phase. On the other hand, three respondents (7.69%) reported that the protec ve features were retrofi ed, that is, they were incorporated only a er the building had been constructed. This gives an indica on that building professionals in Singapore are aware of the benefits of early integra on of security measures, and are prac sing ‘security-by-design’ in the local construc on and real estate industry to some extent.
Level of importance of protec ve features
Respondents were also asked to indicate the stakeholders involved in the design of the protec ve features in their projects. In this context, the responses indicated that, primarily, architects were involved in the design of protec ve features (94.9%), followed by engineers (89.7%), developers (74.4%), main contractors (46.2%), security consultants (35.9%) and sub-contractors (28.2%). Asset managers and building operators, however, seem to have the least involvement in the design of protec ve features in buildings. This suggests that more
A one-sample t-test was conducted at the 95% confidence level, with a test value of 3, to iden fy the protecve features which respondents felt were significantly important that they have to be incorporated in buildings. Table 1 presents the results of the respondents’ percepons towards the importance of protec ve features in buildings. The protec ve features which had a one-tailed p-value below 0.05 were highlighted with an asterisk, sugges ng that the respondents felt these features were essen al for a protec ve building design.
Through the literature review, 14 protec ve features that enhance building security against terrorism were iden fied and presented to the respondents. The respondents were asked to rate the level of importance for these protec ve features, using a Likert scale of 1 (least important) to 5 (very important).
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41
HEALTH & SAFETY ENGINEERING Mean
SD
Rank
t
Sig. (2-tailed)
Bollards
3.38
1.067
6
19.82
0.030*
An -intrusion barriers
2.82
1.144
10
15.40
0.333
Blast-shielding walls
2.49
1.355
13
11.47
0.023*
Security ligh ng
3.92
0.774
2
31.65
0.000*
Posi on vehicle parking areas away from high-risk and highly populated areas
3.26
1.117
7
18.20
0.160
Structural Strengthening
3.59
1.163
3
19.27
0.003*
Building shape with no recesses and re-entrant angles
2.79
1.151
11
15.16
0.273
Protec on of building columns by external wall façade
2.77
1.202
12
14.38
0.238
Blast or ballis c protected curtain walls and windows
2.31
1.195
14
12.06
0.001*
Physical protec on of fresh air intake vents
2.92
1.345
8
13.57
0.723
Isola on system for air distribu on network
2.90
1.231
9
14.70
0.606
Posi on emergency power generators at secure areas
3.51
1.167
4
18.80
0.009*
Posi on mechanical rooms away from high-risk and publicly accessible areas
3.44
1.095
5
19.59
0.017*
CCTV and access control systems
4.18
0.823
1
31.71
0.000*
Protec ve Features
Note: * p < 0.05 (one-tailed). These indicators were assessed using a Likert scale: 1 = Least Important, to 5 = Very Important. Table 1: One-sample t-test: Level of importance of protec ve features.
The results indicate that only eight protec ve features were sta s cally significant at the 95% confidence level, as the p-value for these features were calculated to be less than 0.05. From the survey, it was found that ac ve protec ve features such as CCTV and access control systems (M = 4.18) and security ligh ng (M = 3.92) were the two most important security features in the respec ve projects. The literature revealed that CCTVs are increasingly important, due to the worldwide increase in the and terrorism, resul ng in the pressing need to u lise video surveillance to protect building occupants and built assets (Kruegle & Abram, 2007). Furthermore, with the na onwide push in recent years, by the Singapore Police Force, for CCTVs in every public housing estate (Heng, 2016), it was not surprising that the survey respondents perceived CCTVs to be important in ensuring the security of buildings. Similarly, with the decisive push for CCTVs and video analy cs to replace labour-intensive patrolling, as men oned in the Security Industry Transforma on Map 2018, it was not surprising that the respondents felt that CCTVs are especially important in Singapore’s buildings. This was further echoed during the interview by Interviewee A, an architect, who commented on the cri cal and dual role of CCTVs in buildings - in preven ng crime and as an inves ga ve tool. Interviewee A said, “CCTVs played two roles. One, in a way, is preven ve. Just because of the fact that there is a CCTV, people tend to be wary of what they do and what they get up to, outside the building. (On the other hand), 42
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
if something happens, you can check who did what outside and in the building, to diagnose the problem and to figure out what happened”. Similarly, as explained earlier in the literature review, security ligh ng is a measure to deter and detect criminal ac vi es within a built asset. This includes floodlights, street lamps and light-emi ng diode (LED) wall pack lights. This protec ve feature was perceived to be highly important, as seen from the survey results (M = 3.92). Richman (2009) argued that the appropriate placement and quality of exterior ligh ng are likely to enhance security. Moreover, the use of security ligh ng in elimina ng dark areas was also found to be advantageous in improving the effec veness of video surveillance through CCTVs (Richman, 2009), thus explaining its high perceived importance. The third most important protec ve feature for the respondents was structural strengthening (M = 3.59). In light of the increasing number of terrorist a acks, structural blast design and strengthening has been a vital aspect of a building design (Yalciner, 2014). In addi on to its effec veness in mi ga ng blast effects arising from acts of terrorism, another possible reason for the high perceived importance of this protec ve feature is its effec veness in resis ng severe gas explosions (Yalciner, 2014). This was followed by ‘Posi on emergency power generators at secure areas’ (M = 3.51) and ‘Posi on mechanical rooms away from high-risk and publicly accessible areas’ (M = 3.44), which were ascertained as the fourth and fi h most important protec ve feature, respec vely.
HEALTH & SAFETY ENGINEERING
The fundamental objec ve of these two security measures is to prevent terrorists from employing non-conven onal weapons such as chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) agents. Hence, an explana on for their high perceived importance could be the increasing percep on that CBR threats are the new fronts of terrorism (Variar, 2011). The literature revealed that there have been many CBR a acks in recent years. For instance, anthrax spore samples were found in the air filters of an offsite mail facility that serves the US Supreme Court.
However, despite the low mean score of these two protec ve features, as seen from the results of the survey ques onnaire, the interview findings showed that the interviewees were generally unsure if these are indeed unimportant.
In 2004, a South African government facility in Pretoria also came under a suspected anthrax a ack (Variar, 2011). Another reason for the high perceived importance of these two protec ve features could be the respondents feeling that physically securing mechanical rooms and posi oning them away from publicly accessible areas are simple yet effec ve measures to prevent the direct introduc on of hazardous materials into the ACMV duct system of the building (Spellman, 2018).
Likewise, Interviewee B said, “It is not that they are not important. Rather, it is because they are very costly”.
‘Bollards’ were iden fied as the sixth most important protec ve feature (M = 3.38). This finding was not surprising as security bollards were found to be essen al measures in enhancing access control, which is one of the key principles of crime preven on through environmental design (CPTED) (Casteel & Peek-Asa, 2000). Furthermore, both Interviewee A and Interviewee B agreed that bollards are increasingly important in Singapore’s context, due to the increasing prevalence of vehicle ramming incidents and car bombings around the world.
When asked about the low perceived importance of these two protec ve features, Interviewee A said, “I am not sure that they are not important, but they are very difficult to do. Because blast protec on in glass walls is extremely expensive”.
It is thus evident that while the survey respondents felt that blast-protected curtain walls and blast-shielding walls were the least important protec ve features, the interviewees had a differing view and s ll have their reserva ons about the perceived low importance of these measures. In addi on, it is evident from the interviews that the high costs associated with blast protec on could be a factor that possibly led to the low perceived importance of these features.
Degree of implementa on of protec ve features in buildings
When asked about the importance of bollards in buildings, Interviewee B said, “Because nowadays, car bombs and vehicle ramming are prevalent, so, in most of the projects the entrances have to be protected”.
Respondents were also asked to rate the degree of implementa on in their recently completed projects, for the same set of protec ve features using a Likert scale of 1 (not implemented) to 5 (fully implemented). In order to test whether the degree of implementa on of protecve features in Singapore’s buildings is generally low, a one-sample t-test was performed at the 95% confidence level with a test value of 3. The results are presented in Table 2.
Interviewee A also agreed and highlighted that bollards are important as vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices are one of the key threats faced by buildings, saying that “One of the main threats is explosive devices in cars or vehicles. Bollards keep vehicles away from cri cal points, so that is really the main advantage of bollards”.
As Table 2 indicates, only three protec ve features had p-values below 0.05. Hence, these three protec ve features were significantly implemented in the projects that were surveyed. The three protec ve features are ‘CCTV and access control systems’, ‘Security ligh ng’ and ‘Bollards’, as indicated by the asterisk.
On the other hand, Interviewee C shared that in some of the shopping malls that he has developed, bollards were installed to protect the tenants who are based near the perimeter, from accidental vehicle ramming. He added that the concern of accidental vehicle ramming arose from the implementa on of ramps near the drop-off points to accommodate Universal Design requirements.
The building protec ve feature that was significantly implemented by the respondents was ‘CCTV and access control systems’ (M = 4.44) - the highest mean among the protec ve features. The high implementa on rate of CCTVs and access control systems in Singapore’s buildings could perhaps be a ributed to an industry-wide prac ce. One of the interviewees, Interviewee B, opined that CCTVs are highly implemented in Singapore’s buildings as it is a standard prac ce adopted by developers and architects.
Thus, it is evident that bollards are perceived to be highly important in Singapore’s context, not only due to their effec veness in deterring and protec ng against vehicle-borne terrorism, but also due to their ability to prevent accidental vehicle ramming incidents. On the contrary, ‘Blast protected curtain walls and windows’ (M = 2.31) and ‘Blast-shielding walls’ (M = 2.49) were perceived to be the least important protec ve features. This finding is in agreement with Ling & Soh (2005) who established that blast protected glazing was not viewed by building designers in Singapore to be important in enhancing the safety of tall buildings.
Interviewee B said, “CCTVs have now become a norm because for every project, you need CCTVs, partly for their maintenance use and also, at the same me, for their own security purposes”. From an ins tu onal perspec ve, it appears that social and industry norms have an influence in mo va ng building professionals to adopt protec ve features such as CCTVs. THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
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HEALTH & SAFETY ENGINEERING
Mean
SD
Rank
t
Sig. (2-tailed)
Bollards
3.41
1.163
3
2.2
0.034*
An -intrusion barriers
2.49
1.275
11
-2.51
0.016
Blast-shielding walls
1.97
1.347
13
-4.75
0.000
Security ligh ng
3.69
1.104
2
3.92
0.000*
Posi on vehicle parking areas away from high-risk and highly populated areas
2.82
1.189
7
-0.94
0.352
Structural Strengthening
3.08
1.326
6
0.36
0.719
Building shape with no recesses and re-entrant angles
2.51
1.295
9
-2.35
0.024
Protec on of building columns by external wall façade
2.49
1.412
11
-2.27
0.029
Blast or ballis c protected curtain walls and windows
1.87
1.218
14
-5.79
0.000
Physical protec on of fresh air intake vents
2.59
1.352
8
-1.9
0.066
Isola on system for air distribu on network
2.51
1.275
9
-2.39
0.022
Posi on emergency power generators at secure areas
3.23
1.327
4
1.09
0.284
Posi on mechanical rooms away from high-risk and publicly accessible areas
3.13
1.196
5
0.67
0.507
CCTV and access control systems
4.44
0.754
1
11.9
0.000*
Protec ve Features
Note: * p < 0.05 (one-tailed). These indicators were assessed using a Likert scale: 1 = ‘Not Implemented’ to 5 = ‘Fully Implemented’. Table 2: One-sample t-test: Degree of implementa on of protec ve features.
In addi on to norma ve pressures, another reason for the high implementa on of CCTVs might be its effec veness in reducing and preven ng crime. A study conducted in South Korea showed that the implementa on of CCTVs resulted in a 47.4% reduc on in criminal ac vi es (Park, Oh & Paek, 2012). Several studies have also shown that CCTVs are indeed effec ve in deterring crime and as an inves ga ve tool (Ashby, 2017; Welsh & Farrington, 2004). All three interviewees agreed on the effec veness of CCTVs in preven ng crime. In addi on, Interviewee C provided an insight from the perspec ve of a shopping mall’s management and men oned that in addi on to security purposes, CCTVs were highly effec ve in ensuring safety of the occupants. He gave an example of how CCTVs are effec ve inves ga ve tools to iden fy the root causes for pe y crime incidents and slip and fall incidents, and useful for organisa onal learning, con nuous improvement and future accident preven on. ‘Security ligh ng’ was the second highest implemented protec ve feature (M = 3.69). A possible reason for the high implementa on of security ligh ng in Singapore’s buildings is its effec veness in complemen ng the use of CCTVs. According to MHA (2010) guidelines, security ligh ng is essen al for illumina ng the building perimeter for enhanced video surveillance through CCTVs.They help to increase visibility and facilitates video surveillance a er dark. A Pearson’s correla on coefficient was 44
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
computed to assess the rela onship between the degree of implementa on of CCTVs and security ligh ng. The results showed a high r of 0.545 with a p-value of 0.000, indica ng that there was a posi ve correla on between the two variables. Hence, the effec veness of security ligh ng in ensuring the efficacy of CCTVs could be a possible reason for its high implementa on in buildings. The increasing energy efficiency of light fixtures could also explain the high implementa on of security lighting in Singapore’s buildings. Since security ligh ng is required to be switched on throughout the night, its opera ng cost could be an impediment to its implementaon. The opera ng cost of security ligh ng was reported to take up the largest propor on (88%) of its total cost due to its high energy requirements (Purpura, Fennelly, Honey, Broder & Nelson, 2017). However, with the improvement of technology, the availability of mo on sensor controlled security lights now provides for greater energy efficiency. This results in lower running costs, which may incen vise building developers and designers to install them in their buildings to further enhance their security. The third protec ve feature that was significantly implemented by the respondents was crash-proof bollards (M = 3.41). The high implementa on of bollards in Singapore’s building projects could be a ributed to the recent rise of vehicle ramming a acks worldwide. Being one of
HEALTH & SAFETY ENGINEERING
the world’s most densely populated ci es and with a high vehicle ownership rate, Singapore could be a prime target for vehicle ramming a acks, as perpetrators seek to generate maximum impact and publicity. The high possibility and consequen al severity of vehicle ramming a acks occurring in Singapore could have prompted building designers to install bollards in their building developments. Another reason for their high installa on levels could be that crash-proof bollards are the least visually obtrusive op on compared to all the other perimeter protec on measures such as fences. Furthermore, crash-proof bollards can be integrated into the building’s surrounding landscape, in the form of flower planters, to reduce the obtrusiveness of the protec ve features for buildings. When asked about the high implementa on of bollards in building projects, Interviewee A commented, “I think bollards are rela vely less obtrusive than a lot of other means to keep vehicles away. There are op ons and if they are less visually obtrusive and do not look like a security measure but look like an actual part of the design, then that is preferable”. On the other hand, the one-sample t-test results showed that the remaining 11 protec ve features had rela vely low mean values (M = 1.87 to 3.23) and p-values greater than 0.05. Thus, these 11 protec ve features were not significantly implemented in Singapore’s building projects. Overall, this indicates that a majority of the protec ve features were not significantly implemented in Singapore’s buildings. Only three protec ve features were implemented - CCTVs and access control systems, security ligh ng, and crash-proof bollards. The findings appear to suggest that the degree of implementa on of protec ve features in Singapore’s buildings is generally low. The results seem to indicate that terrorism preparedness of the built environment in Singapore is also rela vely low. One possible explana on could be that building professionals may not perceive terrorism as a severe threat in Singapore. Further results from this study (to be presented, later, in Part 3 of this series of ar cles) established that ‘Perceive threat of terrorism as unreal and improbable’ was one of the important cultural-cogni ve barriers that hindered building professionals from incorpora ng protec ve features in buildings. This was also in agreement with Low, Liu & Sio (2010), who established that the construc on industry in Singapore seems to perceive the threat of terrorism as hypothe cal. This was supported by the interview findings, where Interviewee A shared a similar sen ment. Interviewee A said, “I think in Singapore, people tend to take terrorism threats a li le less seriously, than a lot of other countries, partly because Singapore is a small island and the threat can be contained more easily”. The general lack of implementa on of protec ve features in Singapore’s built environment could also be a ributed to the proac ve stance taken by the Singapore government in elimina ng possible terrorist threats (Low, Liu & Sio, 2010). One such measure is the ghtening of border security as the first line of defence against the
threat of terrorism. Tightening border controls limits the entry of terrorists and explosive devices which, in turn, reduces the possibility of a terrorist a ack occurring. As a result, building professionals may not see the need to protect buildings against terrorism.
Conclusion In view of the heightened terrorism threat and the lack of research focusing on the implementa on of protec ve features in Singapore, this study was conducted to iden fy the level of importance and the degree of implementa on of protec ve features in buildings. The two key findings are: • The degree of implementa on of protec ve features in Singapore’s buildings is generally low. Only three out of 14 protec ve features were significantly implemented. The three protec ve features are CCTV and access control systems, Security ligh ng and Bollards. • The degree of implementa on of protec ve features in Singapore’s building projects is lower than the level of its perceived importance. Seven out of 14 protec ve features had a significantly lower degree of implementa on than their perceived level of importance. These seven protec ve features are: • Blast-shielding walls. • Posi oning of vehicle parking areas away from highrisk and highly populated areas. • Structural strengthening. • Building shape with no recesses and re-entrant angles. • Blast or ballis c protected curtain walls and windows. • Physical protec on of fresh air intake vents. • Isola on system for air distribu on network. The low implementa on level of protec ve features in buildings seems to indicate a glaring lack of terrorism preparedness in Singapore’s built environment. These findings also highlighted the need to iden fy and inves gate the barriers and drivers for incorpora ng protec ve features, in order to improve their implementa on in Singapore. The last paper in this three-part series of ar cles will explain the barriers and drivers for implemen ng protec ve features in buildings, using the ins tu onal framework. References Ashby M P J (2017): ‘The Value of CCTV Surveillance Cameras as an Inves ga ve Tool: An Empirical Analysis’, European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 23(3), 441-459. Casteel C & Peek-Asa C (2000): ‘Effec veness of Crime Preven on Through Environmental Design (CPTED) in Reducing Robberies’, American Journal of Preven ve Medicine, 18(4), 99-115. Chu X, Ilyas I F, Krishnan S & Wang J (2016): ‘Data Cleaning: Overview and Emerging Challenges’, in Proceedings of the 2016 Interna onal Conference on Management of Data (SIGMOD ’16) (pp 2201-2206). San Francisco, CA, USA. Heng J (2016): ‘Network of CCTV cameras proving effec ve’, The Straits Times, 9 March 2016. THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
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Jackson S L (2015): ‘Research Methods: A Modular Approach (3rd ed)’, Stamford, Connec cut, USA. Cengage Learning. Judge M (2016): ‘Protec ng facili es from terrorist threat’, Premises & Facili es Management Online. Retrieved from h p://www.pfmonthenet.net/ar cle/123516/Protec ng-facilies-from-terrorist-threat.aspx. Kruegle H & Abram F (2007): ‘Video’s Cri cal Role in the Security Plan’, in CCTV Surveillance (2nd ed), pp 1-11, Burlington, MA, USA. Elsevier Bu erworth-Heinemann. Lam K C, Tao R & Lam M C K (2010): ‘A material supplier selecon model for property developers using Fuzzy Principal Component Analysis’, Automa on in Construc on, 19(5), 608-618. Ling F Y Y & Soh L H (2005): ‘Improving the design of tall buildings a er 9/11’, Structural Survey, 23(4), 265-281. Low S P, Liu J & Sio S (2010): ‘Business con nuity management in large construc on companies in Singapore’, Disaster Preven on and Management, an Interna onal Journal, 19(2), 219–232. Ministry of Home Affairs (2010): ‘Guidelines for Enhancing Building Security in Singapore’, Singapore. Nunnally J C (1978): ‘Psychometric Theory’, New York, USA. McGraw-Hill. O R L & Longnecker M T (2008): ‘An Introduc on to Sta scal Methods and Data Analysis (6th ed)’, Belmont, CA, USA. Cengage Learning. Park H H, Oh G S & Paek S Y (2012): ‘Measuring the crime dis-
placement and diffusion of benefit effects of open-street CCTV in South Korea’, Interna onal Journal of Law, Crime and Jus ce, 40(3), 179-191. Purpura P P, Fennelly L J, Honey G, Broder J F & Nelson J (2017): ‘Security Ligh ng’, in L J Fennelly (ed), Effec ve Physical Security (5th ed), pp 85-94, Oxford, UK. Elsevier Inc. Richman E (2009): ‘Exterior Ligh ng for Energy Savings, Security, and Safety’, Richland, WA, USA. Shanmugam K (2016): ‘Enhancing Singapore’s responses to terrorism’, Keynote Address, in The Home Team Leaders’ Forum, 19 March 2016, Singapore, Ministry of Home Affairs. Spellman F R (2018): ‘Government Facili es Protec on and Homeland Security (1st ed)’, Lanham, MD, USA. Bernan Press. Tavakol M & Dennick R (2011): ‘Making sense of Cronbach’s alpha’, Interna onal Journal of Medical Educa on, 2, 53–55. Variar A (2011): ‘CBR Threats: New Face of Terrorism’, retrieved February 25, 2018, from h p://www.orfonline.org/research/ cbr-threats-new-face-of-terrorism/ Vaughn B (2008): ‘Terrorism in Southeast Asia’, Nova Science Publishers Inc, New York, USA. Welsh B C & Farrington D P (2004): ‘Evidence-based Crime Preven on: The Effec veness of CCTV’, Crime Preven on and Community Safety, 6(2), 21-33. Yalciner H (2014): ‘Structural Response to Blast Loading: The Effects of Corrosion on Reinforced Concrete Structures’, Hindawi Publishing Corpora on, London, UK.
Research study on Cri cal Infrastructure Protec on Service market The global Cri cal Infrastructure Protec on Service Market report provides comprehensive and insigh ul informa on, taking into considera on various factors such as compe on, regional growth, segmenta on, as well as market size by value and volume. This is a research study specially compiled to provide the latest insights into cri cal aspects of the Cri cal Infrastructure Protecon Service market. The report includes different market forecasts related to market size, produc on, revenue, consump on, CAGR, gross margin, price, and other key factors. It is prepared with the use of industry-best primary and secondary research methodologies and tools. Each sec on of the report provides informa on about the global Cri cal Infrastructure Protec on Service market, that could be used to ensure strong growth in the coming years. The blend of primary and secondary research techniques helped to recognise hidden business opportuni es available in the global Cri cal Infrastructure Protec on Service market, besides collec ng significant insights of market par cipants and obtaining precise market data. It includes several research studies such as manufacturing cost analysis, absolute dollar opportunity, pricing analysis, company profiling, produc on and consump on analysis, and market dynamics. The global Cri cal Infrastructure Protec on Service market report is segmented on the basis of the type of product, applica on, and region. The analysts authoring the report provide a me culous evalua on of all of the segments included in the report. The segments are studied, keeping in view their market share, revenue, market growth rate, and other vital factors. The segmenta on study equips interested
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THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
par es to iden fy high-growth por ons of the global Cri cal Infrastructure Protec on Service market and understand how the leading segments could grow during the forecast period. The Cri cal Infrastructure Protec on Service market report men ons the key geographies, market landscapes, product price, revenue, volume, produc on, supply, demand, market growth rate, and forecast etc. This report also provides SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis. Informa on in the report is presented under the following categories: Market segments by type • Risk Management Services • Consul ng Services • Managed Services • Maintenance and Support Services Market segments by applica on • Energy and Power • Transporta on Systems • Sensi ve Infrastructures and Enterprises Market segments by region • North America (United States, Canada, and Mexico) • Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, and Italy) • Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, and Southeast Asia) • South America (Brazil, Argen na, Colombia etc) • Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa) More details can be obtained from h ps://www.reportsmonitor.com/report/304216/Cri cal-Infrastructure-Protec on-Service-Market
IES UPDATE
IES-NTU ENGINEERING FEST 2019 On 28 March 2019, the IES-NTU Student Chapter organised its first-ever school-wide engineering event. With a turnout exceeding 800 students, the Engineering Fest 2019 was the largest event ever run by the student chapter. Mr Mervyn Sirisena, Vice President of IES (Educa on Group) and Mr Danny Lee, Chairman of the IES Student Chapters Commi ee, graced its opening ceremony. Held on the NTU campus, a myriad of ac vi es was available for everyone to partake in, from game and photo booths, as well as that put up by various public and private sector engineering firms to inform students about the
possible career paths a er gradua on. Exam welfare packs were also given out to student members. In addi on, a Seismic Compe on was held where teams of students were challenged to build resilient structures that could withstand the most amount of seismic load, using the materials provided. It was an exci ng and successful event, with all par cipants having gained new knowledge about engineering and its possible opportuni es. The student chapter also managed to gain more than 200 new sign-ups through promo onal efforts conducted during the event.
Ini a ng the launch mechanism for the official opening of the IES-NTU Engineering Fest 2019 were Mr Danny Lee, Chairman, IES Student Chapters Commi ee (third from le ); Mr Mervyn Sirisena, VicePresident, IES Educa on Group (fourth from le ), and Ms Charlo e Seah, Assistant Manager, External Rela ons, IES (fi h from le ).
Mr Sirisena and Mr Lee visited the booth belonging to NTU’s School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
TECHNOLOGIES FOR ELECTRICITY SUPPLY CONFERENCE IES President Professor Yeoh Lean Weng spoke at the Smart Technologies for Electricity Supply Conference, organised by the Singapore Ins tute of Power and Gas (a subsidiary of SP Group), on 13 March 2019. In his capacity as Director of Urban Solu ons and Sustainability at the Na onal Research Founda on, Prof Yeoh touched on Energy Grid 2.0, a government programme that aims to integrate mul ple energy sources (e.g. gas, solar, thermal) into a single intelligent network for greater sustainability, efficiency and resilience. Efforts on making buildings energy-efficient are also under the purview of the programme, which has provided a pla orm for companies, IHLs and research ins tutes to co-develop innova ve capabili es since its incep on in 2017.
(From le ) The conference panelists included Mr David Chiesa, Senior Director, Global Business Development, S&C Electric Company; Mr Sim Kwong Mian, Chairman, SP Engineering Council, SP Group; Mr Peter Leong, Managing Director, SP Training & Consultancy Company, SP Group; and Prof Yeoh.
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
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IES UPDATE
ROBUST DISCUSSION, STRONG TURNOUT AT SECOND BUILDING FACADES AND FIRE SAFETY SEMINAR The inaugural Building Facades and Fire Safety Seminar organised by The Singapore Engineer last year was well-received by par cipants. Due to the overwhelming response, a second run was organised, taking place on 25 April 2019 at Furama Riverfront Hotel. It was graced by IES Honorary Council Member and Past President Er. Dr Lee Bee Wah and a racted about 150 par cipants, who included architects, engineers and fire safety managers in both the public and private sectors. This year, the highlights of the seminar were presenta ons from the Building and Construc on Authority (BCA), as well as the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). Both agencies provided updates on the new regula ons that were put in place in the wake of the building façade fires that a racted worldwide a en on in 2017, as well as the various other safetyrelated incidents that have occurred locally in recent years. Speakers from industry leaders such as Arup, DP Facades and 3A Composites also provided valuable insights on topics such as façade fire performance, the use of aluminium composite panels, and alterna ve materials such as mber. Mr Adrian Brown, an experienced forensic fire inves gator and consultant for Dubai Civil Defence, was specially invited to give his input on fire-safe façade design and share his experiences on fire tes ng and cer fica on in other countries. The two panel discussions, moderated by Mr Gary Connah, Managing Director, Halfen Moment Group (Singapore), saw robust discussion between the par cipants and the speakers, as they sought to understand the finer points of the presenta ons. Many par cipants found the seminar useful and contributed sugges ons for improvements and future seminar topics. The Publica ons Commi ee would like to thank SCDF, Mitsubishi Electric Asia, Standards Development Organisa on @ IES and e2i for suppor ng this seminar, and all par cipants for making it a resounding success.
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ADVERTISERS’ INDEX
IES Membership ––––––––––––––––––– Inside Back Cover
Building and Construc on Authority ––––––––––– Page 13
Igus Singapore Pte Ltd ––––––––––––––––––––– Page 01
Cementaid (S.E.A.) Pte Ltd –––––––––––––––––––– Page 05
Mul Nine Corpora on Pte Ltd –––––– Outside Back Cover
Delta Energy Systems –––––––––––––––––– Page 08 & 09 (Singapore) Pte Ltd
Na onal Engineers Day 2019 –––––––––––––––– Page 27
IES Directory ––––––––––––––––––––– Inside Front Cover
World Engineers Summit 2019 –––––––––––––– Page 19
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER May 2019
STOLZ Engineering Pte Ltd –––––––––––––––––– Page 39