News & Events - Institution of Engineers Singapore

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Contents 

Section 1: Engineering (General) 

2 IES Update 

Section 2: Engineering (Civil & Structural • Infrastructural 

• Environmental Focus) 

10 Cover Story: The Pinnacle@Duxton 

Published By 

The Institution of Engineers, Singapore 

Director, Marketing 

Roland Ang 

Marketing & Publications Executive 

Jeremy Chia 

22 Structural Engineering: Burj Khalifa Tower 

30 Interview: Engineering urban transformation 

32 Products & Services 

38 Section 3: News & Events 

Chief Editor 

T Bhaskaran 

Editorial Board 

Er. Dr Adhityan Appan 

Mr Lee Siew Wei 

Er. Siow Keng Cheng 

Mr Wong Chung Wan 

Manager, External Relations 

Valerie Neo 

Cover designed by Jeremy Chia 

Cover image by HDB 

The Singapore Engineer, The Magazine of the Institution of 

Engineers, Singapore (IES) is published on a monthly basis, 

by the Institution of Engineers, Singapore. 

The contents within the magazine, unless explicitly stated otherwise, do not reflect the opinions of the Institution of Engineers, 

Singapore (IES), and therefore have not received any endorsement from IES. The Editor reserves the right to amend, add to, 

condense, or rewrite, any editorial release or submission. 

The title The Singapore Engineer is the property of the 

Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES). 

Although all efforts will be made to ensure that information is accurate at the time of going to print, the Publisher and Editor, 

as well as the Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES), will not accept any liability for errors within the magazine. 

© The Institution of Engineers, Singapore. The copyright 

of the contents of The Singapore Engineer is held by the 

Publisher. All rights reserved. Reproduction of information 

contained within the magazine, in its entirety, or in part, in 

any format, requires written permission from the Publisher. 

The publication is distributed free-of-charge. For enquiries on Editorial and Advertising, please contact the Institution of 

Engineers, Singapore, 70 Bukit Tinggi Road, Singapore 289758. Tel: (65) 6469 5000 Fax: (65) 64671108. 

Printed in Singapore by SUN RISE Printing & Supplies Pte Ltd. 

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER Jun 2010 · 1

IES Update 

Message from the President 

IES COUNCIL MEMBERS 

2010/2011 

President 

Er. Ho Siong Hin 

Vice Presidents 

Er. Chong Kee Sen 

Er. Prof Chou Siaw Kiang 

Er. Edwin Khew 

Er. Lum Chong Chuen 

Er. Ong See Ho 

Prof Yeoh Lean Weng 

Honorary Secretary 

Er. Ng Say Cheong 

Honorary Treasurer 

Assoc Prof Daniel Lim 

Assistant Honorary Secretary 

Er. Jee Yi Yng 

Assistant Honorary Treasurer 

Mr Jeffrey Chua 

Immediate Past President 

Er. Lee Bee Wah 

Past Presidents 

Er. Tan Seng Chuan 

Er. A/Prof Foo Say Wei 

Er. Ong Ser Huan 

Council Members 

Dr Boh Jaw Woei 

Prof Er Meng Joo 

Er. Koh Beng Thong 

Mr Lim Shiyi 

Er. Low Wong Fook 

Mr Neo Kok Beng 

Er. Ong Geok Soo 

Er. Prof Ong Say Leong 

Er. Pak Yew Hock, Lawrence 

Prof Seeram Ramakrishna 

Mr Tan Kai Hong 

Er. Toh Siaw Hui, Joseph 

Mr Alfred Wong 

Dear Friends 

As the new President of IES, I welcome the opportunity to communicate with the 

readers of ‘The Singapore Engineer’ on a regular basis. 

In the last few weeks, we have seen how the blow-out of the oil well on the seabed 

in the Gulf of Mexico has played out for BP. The incident caused an explosion on 

the offshore oil drilling platform, killing 11 workers and injuring 17 others. It also 

resulted in a massive oil spill that continues to threaten the east coast of the US, on an 

unprecedented scale. Efforts to cap the oil are ongoing but a lot of damage has already 

been done. 

This man-made disaster is an example of the consequences to human life, assets, and 

the environment (in this instance directly affecting the livelihoods of people), when 

production operations go wrong. A myriad of questions strike our minds: Why did the 

explosion happen? Were all the safety measures including those relating to materials, 

equipment, instrumentation, personnel and procedures etc, in place, that could have 

prevented it? Were scenarios for different kinds of abnormal situations visualised, and 

response measures developed, prioritised, and simulated? 

What we can say is that, as far as possible, such a situation should never be allowed 

to happen. The subject of safety should be given top priority, so that human beings, 

property, and the environment, are protected at all times. 

Engineers have a major role to play in the achievement of this objective. Backed by 

their technical knowledge and experience, they can take the lead in the development 

and implementation of safety measures and post-accident response programmes. 

This is why we place paramount importance on workplace safety in IES. The IES 

Academy has been organising training courses with an emphasis on safety to inculcate 

the ‘safety first’ mindset in our engineers. Lessons to be learnt from accidents in 

our recent memory, such as the Nicoll Highway collapse and the Marina Bay Sands 

fatality, are imparted to our engineers through relevant seminars and courses. Through 

education we hope that the safety mindset will be prevalent among our engineers. 

Er. Ho Siong Hin 

President 

The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES) 

2 · THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER Jun 2010

IES Update 

EAB workshop on ‘Developing Sustainable 

Program Assessment Processes’ 

The workshop on ‘Developing 

Sustainable Program Assessment 

Processes’ by Dr Gloria Rogers, Managing 

Director, Professional Services, ABET 

Inc, was organised by the Engineering 

Accreditation Board (EAB) of IES from 

10 May to 12 May 2010 at Furama 

Riverfront Hotel. 

The intention of the workshop was 

to prepare all local universities for the 

outcome-based accreditation which will 

be in place in Year 2012. 

The three-day workshop saw a total 

of 60 participants hailing from Nanyang 

Technological University (NTU), 

National University of Singapore 

(NUS), and SIM University (UniSIM). 

All participants were actively involved in 

the programme lined up by Dr Rogers. 

At the end of the workshop, a 

majority of the participants (85%) gave 

the feedback that rubrics writing and 

designing good surveys are the most 

useful and meaningful lessons they have 

learnt. 

Many also commented that they 

enjoyed the activities i.e the table 

discussion and silent brainstorming, and 

the ‘toys’ provided by Dr Rogers. 

EAB workshop participants. 

Prof Fung Tat Ching (NTU) explaining the 

written performance indicators to fellow group 

members. 

Dr Rogers examines the performance indicators 

written by A/Prof Chen Zhong’s (NTU) group. 

Courtesy visit by IFEES 

On 17 May 2010, Dr Lueny Morell, 

President, International Federation 

of Engineering Education Societies 

(IFEES), paid a courtesy visit to IES. 

Accompanying her was Dr John 

Lamancusa, Professor, Department of 

Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, 

The Pennsylvania State University, USA. 

The IFEES representatives were 

received by Er. Ng Say Cheong, IES 

Honorary Secretary; Er. Ong Ser Huan, 

IES Past President; A/Prof Daniel Lim, 

IES Honorary Treasurer; and Er. Dr 

Chew Soon Hoe, Past Chairman of the 

National Committee of Engineering 

Organisations (NCEO). 

The parties exchanged updates on 

their respective institutions and how IES 

can play a role in the upcoming World 

Engineering Education Forum (WEEF) 

in October 2010. The meeting ended with 

a presentation of tokens and a dinner 

hosted by IES. 

From left to right: Dr Low Eicher, Acting Executive Director, IES; Er. Dr Chew Soon Hoe; Er. Ong 

Ser Huan; Dr Lueny Morell; Dr John Lamancusa; Er. Ng Say Cheong; and A/Prof Daniel Lim. 


IES Update 

H.K.U. Engineering Alumni Association’s 

(HKUEAA) Sustainable Development Study 

Tour to Singapore 

On 2 June 2010, 17 delegates from the 

H.K.U. Engineering Alumni Association 

(HKUEAA) paid a courtesy visit to 

IES. The HKUEAA delegates were in 

Singapore for a three-day study tour with 

the theme ‘Sustainable City’. HKUEAA, 

founded to promote friendship amongst 

Engineering graduates from the University 

of Hong Kong (HKU) and to initiate 

and assist the professional furtherance 

within and outside the campus, has 

been aggressively promoting sustainable 

development (SD) by having experiential 

projects for HKU engineering alumni and 

students to appreciate the examples of SD 

outside Hong Kong. The delegation has 

identified Singapore as a good example 

demonstrating the sustainable city 

development concepts. 

The HKUEAA delegation was received 

by Er. Ho Siong Hin, IES President; 

Er. Lawrence Pak, Chairman, Civil and 

Structural Technical Committee; Ms Titis 

Primita, Vice Chairman, Young Members 

Committee; Er. Dr Lim Ewe Chye, 

Chairman, IES Clean Energy Interest 

Group; and Dr Low Eicher, Acting 

Executive Director. 

Besides visiting IES, the delegation 

also visited the Urban Redevelopment 

Authority (URA) Gallery; ARUP 

Singapore’s office; Building and 

Construction Authority’s (BCA) Zero 

Energy Building; Solar Technology Centre 

at Ngee Ann Polytechnic; Gardens by the 

Bay Visitor Centre; NEWater Visitor 

Centre; Changi Water Reclamation Plant, 

and the Marina Barrage. 

Throughout the three-day study tour, 

the HKUEAA delegation were committed 

to the sharing of information and thoughts 

on the subjects / venues they visited. They 

were vocal and did not hesitate to make 

comments or seek additional information 

from the guides in the various places 

they visited. There was strong bonding 

between the students and alumni, where 

mentoring was not limited to sharing of 

technical information but to general life 

aspects as well. 

Dr Lung commented that the trip was 

indeed inspirational to the students and 

praised the foresight of Singapore and its 

Government’s commitment on sustainable 

development. During the meeting, both 

sides exchanged information on the 

latest developments in their respective 

institutions and countries. The meeting 

ended with an exchange of tokens and a 

networking dinner. 

Er. Ho Siong Hin (on right) receiving a token of appreciation from Dr Francis Lung, Immediate Past 

President of HKUEAA. 

Visit to Solar Technology Centre @ Ngee Ann Polytechnic. 

Students admiring the barrage simulation at the Marina Barrage Gallery. 


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TEDDS 

Orion 

S-Frame 

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Cover Story 

The Pinnacle@Duxton 

Over the last 50 years since its 

establishment in 1960, the Housing 

& Development Board (HDB) has 

chalked up an impressive array of 

achievements. Extending the trackrecord 

further is the first 50-storey 

public housing project in Singapore, 

which is also, at 168 m, the tallest. 

Introduction 

The Pinnacle@Duxton comprises 1848 

residential units spread over seven 

blocks, and one multi-storey carpark. It 

is located on a site (Fig 1) on which, in 

1963, Blocks 1 and 2 Cantonment Road, 

the first two HDB blocks in the area, 

were built. 

An international architectural 

competition was organised by Singapore’s 

Urban Redevelopment Authority to 

obtain the best design ideas for high-rise 

living in the city, that would also take 

into account the historical significance 

of the site. The competition was won 

by architect Mr Khoo Peng Beng from 

ARC Studio Architecture + Urbanism, a 

Singapore-based firm. 

Important features of the project 

include sky bridges and sky gardens 

at the 26 th and 50 th storeys, linking all 

the seven blocks, as well as a variety of 

façade elements. The circuit board-like 

arrangement of bay windows, planters, 

and balconies, helps to differentiate The 

Pinnacle@Duxton from other ‘regular’ 

HDB projects (Fig 2). 

Project information 

Number of blocks 

and storey 

Total number of 

units 

Type of unit S1 

Type of unit S2 

Facilities 

Basement 

7 blocks, each 50 

storeys high 

1,848 

1,232 units 

(93 m 2 - 97 m 2 ) 

616 units 

(105 m 2 - 108 m 2 ) 

Carpark below 

blocks 1A to 1E 

1 st Storey 1 food court, 

4 shops, and 1 

convenience store 

and carpark 

2 nd Storey Carpark at Blk 1A, 

1B and 1D 

3 rd Storey 

(Environmental 

deck) 

26 th Storey 

(Active Zone) 

50 th Storey 

(Contemplative 

Zone) 

1 childcare centre, 

1 education centre, 

playground, event 

plaza, basketball 

court, and pavilion 

jogging track, 840 

m long 

Viewing decks and 

themed garden 

Fig1: Site layout plan. 

Fig 2: Overall view of the completed The Pinnacle@Duxton. 


Cover Story 


Cover Story 

Design of super-structure and substructure 

As The Pinnacle@Duxton was HDB’s 

first super high-rise development, 

rigorous design analyses were conducted 

to ensure structural stability. The 

structural system adopted is reinforced 

concrete construction coupled with a 

beam-column-slab rigid frame for the 

building. All column loads are transferred 

directly, floor to floor, down to the 

foundation. No transfer beams have been 

used. The design also responded to the 

need for robustness, with the provision 

of peripheral ties and internal ties, to 

ensure that the building is not vulnerable 

to progressive collapse. 

HDB collaborated with the National 

University of Singapore in the study 

of lightning protection and for wind 

tunnel analysis, during the design stage 

of the project. Numerous wind tunnel 

simulations were also conducted in the 

laboratory to analyse the effect of wind 

currents on the seven tall buildings and 

also their environmental impact on the 

neighbourhood. In addition, traffic 

impact modelling and analysis were also 

performed to ensure optimal travelling 

times along the two abutting major 

roads. 

HDB’s own in-house design and 

detailing software, SE CAD, was used 

to model and design the tower blocks. 

SE CAD has been developed for highrise 

building analysis and design. Key 

performance parameters required for 

high-rise, reinforced concrete buildings, 

were computed automatically by the 

software. 

Powered by a robust, finite element 

engine with a built-in precast components 

database, and incorporating a userfriendly 

interface, SE CAD provided 

solutions for tasks ranging from 3D 

structural analysis, computation, design, 

and detailing, to the production of 

drawings (Fig 3). 

As the modelling and analysis process 

was fully integrated, feasibility studies 

were carried out on various possible 

structural configurations, to identify the 

most suitable design proposal. 

Once the shapes and layouts for the 

tall structures were established, their 

structural behaviour was simulated 

effortlessly. The design and analysis results 

(eg for bending moments and shear 

forces), structural drawings, and material 

quantities, were obtained instantly, once a 

building’s super-structure was modelled. 

Additional contributions from the SE 

CAD software included auto-generation 

of the loading plan, 3D model rendering, 

and production of shop drawings for 

precast components and prefabricated 

reinforcements. 

For the sub-structure design, 

thorough investigations were conducted 

around the site, to ascertain the 

Fig 3: Typical workfl ow using SE CAD. 

properties of the soil. The Duxton site 

consists primarily of hard silty sandstone, 

and concrete bored piles have been used 

to support the foundation. A total of 

1330 bored piles was designed with an 

average pile penetration length of 19 m. 

Each tower block was designed to sit on 

a 2.7 m thick raft foundation supported 

by 140 equally spaced bored piles of 1.5 

m diameter. The raft foundation system 

provides structural stability and rigidity 

for the high-rise tower block and prevents 

differential settlement. 


Cover Story 

Precast technology 

For The Pinnacle@Duxton, conscientious 

efforts were made by the architects and 

engineers to make the project buildable, 

through the adoption of modularisation 

and standardisation concepts. The 

various options for the standard layouts 

(S1 and S2) of the units in the residential 

blocks, were obtained by configuring 

units as mirror images of one another 

and by rotation of these unit plans. 

The modularisation of the units was 

replicated to obtain the block design. 

The floor plans for a typical storey 

were also repeated for better efficiency 

in precast construction. The adoption 

of modularisation and standardisation 

also enabled prefabrication to be costeffective 

due to the high repetition of the 

precast components and prefabricated 

reinforcement. 

As a result, it was possible to 

incorporate a high proportion (about 

85% of the total volume of concrete) of 

precast technology in the construction 

of the tower blocks. Precast components 

were utilised for various elements 

including prestressed plank, column, 

lift wall, household shelter wall, gable 

end wall, façade wall with bay window, 

façade wall with planters, façade wall 

with balcony, screen wall, refuse chute, 

staircase, and parapet. 

The use of large volumes of precast 

concrete in the project increased 

productivity by about 15%. In addition, 

it facilitated construction works in a 

tight, built-up, working environment, 

and reduced environmental impact on 

the existing area. In addition, precast 

concrete elements are of better quality as 

they are produced in a factory-controlled 

environment. 

To expedite construction works, a 

typical floor was divided into two segments 

(part A and part B) by a construction 

joint (Fig 4). The construction work 

was staggered, that is, a team of workers 

from a construction trade would work 

on part A and then move on to part B 

without having to stop for workers from 

the other trades to complete their tasks. 

With this, it was possible to achieve the 

anticipated 6-day construction cycle for 

each segment of a typical floor. 

The project team adopted the use of 

large precast facade panels, measuring 

about 7 m in length (Fig 5) compared 

to the usual length of 3 m to 4 m. This 

enhanced tower crane utilisation and 

improved site productivity. The façades 

of planter boxes, sun-shaded louvred 

windows, and balconies, are arranged in 

different combinations, creating a series 

of vertical, zigzag lines that resemble 

Fig 4: Typical fl oor layout showing the construction joint which divides the fl oor into two segments. 

Fig 5: Large precast façade panels. 

Fig 6: Precast, volumetric hollow-cored wall. 

flowing water. In addition, the window 

frames were fixed to the facades before 

delivery to site. This will eliminate water 

seepage through the windows. The wall 

panels were designed to be hollow-cored 

(Fig 6) so as to reduce the weight of the 

components and minimise risk during 

hoisting and erection. 


Cover Story 

Design and installation of sky bridges 

The 12 sky bridges, connecting the seven 

blocks, at the 26 th and 50 th storeys, form 

part of outdoor sky gardens which are 

equipped with amenities for recreational 

purposes. The bridges are made of steel 

with concrete slabs on top. The lengths 

of the bridges vary, with the longest 

spanning 48 m and weighing 327 t. The 

widths and heights of the bridges are 20 

m and 3.9 m, respectively. 

The design of the sky bridges was 

carried out by T.Y.Lin International 

Pte Ltd, HDB’s consultant. The design 

adopted a 3-dimensional triangular 

truss layout which is stable without 

lateral support and could be erected 

independently. The bridges are designed 

to withstand wind forces in all directions. 

The side faces are tapered to reduce 

the obstruction to wind flow, thus 

minimising the wind pressure on the face. 

One end of each bridge was designed 

to be fixed to the building, to improve 

the natural frequency of the bridge and 

reduce vibrations from walking and 

jogging, thus enhancing comfort levels 

for people. 

Owing to the tight site conditions, 

there were many challenges in the 

erection of the bridges, relating to the 

installation method and procedures, 

availability of space at site, and duration 

of the installation. Owing to the sizes, 

the bridges were fabricated in segments 

off-site, at a factory (Fig 7), transported 

to the site, and assembled onto the 

complete structure. To overcome the 

space constraints, the 50 th and 26 th storey 

bridges were stacked on top of each 

other (Fig 8). This also facilitated the 

subsequent lifting operation. 

In the factory, as well as during the onsite 

assembly of the sky bridge members, 

the fitting up, welding, testing, and trial 

assembly of the sky bridge trusses were 

supervised by an independent checker. 

The progress of the work was closely 

supervised by the Resident Engineers and 

Resident Technical Officers who were 

stationed on-site and at the fabrication 

yard. 

After fabrication, the sky bridges 

were lifted to their respective heights 

using the strand jack system which was 

used instead of cranes, due to the height 

of the buildings. In addition, this system 

Fig. 7: Welding, testing, and trial assembly, of sky bridge steel trusses at the factory. 

Fig 8: Assembly of the sky bridge steel trusses on site. The 50 th and 26 th sky bridges are stacked on top 

of each other. 

allowed the bridges to be assembled at 

a lower level before hoisting the whole 

assembly, thus enhancing safety on site. 

Four strand jacks were required for 

each lifting. The jacks were installed 

and positioned at four corners between 

the two buildings at the 50 th storey roof 

top position (Fig 9). Prior to the lifting, 

a trial jacking was done, that raised the 

skybridge 300 mm off the ground, to 

ensure that the jacks were functioning 

properly. 

The bridges are fixed to the core 

walls of the residential buildings. To fix 

the bridges safely and securely to the core 

walls, base plates and sleeves for tension 

bars were cast together with the core 

walls. Great care was taken to ensure that 

the cast-in items aligned accurately with 

the tower blocks. When the bridges were 

lifted to their final positions at the 50 th 

and 26 th storeys, and adjusted, the main 

trusses were connected to the building by 

high strength bars and locked in-place by 

casting the concrete slab which forms the 

floor of the bridge. 


Cover Story 

The sky bridge structural system 

Main 

structure 

Diaphragm 

Connecting 

member to 

member 

Connection 

to building 

core wall 

Main truss 

Three-dimensional steel 

truss. 

Concrete topping 125 mm 

thick. 

Full penetration butt weld. 

Using Macalloy posttensioned 

bars. 

Consists of 1 top chord 

and 2 bottom chords. The 

top chord has a 125 mm 

thick concrete topping. 

The combination acts as a 

composite. 

The concrete topping at the top deck 

level and mezzanine level ties with the 

building floor slab and, together with 

the tie beam between two core walls, acts 

as a diaphragm to resist the lateral and 

vertical loads. 

PROJECT CREDITS 

Client 

Housing & Development Board 

Project Management 

SIPM Consultants 

Design Architect 

ARC Studio Architecture + Urbanism 

Project Architect 

RSP Architects Planners & Engineers 

C&S Consultant 

Surbana International 

Sky Bridge Consultant 

T.Y.Lin International 

M & E Consultant 


Cost Management 


Main Contractor 

Chip Eng Seng Contractors (1988) Pte 

Ltd. 

All images by HDB. 

Fig 9: Lifting of sky bridges to the 50 th storey using the strand jack system. 


Cover Story 

Panoramic view of the skyline from the viewing deck. 

The Pinnacle@Duxton is the tallest public housing development in Singapore. 


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Making energy together

Refreshing the GeoFEA’s User’s Interface 

By S.H. Hong, GeoSoft Pte Ltd 

In this article, we are offering a glimpse at the 

user interface in the next version of GeoFEA. We 

had consolidated some feedbacks from users and 

prioritised the wish-list for our prototype. 

Introduction 

It had been two years since we started this column 

in 2008. A sneak into our new graphical user’s 

interface will conclude our series of articles in “The 

Singapore Engineer”. Much effort was put in to 

raise awareness of some key issues in geotechnical 

finite element modelling. It is also time for us to 

take a break and concentrate our effort on raising 

the bar in terms of user’s experience. We had made 

revamping the Graphical User Interface (GUI) our 

priority. 

Windows application that was written with 

Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Figure 

1(a) instead of Windows Forms, Figure 1(b). WPF 

is a graphical subsystem for rendering user 

interfaces in Windows-based applications. The core 

of pre- and post- processor will have to be build 

from the ground up, allowing easier development. 

GUI things that were previously not possible are 

now a possibility. 

Figure 2: Buttons for various stages of modelling. 

The user will be guided by the visible buttons 

(Figure 2) on what options are made available at 

each stage of modelling. 

(a) 

Workspace and tool panels 

Frequently used tool panels are opened by default. 

The users will have the freedom to move these 

panels from their default positions to a location that 

the users are comfortable with (Figure 3). 

Alternative placeholders are highlighted as shown 

in Figure 3 as arrow in a box ( ). 

(b) 

Figure 1: GeoFEA’s user interface. (a) Prototype 

new look. (b) Old look. 

We're considering revamping the GUI to a 

Figure 3: Placeholders for docking panels.

Another obvious change is the axes orientation 

indicator which is now coloured differently for each 

axis and resides on the workspace itself. 

GUI buttons 

The buttons are made larger with superfluous 

buttons removed for a clearer line of operation 

(Figure 4). For example, in a two-dimensional (2- 

D) project, buttons relating to 2-D work space are 

shown. The 3-D options are left out to give a 

cleaner look. This is a marked improvement from 

the previous GUI where the 3-D buttons are simply 

deactivated. 

You talk, we listen and respond. This change arises 

from feedbacks by our current user that the current 

interface has too many buttons to start with. 

Without proper hints and guidance, the old 

interface workflow is perplexing for beginners. 

Figure 5: Modified trackball control. 

(a) 

(b) 

Figure 4: Work space buttons. (a) 2D project. 

(b) 3D project. 

View controls 

We had also included easy 3D view change and 

intuitive 3 Button Mouse support. The trackball 

was modified to give user a better control over the 

view angles. Mouse over the view controls will 

bring them into focus and dimmed when not in use. 

This allows a larger screen estate to be tenanted by 

other essential controls. 

Maintaining an in-plane view rotation was quite a 

task in the old pre- and post-processors. The inplane 

rotation is decoupled from the out-of-plane 

rotation by the implementation of a circumferential 

ring control (Figure 5). The out-of-plane rotation 

can be realised by holding down the left mouse 

button in the preferred direction within the inner 

circular control (Figure 6). 

Figure 6: Inner circular control for out-of-plane 

rotation. 

View rotation using the centre mouse button is still 

available other than a minor tweak to the sensitivity 

level. 

A new zoom control was added for users without a 

scroll wheel mouse control. 

The panning operation, which was well tested by 

other computer aided design software, was left 

largely unchanged by dragging the mouse keeping 

its right button depressed. 

Attributes of a model 

We had placed the attributes to a model as the 

default dock panel on screen to allow user’s access 

to various parameters defining geometry, analysis 

data and construction sequence as shown in (Figure 

7). The properties for each parameter will be 

reflected in another dock panel below the model 

attributes docking panel in the default layout.

Figure 9: Dimensions during basic shape creation. 

The coordinates of the cursor is also shown if the 

user is more comfortable with the old version’s way 

of input. 

Figure 7: Dock panel for model attributes. 

Stepping through the construction stages 

We have also made it easier to cycle through 

various construction stages by setting the stage 

view control as one of the default panels docked at 

the bottom right screen estate (Figure 8). 

Figure 10: Dimensions during extrusion operation. 

In Figure 10, the extrusion dimension from the 

basic shape is displayed so that the user can easily 

determine the third dimension in a 3-D view. 

Figure 8: Construction stage controls 

Dimensions indication feature 

One new feature that has successfully made its way 

into our prototype is the on-screen dimensioning 

function. The length and width of the rectangle is 

displayed on the screen to help user determine its 

size for the example shown in Figure 9. 

Reporting functions 

We hear you! In the pipeline, we are adding a 

report generation feature (Figures 11). The report 

wizard allows the user to quickly create a new text 

report. It includes features for filtering parameters 

to output, and also allows the user to easily create 

title box containing various information such as the 

date, time and page number (Figure 12). We aim to 

turn the tedious chore of drafting technical reports 

into something close to playing a video game.

Figure 11: Tree view of report generation user 

interface. 

Figure 13: Login page prototype for online 

engineering portal. 

Conclusion 

The graphical user interfaces revealed in this article 

is a prototype. This prototype will be used as part of 

the software design process to allow our engineers 

and designers the ability to explore design 

alternatives, test theories and confirm performance 

prior to our up-coming alpha test version release. 

Figure 12: Sample layout of image with title block. 

Going online 

Looking forward, GeoSoft is poised to take a giant 

leap forward with an exciting project - a dream of 

an internet-based engineering platform on which a 

collaborative culture can be developed (Figure 13). 

The power of the Internet in the “Blue Ocean” is 

there for all to tap. This platform will be designed 

to facilitate communication, collaboration and 

content sharing across networks of contacts. 

The evolution of personal computer technologies 

will no doubt opens up exciting possibilities in the 

way engineers conduct finite element analyses. 

With the Internet no longer constrained by slow 

connections and computer processors and high 

costs for storage, it is time to rethink and revamp 

the way construction industry embraces these new 

technologies in terms of engineering services. 

Software should routinely be designed to make it 

easy for people to do what works and difficult to do 

what doesn’t. One important and powerful way that 

software products can do this is through welldesigned 

defaults. Given the power of defaults, our 

designers could use them to nudge people in a 

direction that will enhance their work efficiency. 

According to Porter 2001, the greatest impact of the 

Internet is to enable the reconfiguration of existing 

industries that had been constrained by high cost 

for communicating, gathering information and 

accomplishing transactions. By integrating the 

internet into our overall strategy, GeoFEA will 

realise its potential as a powerful engineering tool. 

Reference 

Michael E. Porter. "Strategy and the Internet”, 

Harvard Business Review, Vol. 79, No. 3, March 

2001. 

About GeoSoft Pte Ltd 

GeoSoft Pte Ltd is registered in Singapore. GeoSoft 

focuses singularly on geotechnical products with 

unparalleled developments. We are the leader in the 

FEM mesh generation and solver technologies 

implemented on desktop PC platform.

Structural Engineering 

The design of Burj Khalifa Tower – the world’s 

tallest structure 

The objective in creating this building, 

besides setting a record, is to embody 

the highest aspirations of mankind. 

Such a project goal, by necessity, 

requires pushing current analysis, as 

well as materials and construction 

technologies, to literally new heights. 

However, as building to such a height 

had never been attempted before, it 

was also necessary to ensure that all 

technologies and methods utilised are 

of sound development and practice. 

Mr William F Baker, Partner, 

Mr James J Pawlikowski, Associate 

Director, and Mr Bradley S Young, 

Associate, from Skidmore, Owings & 

Merrill LLP (SOM), Chicago, Ilinois, 

USA, explain how the designers sought 

to use conventional systems, materials, 

and construction methods, modified 

and utilised in new capacities, to achieve 

this lofty goal. 

Introduction 

The tower (Fig 1) opened to much fanfare 

on 4 January 2010 and was re-christened 

Burj Khalifa (it was previously known as 

Burj Dubai). Rising to a height of 828 m 

and with over 160 storeys, it is the world’s 

tallest building and the tallest man-made 

structure ever built. 

The Burj Khalifa Tower is the 

centrepiece of a US$ 20 billion 

development located just outside of 

downtown Dubai. The project consists 

of the tower itself, as well as an adjacent 

podium structure, a separate 12-storey 

office annexe, a two-storey pool annexe, 

and four levels of sub-grade parking 

under the site. The 280,000 m 2 reinforced 

concrete multi-use tower comprises 

predominantly residential and office units, 

and it also houses retail establishments 

and a Giorgio Armani Hotel. Together, 

the tower and podium structures have a 

combined area of 465,000 m 2 . 

From the outset, the intention was 

to make Burj Khalifa the world’s tallest 

building (Fig 2 presents the world’s 10 

tallest buildings). The official arbiter on 

heights is the Council on Tall Buildings and 

Urban Habitat (CTBUH). The CTBUH 

Fig 1: The Burj Khalifa Tower. 



Fig 2: Lineup of the world’s 10 tallest buildings. 

measures the heights of buildings using 

three criteria. Table 1 compares the values 

for Burj Khalifa with the corresponding 

values for the previous record holders. 

Architectural design 

The primary design concept for the tower 

took the form of an indigenous desert 

flower. The organic form, with tri-axial 

geometry and spiralling growth, can be 

easily seen in the final design. 

Additionally, traditional Islamic forms 

were utilised to enrich the tower’s design, 

and to incorporate visual references to the 

culture and history of the surrounding 

region. The floor plan has a tri-axial, 

Y-shaped configuration, formed by three 

separate wings connected to a central core 

(Fig 3). As the tower rises, one wing at 

each tier sets back in a spiralling pattern, 

further emphasising its height (Fig 4). The 

Y-shaped plan is ideal for residential and 

hotel usage, in that it allows the maximum 

views outward, without overlooking a 

neighbouring unit. The wings contain the 

residential units and hotel guest rooms, 

with the central core housing all of the 

elevatoring and mechanical closets. 

Additionally, the tower is serviced by 

five separate mechanical zones, located 

approximately 30 floors apart, over the 

height of the building. Located above the 

occupied reinforced concrete portion of 

the building is the structural steel spire, 

housing communication and mechanical 

floors, completing the architectural form 

of the tower. The architects and engineers 

worked closely together from the 

beginning of the project to determine the 

shape of the tower, in order to provide an 

efficient building in terms of its structural 

system and in its response to wind, while 

still maintaining the integrity of the initial 

design concept. 

Structural system description 

In addition to its aesthetic and functional 

advantages, the spiralling Y-shaped plan 

was also utilised to shape the building, 

to reduce the wind forces on the tower, 

as well as to keep the structure simple, 

and foster constructability. The structural 

system can be described as a ‘buttressed’ 

core, and consists of high-performance 

concrete wall construction. 

Each of the wings buttresses the others 

via a 6-sided central core or hexagonal hub. 

This central core provides the torsional 

resistance of the structure, similar to that 

Fig 3: Typical fl oor plan. 

for a closed pipe or axle. Corridor walls 

extend from the central core to near the 

end of each wing, terminating in thickened 

hammer-head walls. These corridor walls 

and hammer-head walls are similar to the 

webs and flanges of a beam in the way they 

resist wind shears and moments. Perimeter 

columns and flat plate floor construction 

complete the system. At mechanical 

Height to Architectural Top 828 m (Burj Khalifa) 508 m (Taipei 101) 

Highest Occupied Floor 535 m (Burj Khalifa) 474 m (Shanghai 

World Financial Center) 

Height to Tip 830 m (Burj Khalifa) 527 m (Sears Tower) 

Table 1: Comparison of height values for Burj Khalifa and those for previous record holders. 



floors, outrigger walls are provided to link 

the perimeter columns to the interior wall 

system, allowing the perimeter columns 

to participate in the lateral load resistance 

of the structure. Hence, all of the vertical 

concrete is utilised to support both gravity 

and lateral loads. The result is a tower that 

is extremely stiff laterally and torsionally. 

It is also a very efficient structure in that 

the gravity load resisting system has 

been utilised so as to maximise its use in 

resisting lateral loads. 

As the building spirals in height, the 

wings set back to provide many different 

floor plates. The setbacks are organised 

with the tower’s grid, such that the 

building stepping is accomplished by 

aligning columns above with walls below, 

to provide a smooth load path. As such, 

the tower does not contain any structural 

transfers. These setbacks also have the 

advantage of providing a different width 

to the tower for each differing floor plate. 

This stepping and shaping of the tower 

has the effect of ‘confusing the wind’ 

- wind vortices never get organised over 

the height of the building because at each 

new tier, the wind encounters a different 

building shape. 

Fig 4: Tower perspective. 

Structural analysis and superstructure 

design 

The reinforced concrete structure 

was designed in accordance with the 

requirements of ACI 318-02 Building 

Code Requirements for Structural 

Concrete. Wall and column concrete 

strengths range from C80 to C60 cube 

strength, and utilise Portland cement, 

fly ash, and local aggregates. The C80 

concrete has a maximum specified 

Young’s Elastic Modulus of 43,800 N/ 

mm 2 at 90 days. Wall and column sizes 

were optimised using virtual work / 

LaGrange multiplier methods, resulting 

in a very efficient structure. Wall thickness 

and column sizes were also fine-tuned to 

reduce the effects of creep and shrinkage 

on the structure. To reduce the effects 

of differential column shortening due to 

creep between the perimeter columns and 

interior walls, the perimeter columns were 

sized such that the self-weight gravity 

stress on the perimeter columns was equal 

to the stress on the interior corridor walls. 

The outriggers at the five mechanical floors 

tie all the vertical load carrying elements 



together, further ensuring uniform 

gravity stress by essentially allowing the 

structure to redistribute gravity loads 

at five locations along the building’s 

height, thereby reducing differential creep 

movements. Additionally, the perimeter 

columns and corridor walls were given 

matching thicknesses, providing them 

with similar volume to surface ratios, to 

minimise differential shortening due to 

concrete shrinkage. 

The majority of the tower is a 

reinforced concrete structure. However, 

the top of the tower consists of a structural 

steel spire utilising a diagonally braced 

lateral system. The spire, which houses 

several mechanical and communication 

floors, and open void space, culminates 

in a pinnacle element. The structural 

steel spire was designed for gravity, wind, 

seismic loads, and fatigue, in accordance 

with the requirements of AISC Load and 

Resistance Factor Design Specification for 

Structural Steel Buildings (1999). 

The entire building structure was 

analysed for gravity (this included the 

performance of P-Delta analysis), wind, 

and seismic loadings, utilising ETABS 

version 8.4 (Fig 5). The three-dimensional 

analysis model consisted of the reinforced 

concrete walls, link beams, slabs, raft, 

piles, and the spire’s structural steel 

system. The full analysis model consisted 

of over 73,500 shells and 75,000 nodes. 

Under lateral wind loading, the building 

deflections were well below commonly 

used criteria. The dynamic analysis 

indicated that the first mode is lateral 

side-sway with a period of 11.3 seconds. 

The second mode is a perpendicular lateral 

side-sway with a period of 10.2 seconds. 

Torsion is the fifth mode with a period of 

4.3 seconds. 

The Dubai Municipality specifies 

Dubai as a UBC97 Zone 2a seismic region 

(with a seismic zone factor Z = 0.15 and 

soil profile Sc). The seismic analysis 

consisted of a site-specific response spectra 

analysis. Seismic loading typically did 

not govern the design of the reinforced 

concrete tower structure. However, 

seismic loading did govern the design of 

the reinforced concrete podium buildings 

and the tower’s structural steel spire. Sitespecific 

seismic reports were developed 

for the project, including a seismic hazard 

analysis. The potential for liquefaction 

was investigated, based on several 

accepted methods. It was determined that 

liquefaction is not considered to have any 

structural implications for the deep-seated 

tower foundations. 

A comprehensive construction 

sequence analysis incorporating the effects 

of creep and shrinkage was performed to 

study the time-dependent behaviour of 

the structure (Fig 6). 

Since the vertical concrete elements 

tend to have similar compression stress, 

the building performs well under the 

effects of creep and shrinkage. The results 

of this analysis were utilised to determine 

the horizontal and vertical compensation 

programmes. For horizontal compensation, 

the building is ‘re-centred’ with each 

successive centre core jump, correcting for 

gravity-induced side-sway effects which 

occur up to the casting of each storey. 

For vertical compensation, additional 

Fig 5: Three-dimensional analysis model dynamic mode shapes. 

Fig 6: Construction sequence analysis. 

height was added by increasing floorto-floor 

height, offsetting the predicted 

vertical shortening of the column and wall 

elements. 

Wind engineering approach 

An extensive programme of wind tunnel 

tests and other studies was undertaken 

in RWDI’s 2.4 m x 1.9 m, and 4.9 m x 

2.4 m boundary layer wind tunnels in 

Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The wind 

tunnel testing programme included rigidmodel 

force balance tests, a full aeroelastic 

model study, cladding pressure studies, 

and pedestrian wind environment studies 

(Figs 7 and 8). These studies used models 

mostly at 1:500 scale. However, the 

pedestrian wind studies utilised a larger 

scale of 1:250 for the development of 

aerodynamic solutions aimed at reducing 

wind speeds. Wind statistics played an 

important role in relating the predicted 



levels of response to return period. 

Extensive use was made of groundbased 

wind data, balloon data, and 

computer simulations employing regional 

atmospheric modelling techniques, in 

order to establish the wind regime at the 

upper levels. 

To determine the wind loading on the 

main structure, wind tunnel tests were 

undertaken early in the design, using the 

high-frequency-force-balance technique. 

The wind tunnel data were then combined 

with the dynamic properties of the tower, 

in order to compute the tower’s dynamic 

response and the overall effective wind 

force distributions at full scale. For Burj 

Khalifa, the results of the force balance 

tests were used as early input for the 

structural design and allowed parametric 

studies to be undertaken on the effects 

of varying the tower’s stiffness and mass 

distribution. 

The building has essentially six 

important wind directions (Fig 9). Three 

of the directions are defined by the wind 

blowing directly into a wing. The wind 

blows into the ‘nose’ of each wing (Nose 

A, Nose B, and Nose C), creating the cutwater 

effect. The other three directions are 

defined by the wind blowing in between 

two wings, in the ‘tail’ directions (Tail A, 

Tail B, and Tail C). It was noticed that the 

force spectra for different wind directions 

showed less excitation in the important 

frequency range for winds impacting the 

pointed or nose end of a wing than from 

the opposite direction (tail). This was kept 

in mind when selecting the orientation of 

the tower relative to the most frequent, 

strong wind directions for Dubai – 

northwest, south, and east. 

Several rounds of force balance tests 

were undertaken as the geometry of 

the tower evolved, and as the tower was 

refined architecturally. The three wings 

are set back in a clockwise sequence with 

the ‘A’ wing setting back first. After each 

Fig 9: Plan view of tower. 

round of wind tunnel testing, the data was 

analysed and the building was reshaped to 

minimise wind effects and accommodate 

unrelated changes in the client’s 

programme. In general, the number and 

spacing of the setbacks changed as did 

the shape of wings. This process resulted 

in a substantial reduction in wind forces 

on the tower by ‘confusing’ the wind, by 

encouraging disorganised vortex shedding 

over the height of the tower (Fig 10). 

Towards the end of design, more 

accurate aeroelastic model tests were 

Fig 7: Aeroelastic wind tunnel model. 

Fig 8: Cladding wind tunnel model. 

Fig 10: Tower wind behaviour. 



initiated. An aeroelastic model is flexible 

in the same manner as the real building, 

with properly scaled stiffness, mass, and 

damping. The aeroelastic tests were able to 

model several of the higher translational 

modes of vibration. These higher modes 

dominated the structural response and 

design of the tower except at the very base 

where the fundamental modes controlled. 

Based on these results, the predicted 

building motions are within the ISO 

standard recommended values – there is 

no need for auxiliary damping. 

Tower foundations 

The tower is founded on a pile-supported 

raft foundation (Fig 11). The solid 

reinforced concrete raft is 3.7 m thick and 

was poured utilising 12,500 m 3 of C50 

(cube strength) self-consolidating concrete 

(SCC). The raft was constructed in four 

separate pours (for the three wings and the 

centre core). Each raft pour occurred over 

at least a 24-hour period. Reinforcement 

Fig 11: Tower raft under construction. 

was typically spaced at 300 mm in the 

raft, and arranged such that every 10 th bar 

in each direction was omitted, resulting 

in a series of ‘pour enhancement strips’ 

throughout the raft. The intersections of 

these strips created 600 mm x 600 mm 

openings at regular intervals, facilitating 

access and concrete placement. 

Owing to the thickness of the tower 

raft, limiting the peak and differential 

temperatures due to the heat of hydration 

was an important consideration in 

determining the raft concrete mix design 

and placement methods. The 50 MPa raft 

mix incorporated 40% fly ash and a watercement 

ratio of 0.34. The concrete mix 

was poured into large-scale test cubes with 

3.7 m side dimensions, prior to the raft 

construction, so as to verify the concrete 

placement procedures and monitor the 

concrete temperature performance. 

The tower raft is supported by 194 

bored, cast-in-place piles. The piles are 

1.5 m in diameter and approximately 43 

m long, with a capacity of 3,000 t each 

(the pile load is tested to 6000 tonnes). 

The diameter and length of the piles 

represent the largest and longest piles 

conventionally available in the region. 

Additionally, the 6000 tonne pile load 

test represented the largest magnitude pile 

load test performed to date within the 

region (Fig 12). The C60 (cube strength) 

SCC concrete was placed by the tremie 

method utilising polymer slurry. When the 

rebar cage was placed in the piles, special 

attention was paid to orient the rebar cage 

such that the raft bottom rebar could be 

threaded through the numerous pile rebar 

cages without interruption, which greatly 

simplified the raft construction. 

Another design challenge in the 

project arose from the existing site 

conditions. The ground water, which is 

quite high at approximately 2 m below 

the surface, is extremely corrosive, 

containing approximately three times 

the sulphates and chlorides present in sea 

water. As such, a rigorous programme of 

anti-corrosion measures was followed 

to ensure the long-term integrity of the 

tower’s foundation system. Measures 

instituted included the implementation 

of specialised waterproofing systems 

and increased concrete cover for the 

reinforcement, addition of corrosion 

inhibitors to the concrete mix, applying 

stringent crack control raft design 

criteria, and the implementation of an 

impressed current cathodic protection 

system utilising titanium mesh (Fig13). 

Additionally, a controlled permeability 

formwork liner was utilised for the tower 

raft, which resulted in a higher strength / 

lower permeability concrete cover for the 

rebar. The concrete mix for the piles was 

also enhanced. It was designed as a fully 

self-consolidating concrete to limit the 

possibility of defects during construction. 

Fig 12: Tower pile load test. 

Fig 13: Cathodic protection below raft. 



Tower construction methods 

The Burj Khalifa Tower utilised the latest 

advancements in construction techniques 

and materials technology. The walls were 

formed using Doka’s SKE 100 automatic 

self-climbing formwork system. 

The circular nose columns were 

formed with circular steel forms, and 

the floor slabs were poured on MevaDec 

panel formwork. 

Wall reinforcement was prefabricated 

on the ground in 8 m sections to allow 

for fast placement. Three primary tower 

cranes were located adjacent to the central 

core, with each continuing to various 

heights as required. High-speed, highcapacity 

construction hoists were utilised 

to transport workers and materials to 

the required heights. A specialised GPS 

monitoring system was developed to 

monitor the verticality of the structure, 

due to the limitations of conventional 

surveying techniques. 

The construction sequence for the 

structure had the central core and slabs 

being cast first, in three sections. The 

wing walls and slabs followed behind, 

and the wing nose columns and slabs 

followed behind these (Fig 14). Concrete 

was distributed to each wing utilising 

concrete booms which were attached to 

the jump form system. 

One of the most challenging 

construction issues was ensuring the 

pumpability of the tower concrete to 

reach the world record heights of the 

tower, which necessitated that concrete be 

pumped well over 600 m in a single stage. 

High performance concrete is utilised for 

the tower, with high modullus concrete 

specified for the columns and walls. The 

concrete mix was designed to provide low 

permeability / high durability concrete. 

A horizontal pumping trial was 

conducted prior to the start of the 

superstructure construction in order to 

ensure the pumpability of the concrete 

mixes (Fig 15). This trial involved the use 

of a long pipe with several 180 0 bends to 

simulate the pressure loss in pumping to 

heights over 600 m in a single stage. 

The final pumping system utilised 

on-site Putzmeister pumps, including 

two of the largest in the world, capable 

of reaching concrete pumping pressures 

up to 350 bars through a high pressure 

150 mm pipeline. 

Fig 14: Tower construction sequence. 



Conclusion 

The Burj Khalifa Tower has claimed the 

title of the world’s tallest structure. It is 

an example of a successful collaboration 

between the requirements of structural 

systems, wind engineering, and 

architectural aesthetics and function. The 

tower represents a significant achievement 

in terms of utilising the latest design, 

materials and construction technology, 

and methods, in order to provide an 

efficient, rational structure, that rises to 

heights never seen before. 

REFERENCES 

Baker W F, Pawlikowski J J, & Young B S: 

‘The Challenges in Designing the World’s 

Tallest Structure: The Burj Dubai Tower’. 

Proceedings of the SEI/ASCE Structures 

Congress, 2009. 

All images by SOM. 

PROJECT CREDITS 

Owner 

Emaar Properties PJSC, Dubai 

Project Manager 

Turner Construction International 

Architect / Structural Engineers / MEP 

Engineers 

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP 

Adopting Architect & Engineer / Field 

Supervision 

Hyder Consulting Ltd 

General Contractor 

Samsung / BeSix / Arabtec 

Foundation Contractor 

NASA Multiplex 

Fig 15: Concrete pumping system test. 


Interview 

Engineering urban transformation 

Arup brings 

t o g e t h e r 

individuals from 

a wide range of 

disciplines and 

encourages them 

to look beyond 

the constraints 

of their own 

Mr André Lovatt. specialisations, 

so that the 

engineering consultancy can influence 

the future of the built environment in a 

distinctive manner. 

Mr André Lovatt, Principal and 

Office Leader, Singapore, Arup 

Singapore Pte Ltd, highlights the 

factors underpinning the firm’s 

impressive track record in the republic, 

in this interview with ‘The Singapore 

Engineer’. 

Q: What makes Arup different from 

other firms? 

A: One of the things that makes us 

different is how Arup is owned. The 

firm is owned in trust on behalf of its 

staff. The result is an independence of 

spirit that enables us to take long-term 

decisions and chart unconventional 

routes. This is reflected in the firm’s work, 

and in its dedicated pursuit of technical 

excellence. 

One good way to think of Arup is as 

an ‘idea factory’. Our ability to generate 

great ideas is entirely vested within our 

people. As a result, we take a great deal of 

care to select the best possible people and 

to give them the freedom to do the sort 

of work they like and are good at. 

Q: How is Arup responding to 

developments in the construction 

industry in Singapore? 

A: In terms of growth, Asia will continue 

to have huge prospects and opportunities 

and Arup has offices in key Asian cities 

such as Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, 

Tokyo and Singapore to meet these 

demands. 

In Singapore, with over 200 local staff, 

Arup is well-placed within the booming 

professional services sector and we work 

on a wide range of commercial and 

residential building, and infrastructure 

projects. 

Q: What are some of the landmark 

projects in Singapore that Arup has 

been involved in recently? 

A: Arup has made significant contributions 

to three major developments that have 

shaped Marina Bay, Singapore’s premier 

waterfront destination. They are the 

Singapore Flyer which, at a height of 

165 m, is the world’s largest Giant 

Observation Wheel; Marina Bay Sands 

Integrated Resort which offers a 2560- 

room luxury hotel, advanced convention 

and exhibition facilities, shopping mall, 

restaurants, and theatres; and The Helix, 

a 280 m bridge, inspired by the shape of 

a DNA molecule. 

Arup provided consultancy for the 

Downtown Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) 

line that connects Marina Bay with the 

city centre and we are also a member 

of the team that will be responsible for 

delivering a second footbridge that will 

complete the pedestrian route around 

the bay. 

Arup Singapore: overview of skills 

• Acoustics, Audiovisual and 

Theatre Consulting 

• Building Services / M&E 

• Building Structures 

• Environmentally Sustainable 

Design (ESD) 

• Facade 

• Fire 

• Geotechnics 

• Green Mark / LEED Consulting 

• Infrastructure 

• IT and Communications 

• Maritime 

• Programme and Project 

Management 

• Risk and Security 

• Specialist Lighting 

• Traffic and Transport Planning 

• Tunnelling 

• Urban Design 

• Vertical Transportation 

The iconic Singapore Flyer. Image by Singapore Flyer Pte Ltd. 


Interview 

Arup’s rail engineering capability 

is allowing us to assist Singapore in 

meeting its vision of developing a worldclass 

transportation system, particularly 

the Downtown MRT Line project where 

we have provided a range of services from 

alignment and routing studies to detailed 

engineering design. 

Q: How is Arup approaching the issue 

of sustainability? 

A: In the early 1970s, Sir Ove Arup, our 

founder, was one of the first people to 

talk of ‘sustainability’. So, sustainability 

is not new to Arup. 

Our design teams are working 

together to investigate ways to reduce 

energy demands. Through careful 

design of the facades for projects like 

the National Library, One George Street 

and 20 Anson, solar thermal loads on 

the building are minimised by reducing 

the cooling needed from airconditioning 

systems. Carefully positioned sunshades 

project natural daylight into the spaces 

within the building, thus saving electricity 

to run artificial lights. 

However, the greatest energy 

savings would come from avoiding 

airconditioning altogether. This is cleverly 

achieved by permitting the passage of 

natural breezes for the integrated civic, 

cultural, retail and entertainment hub 

(CCRC) and by providing assisted 

ventilation and heat-reflecting canopies 

for Clarke Quay’s streetscape. 

As the Singapore and other Asian 

property markets become more mature 

and sophisticated, increasingly the life of 

commercial buildings is being extended 

Arup Singapore Pte Ltd 

Arup opened its Singapore office in 

1968. Over the years, the firm has 

made significant contributions to 

landmark projects such as OCBC 

Centre, UOB Plaza, Temasek Towers, 

Expo MRT station, Singapore Expo, 

and the National Library Building. 

The company’s other projects in 

Singapore include the Singapore Flyer, 

Fusionopolis, ION Orchard, Marina 

Bay Sands Integrated Resort, The Helix 

bridge, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore 

Sports Hub, School of the Arts, and 

the renovation of Victoria Theatre and 

Victoria Concert Hall. 

Arup 

Founded by Sir Ove Arup in 1946, 

by retrofitting and refurbishment. The 

Green Building agenda, along with 

a tighter financial environment will 

increase this trend. 

Arup has studied the factors that 

influence client decisions, and have 

recently worked with the BCA to prepare 

a guide book targetted at owners’ existing 

buildings as part of their Green Building 

Guide Platinum Series. 

with an initial focus on structural 

engineering, Arup has become a 

global design, engineering, and 

business consultancy, with a staff of 

over 10,000 spread over 92 offices in 

37 countries. 

The firm first came into prominence 

with the structural design for the 

Sydney Opera House in Australia, 

followed by its work on the Centre 

Pompidou in Paris, France. Arup has 

since grown into a multidisciplinary 

organisation. Most recently, the firm’s 

contributions to the 2008 Olympics 

facilities in Beijing, China, particularly 

the National Aquatics Center (Water 

Cube) and the Beijing National 

Stadium (Bird’s Nest), have served to 

reaffirm its reputation. 

On the right of the picture, The Helix is set against the backdrop of the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort. Image by Darren Soh. 


Products & Services 

Paving ahead for growing population ‘down 

under’ 

In 1970, Perth in Western Australia had a 

population of just 700,000 and a footprint 

of approximately 500 km 2 . Today the 

population has increased to 1.9 million 

and the metropolitan area is more than 

twice the size. 

Developers are filling in the few 

remaining plots of land, stretching along a 

north to south coastal corridor, to provide 

housing for the ever increasing population, 

led by today’s new immigrants. 

Predictions are that the population 

will double to 3.8 million over the next 

40 years, meaning that the city will stretch 

from Lancelin in the north, to a point 

between Mandurah and Bunbury in the 

south – covering more than 10 times the 

surface area it covered in 1970. 

Western Australia asphalt specialist 

BGC Asphalt, is fully utilising a Dynapac 

F6-4W paver, laying roads in the last few 

remaining sub-divisions of Ridge Wood 

in Brighton, the latest northern suburb of 

Perth. 

BGC’s latest contract, sub-contracted 

by earthmoving specialist R J Vincent, 

features the laying of 6000 m 2 of asphalt 

over three days. A 40 mm base coarse 

with 14 mm aggregate will be topped by a 

25 mm wearing coarse – both sitting on a 

200 mm limestone sub-base. 

Backing up the Dynapac paver is 

a CP142 pneumatic tyred roller and a 

CC142 twin drum compaction roller. 

Across the sub-division, roads are generally 

5.5 m wide, often with 2.2 m wide parking 

bays. Outside the sub-division, the main 

roads can be 6 m or 7.4 m. 

By fitting extensions, the paver can 

offer a 3.8 m width, making it versatile 

for any road work in the suburbs. 

With a Deutz diesel engine, rated at 

52 kW at 2300 rpm, the paver offers high 

power for a machine of this size and it can 

easily push 47 t gross. 

The paver is rear-driven and 

incorporates a 4-wheel drive and integrated 

anti-spin system. It provides a maximum 

placement thickness of 270 mm and offers 

a capacity of up to 250 t/h. 

On the sub-division contract, the 

paver is followed by two vibratory passes 

by the CC142 and multi-passes with the 

CP142 until the surface is ‘firm’. The 

CC142 then makes two final vibratory 

passes to remove the possibility of any tyre 

marks made by the CP unit. 

Depending on the paving speed, 

pass lengths of around 20 m are made, 

although this can be increased to 80 m, 

subject to the ambient temperature and 

weather conditions. 

The slide plates are suitable for laying 

up to the flush kerbs and are easy to set. 

Although delivered only last year, the 

paver has clocked more than 410 hours. 

BGC Asphalt is utilising a Dynapac F6-4W paver to lay roads in the northern suburb of Perth. 

The paver offers high power for a machine of this size. 



Taking the ‘drudge’ out of planning repetitive 

on-site tasks 

Balfour Beatty, a leading construction 

and civil engineering company in the 

UK, now holds a number of licences of 

the award-winning MethoCAD software 

package developed by Paris-headquartered 

Creative Business Solutions. 

According to Balfour Beatty, 

it is proving to be an invaluable 

organisational tool in the pre-planning 

and maintenance of a wide range of the 

company’s construction sites, currently 

including major works in London. 

In planning projects, MethoCAD is 

helpful in drawing up site plans right 

from the excavation stage, which includes 

the positioning of tower cranes. Balfour 

Beatty has been using MethoCAD 

for about a year now and it has been 

facilitating quick overviews of the site, 

since all the dimensions for the plant 

machinery that will be required, are 

stored in the system. It cuts out a lot of 

the drudgery in drawing up these plans. 

For one of the projects, for example, 

there is an existing old road running 

underneath the site, and Balfour Beatty 

is currently working on how long it will 

take to excavate it in sections, whilst 

keeping the traffic flowing. 

With MethoCAD, the company 

has been able to rapidly determine, for 

instance, what excavation is required, how 

many excavators are needed (visualising 

their rotational paths throughout), and 

how long the excavation will take before 

it can move in to start doing the piling 

for the new structure. 

By eliminating much of the repetitive 

and routine planning elements, it is 

estimated that man-hours in the planning 

procedures can be reduced by 30%. 

MethoCAD is supplied with a library 

of hundreds of accurate, dimensional 

drawings of virtually all plant equipment 

employed in construction projects 

worldwide. In addition to excavators, 

this includes top and front drawings of 

all major machinery, including concrete 

batching plants, delivery vehicles, and 

cranes. 

Turning curves of the delivery and 

removal trucks, through to those of cranes, 

are essential parameters which can all be 

quickly visualised with MethoCAD. 

The positioning of tower cranes can 

be checked both in plan and elevations, 

to ensure safe distances between jibs, 

counter jibs, anchor cables, and masts. 

This can be particularly useful for 

checking the minimum clearance when 

not working. 

MethoCAD allows Balfour Beatty to 

see exactly what is required and ensure 

that the site will be both efficiently and 

safely operated. 

Other features such as protective 

walkways, fences, and service networks, 

can all be quickly put in place. It allows 

the company to visualise the entire site, 

and prove that it can operate at full 

capacity in the time-frame provided. 

It is useful not only as a space planning 

tool, but also for presenting projections 

of the work, and if required, it can be 

turned into a dynamic 3D model for 

video presentations. 

Meanwhile, Creative Business 

Solutions introduced two new 

MethoCAD modules for construction 

site management and safety, at bauma 

2010. 

They are an audio-visual module 

that depicts, in 3D format, the safety 

aspects of construction sites and 

equipment, together with the simulation 

of accidents, and the Eco-friendly sites 

(ESM) module. 

According to Creative Business 

Solutions, the new 3D format module is 

aimed primarily at site staff training in 

construction companies. 

By using the latest virtual reality 

software in three dimensions, together 

with sound, the user will recognise the 

environment of the construction site, 

and be more conscious of the risks. 

The MethoCAD module, available 

on a USB key, can be used anywhere, and 

is designed to complement the existing 

training materials of construction 

companies. 

The user visualises the various 

sequences by means of a menu under 

Windows. 

The ESM module is intended to 

assist contractors meet today’s high onsite 

environmental quality standards, by 

incorporating aspects relating to traffic 

disturbance, waste management, ground 

pollution, visual impact, and site safety. 

MethoCAD assists in the pre-planning and maintenance of construction sites. 



Plastic formwork offers advantages 

Plastic forming panels developed by 

Vietnamese company FUVI Mechanical 

Technology Company, are marketed 

under the brand name FUVI Coppha. 

The panels were developed a decade ago, 

and were first exported in 2003. 

According to the company, there has 

been a great deal of interest in the system 

during the past two or three years, because 

contractors have begun to appreciate just 

how wasteful the use of plywood is, in 

terms of environmental impact, durability, 

cost, and time. Plywood formwork 

requires the destruction of trees and it can 

be used only a few times. 

The original FUVI HDPE panel 

system is available in sizes from 100 mm 

to 2,000 mm and features a 50 mm thick 

profile. 

Accessories include push-pull props, 

scaffolds, U-heads and jack bases, slipform 

hydraulic jacks, and slipform surface and 

corners. 

FUVI is particularly appropriate for 

use in mass building projects following 

slum clearance programmes, for example. 

In India, the FUVI system has 

been written into the specifications for 

building high-rise apartments that are 

replacing slums in cities such as Chennai, 

Mumbai, and Delhi, and other countries 

with similar building programmes are 

considering doing likewise. 

The company is currently talking to 

government housing departments in South 

and Central American countries, where 

slum clearance has become a priority. 

FUVI is becoming the formwork 

of choice also for large and prestigious 

projects, such as the Saigon M&C Tower 

which is currently being built in Ho Chi 

Minh City, Vietnam, by French contractor 

Bouygues Construction. 

The project has two 45-storey towers, 

making it one of the tallest buildings in 

Vietnam. With its Grade A office and 

residential accommodation, and its 

riverside setting, Saigon M&C Tower 

is expected to be one of the smartest 

addresses in the city. 

FUVI has designed and manufactured, 

and is operating, two independent FUVI 

slipform units on the building cores. 

The plastic panels are lighter than 

other slipform panelling, weighing 7 kg/ 

m² as opposed to an approximate 10 kg/ 

m² for wood, 20 kg/m² for aluminium, 

and 31 kg/m² for steel. Consequently, a 

medium-range tower crane can be used. 

According to FUVI, whereas plywood 

can be used only five to 10 times, the 

FUVI plastic panels can be used 100 times 

without any deterioration in quality. 

For high-rise construction, this is 

particularly effective. Moving up to the 

next floor is fast and easy, because the 

assembly is simple. Also, unlike wood, the 

plastic does not adhere to the concrete, 

releasing itself when the curing is 

complete. Chemical release agents or oils 

are not required. As the plastic does not 

absorb water, a smooth finish is ensured. 

And usually, there is no need to wash the 

forms before starting on the next floor, as 

they are already clean. 

With no timber waste to be disposed 

of, no hammering and nailing, and no 

washing of the formwork, the site is clean 

and tidy. 

The FUVI system is flexible enough 

to be used on infrastructural projects 

such as bridges and harbours. FUVI 

recently supplied a large number of 

jumpform units to CC1, one of Vietnam’s 

largest infrastructure contractors, for the 

construction of Phu My Bridge in Ho Chi 

Minh City. 

FUVI Coppha formwork is said to offer advantages such as environment-friendliness, durability, low costs, and shorter construction times. 


First Liebherr LTR 1100 crawler crane 

delivered in Hong Kong 


Hong Kong’s first Liebherr LTR 1100 

crawler crane has been delivered to rental 

specialist Chim Kee for its first application 

on a government housing project in Hung 

Hom. 

In its first rental, the crane has been 

specially down-rated for a 50 t maximum 

lift at the boom length of 54 m, in order 

to meet the loadings of a steel platform, 

erected over the excavated 10 m deep 

basement of the project. 

The Liebherr crawler crane is being 

used to lift and place steel girders and 40 

mm dia rebar at the basement levels of the 

project’s 30-storey twin-towers. 

The main contractor for the project, 

Shun Tak Yee Fai Joint Venture, started 

work on the project in October last year, 

under a 30 month contract. 

With a 40 m x 90 m frontage, the 

project will include a four-storey retail 

and recreation podium above the two 

basement levels. Two 30-storey towers 

will rise from the podium. 

With foundations completed by 

Gammon in an earlier contract, the joint 

venture contractor excavated more than 

36,000 m 3 to clear the basement area. 

By opting to install the steel deck 

over approximately 75% of the site, 

the contractor has been able to speed 

erection of the basement’s steel girders 

and concrete deliveries. It also allows 

temporary parking for delivery trucks, 

preventing congestion in the busy narrow 

roads around the site. 

The LTR 1100 is proving to be ideal 

for the Hung Hom project because of its 

small footprint and mobility. 

The telescopic crane provides a high 

lift capacity for its 50 m boom and offers 

a maximum lifting capacity of 100 t at 

2.5 m. 

In ordering the new crane, Chim Kee 

also incorporated a 7 m folding jib and 

19 m boom extension, to offer a variety 

of configurations including a maximum 

extended 78 m boom. 

Further, the crane’s advanced control 

system provides smooth motion and 

precise lifting. 

Chim Kee’s rental fleet features 11 

Liebherr crawler cranes. The company 

was formed in 1962 as a small crane 

rental company and contractor. Growth 

continued throughout the 1970s, with 

Chim Kee introducing a fleet of trucks 

for heavy transportation and heavy lift 

contracting. 

By the early 1990s, the company 

ceased operating its contracting business, 

concentrating on rentals, particularly 

throughout construction of Chek Lap 

Kok International Airport, in which 

area it enjoyed significant growth with 

piling rigs, drives, jacking cranes, and 

transportation. 

Today, as a heavy lift contractor, 

Chim Kee has successfully participated 

in several projects such as Container Port 

Number 9 and Stonecutters Bridge, with 

heavy lifts up to 400 t. 

The new LTR 1100 is suitable for 

Hong Kong’s congested sites and offers 

fast erection. It combines the advantages 

of crawler and telescopic mobile cranes. 

The LTR 1100’s ability to ‘pick and carry’ 

loads, eliminates the need for outriggers. 

The Liebherr LTR 1100 crawler crane has been specially down-rated for a 50 t maximum lift at the boom length of 54 m, in order to meet the loadings of 

a steel platform, erected over the excavated 10 m deep basement of the project. 



Cost and CO 2 

savings from in-situ road 

recycling 

Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) 

Council, in the UK, has saved nearly £ 

220,000 on the cost of repairing a 400 

m long section of the B3110 Midford 

Road at Odd Down, on the southern 

outskirts of Bath. This vast saving has 

been achieved by the council’s Design 

Group, in partnership with the council’s 

term maintenance contractor Atkins, 

by choosing to recycle and strengthen 

in-situ, existing tar-bound hazardous 

carriageway materials, instead of using 

conventional full depth pavement 

reconstruction techniques with new 

bituminous materials. The existing 

layers throughout the depth of the 

road pavement were disintegrating and 

required strengthening. 

In addition to the estimated £ 

220,000 construction cost savings, the 

Design Group’s first-time use of in-situ 

recycling has also provided substantial 

environmental benefits. 

The bulk of the construction cost 

saving was achieved by not having to 

extract and dispose of the road’s existing 

hazardous tar bound material off-site at 

a special licensed waste tip. Instead, the 

existing road materials were used as a kind 

of ‘linear quarry’ for aggregates which 

were recycled and strengthened in-situ. 

Cold in-situ recycling considerably 

reduces CO 2 

emissions, as the technique 

vastly reduces the need for extraction 

and transportation of existing in-situ 

materials to landfill sites, as well as the 

production and transportation to site of 

virgin materials extracted from natural 

sources. An estimated 12 t of savings in 

CO 2 

emissions, has been achieved for the 

site. 

‘This stretch of Midford Road was 

in urgent need of strengthening and 

we found from site investigations and 

subsequent material testing that the road 

pavement contained a high proportion 

of tar material. In conjunction with the 

council’s term maintenance contractor 

Atkins, we considered the road repair 

options available and concluded that 

in-situ recycling offered the most costeffective 

and environmentally beneficial 

solution’, said Mr Konrad Lansdown, 

B&NES Project Manager and Scheme 

Designer. 

‘There was approximately 1,800 t 

of hazardous tar material in the road 

pavement, which would otherwise 

have been extracted and disposed offsite 

at a special waste licensed tip at 

Cheltenham, about 50 miles away. Tar 

material disposal costs alone would have 

been approximately £ 180,000 and some 

of this material was classed as special 

hazardous waste, which meant that it 

probably needed incineration, costing 

around £ 1,000/t’, he added. 

The Atkins project engineer had 

previous experience of in-situ recycling 

and with the added complication of the 

tar, the process proved to be the best 

option to reconstruct this particular 

section of Midford Road. In-situ recycling 

has shown to be less disruptive to local 

traffic than conventional reconstruction 

as about 180 to 200 movements of 20 t 

wagons have been saved. 

‘The construction work would have 

The WR 2500 S is granulating the existing pavement while mixing in pre-spread cement and PFA at the same time. Water is directly injected into the 

recycler's mixing chamber from tanker trucks. 



cost around £ 550,000 using conventional 

pavement reconstruction methods and 

would have taken longer and been 

more disruptive to road users and local 

residents’, said Mr Lansdown. 

‘The in-situ repair has proved to be 

operationally quicker on-site and can 

be trafficked almost straight away as 

a temporary running surface prior to 

applying the surface course. This has been 

my first experience of using the in-situ 

repair technique and would anticipate 

using it on similar road strengthening 

schemes in future’, he added. 

The in-situ recycling process, as 

practised by the specialist road recycling 

and stabilisation contractor, Stabilised 

Pavements, involves rotovating and 

pulverising damaged road pavements 

to depths of up to 320 mm. This is 

performed with a special purpose-built 

500 kW machine, while simultaneously 

mixing in specific predetermined 

quantities of either lime, cement, 

pulverised fuel ash (PFA), bitumen 

emulsion, or foamed bitumen, and 

water, or combinations of these 

ingredients. 

The revitalised mixture is then rolled, 

reprofiled, re-rolled, and overlaid with 

an appropriate final surfacing for a fast 

return to traffic. The process is performed 

in accordance with the Transport Research 

Laboratory TRL Report 386: ‘Design 

guide and specification for structural 

maintenance of highway pavements by 

cold in-situ recycling’. 

For Midford Road, Stabilised 

Pavements used a blend of 70% cement 

and 30% PFA, applied in a powder 

blanket across the surface of the rotovated 

material, to the extent of 8% by volume of 

the dry in-situ material. The quantity of the 

strengthening agent was determined from 

pre-contract materials testing and mixed, 

in a one-pass operation, in Stabilised 

Pavements’ German Wirtgen WR 2500 

Recycler, at the designated depth of 180 

mm. Water was added into the mix at 

the same time to achieve the required 

optimum moisture content. The cement 

and PFA complement each other as the 

cement provides an initial gain in strength 

of the recycled road materials, while the 

PFA slows hydration and contributes to 

increasing the strength over time. 

Stabilised Pavements had to recycle 

Cold recycling with the WR 2500 S is an economically effi cient and environment-friendly method for 

producing base layers of superior quality. 

When cold recycling in-situ, the WR 2500 S granulates the existing pavement material while 

homogeneously mixing in binding agents and water at the same time. This method produces a new 

construction material mix in just one machine pass. 

and strengthen in-situ, 3,868 m 2 of 

Midford Road, to a 180 mm depth 

of tar-bound hazardous material, and 

provide a 20-year design life for 2.5 

million standard axles. The approximate 

10 m wide carriageway was treated in 

two separate halves. Whilst one half of 

the carriageway was being recycled and 

strengthened, the other half remained 

open for one-way traffi c along a short 

diversion route. Once the required 

levels and compaction were achieved, 

the surface of the in-situ repaired 

carriageway was sprayed with a sealing 

tack coat and gritted as a temporary 

running surface for traffi c. The process 

was then repeated for the other side of the 

carriageway using the adjacent recycled 

carriageway for one-way traffic. 

‘I believe in-situ recycling has to be 

the way forward for treating tar-bound 

roads in the UK, which also provides 

the additional bonus of a saving on CO 2 

emissions’, said Mr Gerry Howe, Director, 

Stabilised Pavements. 

Although the in-situ recycled and 

stabilised base course bulked-up during 

processing, the Design Group adjusted 

the centre-line crown levels for the new 

road surface. The crown was raised by 

80 mm, and 10 mm along the channels, 

increasing the cross falls to between 6% 

and 7%. Atkins’s surfacing contractor 

Bardon Contracting followed on and 

overlaid Stabilised Pavements’ rejuvenated 

full width road base with a 50 mm thick 

hot rolled asphalt surface course for a fast 

return to full traffic. 


News & Events 

bauma 2010 emphasises positive outlook for 

construction industry 

The 29 th bauma, the International 

Trade Fair for Construction Machinery, 

Building Material Machines, Mining 

Machines, Construction Vehicles and 

Construction Equipment, was held from 

19 to 25 April 2010, at the New Munich 

Trade Fair Centre, Munich, Germany. 

Organised by Messe Muenchen, 

bauma 2010 marked a turnaround in 

the international construction machinery 

industry, ushering in the hoped-for 

change in sentiment. This was despite 

the ban on air travel resulting from the 

volcanic ash cloud from Iceland, which 

affected the first few days of the fair. 

‘The mood in the industry shows 

that in Europe the bottom of the cycle 

is now behind us. Confidence has 

returned. Of course, at the start of the 

fair, the exhibitors felt the lack of many 

customers from Asia and America, but in 

the second half of bauma, this improved 

considerably. Messe Muenchen´s crisis 

management in the days impacted by 

volcanic ash was outstanding’, said 

Mr Ralf Wezel, Secretary-General of 

CECE, the Committee for European 

Construction Equipment. 

Although the ban on air travel in 

Europe, prevented visitors and, in the 

end, around 50 overseas exhibitors, from 

coming to the fair, the sentiment at the 

venue, among the approximately 3,150 

registered exhibitors from 53 countries, 

was good by the close of the fair. Midway 

through the fair, several exhibitors 

reported more sales than expected. 

‘The good old times are coming back. 

The figures for sales taken at the fair far 

exceed our expectations. We reckon we 

will be able to match the volume we 

took at the record bauma in 2007. This 

is a clear signal that at Zeppelin-Cat, 

too, business is moving forward again 

after the difficult year of 2009’, said 

Mr Michael Heidemann, Managing 

Director, Zeppelin and CEO, Zeppelin 

Baumaschinen GmbH, Germany. 

‘We had a lot of new business 

opportunities, some of which already 

resulted in unexpected conclusions of 

sale’, said Mr Michikazu Okada, Vice- 

President, Hitachi Sumitomo Heavy 

Industries Construction Crane Co Ltd, 

Japan. 

The representative survey of exhibitors 

conducted by TNS Infratest showed that 

bauma 2010, as the leading world fair, 

marked a change in mood, following 

a year of crisis in 2009, and that this 

change is being felt in many international 

markets, with few exceptions. Almost 

half the exhibitors expect the economic 

situation to improve. 

Even before the fair started, it was 

evident that, worldwide, the construction 

Over 415,000 visitors from more than 200 countries attended bauma 2010, to view the displays of 3,150 registered exhibitors from 53 countries. Images by Messe Mue 



sector had high hopes for the leading 

world fair in Munich. With 555,000 sq m 

of space, all fully booked, and 60% of the 

exhibitors coming from outside Germany, 

the fair registered all-time highs for the 

number of exhibitors, international 

participation, and space booked. 

From China, India and Turkey in 

particular, exhibitor numbers registered a 

strong increase, compared to the previous 

event. 

‘bauma is the Mecca for construction 

equipment. Though the volcano shaded 

Europe, it is fascinating to see so many 

visitors from all over the world here’, said 

Mr Cuneyt Divris, President, Imder, the 

Construction Equipment Distributors & 

Manufacturers Association of Turkey. 

Nevertheless, the general economic 

situation before bauma and the 

unexpected ban on air travel at the start 

of the fair, did impact on the final figures 

for visitor numbers. 

Over 415,000 visitors from more than 

200 countries attended bauma 2010. 

In comparison to bauma 2007, this was 

17% fewer. About 65% of the visitors 

came from Germany, while 35% travelled 

from countries outside Germany. 

‘Despite the many emergency measures 

implemented by Messe Muenchen, in 

cooperation with its employees in Munich 

and the international sales and association 

partners, in the second half of the 

running time, which sees more visitors, 

not all of the expected visitors from Asia, 

India, and America, were able to get to 

bauma in Munich. However, because of 

the turnaround which bauma 2010 has 

ushered in for the sector worldwide, we 

are looking forward optimistically to 

the already fully booked bauma China 

2010 in Shanghai. Interest in the new 

event bC India 2011 in Mumbai, too, 

has led to a considerable expansion in 

the space originally earmarked for the 

event. For many of the key players who 

were represented at bauma, these events 

will offer international platforms in the 

two growth markets of China and India, 

and thus appeal also to the trade visitors 

who this time were not able to come 

to Munich’, said Mr Klaus Dittrich, 

Chairman & CEO of Messe Muenchen. 

bauma 2010 once again lived up to 

its reputation as the world´s leading trade 

fair for the sector, by presenting a wealth 

of innovations. 

‘Never before have there been so 

many innovations on display in terms 

of sustainability and environmental and 

human protection. Despite the economic 

crisis and the ash cloud, bauma remains 

the uncontested Number One’, said Dr 

Reinhold Festge, Managing Partner, 

Haver & Boecker, Germany. 

Some of the events in the bauma 

Forum, which included many special items 

relating to India, the partner country, 

particularly in the first two days of bauma 

2010, had to be cancelled or re-staffed. In 

total, 44 lectures and events were held as 

scheduled, from the third day onwards. 

The country specials in the bauma Forum 

were organised in cooperation with the 

VDMA eV, Germany´s engineering 

federation and the conceptual sponsor of 

bauma. 

The 30 th bauma will be held, as 

planned, in three years’ time, from 15 to 

21 April 2013, in Munich. 

nchen. 



New ideas for land optimisation 

JTC Corporation (JTC) has developed 

two innovative concepts for optimising 

the use of land for industrial facilities 

– the Cluster Industrial Complex with 

Mega-hoist (CICM) and the Plug-and- 

Play Factory. 

The ideas are applicable to all new and 

existing industrial estates and industry 

clusters. 

CICM can be introduced in any 

estate where there is high demand for 

logistics and a sizeable plot of land is 

available. However, JTC says it will seek 

the feedback from industry players to 

determine which clusters will benefit most 

from the concept. 

The Plug-and-Play Factory is suitable 

for estates with high warehousing demand 

and which permit the co-location of 

workers’ dormitories. 

Feasibility studies and design 

development will be completed in two 

years’ time. The implementation time-line 

will depend on market demand. 

The CICM concept envisions the co-location of factories, warehouses, supporting industries, showrooms, 

R&D, offi ces, and amenities (ie the entire value chain in a particular industry). This achieves greater 

industrial land and resource optimisation and greater synergy among different industry players. 

CICM 

The CICM concept envisions the 

co-location of factories, warehouses, 

supporting industries, showrooms, R&D, 

offices, and amenities (ie the entire value 

chain in a particular industry). 

This achieves greater industrial land 

and resource optimisation and greater 

synergy among different industry players. 

The concept is a major enhancement 

to the materials handling cycle and serves 

the logistical needs of all parties in the 

high-rise complex. 

The construction of a stepped-up 

structure which acts as a central cargohandling 

spine, and the incorporation 

of a mega-hoist mechanism, ensure that 

materials and goods are moved efficiently. 

Land use is intensified as the need for 

heavy vehicle ramps, as seen in stack-up 

factories, is eliminated. 

The system can be shared by the 

block of manufacturing units (factories) 

located on one side of the spine and the 

warehousing/logistics facilities on the other 

side, thus optimising the use of resources. 

There will be no need for factories to have 

their own individual warehouses. 

The efficiency in the materials/goods 

movement cycle is improved as the value 

The Plug-and-Play Factory seeks to optimise land use through the sharing of accessways for services, and 

through a structurally strengthened central hub that accommodates warehousing, offi ces, amenities, 

and workers’ dormitories, to which standard factories can be connected. 

chain is integrated in one complex. 

Productivity will be greatly increased 

and operational costs reduced. 

Plug-and-Play Factory 

The Plug-and-Play Factory is an industrial 

development that allows for the colocation 

of land-based factories with 

central warehousing/logistics support, 

offices, amenities, and primary / secondary 

workers’ dormitories. 

Preliminary analyses, based on 

comparisons with JTC’s E9 series of 

standard factories, have shown that land 

savings of up to 30% and an increase in 

the land use intensity of up to 70%, can 

be achieved. 

Land use is optimised through the 

sharing of accessways for services, and 

through a structurally strengthened 

central hub that accommodates 

warehousing, offices, amenities, and 

workers’ dormitories, to which standard 

factories can be connected. 

Companies can save on the costs 

required to build internal roads and 

separate workers’ dormitories, and for the 

transportation of goods. 

Companies will also have flexibility 

in the configuration of production spaces 

and in the designing of their factories. 

Images by JTC. 


Samwoh unveils initiatives for green 

construction 

In an effort to meet the stringent 

demands of today’s construction 

market, Samwoh Corporation Pte Ltd 

(Samwoh) has invested in relevant 

leading-edge technologies and focused 

on the research and development (R&D) 

of green products. The company has 

also invested in recycling facilities to 

process construction and demolition 

waste, asphalt pavement waste and other 

industrial by-products, for re-utilisation 

in the construction industry. 

Housing these activities is the Samwoh 

Eco-Green Park which was officially 

opened in late March this year, by Ms 

Grace Fu, Singapore’s Senior Minister 

of State for National Development and 

Education. 

Within the Samwoh Eco-Green Park 

are the Samwoh Eco-Green Building, 

an asphalt recycling plant, and a green 

concrete ready-mixed plant. 


At the Offi cial Opening of Samwoh Eco-Green Park are, from left to right, Mr Eric Soh, Director, 

Samwoh; Mr Joseph Hui Kim Sung, Director-General, NEA; Mr Lam Siew Wah, Deputy Chief 

Executive Offi cer, BCA; Mr Manohar Khiatani, Chief Executive Offi cer, JTC Corporation; Mr 

Michael Lim Chairman, LTA; Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State for National Development 

and Education; Mr Elvin Koh Managing Director, Samwoh; Mr Koh Hoon Lye, Director, 

Samwoh; Dr Ho Nyok Yong, Technical Director, Samwoh; Mdm Pang Kok Lian, Director, 

Samwoh; and Mr Yam Ah Mee, then Chief Executive, LTA. 

Samwoh Eco-Green Building 

In response to the government’s call, 

Samwoh embarked on an ambitious and 

forward-thinking demonstration project 

to construct what is claimed to be the 

first building structure in the region, 

using concrete with up to 100% recycled 

concrete aggregate (RCA) which is 

derived from construction and demolition 

(C&D) waste. The result is the Samwoh 

Eco-Green Building. 

The facility, which houses a Learning 

Hub and the Samwoh R&D Centre, won 

a Green Mark for Buildings Award, under 

the highest Platinum category, at BCA 

AWARDS 2010. 

C&D waste constitutes a significant 

proportion of solid waste generated in 

Singapore. Its disposal creates major 

environmental problems due to the 

limited land space available. In the past, 

when old buildings were demolished, 

the rubble was either discarded or used 

for low value works such as land filling. 

But today, through extensive R&D work 

undertaken jointly by Samwoh, Building 

and Construction Authority (BCA), 

and Nanyang Technological University 

(NTU), technologies have been developed 

to recycle the waste to produce RCA, to 

Participants at the Offi cial Opening of Samwoh Eco-Green Park. 

The Samwoh Eco-Green Building – winner of the BCA Green Mark Platinum Award. 

replace natural aggregate for structural 

concrete. The project received research 

funding from Singapore’s Ministry of 

National Development (MND). 

The project comprised two stages – 

first, extensive laboratory evaluation of 

the performance of concrete with RCA, 

and second, the construction of the threestorey 

building using concrete containing 

RCA, with advanced instrumentation 



installed to monitor the performance of 

the structure. The data obtained from the 

project can be used to update existing 

building code requirements, in order to 

allow the use of RCA in all buildings in 

the future. 

Asphalt recycling plant 

Every year, a large amount of asphalt 

pavement waste is generated during road 

maintenance and rehabilitation. The waste 

is largely used for temporary access roads 

or as a backfill material for the road subbase, 

both of which have low economic 

value. The rising costs of primary materials 

have triggered a need to use wastes more 

effectively. Samwoh has undertaken 

research studies together with the Land 

Transport Authority (LTA) and National 

Environment Agency (NEA) to study the 

effective use of asphalt pavement waste 

in the production of asphalt mixtures 

for road construction. Both laboratory 

and field studies have shown promising 

results. 

Following the success of the study, 

Samwoh has set up a new asphalt recycling 

plant with processing facilities using 

advanced technology to recycle asphalt 

pavement waste into reclaimed asphalt 

pavement (RAP) which contains mainly 

aggregate and bitumen that can be reused 

in asphalt mixtures for road construction. 

This offers an important opportunity 

to achieve reductions in the use of natural 

aggregate and bitumen, conserve energy, 

divert materials from landfills, as well as 

reduce costs. 

The announcement by LTA in March 

2010, approving the use of RAP in 

asphalt mixtures for road construction, 

will accelerate the development of 

sustainable built environments for future 

generations. 

Green concrete plant 

The Samwoh green concrete plant is 

capable of producing green concrete 

certified under the Singapore Green 

Labelling Scheme, that contains recycled 

materials such as washed copper slag, 

recycled concrete aggregate, and green 

cements, for the construction industry. 

It can also produce high performance 

concrete and other concrete mixtures. 

In addition, the plant has a recycling 

facility to separate sand and stone from 

Through R&D work, technologies have been developed for recycling wastes to produce various 

green products. 

Extensive R&D works have been carried out. 

Concrete waste recycling plant. 



fresh waste concrete, which can then be 

reused for the manufacturing of green 

concrete. The concrete containing RCA 

used for the construction of the Samwoh 

Eco-Green Building, was delivered by this 

plant. 

Educating the public 

As part of the company’s Corporate Social 

Responsibility programme, Samwoh Eco- 

Green Park and other Samwoh recycling 

facilities at Sarimbun Recycling Park are 

open to the public. 

Green concrete plant. 

Summary 

The completion of Samwoh Eco-Green 

Park has opened a new chapter in 

sustainable development in Singapore. 

The Eco-Green Building represents a 

breakthrough in construction technology 

through its use of concrete with up to 

100% RCA which is beyond the existing 

design code limits. 

The asphalt pavement waste recycling 

plant converts the waste into asphalt 

mixtures, which alleviates waste disposal 

problems and saves on primary materials 

needed for road construction. 

The green concrete plant not 

only produces green concrete for civil 

engineering and building construction, 

it can also reclaim sand and stone from 

waste concrete, thereby facilitating their 

reuse in concrete production. 

These three facilities have 

demonstrated the possibilities for 

sustainable design in the future, where 

nothing goes to waste. 

Samwoh 

Samwoh started business in the early 

1970s. Over the years, Samwoh has 

morphed into a leading integrated 

construction company and green 

construction materials supplier. Samwoh 

was the top winner at the 2009 Enterprise 

50 Awards honouring local, privatelyheld 

companies which have contributed 

to economic development in Singapore 

and abroad. Samwoh also received the 

inaugural 'Outstanding Sustainability 

Award 2010' from the Singapore Business 

Federation. 

Asphalt recycling plant. 

Images by Samwoh. 



Overcoming site challenges and ensuring 

public safety 

Three projects were declared Award 

Winners at this year’s BCA Design and 

Engineering Safety Excellence Awards 

which were part of BCA Awards 2010. 

They are 78 Shenton Way and 313@ 

Somerset, in the Commercial Category, 

and City Square Residences, in the 

Residential Category. The projects were 

chosen from 20 entries, by a panel of 

experts from the industry. 

Besides the three Award Winners, 

several projects were given Merit 

Awards for their excellence in design 

and engineering safety. 

They are 71 Robinson Road, Jurong 

Point 2/ The Centris, Changi Terminal 

3, City Square Mall, Fusionopolis @ 

One-North, Marina Barrage, SengKang 

N2 C36, Singapore Flyer, and BIDV 

HQ (Hanoi). 

The BCA Design and Engineering 

Safety Excellence Awards recognise 

Qualified Persons who are the 

engineers for the structural works, and 

the project team members, for coming 

up with excellent design solutions 

that overcome site challenges, while 

maintaining a high standard of safety 

in their projects. 

The challenge in the project 

78 Shenton Way was in having to 

build a seven-storey office above an 

existing four-storey carpark which 

had to be operational throughout the 

construction. Additionally, the site is 

within close proximity of buildings in 

one of the busiest parts of Singapore - 

the Central Business District. 

The building professionals had 

to undertake careful and meticulous 

planning of the construction work 

without compromising public safety. 

For 313@Somerset, the construction 

of the new shopping centre involved 

diverting the 10 m wide Stamford 

Canal at Somerset, and reconstructing 

the canal to permanently pass through 

the basement of the building. 

This is a massive undertaking which 

requires extensive risk assessment and 

engineering expertise to ensure that the 

works are carried out safely. Also, the 

building professionals for this project 

had to deal with tight space constraints 

due to the site being situated close to 

the underground MRT line in the heart 

of Orchard Road. 

The City Square Residences 

project involved the building of a 126 

m wide diaphragm wall which was 

devised by the engineers to mitigate 

the risks in constructing three levels of 

basement car parks under difficult soil 

conditions. The wall also protects the 

structural safety of old shophouses in 

the vicinity. 

78 Shenton Way 

Qualified Person 

Er. Liew Keng How, Kenneth 


T.Y.LIN International Pte Ltd 

Builder 

Shimizu Corporation 

Developer 

Singapore Shenton Holdings Pte Ltd 

Architectural Consultant 

Forum Architects 

Construction Cost 

S$ 65 million 

Introduction 

78 Shenton Way is located in the western 

part of the Central Business District, 

bounded by Shenton Way, Anson Road, 

and Keppel Road, with the Keppel Road 

flyover along the site’s boundary. 

The project involved the construction 

of a new seven-storey office building on 

top of an existing four-storey carpark, 

which had to remain operational 

throughout the construction. 

Challenges 

• Constructing the new office building 

over the existing carpark with minimal 

disruption to its operations. 

• Allowing for column-free office space 

(22 m span). 

• Dealing with difficult site constraints. 

Close proximity to other buildings and 

major roads, restricted access to the 

construction site, and limited headroom 

and workspace in the basement 

Solutions 

• Designing the new building to 

‘straddle’ over the existing carpark, using 

steel, post-tensioned transfer trusses to 

support the weight of the additional seven 

storeys above it. The steel transfer trusses 

were erected in four segments, each 

weighing 65 t. A careful study carried 

out on the mobile crane’s swinging 

radius in relation to site constraints, the 

design of a temporary erection tower, 

and close liaison with the authorities 

regarding road closures, ensured safety 

during the erection. 

• Using composite steel construction 

for columns located along the perimeter 

of the existing carpark and floor beams 

spanning 22 m. The use of composite 

steel increases the material strength, 

reduces the weight of the structure, and 

helps to simplify the construction on 

site. 

• Using off-site fabrication for 

structural elements, minimised traffic 

congestion at the site which is within 

the busy Central Business District. 

• Using a micro-piling system to 

address the height and space constraints 

within the existing basement, with the 

weight of the structure reduced. 



313@Somerset 


Er. Wong Pui Fun, Joanne 


Meinhardt Infrastructure Pte Ltd 

Builder 

Bovis Lend Lease Pte Ltd 

Developer 

Lend Lease Retail Investments 1 Pte 

Ltd 


Aedas Pte Ltd 


S$ 220 million 

Introduction 

313@Somerset is a shopping centre 

located on Orchard Road. The project 

involved the construction of a sevenstorey 

retail building, including two 

levels of carparks and three basement 

levels. Located close to the project are 

the Somerset MRT station and train 

tunnels. Within the site itself are the 

entrance to the Somerset MRT station 

and the 10 m-wide Stamford Canal, 

both of which had to be fully operational 

throughout the construction. 

Challenges 

• Integrating and diverting the 10 

m-wide Stamford Canal within the 

development, while ensuring the canal 

remained fully functional during the 

temporary diversion. 

• Minimising ground movement 

throughout the construction, due to 

the site’s close proximity to the MRT 

station and tunnel. 

• Demolishing and re-constructing 

the MRT station entrance, while 

ensuring the safety of the MRT 

commuters (50,000 commuters daily) 

and pedestrians. 

• Overcoming difficult ground 

conditions, as the site is sitting on a 

thick layer of soft soil. 

Solutions 

• Integrating the Stamford Canal 

into the basement of the building. The 

canal was diverted from its course into 

the building via the construction of a 

sheet-pile wall. 

• It was then ‘encased’ in a new canal 

box section which sits on the building’s 

basement slab / beam. 

• Minimising ground movement 

using a diaphragm wall (continuous 

reinforced concrete wall), T-panels, 

and cross diaphragms. 

• Constructing temporary sheltered 

walkways for commuters and 

pedestrians, which required numerous 

diversions due to the heavy human 

traffic and site constraints. 

• Using Building Information 

Modelling(BIM), an IT software that 

allowed the project team to visualise 

building drawings and plans in 3D, 

and perform various functions (for 

example, engineering analysis), for the 

safe demolition of the existing MRT 

entrance. 

• Performing a finite element analysis 

to gauge probable tunnel movement 

and adjacent building settlement, for 

the design of the building’s diaphragm 

wall, due to the difficult soil conditions 

on site. 

City Square Residences 


Er. Yeo Choon Chong 


Meinhardt (Singapore) Pte Ltd 

Builder 

Woh Hup Pte Ltd 

Developer 

City Developments Ltd 


Ong & Ong Architects Pte Ltd 


S$188.7 million 

Introduction 

City Square Residences is located 

along Kitchener Road, near the Farrer 

Park MRT station. The 910-unit project 

involved the development of six towers 

of private residential apartments, with 

their heights ranging from 28 to 30 

storeys. For the residents, the developer 

City Developments Limited incorporated 

many eco-friendly features in their 

homes. These include green roofing, 

low-emissivity glazing for windows, a 

twin-chute pneumatic waste system, and 

a system that collects rainwater to water 

the landscaping. 

Challenges 

• Managing excavation works safely, 

due to the site’s difficult sub-soil 

conditions (the site sits on a 20 m thick 

layer of soft marine clay), three levels of 

basement, the presence of an operating 

water mains along the sides of the site, 

and old shophouses in the vicinity. 

• Building condominium apartments 

with eco-friendly features. 

• Using pre-finished / fitted 

prefabricated bathroom units to fulfill 

the construction-friendly requirements 

of the project. 

Solutions 

• Building a strut-free 126 m diameter 

circular diaphragm wall retention system 

with capping beams, which facilitated 

easy, safe, and fast excavation and 

construction of the basement structure. 

• The adoption of high levels of 

pre-cast elements reduces wastage of 

material and manpower at site, increases 

productivity, and promotes a cleaner 

and safer working environment for the 

workers. About 77% of the bathrooms 

are prefabricated using a reinforced 

concrete design support system. 



Green and Gracious Builder Awards 2010 

The Green and Gracious Builder 

Awards have been conferred on seven 

outstanding builders this year, at BCA 

Awards 2010. Two builders attained 

the ‘Star’ category, the highest tier in 

this Award, four others clinched the 

‘Excellent’ Award, and another clinched 

the ‘Merit’ Award. 

BCA launched the Green and 

Gracious Builder Awards in 2009 to 

promote sustainable environmental 

protection and gracious practices among 

builders during the construction phase 

of projects. Builders are rated on their 

performance in adopting best practices 

in construction site management. From 

a two-tier (‘Excellent’ and ‘Merit’) rating 

system in 2009, it has been expanded to a 

four-tier rating system with the addition 

of ‘Star’ and ‘Certified’ categories. 

The ‘Star’ category, the highest tier, 

recognises builders with exemplary 

practices in sustainability, graciousness, 

and innovation, in their operations, that 

enabled them to obtain a minimum of 

90 points. The ‘Certified’ category which 

encourages new entrants to adopt basic 

green practices in their construction 

projects, requires winners to achieve a 

minimum of 50 points. 

Some of the best practices of the 

Award winners include the use of piling 

methods that produce less noise, rapportbuilding 

activities with residents in 

the surrounding neighbourhood, and 

improving employees’ welfare. 

Dragages Singapore, one of the ‘Star’ 

category winners, used prefabricated 

bathroom units, window facades, planter 

boxes, and staircases, extensively in its 

projects. These resulted in increased 

productivity and cleanliness at the 

construction sites. 

In one of its projects, The Trevista @ 

Toa Payoh, Dragages introduced ‘green 

concrete’ for the key structural elements 

of the building such as beams, columns, 

and slabs, above ground level. The green 

concrete is made up of recycled materials 

like washed copper slag, which partially 

replaces the quantity of sand used. 

Staff welfare was also rated highly 

by Dragages. Despite the dusty image 

and environment of a construction site, 

the firm ensured that the cleanliness of 

46 · THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER Jun 2010 

the toilets was not compromised. At 

one of the project sites, The Quayside 

Condominium, regular cleaning of 

the toilets earned the builder the 

highest rating of ‘5-Star’ in the Happy 

Toilet Programme from the Restroom 

Association (Singapore). Dragages was 

also the first construction firm to win 

the LOO Award from the association, in 

2009, for its efforts to educate workers 

on toilet etiquette at project sites and 

commitment to the maintenance of 

clean toilet facilities. Additionally, in 

order to improve inter-team bonding and 

camaraderie amongst the workers and 

staff, the firm also organised recreational 

activities. 

‘We are extremely happy and it is an 

honour to receive this ‘Star’ recognition 

from BCA. Respect, commitment 

and integrity are our firm’s core values 

that apply to any aspect of our work. 

We are resolute to be the leader in 

sustainable development through 

providing sustainable solutions in the 

design and construction of our projects’, 

commented Mr Ludwig Reichhold, 

Managing Director, Dragages Singapore 

Pte Ltd. 

Hyundai Engineering & Construction 

Co Ltd (Hyundai Engineering & 

Construction) was another recipient of 

the ‘Star’ Award for green and gracious 

practices. Guided by its corporate 

environmental sustainability policy, 

the company utilises energy-efficient 

airconditioners at its site offices, uses 

bio-diesel fuel for its machinery, built 

a water recycling plant to re-use water 

for washing, and conserves water with 

Category 

water-efficient fittings in the toilets. 

Hyundai Engineering & Construction 

looks into the welfare of its employees 

though daily morning exercise, and 

provision of vending machines and ice 

cube dispensers. In addition, the builder 

also invests time and discharges its 

corporate social responsibility by involving 

its employees in community work. 

‘As a potential global leader in 

engineering and construction, Hyundai 

Engineering & Construction endeavours 

to develop new techniques, and green 

and gracious practices to create a safe 

and sound working environment’, said 

Mr Im Jin Mo, Managing Director, 

Hyundai Engineering & Construction. 

The assessment committee also 

witnessed several green and gracious 

best practices adopted by the ‘Excellent’ 

Award winners such as Ho Lee 

Construction, Millenium International 

Builders, Teambuild Construction, and 

Chang Hua Construction, and Merit 

Award winner, Hexagroup. 

In Ho Lee’s upgrading projects, the 

builder used diamond cutters to reduce 

noise when removing parapet walls. 

In one of its projects located adjacent 

to Northbrooks Secondary School, 

Ho Lee initiated the installation of 

airconditioned units in the classrooms 

facing the project site, so that the 

students could continue their lessons 

without inconveniences. Furthermore, 

in a joint effort with the school 

management to promote a green culture 

in the school, it built new bicycle bays 

to encourage students to cycle more 

often. 

Score 

Star Above 90 

Excellent 76-90 

Merit 61-75 

Certified 50-60 

Four-tier rating system.

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BCA Construction Excellence 

Awards 2010 

A total of 12 Awards and nine Certificates 

of Merit were given out under BCA’s 

Construction Excellence Awards this 

year, up from six Awards and two 

Certificates of Merit in 2009. 

Of the 12 award winners, luxury 

condominiums under the residential 

building category, took up five places. 

Two civil engineering projects also 

stood out to win Awards. They are 

the underground construction of the 

Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) 

and the first stage of the Circle Line. 

This year, local builder Tiong Seng 

Contractors (Pte) Ltd clinched three of 

the 12 Awards - for the construction of 

Parc Emily Condominium, RiverEdge, 

and St. Regis Residences (a jointventure 

with Kajima Overseas Asia Pte 

Ltd). All three condominiums achieved 

high CONQUAS scores of 94.1, 89.7 

and 89.4 respectively, and were certified 

under BCA’s Quality Mark (QM) for 

Good Workmanship scheme. On the 

average, the industry CONQUAS score 

for private housing in 2009 was 85.4. 

Through the QM scheme, builders 

are able to ensure that high quality 

homes are delivered to homeowners 

consistently so that developers are able 

to reduce inconvenience to their clients. 

Homeowners of QM-certified units are 

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX 

CSC WORLD PAGE 7, 8, 9 

also reportedly more satisfied with their 

purchases and required less rectification 

work to be done. 

Under the QM scheme, each unit 

in a newly completed residential project 

will be assessed by a set of prescribed 

standards to ensure the high quality 

of the internal finishing including the 

water-tightness of the bathrooms. 

As part of the requirements, any 

major defects discovered during the 

assessment will have to be rectified 

before the residential units are handed 

over to the homeowners. About 30,000 

residential units have been committed 

to the scheme since it was launched in 

2002. 

Newly launched units that have 

committed to the scheme have 

significantly risen over the years. 

The general improvement in 

construction quality and workmanship 

over the years, has led to more projects 

qualifying for the Construction 

Excellence Awards. As such, the 

qualifying scores for some of the 

categories will be raised for nominations 

in 2011. 

Since the Awards were introduced in 

1986, BCA has conferred 318 Awards 

and Certificates of Merit, to builders for 

quality and workmanship. 

GEOSOFT PTE LTD PAGE 3, 18, 19, 20, 21 

KALZIP ASIA 

LMC PTE LTD PAGE 5 

MANCHESTER BUSINESS SCHOOL 

LUTRON ELECTRONICS 

PENNWELL CORPORATION PAGE 47 

PHOENIX SOLAR PTE LTD PAGE 17 

INSIDE BACK COVER 

OUTSIDE BACK COVER 

INSIDE FRONT COVER 

BCA AWARDS 

2010 scales new 

heights 

The Building and Construction 

Authority (BCA) handed out 159 

awards at the annual BCA Awards. 

Firms and projects were accorded 

recognition for categories such as design 

and engineering safety excellence, 

construction excellence, universal 

design, Green Mark, as well as green and 

gracious builder, and built environment 

leadership. 

A new category of Green Mark 

Awards, the BCA-NParks Green Mark 

for New Parks, was created. 

Meanwhile, the government has 

introduced incentive funding of S$ 

250 million through the Construction 

Productivity and Capability Fund 

(CPCF). 

The fund consists of seven 

specific schemes to tackle areas such 

as technology adoption, manpower 

development and skills upgrading, as 

well as capability building in niche areas. 

It is coupled with policy changes such 

as introducing a new tiered-levy system, 

reducing the man-year entitlement and 

enhancing the buildability framework. 

Although applications for the 

CPCF were scheduled to begin from 1 

June 2010, the construction industry 

has been responding positively to 

the productivity call since a series of 

briefings on the schemes in the CPCF 

was conducted from mid-April for more 

than 2,000 firms. 

A group of construction companies 

(comprising a builder, a consultant and 

a concrete supplier), for example, is 

preparing to apply for funding under 

the Productivity Improvement Project 

scheme (PIP) – one of the schemes 

under the S$ 250 million fund. 

To improve one of the work 

processes, the team is proposing to 

introduce self-flow concrete which can 

reduce the number of workers required 

to do concreting work by at least twothirds. 

It also reduces the need for 

concrete vibrators for their construction 

projects, thus saving on both time and 

cost. 


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