General Construction News [Archive]

huaiwei

August 16th, 2003, 05:58 PM

News release from the NTUC, dated 11/07/2003:

Source: http://www.ntuc.org.sg/myunion/features.phtml?aid=20033313110715JP

One Marina Boulevard - A Modern Home For The Labour Movement

Come 2004, the labour movement will move into its spanking new building at the gateway to the new Downtown at the junction of Raffles Quay and the proposed Marina Boulevard. To be known as One Marina Boulevard, the building will house the new "NTUC Centre" which offers a host of amenities to better serve all union members. NTUC News gives a peek of what's in-store and outlines other related issues.

Since the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) was set up in 1961, it has kept faith with the basic aim of trade unionism: looking after the interests of workers.

Its headquarters, which was then located in the six-storey Singapore Conference Hall along Shenton Way, was a symbol of strong trade unionism and a home to many union leaders who assembled there for meetings and gatherings.

The building was known affectionately as the NTUC Trade Union House and it became synonymous to the many achievements of the labour movement. Over the years, it witnessed the growth of the NTUC and how it has protected workers' interests and fostered industrial harmony.

The next 30 years saw Singapore's economy growing by leaps and bounds, and this was most evidently noted by the tall office buildings that sprung up within the Central Business District along Shenton Way.

All these while, the NTUC continues to carry out its important role of safeguarding the well-being of workers and reinforcing strong tripartism between the various social partners.

In 1990, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong announced that the Government would build a new home for the NTUC, probably in Marina South.

He said: "As the commercial district would expand to Marina South sooner or later, NTUC should be there, in the heart of the new city which they will help to build. There, they would be able to rub shoulders as equals with management, proud that they as much as their employers, have contributed to the stability and prosperity of Singapore."

Speaking at the May Day Dinner in 1990, PM Goh also spoke on the need for a new NTUC building. "Today, it (NTUC Trade Union House) is dwarfed by many new and tall office buildings. It does not now adequately reflect the national importance of NTUC and its contribution to our national prosperity," he said.

The Prime Minister also added: "This time we should not make the same mistake of making it a small building."

Making headway

In August 2001, the NTUC embarked on the project of building its new home. A land parcel located at the gateway to the new Downtown at the junction of Raffles Quay and the proposed Marina Boulevard was allocated by the Government to the Singapore Labour Foundation (SLF).

The rectangular plot of land covers 3,715 square metres. The NTUC offices and facilities will occupy about one quarter of the available space, while the rest of the space will be for lease.

Though the land was allocated to SLF without tender, SLF has to pay market value for the land as determined by the Chief Valuer. In November 2001, it paid the market price of $140.6 million (or $270 psf GFA) for the development of the new building.

The total development cost is $282 million. As the space occupied by NTUC is only about 26 per cent of the total floor area, the development cost for the NTUC space works out to be $75 million, or 26 per cent of $282 million.

Hence, as promised by PM Goh in 1996 when he said that the Government would provide a grant for NTUC's new home as a recognition of the key role that the labour movement has played in Singapore's success, the Government paid $75 million to SLF for the space occupied by NTUC. The balance cost of $207 million is financed by SLF. SLF does not collect rental from NTUC for the space that it occupies.

The design of NTUC's new home was awarded to DP Architects Pte Ltd after they won a competition for the design of the building. Construction works commenced after a groundbreaking ceremony officiated by National Development Minister and SLF Chairman Mah Bow Tan on 28 February 2002.

Seeking a balance

Being a prime 'Grade A' commercial building which is very well-located and well-designed with high specifications to attract corporate users, the tower is named "One Marina Boulevard".

On the other hand, the floors occupied by the NTUC Headquarters will be known as "NTUC Centre". The name and logo of NTUC will be prominently displayed on the facades of the building.

SLF is confident that the public will refer to the building as the NTUC Centre, just as the Singapore Conference Hall in Shenton Way was popularly referred to as the NTUC Conference Hall for years.

It is envisaged that One Marina Boulevard will be an icon of the labour movement and an important and visible symbol of workers' achievements. The building's location at the new downtown symbolises the labour movement's tripartite partnership with businesses and the Government, working hand-in-hand towards Singapore's progress.

Capturing the aspirations of the labour movement

The new One Marina Boulevard (OMB) building overlooking Marina Bay has been aptly summarised by architectural firm DP Architects as a building for and of the workers and the labour movement.

The architects stayed true to the NTUC's aspirations - to design a building that is original, contemporary and forward looking to capture the dynamic and progressive nature of the labour movement in Singapore.

The 32-storey structure is planned to be convenient for both vehicular and pedestrian movement and to make their circulation as efficient as possible. The various usable areas of the building are strategically placed to create distinct articulation of user types and therefore promote clarity of direction.

Fully-equipped

Other than housing the NTUC Headquarters, OMB will have a 600-seat auditorium, meeting and training rooms, a one-stop customer service centre for union members, as well as retail and medical facilities. These amenities will enable the NTUC to better serve its 420,000 union members.

About 320 staff from the NTUC Administration & Research Unit, Singapore Labour Foundation, NTUC Link, NTUC Eldercare, NTUC Media, Ong Teng Cheong Institute and ICFTU-APRO will be moving to OMB in early 2004.

Visual connection

The first storey is a highly-accessible and visible space that establishes a visual connection between the city on one side and the future waterfront promenade on the other.

Covered walkways surround the building on all sides and provide weatherproof access and urban connectivity. The typical office floor is a larger than usual 1,800 square metres around a central core and is designed with a generous ceiling height.

OMB will stand out as a vertical form characterised by its purity and simplicity in what is otherwise a busy-looking skyline.

A consistency of geometric form not only results in more efficient office spaces but also creates a sense of stability which parallels the spirit of the labour force.

The simplicity of the glass and granite curtain wall system that DPA have designed, works with the proportions of the building form to create an elegant façade and a contemporary corporate image.

Reinforcing the "garden city" image

Landscaped sky lobbies carved out of the building form provide an opportunity for vertical landscaping for the building, reinforcing the "garden city" image and incorporating a sense of playfulness to the otherwise structured form.

The curtain wall itself is also not a bland "wrap" around the building as many modern building skins tend to be. The façade facing the bay has a more animated character to represent the life and dynamism of the activities on the bay, while the city side, which faces the Central Business District, is designed with a more cohesive, business-like and solid character.

Dual character

In addition, the bayfront façade is designed with a dual character. During the day, stark clean lines and elegant glass skin reflects adjacent sea view and skyline, exuding an understated corporate image. In the evening, this corporate skin "disappears" and the interior of the building is expressed as lit components behind the façade.

OMB is targeted to be completed in early 2004. When completed, it will be the new home of the NTUC and its affiliates with remaining office spaces being leased to other public institutions and companies.

The pride of workers

"Our former home at the conference hall was a very well-recognised location and it symbolises the contributions of the labour movement to society. The same significance has been retained in the new One Marina Boulevard. It expresses the confidence that Government and society has in the responsible labour movement led by the NTUC. It is also an expectation that we continue to be constructive and responsible in the future."
Mr Heng Chee How, NTUC Deputy Secretary-General

"I have been working with NTUC since 1978 and I have really seen a progression of the premises, especially the working environment for staff. The new building is our Government's recognition of the contributions of the labour movement towards the economic development and prosperity of Singapore. I will be glad to see the building completed. It is a very good gesture on the part of our Government."
Mdm Halimah Yacob, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General

"I'm glad that the new NTUC building will be back in the heart of the city, to be part of the action. I hope that the building, being near to the river, will bring good luck and prosperity to all workers."
Mr Thomas Thomas, General Secretary, Singapore Shell Employees' Union

SUNNI

August 17th, 2003, 12:48 PM

wow, so many, will it eva stop?:)

The Beautiful Ones

August 20th, 2003, 11:55 AM

Can i ask ? what's buiding that look like the glassy Boat getting along the riverside which underneth the MayBank Building ? (in HUAWEI 2nd pic Post

huaiwei

August 20th, 2003, 12:09 PM

Originally posted by The Beautiful Ones

Can i ask ? what's buiding that look like the glassy Boat getting along the riverside which underneth the MayBank Building ? (in HUAWEI 2nd pic Post

You mean for this picture?

http://www.tropicalisland.de/SIN%20Singapore%20Clifford%20Pier%20b.jpg

That low rise building is called "One Fullerton". Hope it helps. :D

RafflesCity

August 20th, 2003, 12:57 PM

ONE FULLERTON
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At the dawn of the New Millennium, a landmark of the future is set to take its place at the historic mouth of the Singapore River. Located at the strategic crossroads of the Raffles Place business district, Suntec City and the Esplanade Theatres-On-The-Bay, One Fullerton will be a recognisable symbol of Singapore. With more than 6,000 square metres of mixed office and restaurant space in one prime location, One Fullerton is the new heart of the Marina Bay waterfront.

Al-fresco diners and tourists alike will be drawn by the sea-breeze, the sound of waves lapping against the sea wall, and the stunning backdrop of Singapore's skyline at Raffles Place and Marina.

This unparalleled location, with 370 carparking spaces, can be easily accessed on foot from the nearby Raffles Place MRT station, by car from Nicoll Highway Extension or Battery Road (via tunnel), and even by water taxi.

http://www.design.com.sg/gallery/fareast/one_fullerton_map.jpg

Its where the merlion is located and one of the trendier clubs, Centro is located there. At night the strobe lights and beats of the dance floor can be seen and heard outside on the street:cool:

The Beautiful Ones

August 20th, 2003, 05:07 PM

Yes Huawei ! it's very beautiful buiding..Thank you so much
and thank you for your information As well...Rafflescity

RafflesCity

August 22nd, 2003, 06:18 AM

One Marina Boulevard:
21st August 2003
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huaiwei

August 22nd, 2003, 06:58 AM

Something different: :D

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Terminal 3's Roof Is First Of Its Kind In The World

Singapore Changi Airport's Terminal 3 will have a flat but intriguing roof consisting of many skylights allowing natural light into the terminal building. The roof will limit the amount of direct sunlight into the building through the use of louvres suspended above and below the skylights, filling Terminal 3 with diffused, ambient light during the day. At night, artificial light bounced off the ceiling creates a soothing and comfortable environment for passengers. This unique feature of Terminal 3 will also be seen by passengers waiting to collect their bags at the baggage claim hall.

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Passengers using Terminal 3 can expect to move around with ease and minimum dependence on signages. This is possible as Terminal 3 will adopt a see-through layout concept, making it easier for travellers to orientate themselves. This is part of the four guiding principles adopted by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) when designing Terminal 3, namely, clarity, natural lighting, external views and maintainability.

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Terminal 3 and its associated works will cost S$1.5 billion. It will add a capacity of 20 million passengers a year, bringing the total capacity of Changi Airport to 64 million passengers till the year 2020. When opened in 2006, Terminal 3 will add another 28 aerobridge gates to Changi Airport, with up to eight that will be designed to handle the new generation of large aircraft, the A380.

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A View of construction works in progress:

http://www.changi.airport.com.sg/media/Changi/images/content/PublicRelations/en/T3Construction.jpg

huaiwei

August 22nd, 2003, 06:59 AM

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State-of-the-Art Baggage Handling System

When Singapore Changi Airport's Terminal 3 opens in 2006, it will have a S$121 million state-of-the-art baggage handling system that will enhance Changi Airport's position as an aviation hub in the region. The fully-automated baggage system will include a high-speed inter-terminal baggage transfer system and an automated early bag storage facility.

A key feature of the new baggage handling system is a high-speed inter-terminal baggage transfer system. Baggage of transfer passengers making connections at different terminals will be transported individually through underground tunnels at a speed of 7m/s. This means it will take only about three minutes for a bag to be transported from one terminal to the other.

The baggage handling system will also have an automated early baggage storage system, where bags that are checked-in early or transfer bags with long connection times are stored. Besides allowing for automatic bag storage and retrieval, the system is also able to automatically update changes in flight itinerary of passengers and thus discharge the bags to the right connecting flights. The new baggage system will also have an integrated multi-level baggage security screening system to automatically screen bags.

The baggage handling system in Terminal 3 will also be able to support the operations of new large aircraft, such as the Airbus A380. Of the eight baggage claim belts in Terminal 3's Arrival Hall, four are designed to support the new large aircraft.

Work on the new baggage handling system will begin in the last quarter of 2003 and is expected to be completed in 2005.

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huaiwei

August 22nd, 2003, 07:00 AM

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New Automated People Mover system to link Changi Airport's three Terminals

Passengers making inter-terminal flight connections at Singapore Changi Airport will find it a breeze even after Terminal 3 opens in 2006. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is installing a new S$135 million Automated People Mover System to make transfers between the three terminals convenient and seamless.

The new Automated People Mover System will comprise of ten train services linking the three terminals through 6.5 kilometres of elevated train tracks. The new system will have a total of seven train stations: two stations in Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 respectively and three stations in Terminal 3.

The new trains will come equipped with LCD screens in the cabins, giving flight information and other airport information. The cabins will also have more vertical stanchions and handholds, as well as designated areas for baggage trolleys, enhancing the convenience of users. There will also be plasma TV displays at the train stations to inform passengers of the arrival time of the next train.

Work on the new Automated People Mover System will begin in December 2002 and is expected to be completed in 2006

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huaiwei

September 1st, 2003, 05:45 PM

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The new National Library building will serve as an enduring CIVIC INSTITUTION with a distinct character, reflecting Singapore's multicultural heritage, a LEARNING PLACE FOR PEOPLE with an open, hospitable and conducive research and learning environment.

The new National Library building consists of two blocks that are separated by a day-lit internal street and connected by bridges at the upper levels. The larger block contains the collections and sits over an open-to-the-sky naturally ventilated civic plaza, with promises of 'outdoor' events and cafés.

The division of the building into two halves presents the library culture as being more fun, and projects the National Library as an urban motivator for civic activities, and a "place for the people".

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Perspective from corner of Victoria Street and Middle Road

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Perspective from corner of North Bridge Road and Middle Road

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Perspective from corner of North Bridge Road and Middle Road

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Information Centre at Atrium

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Cafe and Event Plaza

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The Main Entrance

huaiwei

September 1st, 2003, 05:54 PM

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Knowledge is fast emerging as a key driver of wealth. In the 21st century, the challenge is in our ability to do things faster and in more creative and innovative ways. Creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship will be the key factors that impact competitiveness and success.

The new Library will thus be designed as a unique modern state-of-the-art Library that meets the challenges of the 21st century with the power to inform, educate and entertain. The Library will serve as an ideal library with modern facilities and a unique and rich collection that nourishes the citizenry with information and knowledge that inspires discovery, exploration, adoption and learning.

In this context, the Library will serve as a centre for research especially on business, science, culture and heritage attracting scholars from all over the world to produce excellent research output. It will support planning and decision-making and inspire the young and old, the generalist and specialist, in the pursuit of their personal and professional aspirations.

As an enduring civic institution with a distinct character reflecting Singapore's multicultural heritage and its aspiration to be a learning nation, the Library will capture the past as a legacy for future generations, allow people to enjoy the present and experience the future.

Our dream is for the new Library to support the advancement and well being of Singapore and its people in the knowledge economy through convenient access to information. At the same time, we hope to serve as a gateway between the East and the West, facilitating information flow and exchange across borders. Strong connections will be established with libraries and information providers around the world to provide access to a rich array of information. The high tech high touch nature of the library is designed to attract people into the physical library spaces and at the same time encourage them to experience the wonders of the physical world in a virtual library space.

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The tagline for the new National Library is:

KNOWLEDGE · IMAGINATION · POSSIBILITY

The tagline embodies the spirit of the new National Library: a place where users tap a wealth of knowledge, ignite their imagination and experience a world of possibility. Knowledge affects the person at every level: at the individual level, organizational level, community level and national level. Knowledge triggers the imagination. Imagination kindles hope, and hope inspires possibility.

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In line with the National Library's vision of being a gateway to international information resources, new and expanded services and collections will have to put in place to support this vision. With the rapid growth in collections and services, there is a need for a building with more space to house the expanded resources.

At the same time, the site of the present National Library building at Stamford Road had been earmarked for other development purposes, requiring a new site to be identified to re-locate the building.

huaiwei

September 1st, 2003, 06:04 PM

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Feedback from Civic Groups

NLB believes that the development of the new National Library building should be in the spirit of a place for the people, a library for all. From its collections to its services and facilities, the library should be developed with the needs of all Singaporeans in mind.

To this end, in May 1999 NLB set up seven civic groups representing the disabled, older persons, young people, community self-help groups, and the business, arts and research communities to gather feedback on the kinds of services and facilities they would like to have in the new library.

In addition, members of the public were also invited to give their feedback through NLB's website, as well as through the completion of feedback forms placed at the libraries.

The feedback gathered from the civic groups was used as an important input in shaping the library building and its services. This ensures that the new National Library building will be a bonafide place for the people as it is developed based on the needs of the people.

Final Report of the Civic Groups for the New National Library Building (completed 4 Jul 2000) - Summary of Findings

Objective
To gather feedback from representative civic groups on the kind of services and facilities the public would like to have in the new National Library.

The Seven Civic Groups
The seven civic groups had in total 68 members with each group comprising 5 to 23 members. Members were from all walks of life and were selected by individual groups' chairpersons to represent the broadest spectrum of the community that each group belonged to.

Disabled
Mr Alex Lee
Former CEO, National Council of Social Services

Older Persons
Mr Gerard Ee
Chairman, National Committee for International Year of the Older Persons

Young People
Assoc Prof Vivian Balakrishnan
Medical Director,
Singapore National Eye Centre

Community / Self-help
Mr Sumardi Ali
Chief Executive Officer,
Yayasan Mendaki

Business
Mr Patrick Daniel
Editor,
Business Times

Arts
Assoc Prof Bernard Tan
Board Member of National Arts Council and Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Researchers
Mr Arun Mahizhnan
Deputy Director,
Institute of Policy Studies

The seven civic groups were formed in May 1999.

Methodology
Varied approaches were used to obtain feedback from the seven civic groups. Some of the groups conducted surveys while others held discussions with their members and related organizations and agencies. The Young People's Civic Group invited student representatives from schools all over Singapore to a school hall for a presentation on the new National Library building, and used the occasion to gather feedback from the students.

Summary of Feedback and Possible Action Areas

Collections

The public would like to see greater breadth and depth in the collections. They asked for more materials specific to the needs of different communities, for example, audio books and large print books for the disabled and elderly persons, as well as enhanced collections for the different ethnic groups in Singapore. There was also interest in expanded electronic resources, such as e-books, digitized materials and electronic databases.

In addition to expanded collection breadth and depth, the public would like the National Library to:

Be a repository of national memory, housing unpublished local materials and records (eg original local manuscripts, posters and old programmes for plays).
Engage Advisory Committees to help NLB select relevant materials.
Collaborate with other bodies such as arts institutions and museums for co-operative access to resources.
Be a centre for personal collections of prominent Singaporeans.

Possible action areas identified from the feedback include the following:

Provide access to up-to-date, authoritative, timely and relevant multi-lingual information resources in all formats to a wide range of users.
Focus on Singapore, Arts and Business in terms of collections at the New National Library, supplemented by a core encyclopaedic collection.
Seek expert inputs in collection development from other institutions, organizations and individuals.
Work closely with suppliers and vendors, including non-commercial publishers.
Obtain feedback from focus groups such as the civic groups and the language advisory panels.

Services

In the area of services, the groups articulated the following possibilities:

The new National Library to support other learning institutions such as Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore and polytechnics by purchasing relevant reference books to cater to their clientele's needs.
Collaborate with other associations such as the Singapore Association for the Deaf and National Volunteer Centre to provide services.
Provide special services for specific communities such as page turning devices and voice synthesizers for the disabled.
Provide grants, materials, resources and related facilities to organizations rendering community or learning services.
Leverage customers as a resource:
- Customers as service providers eg "Young Friends Club" where -the younger generation can mentor older persons.
- Liaisons with practitioners in developing services and collections.
- Provide training in information searching skills.
NLB to act as a medium of exchange between parties, eg between the business community and the academia.
Provide specialist services with focus on specific areas such as Singapore history, the arts, etc.

Possible action areas for services include the following:

Offer distinctive services in addition to the core services of information research and reference, eg creation of a virtual library collection like the "American Memory" project by the Library of Congress, establishing the National Library as a research hub in ASEAN and an information gateway to provide connectivity to major libraries and institutions in the regions.
Formulate strategies to promote the service philosophy of the new National Library as a "Place for the People" and a "Library for All", eg:
- Offering free access to materials via an open-shelf concept for the bulk of the collections.
- Putting in place state-of-the-art technologies to provide effective and sophisticated service delivery mechanisms.
- Linking with other networks throughout the world through co-operative arrangements with other major libraries.
- Collaborating with external organizations and businesses to leverage their resources, expertise and strengths.

Programmes

Suggestions arising from the feedback gathered from the groups include:

Partnerships with other organizations (eg schools, National Archives, societies) and libraries in the development, promotion and organization of programmes.
Courses, talks and events covering a wider range of topics.

Taking into account the feedback collected, the direction of programming in the new National Library will be three-pronged:

Promotion of library collections and resources.
Community outreach to draw people to the library.
Partnerships with other organizations.

Ultimately, programmes developed will complement the research and reference focus of the National Library and reflect the broadest possible expression of our national culture.

Facilities

Access, both physical and virtual, were core issues. Suggestions included the following:

Internet access to be readily available and at affordable rates.
Ease of access within the library by the disabled with provision of disabled-friendly elevators and aisles for the physically challenged, talking lifts for the visually challenged, and flashing light alarms for the learning impaired.
Ease of access to the library with provision of shuttle services for older persons and the disabled.
Facilities to promote interaction and collaboration in conducive environments, eg discussion rooms, comfortable outdoor rooms, informal meeting spaces such as cafes, tea-houses.
Facilities for private study and contemplation, eg cybercafes, private study booths or study rooms, enclosed reading spaces under trees and near to water in landscaped terraces.
Facilities to promote the arts, eg Black Box, auditorium, and art galleries.

These have been taken into consideration in articulating the design principle to the architects.

huaiwei

September 1st, 2003, 06:11 PM

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The new National Library will house the reference and research collection with focus in areas such as business, the arts, and the national languages, special and donor collections and Singapore Heritage Library and Singapore Collection.

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The new National Library will offer a myriad of facilities:
A regional library
Conference and meeting rooms
Open plaza for performances, events, programmes
Exhibition hall/gallery
Computer training lab
Retail spaces such as café and library shop
Generous open landscape throughout the building for outdoor interaction and reading
Car park

Information Filter
The Information Filter on the ground level functions as the first point of call for the information seeker requiring help.

Café, Library Shop and Retail
The café will have an informal and lively atmosphere that promotes interaction amongst library patrons. It would play an important role in enriching the ambience of the library as a conducive place for reading, leisure, continual self-improvement, relaxation and reflection. The culture and atmosphere to be promoted should be eminently informal. Users should be able to mingle, interact with their friends and to hangout in the Café. This should be a place to be in and be seen in. The café could also become a venue for intimate programmes such as poetry recitals, book club meetings, etc.

There will be a retail component that will be linked to the core business of the library: information and research services; the promotion of reading; the expansion of the nation's learning capacity.

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The site is bordered by Victoria Street on the northwest, Middle Road on the northeast, North Bridge Road on the southeast and Bain Street on the southwest.

The site lies on the periphery of the civic and cultural district and is at the edge of the planned entertainment district. It is within walking distance from both the City Hall and Bugis Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations. It has good accessibility and is well served by buses plying the busy traffic corridors of North Bridge Road and Victoria Street.

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Area
The exact site area is 11,304 square metres while the gross floor area is about 58,783 square metres.

Number of Levels
It is a 16-storey building with an observatory pod on the rooftop. There will also be three basement levels.

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Launch of Community Projects - 11 Aug 2001
Ground Breaking Ceremony - 30 October 2001
Completion of Construction - December 2004
Opening of National Library@SINGAPORE - September 2005

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The roots of the National Library go back in time to the 1820s:

1823 Singapore's first library started as a private subscription library in the Singapore Institution founded by Sir Stamford Raffles (subsequently renamed the Raffles Institution).
1862 The Library moved to the Town Hall (now Victoria Theatre).
1874 The Government took over the Library and renamed it "Raffles Library and Museum". This was moved to a new building along Stamford Road (the present National Museum).
1955 The Library was separated from the Raffles Museum.
1958 The Library was renamed Raffles National Library.
1960 Existing Library at Stamford Road was opened and renamed "National Library".

The National Library at Stamford Road has seen a number of changes and extensions over the past 40 years.

1964 The Southeast Asian Room was opened by Mr S. Rajaratnam, Minister for Culture.
1965 A new Business, Scientific and Technical Section of the Reference Division was opened.
1971 Extension to Southeast Asian Room and 5 library stacks was completed.
1983 The National Library celebrated its Silver Jubilee. The Arts Resource Centre in the Reference Division of the Central Library at Stamford Road was opened.

In 1997, two years after the National Library Board was formed as a Statutory Board, the building was closed for upgrading. It re-opened in 1998, becoming the first public library in Singapore to have a café within its premises. Its courtyard has also become synonymous with a wide range of programmes, such as poetry recitals, book launches, cultural events and talks.

RafflesCity

September 2nd, 2003, 06:14 PM

The National Library looks awesome!
Have you taken any construction shots of it?

huaiwei

September 3rd, 2003, 01:07 PM

Not yet. In fact, all along I tot it was just a 10 storey building not worth my time to take pictures. Then strangely, the website says its 16 storeys. I will hv to go down to the site to see the info board for myself!

You have not seen the site youself?

RafflesCity

September 3rd, 2003, 02:49 PM

I have, but the last time it was just all fenced up. I'm wondering if theres any progress.

huaiwei

September 3rd, 2003, 03:20 PM

There definitely is. In fact, you can see the progress on the live webcam here! :D

http://202.172.240.235/wc-videoall.html

RafflesCity

September 4th, 2003, 07:46 PM

Cool webcam! That will come in handy when I am bored:D

btw theres a tall apartment building u/c next to Novena Square, and a couple of others near Newton too.

huaiwei

September 5th, 2003, 06:54 AM

Yeah I noe....but I cant hotlink the pictures because more and more developers are using flash instead. Grrr....:rant: :D

huaiwei

September 7th, 2003, 10:48 PM

From a post by raff in another thread about the T3 project:

A rendering and information from SOM's website

This new airline terminal completes a multi-phase masterplan that began in the 1970's. The form of this phase is intended to be compatible with the existing terminal while simultaneously yielding a unique experience.

In evaluating the design requirements for T3, it became evident that there needed to be a clearer hierarchy of spaces within the terminal. In order to achieve this goal, SOM designed a feature roof that spans the Ticketing Hall and Departure Hall. Comparatively, the surrounding landscaped roofs covering the concourses and ancillary spaces linking the existing terminals are lower and less articulated.

A system of louvers both above and below the feature roof baffles the tropical sunlight admitted through the skylights. These louvers limit the amount of direct light on the terminal floor and allow the space to be filled with diffused, ambient light. The careful positioning of louvers gives the ceiling a soft, organic character. The lightweight, perforated aluminum composite panels benefit the acoustics of the space while reflecting both natural and artificial light. The louvers are supported by a system of cables that also helps stabilize the roof trusses.

The total structure consists of 220m long by 4m deep steel truss-supported roof with cable bracing and tension-net point-fixed glass faï¿½e. The light modulation system contains 1,100 skylights and 215,000 cable-supported perforated aluminum louvers. Due to its size, scale and articulation, the roof's effect is quite atmospheric.

http://www.som.com/resources/projects/3/0/2/changiterm3arrival_cr4copy_875.jpg

huaiwei

September 11th, 2003, 07:23 AM

New Supreme Court Building

http://www.supcourt.gov.sg/english/images/newbuilding.gif

Our vision for the new Supreme Court building is to create a courthouse that will equip Singapore's legal system for the demands of the 21st century and enable the Supreme Court to take on the increasing challenges and to further enhance our quality of service to the public.

Architectural design

To achieve our vision, Lord Norman Foster, world-renowned architect, and his team of architects from Foster and Partners, have been appointed to design the new building. A distinguished and eminent Design Advisory Panel gives guidance and advice at each stage of the project. The building's architectural vocabulary and the design of its public spaces will convey an image of dignity, history, judicial symbolism, transparency, accessibility and the dispensation of justice - qualities representative of Singapore's legal system.

The new Supreme Court building is due for completion at the end of 2004. It will house courtrooms ranging in size from 120 m2 to 250 m2, together with associated offices and related spaces, such as an auditorium, a library, as well as commercial space. The design of the building will be flexible enough to allow for future advances and expansion of courtrooms, administrative or commercial usage. The building will be connected to the historical Supreme Court by an underground tunnel.

The surrounding urban fabric plays a major role in determining the form of the new Supreme Court building. The design takes its cue from the scale of the adjacent buildings in order to ensure a seamless urban integration and to promote interconnectivity with neighbouring sites such as the Parliament House, the City Hall, The Treasury and The Adelphi.

Instead of creating a single monolithic form, the new Supreme Court building has been broken down into separate blocks, in order to create public routes through the site. The blocks are separated by two light wells, and a central atrium, which contains escalators providing access to the criminal and civil courts. The atrium brings filtered daylight into all the public spaces together with voids cut into the ground floor to allow daylight to reach into the subterranean accommodation.

The four central blocks house the criminal and civil courts. Flanking these are four administrative blocks, which are stepped back at ground level to create a sheltered passage along the street front. The administrative blocks and the commercial accommodation are unified by a large roof supported on pillars that create a colonnade around three sides of the building.

The Court of Appeal will occupy the highest part of the building, and is symbolically raised above the legal and civil courts in a dramatic metal disc that responds to the dome of the existing Supreme Court building. The two-storey disc contains a public viewing platform, with dramatic views across the city and Marina Bay.

The ground floor contains a restaurant, and a library, a café and a fitness centre on the lower ground floor. The two basement levels contain car parking and plant equipment, holding cells for accused persons and an auditorium.

As the building is overlooked by tall buildings, its roof - or fifth elevation - is visually very important. The roofs of the office blocks will be planted with 3-metre-high trees with flat outstretched boughs to create a continuous blanket of greenery.

http://www.supcourt.gov.sg/english/organisation/images/newbuilding1.GIF

Information Technology within building

Within the building, state-of-the-art technology will feature strongly. There will be extensive wireless facilities throughout the courthouse with electronic presentation facilities in the courtrooms and conference rooms. A multi-media recording system will allow for the recording of court proceedings by way of a digital video recording system to produce a 3-tier audio, visual and textual record of proceedings together with infrastructure and technologies to support real time transcription of notes of evidence of court proceedings. Information kiosks will be fully interactive, with video walls and television monitors at public areas to provide easy access to information, high-speed network for broadband/video-streaming applications and extension of video-conferencing facilities to the desktop. There will be mobile commerce infrastructure to support mobile information services and mobile transactions, together with new business applications like data warehouse of case repositories with data mining capabilities and other intelligent systems.

Finally, the building will have a sophisticated environmental management system as well as state-of-the-art and user-friendly security features.

RafflesCity

September 13th, 2003, 03:35 AM

The new supreme court looks really futuristic! :eek:
Very Norman Foster indeed...and a nice contrast to the old one.:guns1:

huaiwei

September 14th, 2003, 06:12 AM

Originally posted by RafflesCity

The new supreme court looks really futuristic! :eek:
Very Norman Foster indeed...and a nice contrast to the old one.:guns1: For some reason I hate that disk. I tot I saw it on the Expo MRT station too?? ;)

renell

September 21st, 2003, 10:21 AM

79 replies. nice job, especially for a 3-man group.
so is One Raffles Quay the only scraper going up? :?

Chad

September 21st, 2003, 02:34 PM

Originally posted by renell

79 replies. nice job, especially for a 3-man group.
so is One Raffles Quay the only scraper going up? :?

YEP.....true....Like I said in another thread ..."QUALITY THAN QUANTITY".;)

huaiwei

September 23rd, 2003, 02:10 PM

Soon, we gonna see the redevelopment of the entire Kallang Sports area into a sports hub. Planning is in progress and should start building in 2005 and end in 2009. Here's the introductory news articles about it:

National Stadium to be torn down and replaced with new Sports Hub

Excerpt of speech by Acting Minister for Community Development & Sports, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, on 15 Feb 2003

"...The Sporting Singapore report recommended the re-building of our national stadium into a multi-purpose sports hub. Built in 1973, our current national stadium is 30 years old, and is inadequate for attracting and staging high-quality sports and entertainment events.

"Sports stadia of today are no longer built for sports events alone, but are designed for multi-purpose use. Increasingly, other countries are recognising the vibrancy, excitement and economic spin-offs that sports stadia and major events can bring to the urban and social environment.

"The Sports Hub that replaces the National Stadium will be a new lifestyle centre with sport as a theme. It will be a place for Singaporeans of all ages, races, and gender to come together to watch and participate in sports related activities. It will have world-class sports facilities that cater to local and international sports and entertainment events. This will be a national landmark that captures our memories and aspirations for sport.

"The building of the new Sports Hub will be a significant moment in our sports journey and the development of a local sports culture. In addition, the Sports Hub is also expected to generate economic benefits through construction activities, facilities operation, tourism and the hosting of major international events. World-class infrastructure, coupled with sound marketing strategies, will draw in more events - the success of which are key for the development of the sports industry in Singapore.

"A 6-month long Sports Hub Feasibility Study has been completed. A key recommendation of the study is that the new Sports Hub should be located at Kallang because of its central location, easy accessibility and the potential integration with the surrounding development plans. As the site of our first National Stadium since independence, Kallang also evokes many fond sporting and non-sporting memories for Singaporeans. I am glad to announce that the Government has accepted this recommendation to locate the Sports hub at Kallang.

"The study further recommended that the Sports Hub include a new world-class national stadium with a spectator capacity of between 45,000 to 55,000. The stadium should be supported with facilities such as corporate boxes, restaurants, media facilities, conference and exhibition facilities. A 6,000-seat indoor arena was also recommended.

" As a lifestyle hub for the people, the Sports Hub should have a leisure activities centre and a sports business cluster. These will consist of retail outlets, leisure facilities, sports business services and offices. The consultants estimate that the development cost of the entire Sport Hub will be approximately $650m. This is but only an estimate at this point.

"The Government will study the recommendations further to determine the exact design and capacities of the new stadium as well as the mix of facilities for the entire Sports Hub. A more detailed master-planning of the Kallang area and design of the various facilities will have to be done before we can finalise the configuration of the Sports Hub. We expect the construction of the Sports Hub to start only in 2005 and the entire project to be completed by 2009..."

huaiwei

September 23rd, 2003, 02:13 PM

Source: The Straits Times (http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/sports/story/0,4386,210929,00.html)

SEPT 23, 2003

Let's have the NDP at Marina Padang

It could happen: Plans there for a temporary stadium till Kallang's ready

By Peh Shing Huei

THE National Day Parade may be marching to the Padang in 2006 - not to the historic site in front of City Hall but to Marina Padang near Victor's Superbowl. Sources say serious discussions are on to build a semi-permanent stadium at Marina South to be used when the 30-year-old National Stadium at Kallang is torn down after the 2005 NDP. A new $650-million sports hub will rise at the Kallang site. It is expected to be completed by 2010.

Studies have shown that the other existing stadiums are not big enough for the annual parade and major sports events. The biggest two, the new Jalan Besar Stadium and refurbished Jurong Stadium, can seat only 6,000 people each. The International Rugby Board's Rugby Sevens and major soccer events can attract up to 10,000 fans. But the NDP is always packed to capacity at the 55,000-seater National Stadium. A semi-permanent holding stadium is therefore needed.

A spokesman from the Ministry of Community Development said: 'As part of the plans to build the sports hub, several venues are being studied to house events that might be displaced during the construction period.' The Marina South site, along Marina Way, looks suitable enough as it holds five football fields.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2003-09-22/stad22.jpg

The early thinking is to fence it up and use temporary open-air seats similar to that at the Manchester Commonwealth Games, which added an extra 20,000 seats. The Games main venue, now the home of Manchester City Football Club, accommodated 38,000 fans during the Games but has since been increased to 48,500 for the English Premiership.

Said private tutor Evelyn Foo, 28, who has been to the last two NDPs: 'With fewer people, there will be less applause, less cheers and I'm sure the atmosphere won't be as electrifying. 'But I still want to go, to see the difference. I'm hooked on the NDP.'

Added Ngee Ann Polytechnic student Muzammir Ahmad Kamal, 20: 'Even with the NDP at the National Stadium, many people complained that there were not enough tickets. With this reduced capacity, I'm sure we will hear more complaints. Now getting that ticket will be an even greater achievement.'

The Government announced in February that the present National Stadium will have to make way for a two-stadium complex, which will include a main 50,000-capacity stadium and a new 6,000-seat indoor arena. Repairing the National Stadium would be too expensive. It is believed that the faltering digital scoreboard alone would cost a few million to repair.

The original plan was to start the sports hub with a bang by hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games. But the idea has since been shelved. Now, one of the first beneficiaries of the new Kallang stadium looks likely to be the Singapore Amateur Athletic Association. Said SAAA director-general Eric Song: 'We plan to bid for the World Cup in 2010, so the new stadium would be just nice.'

Blabbyboy

September 24th, 2003, 03:15 AM

The New Supreme Court project is a very important one - not only because of its institutional tenant, but also because of its heritage location (next to the historic neo-classical building opposite the Padang and next to the City Hall) and picking a world-renowned architect is a good start. But I've never been a big fan of Norman Foster, even though some of his projects stand out for me and even for those I have criticisms of his lack of deference to urban context and heritage issues). But Singapore, sadly, has traditionally not let them stop it from developing new projects, so this is a worry.

And let's admit it - that render doesn't exactly grab one's imagination...it's utilitarian and not entirely inspiring IMHO, but hard to tell in a render like that, so WE SHALL SEE...

good luck!:D

Blabbyboy

September 24th, 2003, 03:33 AM

Sounds good, but is it practical? If you believe Hambali, I'd be worried about security having an embassy above a shopping centre! :D

huaiwei

September 24th, 2003, 07:16 AM

Well...building huge mansion/fortress-like embassies like what the US did here isnt exactly safe either. If you didnt already know, the JI had concrete plans to use truck bombs against the huge embassies of the US, Uk and Australia, all three of which are sited next to each other in posh posh Tanglin area, just next to swanky Orchard Road! (for the record, the new Chinese embassy was just as humoungous, outlandish and flambouyant, and just south of the three embassies. They would be hoping they didnt become an unintended victim :D)

huaiwei

September 24th, 2003, 07:45 AM

Give me a five Blabbyboy! As I said earlier, I have absolutely NO FANCY for that disk!! :D And I am actually glad I have plenty of company. When the plans came out for that building, it actually met with a public outcry, with people writing into the newspapers expressing dissapointment and asking what the heck is that "thing" supposed to be doing on such an important building! ;)

huaiwei

September 26th, 2003, 07:38 AM

Hm......this is getting a little messy by now..maybe I should try listing the stuff we have posted so far. ;) (With number of floors where applicable)

Already Completed
Maybank (32)
Republic Plaza (66)
One Fullerton (4)
Bishan Loft (35 X2)

Commercial Projects
One Raffles Quay (28, 50)
One Marina Boulevard (32)
Euro-Asia Centre (30)
3 Church Street (30)

Residential Projects
NUOVO (18 X3)
The Icon (42, 48)
The Imperial (14 X2)
The Levelz (10)
Astor (10)
Gardenvista (11)
Kerrisdale (30 X3)
Lakeholmz (18 X6)
Rosewood (19 X7)
Côte d’Azur (23 X5)

Communications & Infrastructural
Changi Airport Terminal 3

Institutional & Recreational
National Library @ Singapore (16)
New Supreme Court
Singapore Management University City Campus
Kallang Sports Hub

That's all so far. We have tonnes more to talk about, especially for the infrastructural projects! ;)

RafflesCity

September 26th, 2003, 03:29 PM

Cool list!
There are just so many projects going on..its a tough call to get pics of all of them.

Residentials are going up at a dizzying rate :dizzy:

Good luck!

huaiwei

September 26th, 2003, 03:42 PM

I added that listing to the first post of this thread, so it is now possible to keep updated through there. ;)

And you guys can feel free to add info too you noe?? It's not a one man show!! :D

RafflesCity

September 26th, 2003, 03:56 PM

Originally posted by huaiwei

I added that listing to the first post of this thread, so it is now possible to keep updated through there. ;)

And you guys can feel free to add info too you noe?? It's not a one man show!! :D

Aiyah headache lah!
Somemore I wont be around soon..so got to depend on you for fresh updates..unless the others chip in :D

heirloom

September 27th, 2003, 07:17 PM

fresh from 27th september:

one marina boulevard - looking glossier by the day
http://images.snapfish.com/33878%3B4323232%7Ffp3%3B%3Dot%3E2323%3D53%3B%3D%3A49%3D323253%3B95844%3Cnu0mrj

http://images.snapfish.com/33878%3B4323232%7Ffp3%3B%3Dot%3E2323%3D53%3B%3D%3A49%3D323253%3B958458nu0mrj

a glimpse of the one raffles quay construction site from republic plaza
http://images.snapfish.com/33878%3B4323232%7Ffp47%3Dot%3E2323%3D53%3B%3D%3A47%3D323253%3B956%3C7%3Cnu0mrj

um a little peek at the new national library
http://images.snapfish.com/33878%3B4323232%7Ffp47%3Dot%3E2323%3D53%3B%3D%3A47%3D323253%3B956%3C78nu0mrj

and uh a viaduct linking tampines avenue 10 to airport road i think
http://images.snapfish.com/33878%3B4323232%7Ffp47%3Dot%3E2323%3D53%3B%3D%3A47%3D323253%3B956%3C84nu0mrj

http://images.snapfish.com/33878%3B4323232%7Ffp47%3Dot%3E2323%3D53%3B%3D%3A47%3D323253%3B956%3C88nu0mrj

RafflesCity

September 27th, 2003, 07:25 PM

Nice pics of Bishan Point Tropical!

That first pic of 1 Marina Boulevard looks so exciting..the road leading to the modern tower..it really fills up the sky...

Cant wait to walk by it when its fully completed! :dooby:

huaiwei

September 30th, 2003, 01:39 AM

Some infrastructural projects on-going:

http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/images/h_ccl.gif

The Circle Line (CCL) which is set to fully complete in 2010, will cut travelling time and allow commuters to bypass busy interchanges like City Hall and Raffles Place. Costing $6.7 billion, the CCL will be a fully underground orbital line linking all radial lines leading to the city. The line will interchange with the North-South Line, East-West Line and North East Line.

The CCL will be 33.3 km long with about 28 stations. Starting from the Dhoby Ghaut station, it will run through some of the busiest corridors in the city and end at HarbourFront station on the North East Line. The project will be implemented in five stages and is expected to be ready by 2010. The CCL will be built in stages. Other than Stages 1, 2 and 3, the alignment of the other stages has yet to be finalised.

http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/images/sh_benefits.gif

Using the CCL, commuters will be able to bypass City Hall or Raffles Place stations. This way, they can trim travelling time and avoid transfers at the busy major interchanges. For example, a commuter going from Paya Lebar to Bishan can save 15 minutes of travel time.

http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/images/sh_challenge.gif

Due to the size of the project, there would be inconveniences over the next few years for Singaporeans - noise, dust, traffic diversions. The line runs under some of the busiest roads in Singapore. The CCL stations are located mainly under the roads so as to free up land for other uses. Hence, where stations are being built, it is necessary for us to divert traffic to enable us to carry out construction works, at the same time, enabling traffic to pass through the affected area as usual. Where possible, we will provide lane for lane replacement. We also work closely with community leaders. We regularly update the community leaders on the progress of construction and work hand-in-hand with them to resolve any problems encountered.

Traffic diversions aside, the construction of the line poses other challenges. For example, engineers face soft soil conditions at the future Millenia and Nicoll Highway stations. They also have to be very cautious when boring tunnels under the Kallang Basin. Among the challenges for the second stage of CCL is the interface of the tunnels with the proposed Kallang/Paya Lebar Expressway tunnel, the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System and PowerGrid's cable near the Upper Paya Lebar/Airport Road junction. Engineers have to ensure that the various works are well-co-ordinated.

huaiwei

September 30th, 2003, 01:43 AM

http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/images/sh_ccl1.gif

The first stage of CCL will serve passengers along the Bras Basah corridor, Marina Centre and the National Stadium area. People who live or work in this area will have improved and easy access to the MRT.

Stage 1 of the CCL involves the construction of six stations - Dhoby Ghaut station, Museum station, Convention Centre station, Millenia Station, Nicoll Highway station, Boulevard station*. (* Station names are working names only)

Stretching 5.4 km, it will run underground from Dhoby Ghaut to Marina Centre and then continue below Nicoll Highway to Stadium Boulevard. It will pass landmarks such as the Singapore Art Museum, future town campus of Singapore Management University, Suntec City, Millenia Walk, Concourse Building and the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/images/sh_fnf.gif

Project value: S$1.39 billion
Route Length: 5.4 km
Number of Stations: 6 stations
Start of Construction: March 2002
Target Completion Date: End 2006/Early 2007

http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/images/sh_majorcont.gif

C824 - Civil works contract for Nicoll Highway and Boulevard stations and tunnels: Nishimatsu Construction Co. Ltd/Lum Chang Building Contractors Pte Ltd JV

C825 - Civil works contract for Millenia, Convention Centre, Museum and Dhoby Ghaut stations and tunnels: Who Hup Pte Ltd/Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co. Ltd/NCC International AB JV

C830 - Electrical and mechanical systems: ALSTOM Transport SA, Alstom Transport (S) Pte Ltd & Singapore Technologies Electronics Ltd consortium

C831 - Environmental control and tunnel ventilation system: Sembcorp Engineers and Constructors Pte Ltd

C832 - Electrical services: Cegelec, Cegelec Pte Ltd and Cegelec Paris Joint Venture

C833 - Fire protection system: Deluge Fire Protection (SEA) Pte Ltd

huaiwei

September 30th, 2003, 01:48 AM

http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/images/sh_ccl2.gif

The construction for the second stage of CCL has begun in the first quarter of 2003. Under this stage, the line will be extended from Stadium Boulevard to Upper Paya Lebar Road/Bartley Road.

Costing approximately $1.55 billion, the second stage of CCL spans 5.6 km from the National Stadium to Upper Paya Lebar Road. It consists of five underground stations and an underground depot - Old Airport Road station, Tanjong Katong station, Paya Lebar station, MacPherson station, Upper Paya Lebar station and the Kim Chuan Depot*.
(* Station names are working names only)

It will be linked to the East West line at Paya Lebar station and will benefit residents and businesses in the MacPherson and Old Airport Road areas.

http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/images/sh_fnf.gif

Project value: S$1.55 billion
Route Length: 5.6 km
Number of Stations: 5
Start of Construction: August 2002
Target Completion Date: 2007

http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/images/sh_majorcont.gif

C821 - Civil Works Contract for Kim Chuan Depot: Hock Lian Seng Infrastructure Pte Ltd /Hock Chuan Ann Construction Pte Ltd Joint Venture

C822 - Civil works Contract for MacPherson and Upper Paya Lebar Stations including Tunnels: Econ Corporation Ltd /NCC International AB Joint Venture

C823 - Civil works contract for Old Airport Road, Tanjong Katong and Paya Lebar Stations including Tunnels: Nishimatsu Construction Co. Ltd/ Lum Chang Building Contractors Pte Ltd Joint Venture

http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/images/sh_emcont.gif

C830 - Electrical and mechanical systems: ALSTOM Transport SA, Alstom Transport (S) Pte Ltd & Singapore Technologies Electronics Ltd Consortium

http://www.lta.gov.sg/images/a1.jpg

http://www.lta.gov.sg/images/a2.jpg

huaiwei

September 30th, 2003, 01:57 AM

http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/images/sh_ccl3.gif

The alignment and location of the stations of CCL Stage 3 have been finalised. This stretch of the CCL is 5.7 km long with five stations - Bartley station, Serangoon station, Lorong Chuan station, Bishan station, and Marymount station*.
(* Station names are working names only)

CCL Stage 3 will cost about $1.2 billion to build. Construction is targeted to start sometime in the third quarter of 2003, and is expected to complete by early 2008.

http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/images/sh_fnf.gif

Project value: S$1.2 billion
Route Length: 5.7 km
Number of Stations: 5
Start of Construction: Third quarter of 2003
Target Completion Date: 2008

http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/images/sh_majorcont.gif

C851A - Construction and completion of Bartley station: Wan Soon Construction Pte Ltd

C852 - Construction and completion of Serangoon Interchange Station including the interconnecting tunnels from Serangoon Station to Lorong Chuan Station, and from Serangoon Station to Bartley Station: Woh Hup Pte Ltd, Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co., Ltd (STEC) and Alpine Mayreder bau GmbH Joint Venture

C852A - Construction and completion of Lorong Chuan station: Sato Kogyo (S) Pte Ltd

C853 - Construction and completion of Marymount station including tunnels: Taisei Corporation

C853A - Design, construction and completion of Bishan interchange station: Econ Corporation Ltd and Eng Lim Construction Co Pte Ltd Joint Venture

http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/images/sh_emcont.gif

831C - Supply and installation of Tunnel Ventilation System and Environmental Control System: Cegelec, Cegelec Pte Ltd and Cegelec Paris Joint Venture

832C - Supply and installation of Electrical Services: Cegelec and Cegelec Pte Ltd Joint Venture

http://www.lta.gov.sg/images/Circle%20Line3a.JPG

http://www.lta.gov.sg/images/Circle%20Line3b.JPG

http://www.lta.gov.sg/images/Circle%20Line3c.JPG

http://www.lta.gov.sg/images/Circle%20Line3f.JPG

http://www.lta.gov.sg/images/Circle%20Line3e.JPG

http://www.lta.gov.sg/images/Circle%20Line3d.JPG

Magician

September 30th, 2003, 02:21 PM

Wow... Buona Vista is going to be interchange... haha in future... NUS students will be having fun...

huaiwei

September 30th, 2003, 03:06 PM

Originally posted by Magician

Wow... Buona Vista is going to be interchange... haha in future... NUS students will be having fun... Wah...you even noe Buona Vista is one of the stations serving NUS? How did you noe eh? ;)

Magician

September 30th, 2003, 04:45 PM

Hehe.. for your information....

I was an undergraduate from NUS... I stayed in King Edward VII Hall... I used Buona Vista mrt station very frequently...

Currently I am still in Singapore... hehe... clear your doubts?

huaiwei

September 30th, 2003, 05:06 PM

Waha! That explains alot. :D

You are under the bond or something?

szehoong

October 1st, 2003, 10:10 AM

Originally posted by huaiwei

Thanks for reminding me. Time to hit the bed. Ops..its 5:20am already. ;)

HE is tired when he's not facing a computer or out of the house.......once he's hooked to the forum / s.com pages......he would be stuck to the computer the whole night! :D

I saw it first-hand! :laugh:

huaiwei

October 7th, 2003, 01:23 PM

Public flats as promised. Think I will just post what I once posted first before i find new ones. Lazy lah. :D

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_img_logo.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_t_img_abt1.jpghttp://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_t_img_Abt2.jpghttp://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_t_img_Abt3.jpghttp://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_t_img_Abt4.jpg

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_nav_abt_r.jpg

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_abt_1atos.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_abt_2AGS.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_abt_3AILS.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_abt_4LC.jpg

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_nav_townmap_r.jpg

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_townmap.jpg

huaiwei

October 7th, 2003, 01:23 PM

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_nav_3dmodel_r.jpg

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_3dbig_1.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_3dbig_2.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_3dbig_3.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_3dbig_4.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_3dbig_5.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_3dbig_6.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_3dbig_7.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_3dbig_8.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_3dbig_9.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_3dbig_10.jpg

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_nav_specs_r.jpg

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOPG_images/$file/0308BTOPG_specs.jpg

huaiwei

October 7th, 2003, 01:24 PM

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSk_images/$file/0308BTOSk_img_logo.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSK_images/$file/0308BTOSK_t_img_abt1.jpghttp://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSK_images/$file/0308BTOSK_t_img_abt2.jpghttp://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSK_images/$file/0308BTOSK_t_img_abt3.jpghttp://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSK_images/$file/0308BTOSK_t_img_abt4.jpg

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSk_images/$file/0308BTOSk_nav_abt_r.jpg

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSK_images/$file/0308BTOSK_abt_1BDF.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSK_images/$file/0308BTOSK_abt_2TAYD.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSK_images/$file/0308BTOSK_abt_3AHYD.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSK_images/$file/0308BTOSK_abt_4TTOML.jpg

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSK_images/$file/0308BTOSK_nav_townmap_r.jpg

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSK_images/$file/0308BTOSK_townmap.jpg

huaiwei

October 7th, 2003, 01:24 PM

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSK_images/$file/0308BTOSK_nav_3dmodel_r.jpg

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSK_images/$file/0308BTOSK_3dbig_1.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSK_images/$file/0308BTOSK_3dbig_2.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSK_images/$file/0308BTOSK_3dbig_3.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSK_images/$file/0308BTOSK_3dbig_4.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSK_images/$file/0308BTOSK_3dbig_5.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSK_images/$file/0308BTOSK_3dbig_6.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSK_images/$file/0308BTOSK_3dbig_7.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSK_images/$file/0308BTOSK_3dbig_8.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSK_images/$file/0308BTOSK_3dbig_9.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSK_images/$file/0308BTOSK_3dbig_10.jpg

huaiwei

October 7th, 2003, 01:25 PM

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_img_logo.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_t_img_Abt2.jpghttp://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_t_img_Abt1.jpghttp://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_t_img_Abt3.jpghttp://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_t_img_Abt4.jpg

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_nav_abt_r.jpg

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_abt_1PQS.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_abt_2JS.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_abt_3BTEI.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_abt_4AIEFG.jpg

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_nav_townmap_r.jpg

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_townmap.jpg

huaiwei

October 7th, 2003, 01:25 PM

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_nav_3dmodel.jpg

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_3dbig_1.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_3dbig_2.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_3dbig_3.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_3dbig_4.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_3dbig_5.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_3dbig_6.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_3dbig_7.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_3dbig_8.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_3dbig_9.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_3dbig_10.jpg
http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_3dbig_11.jpg

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_nav_specs_r.jpg

http://www7.hdb.gov.sg/hdbvsf/eampu08p.nsf/0/0308BTOSB_images/$file/0308BTOSB_specs.jpg

huaiwei

October 7th, 2003, 01:27 PM

The above three launched are for the month of September 2003.
Punggol
New BTO site, The Sundial (PGE S1 C24 & 24A)
Number of 4-Rooms: 903
Indicative Minimum Selling Price: SG$138,000
Existing contracts (PGE S1 C5A & S6 C31)
Number of 4-Rooms: 136
Indicative Minimum Selling Price: SG$137,000

Sengkang
New BTO site, The Coris (SK N2 C32)
Number of 4-Rooms: 448
Indicative Minimum Selling Price: SG$157,000
Existing contracts (Sk N2 C2, N2 C31, N4 C2 & N4 C5)
Number of 4-Rooms: 485
Indicative Minimum Selling Price: SG$115,000

Sembawang
New BTO site, Spring Lodge (SB N4 C10)
Number of 4-Rooms: 432
Indicative Minimum Selling Price: SG$126,000

October 7th, 2003, 06:27 PM

:cry:

Actually now I remember you posted this before and they are not bad at all IMO, just too many similar towers.

Are these available to foreigners and with a nice installment plan? :D

Seriously.

huaiwei

October 7th, 2003, 06:47 PM

There's no doubt they look similar. In fact, the flats of the earlier generations were like the product of cookie cutters. They are basically CARBON COPIES of the same design that number by the hundreds!! :D

At least since the late 1980s, they have begun to diversify building design. Those three projects you saw are from three different towns, each with its own team. Each of the projects are also disimilar from those around it. Of coz to the foreign eye who arent used to it, they still all look the same I suppose? ;)

As I explained in that thread, these flats are, if I were basically not offered to foreigners, although there are exceptional cases. For example, if you are married to a local, you can still apply for a flat. You can rent a unit that is being sublet by a local owner. These are the little bending of the rules, but in general, these flats are still aimed primarily for the average Singaporean family. ;)

I will show you soon some photos of my own shots of other blocks being built. I dunt have that many yet, but I will try to keep up! :D

RafflesCity

October 8th, 2003, 11:32 PM

Amazing huaiwei! The amount of housing going up all over Singapore is so rapid that I have already lost track. It always amazes me when I go to the new towns and I tend to get lost:D

October 9th, 2003, 01:06 AM

Originally posted by huaiwei
For example, if you are married to a local, you can still apply for a flat.

Okay, so to see it in a practical way, what is less expensive.. marrying a local girl or opting for a luxury apartment? :D

huaiwei

October 9th, 2003, 07:25 AM

Originally posted by Jo

Okay, so to see it in a practical way, what is less expensive.. marrying a local girl or opting for a luxury apartment? :D Hmm.....beware.....Singaporean gals do have expensive tastes. :D Jk. ;)

rEXxx

October 9th, 2003, 02:26 PM

S'pore's public housing is no doubt the best in the world!

huaiwei

October 10th, 2003, 03:01 PM

Hm...right now i am just waiting for the 40 storey blocks in Queesntown and Toa Payoh to commence building, This should happen in the next few months. They wil be the first 40 storey public housing blocks, and the tallest ones before the 50 storey duxton plains project is built. ;)

TropicalSQ744

October 13th, 2003, 08:23 AM

Originally posted by huaiwei

Hm...right now i am just waiting for the 40 storey blocks in Queesntown and Toa Payoh to commence building, This should happen in the next few months. They wil be the first 40 storey public housing blocks, and the tallest ones before the 50 storey duxton plains project is built. ;)

Are you referring to the ones that are currently U/C near to Toa Payoh MRT? My aunt is move into one of these blocks becos they are gonna tear down her old block...

huaiwei

October 13th, 2003, 03:04 PM

Originally posted by TropicalSQ744

Are you referring to the ones that are currently U/C near to Toa Payoh MRT? My aunt is move into one of these blocks becos they are gonna tear down her old block... Hm..I dunt think it is that particular precinct. There are several concurrent projects going on. I wonder if you have notice this long curved and rather short block just nect to Toa Payoh Central? That is the site for the new blocks.

huaiwei

October 14th, 2003, 01:28 PM

Rex mentioned about this thingy before, but here it is again in full detail. I wonder if there is a similar project of this scale anywhere else in the world? ;)

The Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS)

The Government of Singapore is implementing the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS) to serve the wastewater conveyance, treatment and disposal needs of Singapore through the 21st Century. This long term project, which will be implemented in phases, consists of two large, deep tunnels crisscrossing the island, two centralised water reclamation plants, deep sea outfalls and a link-sewer network.

http://e.1asphost.com/sssc/Maps/DTTS.jpg

The 2 deep tunnels with diameters of up to 6.5 metres will be built at depths ranging from 20 to 60 metres below ground. A network of smaller link-sewers will also be built to link the existing network of sewers to the tunnels.

Wastewater from the existing sewers will flow into the deep tunnels via the link sewers. The deep tunnels will convey the wastewater to two new centralised water reclamation plants to be built on reclaimed land in Changi and Tuas. The treated effluent from the new treatment plants will be discharged through deep sea outfalls into the Straits Of Singapore. With the DTSS in place, the existing water reclamation plants and pumping stations, which are located all over the island, will be phased out eventually.

The DTSS will be constructed in two phases. The first phase of the project, being implemented now, comprises of 48 kilometres of tunnels stretching from Kranji to Changi; a 800,000 cubic metres per day water reclamation plant with a 5 kilometres long sea outfall at Changi and some 60 kilometres of link-sewers. It is scheduled for completion in 2008. The second phase will consist of a deep tunnel to Tuas, a water reclamation plant there with sea outfall into the Straits of Singapore, link sewers and an extension to the Changi water reclamation plant. This phase will be implemented after the first phase when there is a requirement to handle more wastewater arising from developments.

HOW DOES THE DTSS WORK?

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/howdts1.jpg

Link sewers intercept flows from existing sewers, pumping stations, and water reclamation plants. Intercepted flows are conveyed by gravity to the deep tunnel sewers.

Deep tunnel sewers convey flows by gravity to the two centralised water reclamation plants at the two ends of Singapore.

Water reclamation plants provide a high standard of treatment prior to discharging the treated effluent via the outfalls.

Outfalls convey treated effluent for deep-sea discharge via diffusers.

huaiwei

October 14th, 2003, 01:33 PM

Link Sewers

Link sewers are the branches of the deep tunnel. They convey wastewater from the existing pumping installations and wastewater reclamation plants to the deep tunnel. They will also serve any new developments that may take place in the future.

70 km of link sewers, ranging from 0.75m to 3.0m diameter, are being constructed by trenchless method in conjunction with the North and Spur Tunnels.

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/linksewer1.JPG
Tunnel Boring Machine for Kim Chuan Link Sewer

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/linksewer2.JPG
Launching of Tunnel Boring Machine for Kim Chuan Link Sewer

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/linksewer3.JPG
Launching shaft at Geylang Road/Eunos Road

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/linksewer4.jpg
Tunnel Boring Machine for Tanah Merah Link Sewer

huaiwei

October 14th, 2003, 01:44 PM

Cross island deep tunnels

http://www.dtss.com.sg/IMAGES/DTSS%20Cover%20Page.jpg

Tunnels Contract Information

T-01 Changi Tunnel
Commencement Date: 18 January 2000
Contractor: Woh Hup-Shanghai Tunnel Engineering JV
Designer: Babtie BMT Harris & Sutherland
Scheduled Completion Date: 15 December 2003
Scope of Works: Design and Build Contract
Length of Tunnel: 5,791 m
Finished Diameter: 6.0 m
Number of Shafts: 5

T-02 Bedok Tunnel
Commencement Date: 4 January 2000
Contractor: Penta Ocean Construction Co Pte Ltd
Designer: T Y Lin South-East Asia Pte Ltd
Scheduled Completion Date: 23 February 2004
Scope of Works: Design and Build Contract
Length of Tunnel: 7,716 m
Finished Diameter: 6.0 m
Number of Shafts: 10

T-03 Paya Lebar Tunnel
Commencement Date: 12 January 2000
Contractor: Kumagai-SembCorp JV
Designer: Hyder-GeoConsult
Scheduled Completion Date: 9 December 2003
Scope of Works: Design and Build Contract
Length of Tunnel: 5,100 m
Finished Diameter: 6.0 m
Number of Shafts: 7
238 m Connector @ Drop Shaft D: 2.0 m Diameter

T-04 Ang Mo Kio Tunnel
Commencement Date: 25 February 2000
Contractor: Samsung Corporation
Designer: Meinhardt & Halcrow
Scheduled Completion Date: 18 March 2004
Scope of Works: Design and Build Contract
Length of Tunnel: 7,268 m
Finished Diameter: 4.3 m
Number of Shafts: 8
793 m Long Deep Lateral Connector: 1.8 m Diameter

T-05 Kranji Tunnel
Commencement Date: 21 December 1999
Contractor: Philipp Holzmann-SembCorp JV
Designer: ST Architects & Engineers/Babtie
Scheduled Completion Date: 15 March 2004
Scope of Works: Design and Build Contract
Length of Tunnel: 12,600 m
Finished Diameter: 3.6 m
Number of Shafts: 10

T-06 Queensway Tunnel
Commencement Date: 29 March 2000
Contractor: Ed. Zublin AG (Singapore Branch)
Designer: Meinhardt/Geoconsult
Scheduled Completion Date: 18 May 2004
Scope of Works: Design and Build Contract
Length of Tunnel: 9,600 m
Finished Diameter: 3.3 m
Number of Shafts: 8
Number of Junctions: 1

huaiwei

October 14th, 2003, 01:48 PM

THE CHANGI WATER RECLAMATION PLANT

http://www.cwrp.com.sg/ModelView_OverallSite_A3SIZE.jpg

The CWRP is the cornerstone of the first phase of the Singapore Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS) project.
Phase 1 of the facility features a state-of-the-art, compact and covered wastewater treatment facility designed
to handle 800,000 CMD expandable to an ultimate 2,400,000 CMD.

http://www.cwrp.com.sg/Process%20Overview.jpg

1 Influent Pumping Station
Wastewater from the deep tunnel flows into the plant at 60m below ground level. The influent pumping
station receives the flow, screens it for large objects and pumps in the station then raise the wastewater to
the headworks at the start of the liquids treatment process.

2 Headworks
Several preliminary treatment processes take place here to screen and settle out smaller solid materials
and separate oil and grease that would otherwise hamper treatment processes downstream.

3 Primary Sedimentation Tanks
As the wastewater slowly passes through the sedimentation tanks, heavy particles, mostly organics, settle out.
Scapers moving slowly along the floors of the tanks push these solids to hoppers. From there they are sent
for further processing.

4 Bioreactors
Wastewater, after having the heavier organic particles settled out during primary sedimentation, then flows
into the bioreactors. These bioreactors use micro-organisms to break down impurities and organic matter in
the wastewater. These micro-organisms are kept alive by air bubbled into the bioreactors.

5 Secondary Sedimentation Tanks and Outfalls
The heavy micro-organisms settle in the secondary sedimentation tanks and are returned to the bioreactors.
Some are sent for further processing. The treated effluent, from the sedimentation tanks, is then pumped
through the 5 km long outfall pipes into the Straits of Singapore where it is diluted and dispersed in the swift
currents more than 30m below the sea surface.

6 Solids Blending and Thickening
The solid materials (called sludge) removed from the primary & secondary sedimentation tanks are blended
and then thickened. They are then pumped to the anaerobic digesters for further processing.

7 Anaerobic Digesters
In the digesters, special micro-organisms decompose and stabilise the sludge, after about 20 to 30 days,
reducing them in bulk and diluting them. A by-product of the decomposition is biogas which is rich in methane

8 Sludge Dewatering
The digested sludge is then dewatered in centrifuges to remove some of the water before further processing.

9 Sludge Dryers and reuse/disposal
The dewatered sludge is sent to a series of sludge dryers. Biogas created in the digestion process runs
the dryers, making them self-sufficient in energy. The dryers further remove water from the sludge and the
result is a product that is greatly reduced in bulk and is easy to handle. The nutrient value of the sludge is
retained in the drying process. The product can be reused for plantings.

huaiwei

October 14th, 2003, 01:51 PM

Changi Outfall

Treated effluent from the Changi Water Reclamation Plant will be conveyed through the outfalls and discharged through a series of diffuser heads to facilitate dilution and dispersion of the effluent in the receiving sea water.

Under the first phase of the DTSS, the Changi Outfalls will consist of 2 pipes about 5 kilometers long each. A shorter third pipe will be laid and terminated just offshore for future extension.

The land portion of the outfall pipes will consist of 3 concrete/steel pipes of 3 metres diameter each. The approximately 300 metres long land pipes will be installed in a trench and backfilled.

The sea portion of the pipes, which is approximately 4,900 metres long, will be laid in a dredged trench, upon a rock mattress and covered with graded rock. Above that, large size rock armours will be placed to protect the pipes from anchor damage as well as securing the pipelines in position against currents, storm surges etc.

The last section of the pipes will be a diffuser zone with a series of diffusers extending from the pipes to just above the sea bed. The diffusers are protected with concrete diffuser heads to protect them from ship anchors. They are at a depth of about 30m below the sea level.

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/changi1.jpg
Typical Outfall Pipe Construction

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/changi2.jpg
Breaching the sea wall for the outfall pipe

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/changi3.jpg
Outfall Pipe Production Plant at Changi

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/changi4.jpg
View of a Suction Dredger

huaiwei

October 14th, 2003, 01:59 PM

Photo Gallery

CHANGI WATER RECLAMATION PLANT

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/AerialChangi2Jul01.jpg
Aerial View of Changi WRP Project Site (2001)

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/CWRP%20Aerial%2020Jan03.jpg
Aerial view of Changi WRP Project Site (2003)

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/IPS%20MECH1.jpg
3D-Model View of Influent Pumping Station Piping Arrangment

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/cscshaftapr02.jpg
Construction of Coarse Screen Shaft in progress (2002)

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/ips2Jun02.jpg
Construction of Influent Pumping Shaft No. 2 in progress (2002)

huaiwei

October 14th, 2003, 02:01 PM

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/panoips2oct02.jpg
Laying of reinforcement for the 8m thick base slab of the Influent Pumping Station No. 2 (2002)

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/IPScomplete.JPG
View of the completed shaft structure from the top (2003)

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/cwrpsitepanoFeb03.jpg
Changi WRP panoramic view (2003)

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/Bored%20Pile_Area%209.JPG
Bored Piling in progress (2001)

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/liquid%20module.jpg
Completed bored piles at Liquids Module (2002)

huaiwei

October 14th, 2003, 02:06 PM

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/Headworks.JPG
Construction of the headworks in progress (2003)

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/Solidspipe.jpg
Solids treatment building piping arrangement

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/Solidsbldg.JPG
Construction of the solids treatment building in progress (2003)

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/Digester.JPG
Construction of the digester in progress (2003)

huaiwei

October 14th, 2003, 02:13 PM

DEEP TUNNELS

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/Tunnel1.jpg
Contract T-03 Paya Lebar Tunnel: Fixing reinforcement for base slab at Shaft E (Junction of Braddell Road and CTE)

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/Tunnel3.jpg
Contract T-04 Ang Mo Kio Tunnel: Micro-piling drive for Odour Control Facility at Shaft F (Junction of Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 and Ang Mo Kio Ave 8)

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/Tunnel4.jpg
Contract T-05 Kranji Tunnel: Jet grouting work at Shaft U2a (Between SLE and Stephen Lee Road)

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/Tunnel5.jpg
Contract T-06 Queensway Tunnel: Exposing an existing trunk sewer at Shaft T (Junction of Queensway and Commonwealth Avenue)

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/Tunnel6.jpg
Contract T-01 Changi Tunnel: On-site storage of precast segments

http://www.pub.gov.sg/images/Tunnel2.jpg
Contract T-02 Bedok Tunnel: View of completed tunnel

TropicalSQ744

October 14th, 2003, 03:48 PM

Originally posted by huaiwei

Hm..I dunt think it is that particular precinct. There are several concurrent projects going on. I wonder if you have notice this long curved and rather short block just nect to Toa Payoh Central? That is the site for the new blocks.

Nope, didnt see anything like that... My eyes are only attracted to tall things like scrapers ;)

rj2uman

October 14th, 2003, 06:08 PM

HW interesting post about the infrastructure inprovements to SG's waste treatment facilities.

Kommentare

October 26th, 2003, 02:21 PM

Hmm.......i'm not a fan of a commie blocks,but i have to admit that some of them looks pretty nice ! :okay:

huaiwei

October 29th, 2003, 11:12 AM

http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/images/header_Road.gif

http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/images/h_kpe.gif

The 12-km Kallang/Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) will stretch from the East Coast Parkway (ECP) in the south to the Tampines Expressway (TPE) in the North East. To be built at an estimated cost of S$1.8 billion, the expressway includes about 9 km of tunnel, which will be the longest underground expressway in South East Asia. (see map)

Starting at the ECP, the Kallang section of the expressway crosses beneath the Geylang River, the National Stadium area, Nicoll Highway, Mountbatten Road, Geylang Road, Sims Avenue and the Pan Island Expressway (PIE).

The Paya Lebar section of the expressway continues below the Pelton Canal for almost 2 km. It then crosses under Paya Lebar Road, and at the same time over the new Circle Line, to reach Airport Road.

The line of the tunnels progress for almost 3.5km below Airport Road and Paya Lebar Air Base before emerging at ground level at Defu Lane 3. The expressway then continues at grade for 3 km, crossing over Tampines Road on a flyover to meet up with TPE at Lorong Halus.

KPE is to be a dual-carriageway expressway with three lanes in each direction and eight interchanges. Physical works on the KPE started in 2001 and is targeted to complete in 2007.

http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/images/pix_kpemap.jpg

http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/images/sh_benefits.gif

Together with the North East Line, the KPE will cater to the growing population in the North East corridor and provide better alternative routes between the city and the estates in the north of the island. It is expected to lighten the load on the CTE - the only expressway serving the sector now. Travel time from the North East to the city will be cut by up to 25 per cent.

http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/images/sh_challenge.gif

The tunnelling includes a section crossing below the Geylang River and about 2 km of tunnel under the Pelton Canal which will be temporarily diverted. These sections pose an extra challenge to construction because of the soft clay material through which the tunnels have to be constructed.

Major traffic diversions will be necessary where the expressway crosses beneath ECP, Nicoll Highway, Mountbatten Road, PIE, Aljunied Road and Paya Lebar Road and along Airport Road. These diversions will be in place for a long time and will provide similar road widths as the existing roads.

A tunnel of this length also requires sophisticated Electrical and Mechanical (E&M) provisions, including:-
6 major buildings, which serve the ventilation system in the tunnels
An Integrated Traffic and Plant Management System, which includes traffic control, signalling and surveillance as well as management and maintenance of the E&M plant
Fire protection
Lighting
Communicationshttp://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/images/sh_fnf.gif

Contract value: S$1.8 billion
Total Length of Expressway: 12 km
Length of tunnel: 9 km
Length at road-level/flyover: 3 km
Number of interchanges: 8
Number of entry slips: 11
Number of exit slips: 12
Target Completion date: End 2007

huaiwei

October 29th, 2003, 11:15 AM

http://www.lta.gov.sg/images/a3.jpg

huaiwei

October 29th, 2003, 11:18 AM

11 Oct 2001

Award Of First Civil Works Contract (C421) For The Kallang/Paya Lebar Expressway

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is pleased to announce the award of Contract 421 for civil works for the Kallang/Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) to SembCorp Engineers and Constructors Pte Ltd. The contract is worth approximately $ 235 million and is the first of six major civil contracts to be awarded for the KPE.

The Kallang/Paya Lebar Expressway

The 12-km long KPE is the largest road project to be carried out in Singapore thus far. It will connect the East Coast Parkway (ECP) in the south to the Tampines Expressway (TPE) in the north-east. It includes a 9-km long tunnel section which, when completed, will be the longest road tunnel in South East Asia.

Together with the North East MRT Line (NEL), the KPE will serve the transport needs of the north-east sector. Physical works on the KPE is scheduled to commence early next year and is targeted to complete in 2006.

Scope Of Contract

The contract that has been awarded is for the design, construction and completion of 1.51 km of tunnels for the KPE, from the ECP to Nicoll Highway. It includes the construction of an interchange with the ECP and a ventilation building.

The tunnel, which will be constructed using the cut-and-cover method, will cross under the ECP, Tanjong Rhu Road, Geylang River, Jalan Benaan Kapal, Stadium Walk, Stadium Crescent and Stadium Boulevard.

To facilitate the construction of the tunnel, a stretch of the ECP will be temporarily re-aligned. LTA will put in place necessary measures to ensure that disruptions to the public will be kept to a minimum. Lane-for-lane replacement will be provided, with proper signage to keep motorists and road users informed of the road re-alignment. Temporary re-alignment of other roads, such as Tanjong Rhu Road and Stadium Boulevard, has also been planned.

In addition, the Geylang River will be diverted for the construction of the tunnel. As the deep underlying soft clay poses a challenge to construction, LTA will give special attention to this diversion. It will build robust temporary retaining walls to ensure the safety of construction works. Comprehensive instrumentation and monitoring of the construction works will also be carried out.

About The Contractor

SembCorp Engineers and Constructors Pte Ltd is one of the largest local civil and building construction companies. It is currently involved in a number of major construction projects, such as the North East MRT Line, the Changi Airport MRT Extension, the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System, and the Sengkang and Punggol Light Rapid Transit Systems.

http://www.lta.gov.sg/images/contract.jpg

huaiwei

October 29th, 2003, 11:20 AM

13 Dec 2001

Award Of Second Civil Works Contract (C422) For The Kallang/Paya Lebar Expressway

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is pleased to announce the award of Contract 422 for civil works for the Kallang/Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) to the SembCorp Engineers and Constructors Pte Ltd/ Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co Ltd Joint Venture (SembCorp-Daewoo JV). The contract is worth approximately $257 million and is the second of six major civil contracts to be awarded for the KPE.

Scope Of Contract

The contract that has been awarded is for the design, construction and completion of 1.64 km of tunnels for the KPE, from Nicoll Highway to the Pan Island Expressway (PIE). It includes the construction of a ventilation building and two interchanges at PIE and Nicoll Highway.

The tunnel, which will be constructed by the cut-and-cover method, will cross under Nicoll Highway, Mountbatten Road, Geylang Road, Sims Avenue and the PIE.

To facilitate the construction of the tunnel, a stretch of the PIE will be temporarily re-aligned. LTA will put in place necessary measures to ensure that disruptions to the public will be kept to a minimum. Lane-for-lane replacement will be provided, with proper signage to keep motorists and road users informed of the road re-alignment. Temporary re-alignment of other roads, such as Nicoll Highway, Mountbatten Road, Geylang Road and Sims Avenue, has also been planned.

The tunnel will also cross under the MRT viaduct near Sims Avenue. LTA will pay special attention to safety to ensure that the construction works do not affect the safe operation of the MRT trains. Comprehensive instrumentation and close monitoring of the construction works will also be carried out.

The Kallang/Paya Lebar Expressway

The 12-km long KPE is the largest road project to be carried out in Singapore thus far. It will connect the East Coast Parkway (ECP) in the south to the Tampines Expressway (TPE) in the north-east. It includes a 9-km long tunnel section which, when completed, will be the longest road tunnel in South East Asia.

Together with the North East MRT Line (NEL), the KPE will serve the transport needs of the north-east sector. Physical works on the KPE is scheduled to commence early next year and is targeted to complete in 2006.

About The Contractor

SembCorp-Daewoo JV is a joint-venture firm between SembCorp Engineers and Constructors Pte Ltd and Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co Ltd. SembCorp Engineers and Constructors Pte Ltd is one of the largest civil and building construction companies in Singapore. It is currently involved in a number of major construction projects, such as the North East MRT Line, the Changi Airport MRT Extension, the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System, and the Sengkang and Punggol Light Rapid Transit Systems. They are also the contractors for the adjacent stretch of the KPE tunnels from ECP to Nicoll Highway. Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co Ltd is a major civil engineering construction company from Korea with experience in both bored and cut-and-cover tunnel construction.

huaiwei

October 29th, 2003, 11:26 AM

28 Jun 2002

Award Of Civil Works Contracts C423 And C424 For The Kallang/Paya Lebar Expressway

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is pleased to announce the award of two civil works contracts for the Kallang
/ Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE). Contract 423 has been awarded to Samsung Corporation (Engineering & Construction
Group) for the design, construction and completion of 2.96 km of tunnels from the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) to
Ubi Road 2. Contract 424 has been awarded to Taisei Corporation for the design, construction and
completion of 2.6 km of tunnels from Ubi Road 2 to Defu Lane 3.

Scope Of Contracts

Contract 423

Contract 423, which has been awarded to Samsung Corporation (Engineering & Construction Group), is worth
approximately $364 million and is the fourth of the six major civil contracts to be awarded for the KPE.

Other than the design, construction and completion of 2.96 km of tunnels from PIE to Ubi Road 2, it also includes
the construction of a road interchange at the Upper Paya Lebar Road/Airport Road junction and two ventilation
buildings (Please see map at Annex A).

The tunnels, which will be constructed by the cut-and-cover method, will run beneath the Pelton Canal and
Airport Road. Along the way, the tunnels will cross Aljunied Road, Merpati Road and Paya Lebar Road.

To facilitate the construction of the tunnels, the junction of Upper Paya Lebar Road/Paya Lebar Road/MacPherson
Road/Airport Road will be temporarily re-aligned. Temporary re-alignment of other roads, such as Aljunied Road,
Merpati Road and Airport Road has also been planned.

Contract 424

Contract 424, which has been awarded to Taisei Corporation, is worth approximately $251 million and is the third
of the six major civil contracts to be awarded.

Other than the design, construction and completion of 2.6 km of tunnels from Ubi Road 2 to Defu Lane 3, the
contract also includes the construction of a road interchange at the Bartley Road Extension and two ventilation
buildings (Please see map at Annex B).

The tunnels, which will also be constructed using the cut-and-cover method, will run beneath Airport Road,
Paya Lebar Air Base before surfacing at Defu Lane 3.

During the construction period, the LTA will put in place necessary measures to minimise disruptions to the public.
Lane-for-lane replacement will be provided, where possible, with proper signage to inform motorists and road
users of the road re-alignment. The LTA will also ensure that construction works are carried out safely.
Comprehensive instrumentation and close monitoring of the construction works will be carried out.

About The Contractors

Samsung Corporation

Samsung Corporation is a reputable Korean civil engineering company, currently involved in the construction
of the Hougang and Kovan MRT stations and tunnels, the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System, NTUC Centre and
Changi East Reclamation Project.

Taisei Corporation

Taisei Corporation is a reputable Japanese civil engineering company, which has undertaken major
infrastructure projects in Singapore such as the Tanjong Pagar and Raffles Place MRT stations and tunnels.
It has also completed projects like the Hotel Grand Plaza, No. 8 Orange Grove, Japanese Association and
Second Japanese School.

The Kallang / Paya Lebar Expressway

The 12-km long KPE is the largest road project to be carried out in Singapore thus far. It will connect the
East Coast Parkway (ECP) in the south to the Tampines Expressway (TPE) in the north-east. It
includes a 9-km long tunnel section, which when completed, will be the longest road tunnel in South East
Asia. The KPE is targeted to be completed in 2007.

The first two civil works contracts for the KPE, Contract 421 and 422, have been awarded to SembCorp
Engineers and Constructors Pte Ltd, and SembCorp Engineers and Constructors Pte Ltd/Daewoo Engineering
& Construction Co Ltd Joint Venture (SembCorp-Daewoo JV) in October and December 2001 respectively.

http://www.lta.gov.sg/images/KPE%201.jpg

http://www.lta.gov.sg/images/KPE%202.jpg

huaiwei

October 29th, 2003, 11:35 AM

28 August 2003

Award Of Civil Contracts
C425 And C426 For The Kallang/Paya Lebar Expressway

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is pleased to announce the award of Contracts 425 and 426 for the construction of a grade-separated interchange and at-grade expressway for the Kallang/Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE). These are the last two civil contracts to be awarded for the KPE.

Scope of the Contracts

Contract 425 has been awarded to Chan & Chan Construction Pte Ltd for $20,207,000 for the construction of a one-kilometre stretch of the KPE from Defu Lane 3 to Fish Farm Road. The works include the construction of a dual 3-lane flyover across Tampines Road and vehicular bridge over a canal, as well as the widening of part of the Tampines Road. When completed, motorists can access KPE from the grade-separated interchange at Tampines Road.

Contract 426 has been awarded to Chye Joo Construction Pte Ltd for $16,590,000 for the construction of a two-kilometre stretch of the KPE that connects Lorong Halus Interchange at TPE to the proposed interchange at Tampines Road. The works include the construction of a dual 3 to 4 lanes expressway.

About the Contractors

Chan & Chan Construction Pte Ltd

Chan & Chan Construction Pte Ltd has completed the construction of basement structure works for the North East Line and maintenance of roads and related facilities in the western sector. The contractor is currently carrying out the widening of West Coast Road and construction of interchange at Jalan Buroh and Penjuru Road.

Chye Joo Construction Pte Ltd

Chye Joo Construction Pte Ltd has completed the construction of roads and other improvement works for Jurong Town Council (JTC) and is currently carrying out maintenance of roads in the western part of Singapore.

The Kallang / Paya Lebar Expressway

The 12-km long KPE is the largest road project to be carried out in Singapore thus far. It will connect the East Coast Parkway (ECP) in the south to the Tampines Expressway (TPE) in the north-east. It includes a 9-km long tunnel section which, when completed, will be the longest road tunnel in South East Asia. The KPE is targeted to complete in 2007.

huaiwei

October 29th, 2003, 11:41 AM

OCT 29, 2003

Source: The Straits Times (http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,4386,217045,00.html?)

Giant smoke stacks to air new expressway

10-storey-high stacks will suck out fumes and shorter stacks will pump air into 9km Kallang-Paya Lebar tunnel road

By Goh Chin Lian And Alexis Hooi

SIX buildings housing giant 10-storey-high 'chimneys' will be built along the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) to suck out exhaust fumes from the thousands of vehicles that will pass through its 9km underground tunnel. Located about 1.5km apart, the smoke stacks will be built some distance away from buildings nearby so that the fumes will not pose any air pollution concerns.

These details were revealed by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) yesterday when Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong visited two worksites at Geylang River and Sims Avenue for an update on construction work.

Each building will house three to six 30m-high smoke stacks, as well as an equal number of 25m-high intake stacks that pump fresh air into the tunnels. Such huge ventilation facilities are needed to keep air flowing in the tunnel, billed the longest in South-east Asia and stretching 9km from East Coast Parkway to Defu Lane 3. In the two Central Expressway tunnels, which are 0.7km and 1.7km long, the movement of vehicles helps to push out the fumes.

Mr Chuah Han Leong, the LTA's senior project manager for the KPE, said computer simulations were conducted on the six sites, which factored in wind conditions and the heights of the buildings in the vicinity. Results showed that the fumes would be safely dispersed into the surroundings. Of the six sites, The Straits Times found that the one closest to homes was near Aljunied Road along the Pan-Island Expressway. The closest Housing Board flats were 200m away in Sims Drive.

But Mr David Liang, director of the Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering's Advanced Clean Energy Centre at Nanyang Technological University, said that residents need not worry as long as the stacks were a safe distance away and the exhaust fumes were released at a height where they mixed readily with the surrounding air. He said: 'It'll be much better than staying right next to an expressway. Most other countries won't even bother to build these.'

Sims Drive resident Tang Xiao, 26, was also not too concerned about the 'chimneys'. The Management Development Institute of Singapore student, who lives in Block 56, said: 'Facing the PIE here with all the dirt and noise is more of a problem now than the smoke stacks.' The chimneys will not be puffing till 2007, when the 12km-long KPE is scheduled to be completed.

Another issue to be tackled when the new expressway opens is whether to impose electronic road pricing. When asked about this, Mr Yeo said the principle of introducing ERP, whenever speeds on the highways fall below 45kmh, would apply to the KPE as well.

For now, the bigger problem for motorists is the inconvenience caused by the many road diversions. Traffic along Geylang Road, Mountbatten Road, Nicoll Highway and Aljunied Road will be diverted by the year end. This will be followed by road diversions along Stadium Walk and Paya Lebar Road in the first three months of next year, and more along Airport Road in stages up to 2005.

Meanwhile, construction work on the expressway is on schedule since the first contract was awarded in October 2001, the LTA said. Three sections of the tunnel, measuring about 400m in all, have been completed. By the end of next year, most of the tunnel structure between the ECP and PIE, or about half the entire tunnel, will be completed.

TropicalSQ744

November 4th, 2003, 06:00 PM

Sentosa Express Monorail

Infrastructure investment : S$140 million
Contractor : Hitachi Asia
Type of system : Straddle-type monorail on concrete beams
Driver-operated, fully computerized
Direction : Elevated 2-way track
No. of trains: : Four trains with two cars per train
Train dimensions: : 23.4m (L) x 2.75m (W) x 3.33m (H)
Train capacity: : 174 people per train
Seating/standing ratio: : 30:144
System capacity: : 3,000 people/hour/direction expandable to
4,000 people/hour/direction
Number of train stations : 4
Total route length: : 2.15km (one way)
Total track length : 4.30km
Expected waiting time: : 3 minutes
Expected journey time: : 6 minutes (one way from HarbourFront Station to Palawan Beach Station)
Average train speed: : 30 km/h
Operational date : Year 2006

Station renderings
Gateway Station (connected to HarbourFront MRT)
http://www.sentosa.com.sg/aboutus/images/artist_station_gateway.jpg

Merlion Station
http://www.sentosa.com.sg/aboutus/images/artist_station_merlion.jpg

Palawan Station
http://www.sentosa.com.sg/aboutus/images/artist_station_palawan.jpg

RafflesCity

November 5th, 2003, 02:58 AM

Those renditions of the Sentosa monorail look so leisurely! I just hope it will be more real there, and becomes a nice alternative to East Coast Park for eg.

huaiwei, I hope you have been keeping track of all those condos at Novena & Newton. Wheres the strolling thread?!:moods:

huaiwei

November 5th, 2003, 07:11 AM

Originally posted by Cliff

There's this building in Toa Payoh with that huge construction frame above it. What is it? I think you are talking about one of the HDB blocks being built there. IT is using the Obayashi Canopy system. I have a photo of it...will post later when I start swarming this thread with HDB U/Cs! :D

huaiwei

November 5th, 2003, 07:12 AM

Originally posted by RafflesCity

huaiwei, I hope you have been keeping track of all those condos at Novena & Newton. Wheres the strolling thread?!:moods: I dunt think I have walked enough of that area to post those shots. Will have to wait for now. ;)

TropicalSQ744

November 5th, 2003, 07:17 AM

Originally posted by huaiwei

I think you are talking about one of the HDB blocks being built there. IT is using the Obayashi Canopy system. I have a photo of it...will post later when I start swarming this thread with HDB U/Cs! :D

What in the world is the canopy system for? To prevent rain water from entering the building? It can only be seen on the u/c in Toa Payoh and not the u/cs in Ang Mo Kio..

huaiwei

November 5th, 2003, 07:23 AM

Originally posted by TropicalSQ744

What in the world is the canopy system for? To prevent rain water from entering the building? It can only be seen on the u/c in Toa Payoh and not the u/cs in Ang Mo Kio.. Yeah...basically it is to allow for all-weather construction. I think they are experimenting it, as only one of the blocks has it.

TropicalSQ744

November 5th, 2003, 07:53 AM

Originally posted by huaiwei

Yeah...basically it is to allow for all-weather construction. I think they are experimenting it, as only one of the blocks has it.

Ic..I wonder how are they gonna bring that thing down after the construction is finished... It looks pretty heavy to me. :)

TropicalSQ744

November 7th, 2003, 12:59 PM

Link here: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/55519/1/.html

Sentosa to have 110-metre tall viewing tower as part of $30m revamp

By Bridgette See, Channel NewsAsia

http://www.geocities.com/rr_rb_211/sentosatower.jpg.txt

Come next January, Sentosa will have the tallest public viewing tower in Singapore.

The 110-metre tall sky tower will be Sentosa's latest attraction and part of a $30 million plan to refresh the island's attractions.

Sentosa is spending S$6m on the sky tower which will have a revolving viewing deck which ascends gradually, offering visitors a panoromic 360-degree view of the resort island, the mainland and even the nearby archipelago islands.

The disc-shaped cabin, which goes up and down a column, can carry some 70 people, to a height of about 50 storeys.

The sky tower is being built on a hill near Sentosa's new arrival plaza.

Sentosa says the tower, which will be ready by the Lunar New Year, will be Singapore's tallest viewing tower - at least until the Singapore Flyer is completed.

Standing at 170 metres near the Sheares Bridge, the $200m Singapore Flyer, to be ready by end 2005, will be the world's tallest ferris wheel.

Besides the sky tower, Sentosa is spending another $24m to give three other attractions a make-over - the Images of Singapore, Fort Siloso and the Merlion.

The Surrender Chamber, which has been housed in a former military hospital now known as the Images of Singapore since 1975, will be moved to Fort Siloso, as the consultants think it makes more sense to consolidate all war-related exhibits together.

With the addition of three new interactive displays, the exhibit will also be renamed the Singapore Adventure.

The Merlion will also be turned into an interactive walk-through attraction.

But will such cosmetic changes attract the crowds?

Consultant Jack Rouse said: "Every facility all over the world has the problem of "how do you get repeat visits?" In a fixed environment like Sentosa, you really need to do it by a series of programmed events, some are school-related, tourism-related, corporate-related, and some are tied to seasons of the year. But, in order to be considered as a place to have those booked events, you really need to have a quality place to do it."

Despite these improvements, Sentosa says tickets shouldn't cost much more.

Sentosa's property director Gurjit Singh said: "In fact, with composite ticketing, you'd be paying less for more experiences. Increasing the number of attractions from 4 to 7, increment in paying for all these experiences is marginal."

huaiwei

November 7th, 2003, 05:09 PM

More details in this article:

Next on Sentosa: 110m sky tower

SENTOSA'S developers are spending $30 million to spice up three attractions on the resort-island and build a new one - a 110m-tall viewing tower which will provide stunning views of the Singapore skyline and the Southern Islands, including St John's, Sisters' and Lazarus islands. The Sky Tower, to be ready by January next year, will have a large disc-shaped viewing cabin which revolves as it ascends up a column.

The three attractions to be refurbished - Images of Singapore, depicting Singapore's history from the 14th century; Fort Siloso, a preserved coastal fort; and The Merlion - will have new sections, more high-tech special effects and interactive features. For example, the Merlion will have new exhibits of other mythical sea creatures such as mermaids and lake monsters, while Images of Singapore will have a spectacular light show.

The refurbishment comes amid strong signs of vitality for the island. Last month saw the release of the first plots of land in Sentosa Cove, a 2,600-unit waterfront housing development. Recent reports said NTUC Club will open a 250-room resort there by 2006, ahead of a six-star hotel project to be developed by Pontiac Land by 2007. With the Sars outbreak over, visitors are flocking to the island for some fun, with at least 4.3 million expected this year, up from the 4.1 million last year. The increase is also because the entrance fee was cut from $6 to $2 last year.

Sentosa Leisure Group (SLG) director for property, Mr Gurjit Singh, who took the press briefing yesterday in a brown Hawaiian shirt, said: 'Over the next few months, we're raising the fun quotient and giving people an element of surprise.' When asked whether the $2 admission fee could be scrapped in future, SLG chief executive Darrell Metzger told The Straits Times on the sidelines of the briefing: 'That could be possible.' But a lot depends on visitor traffic over the coming years and how the bottom lines of SLG and its tenants grow, he said. 'Right now, it's not practical to do away with the $2 fee because this is an expensive island to maintain.'

Sentosa's masterplan, unveiled last year, aims to have eight million visitors a year by 2012. Mr Metzger said that some $7 billion will be invested during that time - with $1 billion for the Southern Islands, which were included in the plan, $3 billion for Sentosa Cove and $3 billion for the rest of Sentosa island. Mr Singh said they were looking at charges of $8 for adults and $4 for children for the Sky Tower. Ticket charges for the revamped attractions are still being studied.

Already, some Singaporeans are excited about the changes. Bukit Timah resident Fang Tien-En, 28, a bank executive, said: 'It all sounds good. For fun, maybe I and some of my friends would even queue up the night before that tower is opened.'

ISLAND MAKEOVER

SOME things you can look forward to from the Sky Tower and the three revamped attractions.

SKY TOWER
• Ready by January next year

• Soaring 110m (about 36 storeys), visitors will have commanding views of the Singapore skyline, the Southern Islands, Indonesian islands and Malaysia

• Each ride can have 72 persons inside a large disc-shaped viewing cabin which revolves as it ascends up a column

NEW FORT SILOSO
• Ready by June next year

• A tram will shuttle guests from the foot of the hill to the fort

• Exhibits relocated, new multimedia shows introduced

• Wax figures from the Surrender Chambers inside Images of Singapore will be relocated here

THE MERLION
• Ready by June next year

• Dioramas which introduce other mythical sea creatures such as mermaids, lake monsters, sea serpents as well as movie creatures

• High-tech show telling the legend of the Merlion

IMAGES OF SINGAPORE
• To be renamed 'Singapore Adventure' when divided into three sections by June 2005

• 1st section, The Warehouse of the Four Winds, features a show telling a tale of unity among the Chinese, Indians, Malays and Eurasians

• 2nd section, The Singapore Adventure, features key personalities and events in Singapore's history

• 3rd section, Singapore Celebrates, shows tableaus depicting how Singaporeans celebrate life-long traditions from birthdays and marriages to retirement

huaiwei

November 11th, 2003, 09:03 PM

Originally posted by RafflesCity

Those renditions of the Sentosa monorail look so leisurely! I just hope it will be more real there, and becomes a nice alternative to East Coast Park for eg.Well, first of all, they have to make Sentosa free! :D

Anyway, I am still wondering why is the monorail system so short. It dosent even serve the key attracts like underware world, or the huge number of residents who are going to stay at Sentosa Cove!

TropicalSQ744

November 12th, 2003, 03:10 PM

Originally posted by huaiwei

Well, first of all, they have to make Sentosa free! :D

Anyway, I am still wondering why is the monorail system so short. It dosent even serve the key attracts like underware world, or the huge number of residents who are going to stay at Sentosa Cove!

My guess is that they have yet to finalise plans to redevelop the underwater world area and probably the redevelopment work will only begin after the Sentosa Monorail is completed.

Or it could be because they rather use buses to serve those areas becuase they don't think there will be enough ridership to support a monorail connection. :)

Either way, it's still puzzling.. :? I just hope they know what they're doing. :angel1:

RafflesCity

November 28th, 2003, 08:11 AM

It's to ease possible congestion near Mount Alvernia Hospital when Braddell-Bishan flyover opens fully

By Goh Chin Lian

FIRST, the part of Braddell Road where it meets the Central Expressway (CTE) was turned into an underpass to ease the jam there.

Farther down, where Braddell Road meets Bishan Road, work is ongoing on a flyover to bypass this bottleneck.

The CTE-bound lanes of this flyover opened last Saturday.

But when the flyover is fully open next year, Braddell Road traffic may pile up near Mount Alvernia Hospital and also near MacRitchie Reservoir.

So, another flyover linking Braddell Road to Lornie Road over these two junctions is possible, says the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

It's on the drawing board, said LTA's director of engineering, Mr Lim Bok Ngam, and the tender could be called next year.

He disclosed this to The Straits Times in the course of discussing two other road improvement projects, both completed, that some have considered questionable.

One is the 'underused' Upper Serangoon viaduct between Upper Aljunied Road and Yio Chu Kang Road, which was opened in February last year.

It carries about 1,400 vehicles an hour towards Hougang during the evening peak period. That is likely to rise when more homes are developed in the north-east region, Mr Lim said.

Why did they not wait till then? Because doing it will be technically tougher and more costly.

Instead, they chose to build it at around the same time as the North-East Line tunnel which runs directly underneath. The viaduct passes over the Braddell-Bartley underpass at Upper Serangoon Road.

Some motorists have also complained that when the underpass and a flyover linking Upper Bukit Timah Road to Clementi Road opened in March this year, traffic along Jalan Anak Bukit was still bad for months.

Mr Benny Tan, 40, said that though he does not use the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE), he still has to contend with all the traffic taking the slip road leading off Jalan Anak Bukit and linking to the PIE.

Just getting through this sometimes takes him 10 minutes, he said.

The slip road was widened only late last month.

The LTA said that traffic flow did improve after the flyover and underpass opened, just not enough.

But why couldn't LTA engineers pre-empt the problem?

They had studied computer predictions of the traffic flow after the changes, but drivers can behave unpredictably, Mr Lim said.

'It takes a few months to reach equilibrium,' he explained, as some motorists will try out the route for novelty's sake.

No matter how the LTA improves the road system, motorists will still have to put up with 'slight traffic congestion', Mr Lim said.

The LTA spends between $200 million and $300 million a year on road developments, and Mr Lim expects this level of spending to be maintained for the next five to 10 years.

'In the future, getting money to build roads will be a challenge,' he said, because road projects now bring 'incremental and not obvious' improvements compared to decades ago when the network was not as developed.

He added: 'While people aspire to own cars, the challenge is to encourage them to try not to drive during peak hours.'

huaiwei

November 28th, 2003, 01:23 PM

I read the above with much interest in the press...coz I pass by that area often, and i hate the jams. But I always wondered....how the freak do they build a bridge over a bridge?? :bash: :D

RafflesCity

November 28th, 2003, 07:02 PM

Originally posted by huaiwei

I read the above with much interest in the press...coz I pass by that area often, and i hate the jams. But I always wondered....how the freak do they build a bridge over a bridge?? :bash: :D

Oh that will be impressive..maybe you can take pics:cool:

huaiwei

November 28th, 2003, 07:31 PM

Originally posted by RafflesCity

Oh that will be impressive..maybe you can take pics:cool: All I could anticipate was the horrible jams that would occur during construction. The new bridge would have to fly over another bridge cutting cross pependicularly, and then piggy bank on another bridge/viaduct parralel to it!

huaiwei

December 3rd, 2003, 03:47 PM

Did you guys see this article in the ST recently? Apparantly the Bras Basah Area we talked about several pages earlier is really in for a big pounding. :D

Bras Basah gets a thumping

By Tan Hui Yee

PEOPLE who work in some buildings in Bras Basah have been feeling the floors move under their feet. Some tremors have been so strong that even desktop computers move. Ms Jean Yee, 30, who works at Plaza By The Park in Bras Basah Road, said: 'The tremors come in waves. It's like sitting on top of a Dunlop mattress while someone thumps it.' Such complaints have sent building managers scurrying.

NTUC Income Centre has a structural engineer monitoring the situation and will hold a meeting tomorrow with the Singapore Management University, whose campus is being built next door. The Income Centre and NTUC Trade Union House next to it are bounded by the Circle Line and the SMU sites along Bras Basah Road. Piling work in the area began this month. The buildings started getting the shakes last week.

At the Singapore Art Museum, Ms Joey Tay, 24, an assistant in the museum shop, said: 'The tremors are not really very strong but sometimes my paper item displays drop off the shelves.' NTUC Income chief executive Tan Kin Lian said the noise was 'quite disturbing' when its building shook on Monday, but there had been no 'noticeable damage or inconvenience'. He said: 'Right now, we will discuss with the contractors how the noise and vibration can be minimised. I don't think it will get more serious. We do have contingency plans, but it is too early to announce them.'

Work on the Circle Line station began in May. The SMU project began in April last year and is expected to be completed in 2005. The Building and Construction Authority said it does not limit how much construction work can go on within a built-up area, but if the work undermines the surrounding buildings, builders risk having their permits revoked. SMU said it keeps its neighbours informed of construction activities and also has 24-hour access to the site contractors and its campus development office.

The Land Transport Authority has checked out each report of tremors, made sure the building concerned was in no danger, and is working with SMU to minimise inconvenience to occupants. Civil and structural engineer Lee Bee Wah said it was not unusual for vibrations from piling work to be felt in nearby buildings, but people should look out for cracks on reinforced concrete beams. So far, managers of five buildings in the area have not noticed any. -- Additional reporting by Jessica Lim

RafflesCity

December 3rd, 2003, 04:22 PM

Oh dear..I pity the workers..it must be frightening and annoying to work in such an environment..but thats Singapore..no matter where you are, theres drilling, pounding or thumping! At night too!:cheers:

RafflesCity

December 26th, 2003, 02:24 PM

Looks like a hotel could be rising on this vacant plot of land at the junction of Bras Basah and North Bridge Rd.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/2/103vacant.jpg

Cliff

December 26th, 2003, 05:53 PM

Wait, isn't the Carlton Hotel just to the left of the picture?

huaiwei

December 26th, 2003, 06:07 PM

Yeah...but the site was on sale before, then withdrawn, and on sale again. The economy simply isnt too good.

And charlton hotel did consider buying the land for its own expansion actually. I am not too sure of the final outcome.

RafflesCity

December 27th, 2003, 01:53 PM

Ironic considering the ultra luxurious St Regis Hotel is gonna be built with a larger plot of land too;)

huaiwei

December 27th, 2003, 02:18 PM

Maybe coz this plot of land is at a less advantages site as compared to the Regis in the Orchard area?

huaiwei

January 7th, 2004, 10:09 AM

1st January updates for various projects mentioned in this thread:

One Raffles Quay

North tower site:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3130/28291-raffles-quay-1.jpg

South Tower site:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3130/28291-raffles-quay-2.jpg

huaiwei

January 7th, 2004, 10:10 AM

One Marina Boulevard / NTUC Centre

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3130/2829ntuc.jpg

huaiwei

January 7th, 2004, 10:16 AM

The Icon Loft

Foundation works in full swing:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3130/2829loft-1.jpg

Information panel:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3130/2829loft.jpg

baqthier

January 9th, 2004, 05:34 PM

1/1/04

Construction of New Supreme Court

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/504/9supr.jpg

RafflesCity

January 17th, 2004, 03:34 AM

16 Jan 2004

By Hasnita A Majid, Channel NewsAsia

Singapore's fourth NEWater plant at Ulu Pandan will be run and owned by the private sector.

Environment Minister Lim Swee Say says the government is opening up the water production market to help keep costs affordable.

He made the announcement at the groundbreaking ceremony of Singapore's first desalination plant at Tuas on Friday.

Singapore is a step closer to having desalinated seawater with the start of the construction of its first desalination plant.

The plant will provide Singapore with 30 million gallons, or 136 cubic metre, of water daily by next year, forming 10 percent of the country's drinking water.

The $200 million desalination plant is Singapore's first privately-owned facility under the Design-Build-Own-Operate contract which was won by Hyflux, a homegrown water treatment company.

And now, the private sector will also be invited to run the NEWater plant in Ulu Pandan.

Mr Lim said: "We have decided to tap on the expertise through the private sector, through open competition, what we call the Best Sourcing Strategy, meaning buying the best capabilities, the best expertise available in Singapore, in the region, all over the world,
through open tender system. The desalination plant is the first step where we implement the project through a design-build-own-operate part of the private sector and the next step is to implement the same concept to the NEWater plant as well."

Over the last two years, the viability of the NEWater plant has been established by having PUB manage the project.

The next step is to let the private sector again to design, to build, to operate, to make sure that we can get the best possible supply efficiency from the industry through open competition.

The Environment Minister said: "So this way we believe that there will always be enough water supply but yet at the same time the water supply will be as cost competitive, as affordable as possible to the members of the public and the business community."

Hyflux has already started producing desalinated water for three and a half months at its pilot plant which can produce about 10 cubic metres of desalinated water per hour.

At the facility, seawater goes through a four stage process such as filtration, and reverse osmosis to get rid of all the impurities, oil and viruses.

Olivia Lum, CEO and President, Hyflux, said: "The water has been consistent...we haven't discovered anything new as you can see from the chart it's always very consistent over the last three months. It just tastes as nice as any mineral water."

Hyflux says that it takes about one and a half hours to process sea water into drinking water.

And when the desalination plant is ready, this water will form part of Singapore's 4th national tap towards self-sufficiency.

Apart from desalinated water, Singapore's other taps, include NEWater, water bought from Malaysia, and Singapore's own reservoirs.

Desalinated water will be pumped into reservoirs before being piped to homes.

Hyflux is already in talks with other countries to export its technology in producing recycled water and desalinated sea water.

It has also expressed interest in bidding for the Ulu Pandan NEWater Plant.

Ms Lum said: "This would be another opportunity for us to take part in a DBOO project based on our track record and reference we are confident that we can do an even better job. "

Hyflux has already won tenders in managing the Bedok and Kranji NEWater plants as well as another water treatment plant.

redstone

January 19th, 2004, 09:38 AM

What's the status of the Singapore Flyer?

Is the final design out?

RafflesCity

January 19th, 2004, 09:42 AM

Originally posted by redstone

What's the status of the Singapore Flyer?

Is the final design out?

The design is supposed to be finalised already (Dec 2003) and construction is supposed to start early this year. Anyone passing by there please keep a lookout.

muchbetter

January 19th, 2004, 07:27 PM

in one word, impressed me by those in-progress construction. Cool! ¿á¼«ÁË£¡

RafflesCity

January 25th, 2004, 01:28 PM

Originally posted by huaiwei

(for the record, the new Chinese embassy was just as humoungous, outlandish and flambouyant, and just south of the three embassies.)

Do you have a picture of it? Or give a detailed description of how it looks like. I cant imagine any embassy matching the monstrosity that is the US one:D

huaiwei

January 25th, 2004, 03:31 PM

Originally posted by RafflesCity

Do you have a picture of it? Or give a detailed description of how it looks like. I cant imagine any embassy matching the monstrosity that is the US one:D I dont have it right now, but I only recall reading all about it in the press when it opened. If I recall, its not built like a greyish fort.....its much more "organic", with curvy lines and cream coloured or something...

RafflesCity

January 26th, 2004, 07:07 PM

Originally posted by huaiwei

I dont have it right now, but I only recall reading all about it in the press when it opened. If I recall, its not built like a greyish fort.....its much more "organic", with curvy lines and cream coloured or something...

So you've not actually seen it?

huaiwei

January 26th, 2004, 07:46 PM

Originally posted by RafflesCity

So you've not actually seen it? Nope! I didnt have the honour! :D

RafflesCity

February 8th, 2004, 09:56 PM

Guys, do you know what project this is? Chad says its in Singapore. Found it in the Thai forum.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=85116

http://www.dp-studio.com/visual-PORT/portfolio-ex07.jpg

huaiwei

February 8th, 2004, 10:11 PM

Yes I recognise it.....typical problem of a over-glamourised rendering which causes the real thing to look like a major dissapointment! :bash: ;)

RafflesCity

February 8th, 2004, 10:23 PM

Originally posted by huaiwei

Yes I recognise it.....typical problem of a over-glamourised rendering which causes the real thing to look like a major dissapointment! :bash: ;)

So what building is it???

http://www.dp-studio.com/visual-PORT/portfolio-ex07.jpg

huaiwei

February 8th, 2004, 10:27 PM

Stare harder at it......you cant possibly be unable to recognise it!!!

I can assure you that you will go :bash: :bash: :bash: once it dawns upon you! ;)

RafflesCity

February 8th, 2004, 10:30 PM

This is a torture!:bleep:

All I can think of is could it be a makeover for the UIC Building in Shenton Way?

huaiwei

February 8th, 2004, 10:41 PM

Originally posted by RafflesCity

All I can think of is could it be a makeover for the UIC Building in Shenton Way? It IS the UIC!! :bash: ;)

RafflesCity

February 8th, 2004, 10:44 PM

Originally posted by huaiwei

It IS the UIC!! :bash: ;)

Aha!

But is the rendition meant to show the UIC as it is now already, or is it gonna be some makeover like High Street Centre?;)

huaiwei

February 8th, 2004, 10:48 PM

Originally posted by RafflesCity

Aha!

But is the rendition meant to show the UIC as it is now already, or is it gonna be some makeover like High Street Centre?;) That was what i was wondering too. Considering the company was founded in 1996, it has to be a recent initiative. Could it be just a rendering made for the company, or a new makeover? I sure hope its the later too! ;)

RafflesCity

February 8th, 2004, 10:56 PM

Looks like a makeover (I hope)
I mean the UIC Building doesnt have that much glass and the top looks different in the rendering...maybe you can email the Thai architect?

huaiwei

February 8th, 2004, 11:09 PM

Lets compare it with the existing building:

http://extranet.emporis.com/files/transfer/6/2003/11/232058.jpg

http://extranet.emporis.com/files/transfer/6/2003/08/212144.jpg

http://extranet.emporis.com/files/transfer/6/2003/08/209260.jpg

It does look like a makeover, expecially if you study the podium block! ;)

RafflesCity

February 8th, 2004, 11:17 PM

Hmm..I think they adding more glass to the podium...

btw UIC Building looks very clean in those pics!

huaiwei

February 10th, 2004, 12:06 PM

Originally posted by RafflesCity

Hmm..I think they adding more glass to the podium...

btw UIC Building looks very clean in those pics! The rooftop actually looks different as well, did you notice? ;)

And yeah...of coz the UIC is clean...since when is a major CBD tower dirty?? :D

heirloom

February 10th, 2004, 02:04 PM

hrmrmrm.. not a very nice makeover...

huaiwei

February 10th, 2004, 02:34 PM

Originally posted by heirloom

hrmrmrm.. not a very nice makeover... So you preferred the existing version?

heirloom

February 10th, 2004, 03:00 PM

actually yes... i hate the new podium..

huaiwei

February 10th, 2004, 03:19 PM

Originally posted by heirloom

actually yes... i hate the new podium.. And you wont agree that the building itself will look fresher and lighter after the renovation works?

heirloom

February 10th, 2004, 03:48 PM

i imagine it will look cheap 80s... the podiummm ..... whereas the original building will loook original 70s... i dont mind the top but the rendering of the podiium really ... relaly... ummm :puke:

huaiwei

February 10th, 2004, 03:53 PM

But I dont remember seeing that kind of podium facade in the 1980s? Any examples you can point out?

heirloom

February 10th, 2004, 04:51 PM

ummmememerem actually i dunno :? i'm not from the 80ss.... i only gained a little consciousness in 1990 (i turned 4) well that podium reminds me of either the one of the cpf building / dbs building? which is which? i can't remember... the olive-greeney-beige colour one.. not the darker one... i hope my memory isn't failing me... but i remember of the two buildigns there's one with a nice lobby...

i dunno if its 80s but it makes me think of 80s haha

Cliff

February 10th, 2004, 05:11 PM

How did you hyperlink the photos??

btw, I like the new design, but I think it will not fit in the skyline.:)

huaiwei

February 10th, 2004, 05:21 PM

Originally posted by Cliff

How did you hyperlink the photos??

btw, I like the new design, but I think it will not fit in the skyline.:) You mean those from s.com?

And why do you feel it wont fit in?

February 10th, 2004, 11:00 PM

I also like the existing podium better, although it's hard to tell how the new one would come out after the makeover. The tower itself will look better after the changes IMO and it seems like that new crown will add some height to it :)

BTW, how sure are you that they are gonna do it? The website showing the rendering doesn't mention a word about this project as far as I could see.. it was just a pic among many their portfolio of different building visualisations :?

RafflesCity

February 11th, 2004, 02:43 AM

Originally posted by Jo
BTW, how sure are you that they are gonna do it? The website showing the rendering doesn't mention a word about this project as far as I could see.. it was just a pic among many their portfolio of different building visualisations :?

Thats the thing. No one is sure; we're just speculating.
I guess the fashion is to use more glass for visibility but I dont find the current design awful, in fact it looks really clean!

huaiwei

February 11th, 2004, 08:43 AM

Raffi.....I tot I recalled you hated this building in partricular before?!?! :D

Jo...is it possible for you to help emailing them to ask...in Thai?

redstone

February 11th, 2004, 08:45 AM

It'll be interesting if they reclad the UIC.Is it confirmed?

RafflesCity

February 11th, 2004, 08:45 AM

Originally posted by huaiwei

Raffi.....I tot I recalled you hated this building in partricular before?!?! :D

Err..got to be mistaken. In fact I am kinda fond of DBS, CPF and UIC Building. Their style is so typical of the 70s.

You confused me with Tropical, who hates the CPF with a passion!:cheers:

huaiwei

February 11th, 2004, 09:57 AM

U sure? I tot we walked down down that place with baq and I tot I heard you criticising the building? ;)

February 11th, 2004, 09:11 PM

Originally posted by huaiwei
Jo...is it possible for you to help emailing them to ask...in Thai?
I'm afraid you have to ask Chad because.. actually I can't write Thai and he has emailed them earlier ;)

Raffles, you like skyscrapers from the 70s? If so, join the club! It will have a membership count of two I think :)

RafflesCity

February 12th, 2004, 12:58 AM

Hmm..I'm not really sure if I'm an ardent 70s fan. I got to admit that I am rather sentimental about those 70s scrapers in Singapore though..more likely due to familiarity:cool:

But the 70s did throw up some groundbreaking designs in the US though;)

huaiwei

February 29th, 2004, 11:09 AM

Er....I actually passed by the embassy district a few weeks ago......quite an experience it was, but I dared not take any photos! Especialy when I saw the gukha cops at the nearby British embassy! :runaway:

eyetoeye

February 29th, 2004, 11:14 AM

Originally posted by huaiwei

Actually of the Thai embassy does that, it will be the only one along Orchard doing that. If only the Japanese embassy does the same..you will have Hello Kitty and all along the road. :D

Where's the Japanese embassy? I've had this impression that the Japanese Association and the Japanese Embassy are the same thing. Are they?

huaiwei

February 29th, 2004, 11:18 AM

From the street dorectory, it is at 16 Nassim Road...in one of those residential areas just behind the Orchard area?

eyetoeye

February 29th, 2004, 11:30 AM

Originally posted by huaiwei

From the street dorectory, it is at 16 Nassim Road...in one of those residential areas just behind the Orchard area?

Hmm.. haven't seen it.

huaiwei

February 29th, 2004, 11:33 AM

I doubt anybody would....not much reason for u to walk into that area unless u live there. :D

eyetoeye

February 29th, 2004, 11:35 AM

Originally posted by huaiwei

I doubt anybody would....not much reason for u to walk into that area unless u live there. :D

Fancy the Japanese having their embassy in such an ulu ulu place! How sad...

huaiwei

February 29th, 2004, 11:42 AM

Originally posted by EyeToEye

Fancy the Japanese having their embassy in such an ulu ulu place! How sad... Its not really ulu lah..its a expensive and posh location ppl wont normally go into! Its just beside the philippine and Turkey embassies actually.

eyetoeye

February 29th, 2004, 11:48 AM

Originally posted by huaiwei

Its not really ulu lah..its a expensive and posh location ppl wont normally go into! Its just beside the philippine and Turkey embassies actually.

Oh. I guess it's not so bad then. At least it has some neighbours to keep it company.

huaiwei

February 29th, 2004, 11:54 AM

Originally posted by EyeToEye

Oh. I guess it's not so bad then. At least it has some neighbours to keep it company. Yeah....but with all due respect, it wil more likely be large groups of maids! ;)

eyetoeye

February 29th, 2004, 12:25 PM

Originally posted by huaiwei

Yeah....but with all due respect, it wil more likely be large groups of maids! ;)

Yeah. :baaa:

huaiwei

February 29th, 2004, 12:41 PM

Have any of u actually stepped into an embassy for watever reason?

RafflesCity

March 1st, 2004, 12:27 AM

Originally posted by huaiwei

Have any of u actually stepped into an embassy for watever reason?

British embassy to get information for studies. They also run a school there for English lessons:cheers:

huaiwei

March 1st, 2004, 12:35 AM

Oh...did you have to file past those guards?

RafflesCity

March 1st, 2004, 06:54 PM

Originally posted by huaiwei

Oh...did you have to file past those guards?

That was before 9-11. I dont think security was so tight then;)

huaiwei

March 1st, 2004, 08:44 PM

Originally posted by RafflesCity

That was before 9-11. I dont think security was so tight then;) How was the security like before 9-11 then?

RafflesCity

March 2nd, 2004, 01:47 AM

There didnt seem to be any. You could just park in the carpark and enter the building. Theres even a library in there.

Of course there may be other sections in the building with tighter security although I didnt go there.

huaiwei

March 2nd, 2004, 09:01 AM

No wonder there was so much reaction when they suddenly introduced security?

RafflesCity

March 2nd, 2004, 08:01 PM

Originally posted by huaiwei

No wonder there was so much reaction when they suddenly introduced security?

Issit? Definitely..the British Embassy was a potential target for those JI people..dunno why those people still react so much:D

huaiwei

March 2nd, 2004, 08:27 PM

Sure they will...suddenly all the road blocks and stuff? :D

RafflesCity

March 2nd, 2004, 08:38 PM

Originally posted by huaiwei

Sure they will...suddenly all the road blocks and stuff? :D

Theyre missing the woods for the trees:baaa:

huaiwei

March 13th, 2004, 10:15 PM

Upgrading to be slowed down this year

HOUSING Board residents can expect upgrading to be slowed down in their estates this year, because of budget cutbacks. National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan told reporters last night that a smaller budget means that the HDB will 'slow down upgrading and change the scope'.

When Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lee Hsien Loong presented the Budget last month, he trimmed every ministry's spending by 2 per cent except for Defence.

Asked about his ministry's plans, Mr Mah said upgrading will proceed but the scope may change. HDB will focus instead on improving lifts and Interim Upgrading Programme (IUP) projects in place of the Main Upgrading Programme (MUP).

Under the IUP, improvements are carried out only in common areas, including foot paths and sheltered walkways. It is done at no cost to home owners. MUP offers the full range of improvements both inside and outside flats and owners bear part of the cost.

Upgrading costs have already been pared in recent years. Often-used facilities such as lifts, linkways and upgraded toilets are given priority, ahead of such things as amphitheatres and extensive landscaping.

Before 1999, the cost for each flat was about $42,400 for the standard package and $67,200 for the standard-plus package, which includes an extra utility room or an extended bedroom. Today, it is $29,200 and $47,200 respectively.

Residents pay between seven and 18 per cent of the cost, depending on their flat type. Despite the cuts, HDB will continue to improve its flats, said Mr Mah: 'The 2-per-cent cut is not something that we cannot live with.'

f16_freak

March 18th, 2004, 04:43 PM

hey everyone! didn't come here for a long time cos I am like stuck to skyscraperpage.com. didnt know there are so many fellow Singaporean skyscraper fans!

RafflesCity

March 18th, 2004, 04:52 PM

Welcome to SSC Singapore, f16_freak! :guns1: Hope you will enjoy it here :yes:

@huaiwei, I will be glad if theres still potential for a highrise there;)

redstone

March 18th, 2004, 04:55 PM

You're here!:D :wave:

SSP has hardly any S'poreans and few people there actually appreciate and are interested in S'pore architecture ,so I rarely go there anymore!

Do check out the Art Deco / Noveau in Singapore ,Old Beauties ,Lost Treasures and other exciting architecture threads!:D

huaiwei

March 18th, 2004, 05:44 PM

I heard this F16 has been flying around SSC but has yet to land....finally he decides to do so? :D

You are trop's friend too rite?

f16_freak

March 19th, 2004, 11:06 AM

I know Cliff and Redstone but who's 'trop'? Initially I joined ssc for the rate our talls. giving 10 for singapore buildings and 3 for things like sears!! oops! Then somehow I somehow fgot my password but remembered it yesterday.. but I think that skyscraperpage.com is more fun cos I love drawing, like Cliff, do you guys go there too?

huaiwei

March 19th, 2004, 11:55 AM

Originally posted by f16_freak

I know Cliff and Redstone but who's 'trop'? Initially I joined ssc for the rate our talls. giving 10 for singapore buildings and 3 for things like sears!! oops! Then somehow I somehow fgot my password but remembered it yesterday.. but I think that skyscraperpage.com is more fun cos I love drawing, like Cliff, do you guys go there too? Ops...wrong person then..haha

the thing is there is an entire section called "your skyscrapers and your skyscrapercity" in this forums, where cliff and eye2eye have started to conquer with their lovely creations already. Who needs SSP in the end? ;)

Cliff

March 23rd, 2004, 12:59 PM

Originally posted by f16_freak

hey everyone! didn't come here for a long time cos I am like stuck to skyscraperpage.com. didnt know there are so many fellow Singaporean skyscraper fans!

Hi!!! You will prefer this one more, I used to also be stuck with SSP, I had 2000+++ posts there, but when I "discovered" SSC, I found it to be much better!:D

Hope to see you more often!:)

huaiwei

March 23rd, 2004, 06:18 PM

And why are we better eh?? hhahha...self congratulatory I am here. :D

renell

April 3rd, 2004, 04:17 AM

hey guys im in singapore right now, though for only a day (actually less, but), theres a u/c just outside of the Raffles Place MRT station, near Republic Plaza. there's one fenced building, finished, and theres another u/c site beside it, what is that? i have pics btw.. :)

RafflesCity

April 3rd, 2004, 04:45 AM

hey watcha doing here and where u posting from?

The u/c site is 1 Raffles Quay (245m). Theres a thread for that in here.

Looking forward to see ur pics :)

renell

April 3rd, 2004, 04:47 AM

overnight stopover;)

neways thanks. there's another u/c beside Raffles Quay...btw.. whats that?

RafflesCity

April 3rd, 2004, 04:57 AM

LOL The green glass building is the new NTUC Centre and 1 Raffles Quay site is so big because it comprises 2 buildings. Theres also the underground link to the MRT station being constructed too :cool:

renell

April 3rd, 2004, 05:19 PM

ok..

btw, when i landed in changi, i saw right away construction.. changi number 3?

RafflesCity

April 3rd, 2004, 07:12 PM

It is indeed. I took pics of it when I recently arrived back.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=70216&page=3

They are also upgrading T2 so there is construction inside it as well.

heirloom

April 12th, 2004, 08:39 AM

Supreme Court and High Street Centre 11/4/04

http://img16.photobucket.com/albums/v47/sybarite/singapore/IMGP3515.jpg

huaiwei

April 12th, 2004, 10:42 AM

Supreme Court and High Street Centre 11/4/04

http://img16.photobucket.com/albums/v47/sybarite/singapore/IMGP3515.jpg
Amazing shot!! :eek:!

heirloom

April 12th, 2004, 04:22 PM

yes... thank you thank you .. i told you you'd be getting heirloom's fabulous pics :D

heirloom

April 18th, 2004, 09:25 AM

the 40 storey blocks opposite queens
http://img16.photobucket.com/albums/v47/sybarite/singapore/IMGP3915.jpg

and is the mas building going to have a new look too?

http://img16.photobucket.com/albums/v47/sybarite/singapore/IMGP3902.jpg

huaiwei

April 18th, 2004, 01:42 PM

New look? Looks like they are bandaging MAS's forehead instead...

RafflesCity

April 18th, 2004, 02:51 PM

MAS building looks fine the way it is..wonder what they are doing...

The base of HSBC is going to be refacaded.

huaiwei

April 25th, 2004, 02:19 PM

The base of HSBC is going to be refacaded.
Eh....only the base??

RafflesCity

April 25th, 2004, 10:16 PM

yup..you can see it all boarded up since February I think and there is a construction sign board outside.

huaiwei

April 25th, 2004, 10:27 PM

yup..you can see it all boarded up since February I think and there is a construction sign board outside.
You happen to have a photo of that signboard?

RafflesCity

April 25th, 2004, 10:34 PM

nope..lol..if I had I will post it asap :D

but baq took a pic of the HSBC base in his collezione thread.

huaiwei

April 25th, 2004, 10:37 PM

Haha..aiyah nvm....I should be able to grap a shot this sat...:D

babystan03

May 4th, 2004, 10:29 AM

Business Times - 04 May 2004

Report submitted to Thai PM's office; land unlikely to be sold outright

By SIOW LI SEN
AND KALPANA RASHIWALA

(SINGAPORE) A feasibility study on redevelopment possibilities for the Royal Thai Embassy site in Orchard Road has been completed and submitted to the Thai Prime Minister's office, sources have told BT.

Details of the study are not known, but the prime 190,000 sq ft freehold site could accommodate a commercial and residential project.

The Thai government is unlikely to sell the land outright because it has historical significance. King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) bought it for the country in 1893. At that time, it cost a mere $9,000.

However, the Thai government may lease part of the land - which has frontages to Orchard and Claymore roads - to a developer.

Sources won't rule out the possibility of the government embarking on a project by itself or jointly with some Thai companies. This means Singapore developers may not get a shot at redeveloping the site at all.

If a developer - from Thailand or Singapore - is involved in the project, it would likely be required to rebuild the embassy and ambassador's residence on a small portion of the site, property observers suggest. The developer would also likely source temporary accommodation for the embassy and the ambassador during rebuilding.

Market watchers don't expect things to start moving this year. 'Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra probably has more important things on his mind now, with the current problem in the south of the country,' as one property analyst put it. Property sources told BT that at least 60 per cent of the site, which is opposite the Hilton Hotel, is zoned for commercial use with a plot ratio of 4.9 - the ratio of maximum gross floor area to land area.

The plot also qualifies for a 5 per cent bonus plot ratio by virtue of its size, bringing the total commercial plot ratio to 5.145. The rest of the property at the back, facing the quieter Claymore Road, is zoned for residential use with a 2.8 plot ratio.

To make the best and highest use of the land, the front commercial portion should be redeveloped into a mall and the rear for housing, property analysts suggest.

Plans for the redevelopment of the Thai Embassy site have been discussed for more than a decade. And if they take off - along with long-standing plans to re-develop the Hilton site - that section of Orchard Road could see more buzz.

The Thai premier rekindled interest in the property last September on his return home from a visit here. He revealed that he had asked the country's Foreign Ministry to look into the possibility of redeveloping the rambling complex of elderly buildings.

Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai, who accompanied Mr Thaksin to Singapore, was quoted as saying that several Singapore business groups had expressed interest in developing the site and were expected to put proposals.

City Developments, which has a substantial presence near the Thai Embassy, including the Palais Renaissance next door, is expected to be keen on the property. CapitaLand, which is developing Thailand as a major overseas market, may also be interested, market watchers say.

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

RafflesCity

May 4th, 2004, 01:59 PM

Market watchers don't expect things to start moving this year. 'Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra probably has more important things on his mind now, with the current problem in the south of the country,' as one property analyst put it.

:bash:

huaiwei

May 4th, 2004, 04:44 PM

Haha..but if the proposals come hard and fast, Taksin cant ignore it and sit idly by can he? :D

huaiwei

May 6th, 2004, 02:42 AM

APRIL 30, 2004

Clearing of debris may start next week

But permission needed from inquiry panel; area appears to have stabilised and workers will build road for heavy vehicles to reach collapse site

CRANES could start lifting out steel bars and other loose debris from the Nicoll Highway collapse site in a week's time if the committee set up to look into the April 20 accident gives the green light.

Permission from the group is needed because pieces of the debris may be needed for its investigations.

Over the next week, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) expects to finish building a temporary road from behind Golden Mile Complex to the site of the collapse so heavy vehicles can drive right up.

Workers will spend this weekend laying concrete on an area the size of a football field that surrounds the collapsed tunnel, to form a gently sloping platform for the vehicles.

They are using a mixture of cement, sand and stones that is easier to lay than the foam concrete they have poured into the crater at the site of the accident.

The subsequent removal of loose debris, including steel beams, a crane jib, an excavator and a temporary bridge, will require careful planning, said the LTA's director of projects, Mr Rajan Krishnan.

'We have to know which ones to remove and in which order,' he told reporters during a visit to the site yesterday.

He said that LTA's 30 markers at the site to pick up signs of settlement of the area have not detected any soil movement so far, even after Wednesday night's downpour.

This indicates that efforts to stabilise the site by pouring the foam concrete into crevices and holes are working, he added.

About 100 engineers, technicians and workers have been working round the clock to stabilise the area.

When the debris has been removed, the next priority will be to restore Nicoll Highway. This is expected to take six to nine months.

Only when this is done will the MRT construction teams begin excavating the site, he said, adding that it is still early to say when this will begin. Said Mr Rajan: 'We seek the forbearance of motorists as we put the highway back as soon as possible.'

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-04-30/h2.jpg
Careful planning: 'We have to know which ones to remove and in which order.' - LTA's director of projects, Mr Rajan Krishnan, on the removal of loose debris, including steel beams, a crane jib and an excavator. -- TERENCE TAN

A TRIBUTE TO THE HEROES

FROM today to Sunday, shoppers and the public can visit the Tribute Booth set up in Parco Bugis Junction's Hylam Street to pen their thoughts, words of encouragement or appreciation to the selfless heroes. The booth will be open from noon to 8.30pm and all messages will be delivered to the Home Affairs Ministry.

huaiwei

May 6th, 2004, 03:32 AM

Honouring the faceless thousands

By Paul Jacob

LEE Chee Yong, Abdul Baten Abdul Jalil, Vadivil Nadason, Liu Rongquan, John Tan, Heng Yeow Peow, Yang Jianxin, Richard Quek, James Tan Choon Hock.*

Singaporeans, a Bangladeshi, a Malaysian, Chinese nationals.

Who are they?

Employees, fathers, husbands, brothers, uncles, colleagues.

Men who worked away from any glare of publicity in Ayer Rajah, Nicoll Highway, near Changi Airport, Jurong Island. None of whom you or I would have likely come into contact with.

It is only with their deaths that we are beginning to learn about the kind of men they were, their love of life and family.

As we commemorate May Day today, I suggest we sit up and take more notice of such men and women in our midst because we've largely been taking them for granted.

There's a part of a parking area at the News Centre where the backs of the building's cladding are exposed. Some have markings to denote size and position, presumably to guide their placement during the final phases of construction.

Also visible on some are a few idle doodles and signs. And like cave drawings, they are the only reminders I have of the fact that there were men here who helped put it all together.

When was the last time any of us can recall a construction or other worker being given pride of place - or being present - when a housing project, industrial plant or office block was launched or unveiled?

Or has anyone seen a plaque or marker saying 'Built with pride by the men of ABC Pte Ltd'? Or has a photograph of workers beside a completed project been given prominence in a foyer, lobby area or at an MRT station?

Perhaps it should. To serve as a reminder of those who worked storeys below ground or who toiled feverishly around the clock to meet the completion deadline.

If we can have grand ceremonies and VIPs' names emblazoned on marble slabs or brass plates displayed prominently at entrances, why not a roll of honour for those who worked to erect the place, or a group photograph, at the very least.

But that's thousands of workers you say. Yes, thousands indeed. But each put in more man hours, energy and effort into the project and deserve as much recognition as the guy who pulls the string to draw back a velvet curtain and reveal a plaque bearing his name.

It inculcates pride in the work done; it's a demonstration of appreciation. It will be something that workers, years later, can point to with pride and say to families: 'I helped build that. See, that's me with the construction team seven years ago.'

As we celebrate May Day, the two collapses in the space of as many weeks, and two other mishaps, on April 15 at the Inflight Catering Centre near Changi Airport and on April 23 on Jurong Island, have led us to focus attention on questions of safety.

There's also been some degree of disquiet and debate generated about the issue of project tenders and pricing, which will obviously need to be addressed.

Still, the most immediate impact from this spate of accidents has been the human dimension, which has drawn our attention to the lives of men we hardly know, some of whom work in deep, dark, dank places, who duck under steel beams and walk amid concrete and iron rods.

Honest men like crane operator Vadivil Nadason, who returned daily to his Johor Baru home no matter how late he finished at the Circle Line site to be with his wife and five children, who if he were alive, planned to travel today to visit an older sister who is sick and living in Kedah.

Men like 40-year-old foreman Heng Yeow Peow, saving from his $2,000 monthly salary to replace his motorcycle with a Nissan Sunny so the whole family could go out together, who dutifully had lunch with his ageing mother on his days off, and whose wife Sally now has to tell her children that if they want something, they can only think about it and not make demands on her 'because we need to save'.

As with the others, the just rewards for Mr Heng, the Nicoll Highway hero, will not be in naming an MRT station or renaming Nicoll Highway after him. (How many remember Sir John Nicoll, whose name it bears and what he was?)

It will be in getting all of us to recognise and value workers like him and Mr Vadivil and the others, who have helped quietly build the infrastructure and buildings and malls - anything else you can think of actually - which we use and enjoy and take for granted.

Their reward will be in us looking differently and with appreciation at the men we see travelling in the back of a pick-up truck clutching 1.5-litre bottles filled with tap water on their way to a worksite.

It will be in having us show that when MPs such as Ms Irene Ng, Mr Sin Boon Ann and Mr Ahmad Mohamed Magad launch appeals for funds to help the families they left behind, we can donate with as strong a spirit as we did when media stars walked the high-wire to raise funds for charity.

These men accomplished such feats on an almost daily basis.

And they shared the same kind of teamwork, grit and resolve that the Singapore workforce as a whole showed throughout the tough period last year.

The willingness to bite the bullet helped the Singapore economy make the turnaround. And the workforce is now, rightly, being lauded for having made difficult sacrifices.

If there's one appeal from this eventful run-up to May Day, it's to fundamentally change the way we regard those who work anonymously in our midst, whether they be Singaporean or foreign.

Because apart from sacrifices that workers have made which helped keep the Singapore economy from collapsing, some of them did so by paying with their lives. And we owe it to them and their families to show that we value what they've done.

* Mr Lee and Mr Abdul Baten died at the Fusionpolis site accident on Thursday; Mr James Tan at Jurong Island on April 23; Mr Vadivil, Mr Liu, Mr John Tan and Mr Heng at the Nicoll Highway collapse on April 20; Mr Yang and Mr Quek at the Inflight Catering Centre on April 15.

RafflesCity

May 6th, 2004, 07:15 AM

Exactly and in the first place shouldnt he have his own team working on it? Strange that he needs to decide on every minutiae. Anyway this really depends on things up there -_-

RafflesCity

May 14th, 2004, 06:03 PM

urrgh..I feel like dying

I've been trying to compile a list of u/c buildings in Singapore and the amount of private residentials is staggering! And its not easy getting the number of floors..this is so tiring :rant:

heirloom

May 14th, 2004, 06:11 PM

aww... have a KRISPY KREME...

RafflesCity

May 14th, 2004, 06:14 PM

lol..well I am having a cup of hot tea now...:) :rant:

huaiwei

May 15th, 2004, 04:08 AM

RafflesCity

May 15th, 2004, 05:46 PM

yup but not all projects can be found online and developers seem to be broken down into so many subgroups.

I think we need a more comprehensive u/c list for this thread, or make a new construction thread and this becomes general construction news.

huaiwei

May 15th, 2004, 06:18 PM

RafflesCity

May 15th, 2004, 06:44 PM

that is very depressing!

huaiwei

May 15th, 2004, 07:15 PM

that is very depressing!
Muahaha!! I think you need help. :D

RafflesCity

May 17th, 2004, 12:27 AM

Heartland makeover

Building new community areas, injecting life into old ones and easing traffic woes are some of the efforts under way at new and old towns

17 May 2004

By YVONNE KOH

ANG MO KIO resident Kua Chee Heng shakes his head each time he walks past an empty plot of land opposite Ang Mo Kio MRT station. The 68-year-old retiree has been doing so for the past two years.

He said in Mandarin: 'When they flattened the old bus interchange and supermarket there in 2002, I thought work would start on the new interchange straightaway, but it didn't.

'I joke with my wife that by the time it is up, I'll be bedridden.'

Maybe not. Work on the project is scheduled to start 'in a few months' time', according to Mr Seng Han Thong, an MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC.

'While we may have demolished the old bus interchange too soon, residents can be assured there'll be a new mall up in the first half of 2007,' said Mr Seng at the launch of an upgrading project in Ang Mo Kio town centre yesterday.

The $325 million project will include a three-storey shopping centre and a bus interchange that will be linked to the MRT station.

The original interchange served around 200,000 residents. A three-storey building with a supermarket and retail outlets and the Ang Mo Kio Town Square, that was next to it, were demolished in early 2002.

The rubble-strewn area is fenced with corrugated metal and the interchange and supermarket have been moved to a temporary location up the street on Ang Mo Kio Ave 8.

This has caused some inconvenience, said 35-year-old housewife Karen Chang: 'Few people want to walk to the new interchange so there are often large crowds at the bus-stops closest to the MRT station.

'Sometimes we wait in the rain.'

Construction of the new mall and bus interchange was put on hold after the Singapore Labour Foundation, in charge of building on the plot of land, went back to the drawing board in 2001 to revise its plans because of 'changing economic conditions'.

The original plan, first announced on Aug 29, 2001, was to put up a 31-storey condominium and a 21-storey office block and an air-conditioned bus interchange.

But plans for the condominium and office were axed and the project was scaled down to sit on a 1.93ha plot - an area the size of about two football fields - instead of the original 2.57ha. There are no plans yet for the remaining 6,400 sq m of space.

For shopkeepers like 43-year-old Tan Lai Nah, who has a clothing outlet in the town centre, a deadline in sight for the estate's renewal is welcome news.

'We just want everything to be done as soon as possible so that it'll breathe new life into the estate and attract more youngsters to shop here,' she said in Mandarin.

Meanwhile, to inject life into the 23-year-old estate, the town council will spend $7 million on landscaping, building covered walkways connecting the blocks of flats and shops, and a community plaza.

The blocks will be repainted and the pavements tiled.

The upgrading work starts this month and is slated to be completed in 2006.

Mr Seng assured residents that the project would run according to schedule as the town council 'will hold monthly meetings with the contractors to check on progress'.

RafflesCity

May 27th, 2004, 05:44 AM

PUB says new sewage system will meet 2008 deadline despite delays

27 May 2004

SINGAPORE : Deep below the surface, even deeper than the Circle Line excavation, work has been continuing unabated on Singapore's other mega-tunnelling project.

Stretching from Kranji to Changi, a 48km tunnel is set to be the main artery in the $3.4-billion first phase of the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS).

Work is continuing, however, only because none of the six contractors working on the tunnel have met their scheduled completion dates — which were due between last December and last week.

But, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) is confident that the delays have not affected its target date of 2008 for the overall system, which includes the $2-billion Changi Water Reclamation Plant.

"This is the lead tunnel and we started on it first so that if we encountered problems, we would still be on schedule … and overall, 2008, which we announced many years back, still stands," said DTSS director Chiang Kok Meng.

Almost 93 per cent of the main tunnel has been completed and five of the six contractors are now installing the corrosion protection liner for the main pipe.

By the latter part of next year, Mr Chiang expects to commission the pumping station at Changi, which would then start to receive effluents from the existing Kim Chuan and Seletar treatment plants.

He was confident that the entire Changi plant, which is 27 per cent complete, would be fully commissioned by 2008.

For now, though, it has been a challenging time for the DTSS. Excavation is still being carried out along the 12.6km Kranji section, the longest section of the tunnel.

The SembCorp-Philipp Holzmann Joint Venture, which, in 1999, was the first contractor to win a tender for the tunnel, was supposed to have completed the Kranji project more than two months ago.

Said a source close to the Kranji project: "We definitely face problems, but not beyond control … 'Mr Ground' is not helping. 'Mr Ground' is totally worse than anyone had predicted."

A contractor working on a different section of the tunnel agreed ground conditions were difficult. "It's soil and rock. We face a lot of hard rock. And the ground changes very abruptly."

Another challenge is water pressure. At depths of between 20 and 50 metres underground, the tunnel is up to more than twice as deep as MRT lines so, the pressure is greater.

Mr Chiang recounted how at Kranji the contractor encountered more than 20m of water above the tunnel: "They tried ground-freezing — to freeze the water — but it takes time and is costly. So, they decided to do dewatering (by pumping out the water to brings its level down). The pressure would be less and it would be safer to work."

He said that all six contractors have been given extensions — one by "many months" — and all for valid reasons, although he declined to specify the reasons. Today understands that some of the extensions run to next year.

"For a project of this size, it is not unusual that some contractors are behind schedule," said Mr Chiang.

It is not just the main tunnel that has been hit by slow progress. Two contracts for the smaller link sewers that join the main tunnel, whose contract periods are up, have been given extensions.

Most of the remaining contracts for the 60 kilometres of link sewers, which are 40 per cent complete, are due to be completed next year and 2006. But already, some of the troubles within the construction industry have trickled down to the DTSS.

The PUB had to replace Econ Corporation — which had contracts at the Changi plant and for two link sewers at Kim Chuan and Seletar — with another contractor. Econ Corp was almost liquidated last year and is now under judicial management.

The statutory board is also talking to Wan Soon Construction, which is facing about 30 suits pending in court and has sacked its chief executive officer, to see if they can continue with its contract at the Tanah Merah Link Sewer.

In February, a shaft being built by Wan Soon at the Newater compound had to be filled in after it became unstable. Soil movement and settlement had caused the walls to move and the shaft to sink and tilt. All workers were evacuated in time.

But the PUB is confident the delays will not affect the overall outcome. Stressed Mr Chiang: "The bottom line is that the DTSS will be ready in time. I can bet my last dollar on that."

When that happens in 2008, it will be able to treat more sewage, plus free up land used by the existing sewage system for other uses.

And environmentally, the water quality in the narrow Straits of Johor will improve as effluent will be pumped 5km out in the south of Singapore through the Changi outfall, which is 29-per-cent complete. - TODAY

huaiwei

May 28th, 2004, 12:04 AM

No room for complacency in building safety

By Christopher Tan

REMEMBER the case of Cheng Hong Mansion, a condominium project in Eunos that made the headlines when four of its blocks were declared unsafe in 1988? Some supporting pillars were found to be of only a quarter the strength required.

The blocks were eventually repaired and the development renamed Windy Heights. The episode cost the affected apartment owners tens of thousands of dollars each and not a small dose of heartache. But at least no one was injured or killed. It proved that Singapore has a system of checks and recourse that prevails - even long after a defective building has been erected.

But isn't prevention better, not to mention less costly, than cure?

The Government's renewed commitment to safety at worksites is admirable and obviously couldn't have come sooner. However, as we go about trying to minimise construction accidents hereon, it may be a good idea to extend the reawakened safety mindset to areas other than worksites.

Public safety cannot be taken lightly, especially in a built-up country like ours. It is heartening to note that the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) shares this concern, and demonstrated it recently by getting oil companies to beef up security measures at petrol pump stations in congested areas.

One somewhat worrying incident that went almost unnoticed this week was a fire that broke out in an MRT tunnel near the Newton station. The fire on Monday disrupted north-bound train services for about half an hour in the evening rush-hour.

The rubber padding supporting the base plate at the railway tracks had somehow ignited.

The fact that the incident followed two major construction mishaps in Singapore made it more unsettling an incident than the brief news reports conveyed. In fact, the news was not even carried in some newspapers.

SMRT Corp, the operator of the line, did not think it warranted any further public attention. A spokesman, when asked why the fire started, and whether it was the first blaze in the system, replied that it was only a minor incident and 'we don't want something that is really nothing to be publicised'.

The SCDF, when asked about the fire yesterday morning, could not get back to The Straits Times (ST) by the time this article went to print.

A check through ST archives indicates that it was the only MRT fire since 1990. However, there were three fires near MRT tracks in the period - all in the industrial estate in Sungei Kadut, in 1996, 2000 and 2002. All three blazes were near a track, and two of them actually disrupted train services.

Should Monday's fire be viewed as an isolated mishap of extremely low probability and left at that?

Perhaps.

But as the network is now getting on in years, there might well be a need to be more vigilant. Whatever it is, it should not be treated with nonchalance.

The same could be said of infrastructural blemishes that persist. The seemingly unstoppable water leakages in the Central Expressway tunnels come to mind as one. Nine months after the Government tried for the fourth time in 12 years to lick the leak - spending millions in the process - water still seeps through. The freshly resurfaced walls of the tunnels are beginning to show blotches again, despite the several rubber tubings affixed to drain water away.

We've been assured repeatedly that the leaks do not compromise the tunnels' structural integrity. The same is said about buildings near the Nicoll Highway cave-in site. Nonetheless, some tenants are taking the opportunity to move out. Slanting walkways and floor cracks big enough to see through tend to shake confidence. But ask those who are moving out why they are choosing to do so now and the reply is likely to be diplomatic still - nothing to do with the cracks.

The MRT fire on Monday may well be nothing. The leaky tunnels may merely be unsightly. The buildings with cracks and sloping floors may well be safe for years to come. And, as a country, our construction safety record is still quite good.

But there is no harm revisiting the premise that if something ain't broke, don't fix it. In the area of public safety, locking the barn door after the horse has bolted is not a good idea.

babystan03

May 31st, 2004, 07:37 AM

MAY 31, 2004

Old walls to make way for new at Nicoll Highway site

By Christopher Tan

WITH most of the mangled steel beams removed, the exposed remnants of the retaining walls at the Nicoll Highway MRT site that caved in stand like monoliths, sad reminders of an accident which killed four people.

The blocks are propped up by nearly 4,000 cubic metres of foam concrete that was poured into the remnants of the tunnel to stabilise the ground.

The sections of wall, which each weigh about 3,000 tonnes, will be broken down and disposed of in about six weeks. Before then, 60 pieces of them will be collected for the Committee of Inquiry tasked with finding out what caused the collapse on April 20, said a spokesman for Nishimatsu Construction, the main contractor of the site.

The samples will be trucked to an empty tract of land in Fort Road on the East Coast, where 250,000 tonnes of twisted steel beams transported earlier now sit.

Looking at the collapsed tunnel on Thursday, Nishimatsu's senior general manager, Mr Shun Sugawara, sighed: 'This is now the most difficult construction site in the world because of the collapse.'

He should know. He has been with Japan's top contractor for underground work for 30 years, following the company here when it teamed up with home-grown builder Lum Chang 20 years ago.

'We've built walls that go 150m down - four times the depth of this Singapore site - in Tokyo with less headache,' said Mr Sugawara, who has worked in Hong Kong and Malaysia. Some of the company's challenging international contracts include Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok airport and Lamma Power Station, as well as the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Between 1965 and last year, it completed major projects from Bangladesh to Zimbabwe worth a total of $11.5 billion.

When all the exposed debris has been cleared, said Mr Sugawara, the company is likely to fill the sunken site till it returns to the original ground level.

Now, it is about 5m lower.

'We will then construct new diaphragm walls, and start excavating again.' The old walls were 0.8m thick, as broad as a doorway. The new ones may be thicker, although no decision has been made on this yet.

It will take 'four to five months' to build them, and over a year to reconstruct the entire 120m-long tunnel, which was near completion when it collapsed. Nicoll Highway itself will remain closed to traffic for about nine months.

The new walls will be set farther apart than before - since the original paths are now blocked by the old walls - and are likely to go down to the same depth of about 40m, where they can sit on a layer of hard rock.

'We'll have to dig slowly and carefully,' said Mr Sugawara, explaining that it was because the site is now filled with buried steel struts, foam concrete and covered sections of the collapsed walls. There will also be hacking.

Reconstructing the section of the MRT line, which connects the Kallang River tunnel and Nicoll Highway station, is also expected to cost significantly more than the original bill of about $15 million.

Meanwhile, Nishimatsu has submitted the names of three experts from Geotechnical Consulting Group, from Britain, to the Committee of Inquiry to give evidence of their findings. They are Mr David Hight, Mr Andy Pickles and Mr Tom Henderson, who have already inspected the site.

Nishimatsu general manager (commercial) Philip Khoo would not say what the three have found, but said they will join experts appointed by other involved parties, such as the sub-contractors and insurers.

Asked how his company is able to offer highly competitive bids for contracts, he gave the assurance that these are not a result of compromising on the safety aspect of the work.

A company's bidding competitiveness depends much on the scale of its existing jobs, he explained. Some equipment and materials - such as steel struts - can be reused. That alone would save 'tens of millions'.

That would explain why bids can be so far apart.

'We don't cut corners,' he said, pointing out that it had pumped in $2 million more than what was budgeted for the Nicoll Highway tunnel, when the site proved more challenging than expected.

Company records showed that Lum Chang has had 2.2 fatalities for every $1 billion worth of construction work done since 1973, while the Nishimatsu-Lum Chang joint venture has had 2.8 since 1984. The national average since 1997 is 3.0.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

June 2nd, 2004, 05:54 AM

JUNE 2, 2004

-Construction company with lowest bid faces money woes

-Works delayed for 9 months and there's no new deadline yet

By Christopher Tan

MOTORISTS and commuters who have been waiting five years for an alternative to the congested Pasir Panjang Road will have to wait longer.

A 5km flyover linking Telok Blangah Road to the West Coast Highway, Singapore's longest, was supposed to have been opened to traffic by the third quarter of last year.

Work started on the first phase in 1998 and was completed in 2002.

But the second phase, undertaken by L&M Prestressing, hit the skids when the Indonesian-owned construction company ran into financial problems soon after starting work on it in 2000.

Delayed now for more than nine months, there is no new deadline yet for the opening of the elevated highway.

The extent of L&M's financial troubles came to light a year ago when its auditors declared that it had exhausted its capital and its existence as a going concern was in peril.

'We are still reviewing the construction programme, including the target completion date, with the contractor,' a Land Transport Authority (LTA) spokesman said yesterday.

She explained that 'construction activities slowed down earlier due to L&M Prestressing's financial situation'.

The LTA would not comment on speculation that it might call for a re-tender of the uncompleted project.

Another option would be a 'novation', where the existing contractor hands the job over to another for some form of payment.

For instance, early last year, Chew Eu Hock Holdings allotted some of its shares to Lian Beng Construction as part payment for it to take over the building of the Queensway/Commonwealth underpass.

That $32.5 million project was originally supposed to have been completed by March this year.

However, there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel.

Parent company L&M Group Investments - whose shares on the Singapore Exchange have been suspended from trading since May 20 - told The Straits Times that details of its latest debt restructuring would be announced within a day or two.

Director Yeo Boon Siah said: 'In the last two years, we've settled with all our major creditors.

'The company is fairly clean now.'

It is understood that the company, whose two major stakeholders are United Overseas Bank and Mr Edwin Soeryadjaya, has received an injection of fresh capital.

The latter, appointed in April as L&M chief executive, is from the family that once owned Astra International - one of Indonesia's top five companies.

Besides the Pasir Panjang viaduct, L&M is in the early stages of building another viaduct - a $72 million project linking Bartley Road to Airport Road.

'We look forward to completing them,' said Mr Yeo.

Meanwhile, trade observers noted that L&M's woes reflect those of a battered industry. The worth of projects plunged from a peak of $24 billion in 1997 to $10 billion last year.

So, bids for new jobs can be aggressive.

'All you need is one hungry bidder and the rest will have to follow,' an industry source said.

So did L&M bid too low for the Pasir Panjang viaduct contract?

The company would not say, but admitted that both viaduct projects were 'unprofitable'.

According to records, the Pasir Panjang viaduct costs $142 million, and L&M's portion was secured for $58 million. The next closest bid was $62.5 million, from Chew Eu Hock - another cash-strapped company that has since been renamed Hiap Hoe after a takeover.

Added the industry source: 'At the end of the day, this is a cash-flow business. You can't judge a construction company on its net worth.'

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

June 5th, 2004, 03:19 AM

JUNE 5, 2004

I REFER to the report, 'Expert concerned about 100% home ownership' (ST, May 28), on veteran housing analyst Chua Beng Huat's speech at a recent forum. Prof Chua claimed that the Government's '100 per cent home ownership policy' distorted housing consumption, demand and prices, and suggested that HDB discard the policy and expand rental housing, stop building new flats and shed its monopoly on providing public housing.

Home ownership has been the foundation of our public housing programme, as it gives Singaporeans a tangible stake in Singapore. It promotes greater rootedness to the country, social cohesion and opportunities to share in Singapore's future success.

Today, 85 per cent of Singaporeans live in HDB flats and about 95 per cent of these households own the flat they live in. It is an achievement to be proud of.

To support home ownership, HDB prices its flats for sale so that 90 per cent of Singaporeans can afford at least a three-room flat. At the same time, it recognises that there will always be some lower-income households which may have difficulty buying and sustaining home ownership and may be better off renting a flat.

LOTS OF RENTAL FLATS

FOR them, HDB offers rental flats at heavily subsidised rates. In fact, the household income ceiling for HDB's rental housing was just raised last year, from $800 to $1,500. In addition, with the relaxation of HDB's rules on sub-letting the whole flat last year, there is now a larger supply of flats available for rent in the open market.

Far from encouraging excessive housing consumption and upgrading to achieve and maintain universal home ownership as Prof Chua asserted, HDB has measures to discourage over-consumption of housing and housing subsidies.

Each family is limited to two housing subsidies, and second-timers have to pay a resale levy on the sale of their first subsidised flat before buying a second subsidised one from HDB.

As a result, a large majority of owners of bigger flats have chosen not to buy the next new flat as there is no need to do so. Credit assessment also ensures that buyers exercise financial prudence when purchasing flats.

It is also not true that new markets had to be created for older and smaller flats to facilitate the upgrading trend. The eligibility conditions for the purchase of HDB resale flats were relaxed over the years to meet the housing needs of other groups of home buyers, such as the growing number of single citizens and permanent residents.

CHANGING NEEDS

THE majority of Singaporeans today may already be home owners, but there is still a need to meet the housing needs of the new households formed each year, some of whom will need to purchase new flats from HDB.

Housing demand is very dynamic and is affected by factors such as market sentiment, the economic outlook and employment prospects. It can change very quickly due to unforeseen circumstances.

The existing stock of unsold HDB flats arose due to the economic slowdown in recent years, which affected both the public and private property markets.

Consequently, HDB scaled back its building programme drastically - from awarding more than 20,000 dwelling units at the peak to only about 2,300 last year - and has offered only limited numbers of smaller flats in recent years.

To ensure that supply matches demand, HDB also revised its allocation system to build-to-order (BTO), under which it will proceed to build new contracts only when a large majority of the flats are booked.

Prof Chua questioned the decision to build new three-room flats. We would like to explain that this move is to address the increasing demand for such flats. Since HDB stopped building three-room flats in 1985, their proportion of the total housing stock has fallen from 52 per cent to only 27 per cent today.

Yet, there is likely to be sustained demand for three-room flats due to Singapore's changing demographics and ageing population. Hence, it is timely to restart the building of such flats. This will be done gradually under the BTO system to avoid over-building, and should not adversely affect the prices of larger flat types.

NO MORE MONOPOLY

FINALLY, we wish to point out that the Government has already announced its intention to gradually open up HDB's building programme to the private sector from 2006 onwards. It is not HDB's intention to continue as the monopoly provider of new public housing.

Our home ownership policy of ensuring that Singaporeans have access to good affordable housing is crucial in maintaining Singapore's social stability, cohesiveness and sense of rootedness. We will continue to regularly review our policies and building programmes to ensure that they remain relevant to the needs of Singaporeans.

We hope this letter would provide some clarifications on Prof Chua's views, as they did not appear to have taken into account some of the recent changes in public housing.

TAY BOON SUN
for Director, Corporate Development
Housing and Development Board

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

huaiwei

June 7th, 2004, 12:01 AM

Check the foundation

EVERY contractor worth his salt here is fighting the urge to quit the construction industry, with even big names like Wee Poh Construction, Synergy Construction and Sum Keong either struggling to remain standing or biting the dust. Many of the woes they are buckling under today stem from too little work going around and too-tight project budgets to work with. Preliminary figures show the industry to have contracted to $10 billion worth of work last year, the lowest in a decade, from a peak of $24 billion in 1997. The Government has responded robustly to its plight by, among other things, pushing forward public contracts worth a total of $600 million, as well as setting up a joint committee to review thoroughly the beleaguered public project tender system and worksite safety laws here. It can't be very comforting that these latest efforts come on the heels of the industry's worst case scenarios playing themselves out late last month, namely the cave-ins at Nicoll Highway and Ayer Rajah Avenue.

The industry is one which lives or dies by cash flow, so there never is an issue of people willing to take on work. The real nut to crack is whether a particular contractor is up to the task of doing the project in the first place. Here is where the problem begins. One of Singapore's worst-kept secrets is that the prevailing mindset among project owners and contractors alike is 'cheap and good', with the emphasis almost always on cheap. But something is very wrong when contractors are doing things like increasing the ratio of water to cement - thus weakening the structure of the building - just to save costs. So, while the tendering system itself can play out smoothly in practice if run skilfully and vigilantly - which, in itself, is a tall order - there is a great need for keener and clearer ways to choose the best contractor for the job, based, perhaps, on what the latter has proven itself best at building. There could also be more balanced and careful auditing of the quality of workmanship, while keeping in mind the obvious, but often overlooked, fact that a contractor who is paid his dues on time is usually one who is more likely to go the extra mile in a crunch, as well as less likely to cut corners to ease constrictions on his cash flow.

In this, there is a case for requiring contractors, who are largely grab-all generalists, to specialise in works they do best. This would have the twin advantages of sending contractors back to school to sharpen their skills, while filtering out the industry's many jacks-of-all-trades who just want to make a quick buck. This would also bolster professionalism in the industry as, compared to their peers in Australia, Britain and Japan, builders here see themselves as labourers, not craftsmen. That is why, by and large, their zeal to bring home as much bacon as possible supersedes their pride in doing a job well and doing so safely. Industry watchers lament how such a small pond mindset has held them back from making their mark internationally; already, for example, Singapore has lost out to Malaysia in snagging billion-dollar roadworks projects which span the length and breadth of India. With such wide-ranging concerns confronting the industry, it may be wisest to take a holistic approach in overhauling it. The crux of its crisis is lack of trust and erratic quality control, so tackling its problems piecemeal only cures the symptoms, not the malaise. It is time for a comprehensive and concerted crack at the problem.

babystan03

June 8th, 2004, 08:31 AM

Business Times - 08 Jun 2004

Developer understood to have paid about $11m for 55,000 sq ft site

By ANDREA TAN

(SINGAPORE) Developer and property investor Simon Cheong, who is known for his high-end homes, is looking east. Mr Cheong has bought Chans' Ville in Katong, which belonged to the late Dr Chan Ah Kow, patriarch of one of Singapore's leading sports families.

Mr Cheong is understood to have paid about $11 million, or around $200 per square foot, for the freehold 55,000 sq ft site which houses a sprawling white conservation bungalow where Singapore's former swimming champions Alex, Roy, Vicky, Patricia and Mark grew up.

Through listed SC Global Developments, Mr Cheong has built upmarket residences like 33 Robin, Ladyhill and Boulevard Residence in prime districts. Market watchers reckon Mr Cheong could either develop the site into at least half a dozen bungalows while retaining Chans' Ville, or carve the plot up and sell the smaller parcels piecemeal to individuals looking to build their own homes.

When contacted yesterday, Mr Mark Chan was tight-lipped about the sale of the family house.

Meanwhile, another bungalow plot in Katong has found a buyer. Listed property and steel trader Lion Teck Chiang bagged the freehold 38,662 sq ft site at 73 Wilkinson Road for $11.8 million, or $305 psf on land cost. The site can be redeveloped into eight detached homes.

'From the number of offers and viewings, there's a lot of interest in good properties and most of the parties were very familiar with Katong,' said marketing agent Credo Real Estate's Karamjit Singh. 'The market has stabilised for land in Katong, which is near City Hall, the airport and the beach. Of course, there's the good food.'

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

babystan03

June 8th, 2004, 08:32 AM

Business Times - 08 Jun 2004

By KALPANA RASHIWALA

(SINGAPORE) Simon Cheong has once again lived up to his reputation as the consummate deal maker.

Sources have told BT that a company linked to him and his family recently bought The Village Centre at Pasir Panjang and a site next door from a NatSteel associate for $10.8 million - less than half the $26 million NatSteel paid in 1996 when it bought the freehold properties from Mr Cheong's family at the peak of the market.

The Village Centre, formerly known as South Buona Vista Centre, is a four-storey commercial and residential building comprising several shop units, seven apartments and 29 basement carpark lots.

The property, with a net lettable area of about 28,000 sq ft, is believed to be about 70 per cent let.

The Cheong family is understood to have acquired the two properties through privately-held Ridge Investment.

BT understands that Mr Cheong, who is also chairman of listed SC Global Developments, plans to spruce up The Village Centre and bring in new tenants. Supermarket chain Cold Storage is expected to start operating there next month. Existing tenants include Thai restaurant Lemon Grass and educational centres.

The location is expected to become livelier with several upcoming residential projects including Ventana and Treasure Place, as well as the One-North New Economy hub. The Village Centre has a site area of 24,647 sq ft, while the vacant plot next door is 8,146 sq ft. The latter is zoned for residential use with a 1.4 plot ratio (ratio of potential gross floor area to land area) but permission has been granted for its current use as a surface carpark.

Under the latest Master Plan, The Village Centre site is zoned for commercial and residential use with a 3.0 plot ratio. This means it can be developed into a project with a maximum gross floor area (GFA) of 73,941 sq ft - significantly higher than the existing building's GFA of 41,144 sq ft. But market watchers believe Mr Cheong may not be inclined to embark on a redevelopment just yet. This is because a major road line sits exactly on the existing building line, which means that if the building were to be demolished for redevelopment, the owner would have to make setback provisions.

In 1996, Mr Cheong's privately-owned family vehicle, Ming Teik, sold the two properties to NatSteel for $26 million. NatSteel later roped in Breezeway Development as a partner. The two held the assets through an equal joint venture, Delpha Investment. The latest sale to Ridge Investment is said to have been brokered by DTZ Debenham Tie Leung.

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

heirloom

June 8th, 2004, 12:05 PM

hrmmm wonder what he will make them into... hope he makes them as nice as his sc global stuff

babystan03

June 18th, 2004, 03:52 PM

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 18 June 2004 1754 hrs

Third NEWater factory opens in Seletar
By Joanne Leow, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : Twenty million gallons of water a day - or water enough for 36 Olympic-sized swimming pools - will be produced by Singapore with the opening of the third NEWater plant in Seletar.

There are also plans to increase the amount of NEWater in the drinking supply.

Currently 3 million gallons of NEWater are pumped into Singapore's reservoirs everyday - or about 1 percent of water consumed each day.

Environment Minister Lim Swee Say revealed this will be increased by 1 million gallons per day every year until 10 million gallons per day are pumped into reservoirs in 2011.

PUB estimates that this will then account for about 2.5 percent of daily consumption in Singapore although most of the reclaimed water will continue to be used for industrial purposes.

In fact, some NEWater customers have managed 10 to 20 percent cost savings.

As the water is ultra pure, industrial consumers do not have treat it again, thus ending up using less water than they needed before.

The latest NEWater factory was designed and built by local company Hyflux at the cost of $28 million although it is still being managed by the Public Utilities Board.

However, the next NEWater factory due to be located in Ulu Pandan will be designed, built and managed by the private sector.

Mr Lim said: "In this way we hope we can tap all the expertise, the resources, in the private sector to keep our NEWater production capacity both at the leading edge and at the lowest cost as possible.

"In the process of getting the private sector to be more involved in the design and development of new water in Singapore, we are actually facilitating, strengthening this upgrading of expertise of in our industry so that hopefully, our industries can export their know-how to not just China market but other parts of the world as well," the minister added.

When the 4th plant in Ulu Pandan is built in 2006, the total production of NEWater will exceed 10 percent of Singapore's total daily water needs.

Fifty percent of NEWater production will then be in the hands of the private sector.

Mr Lim said: "Our immediate plan is to put in place the 4 NEWater plants in the 4 corners of Singapore, each supported by a reticulation network. With these 4 plants we can reach out to all the major industries and commercial buildings throughout Singapore. We would have set up the basic infrastructure able to serve most of the industrial users."

According to the Environment Minister, whether or not there'll be more NEWater plants will depend on Singapore's overall water and supply situation. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

huaiwei

June 21st, 2004, 12:15 AM

BCA has checks to regulate use of concrete

WE REFER to The Straits Times editorial 'Check the foundation' (ST, May 31) and The New Paper article 'Heavily regulated, yet 48 deaths last year' (TNP, May 28). It was mentioned that contractors may have increased the ratio of water to cement in concrete mixes to save costs.

We wish to explain that there is a system of checks to regulate the use of concrete in a construction project.

First, under the Building Control Act, the contractor is required to carry out works in accordance with the approved plans and specifications, which include the specified concrete strength. Before the concrete is produced, the professional engineer (PE) in charge of the project will request a trial concrete mix to be tested.

Once the trial mix has been accepted, the supplier has to produce the concrete according to the mix design, which stipulates the water-cement ratio.

At the project site, the resident engineer working under the direction of the PE will arrange for concrete samples to be tested for strength and slump.

Concrete with higher water-cement ratio than the design mix requirement is likely to fail the tests.

As an additional layer of check, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) conducts random site inspections, where site records of tests on materials are audited. The building regulations also require the PE to inform the BCA of any test that failed to meet the material specification and to take corrective measures.

The BCA takes a very serious view of any unauthorised addition of water to concrete, and will take prosecution action under the Building Control Act against anyone found contravening the building regulations.

Readers who are aware of any project where the water-cement ratio has been increased can contact the BCA at our construction activity feedback hotline on 63257481 so we can investigate feedback.

ONG CHAN LENG
Director
Building Engineering Division
Building and Construction Authority

babystan03

June 25th, 2004, 05:16 PM

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 25 June 2004 2308 hrs

No new residential sites on the Government's Reserve List for H2
By Chan Hwa Loon, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : The Government is not adding any new residential site to its Reserve List for the second half of this year.

The number of residential sites on the Reserve List stays at 7.

But the government is adding 2 new mixed commercial-residential sites, bringing the number to 4.

The two new sites are in Jurong West and Seletar.

But there will be no executive condominium site for the second half.

The National Development Ministry says this is because the prices of private properties have become more affordable in recent years.

The sites on the Reserve List can together potentially yield about 2,600 private housing units.

Another 800 units will come from the One-North technology park and Sentosa.

The government is also extending by one year the deadline for developers to dispose of private land which is vacant or under development. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

babystan03

June 26th, 2004, 05:35 AM

JUNE 26, 2004
Developers cheer land sales move
System of offering land for sale only if there is prior interest works and will stay; two new sites are added to the list

By Daryl Loo and Joyce Teo

THE Government has decided to stick to its current method of selling land only when a developer has indicated interest, a move cheered by those in the industry still saddled with empty apartments and offices.

Developers will get some respite for at least the next six months, especially since just two new sites have been added to the backlog of 15 parcels offered on what is known as the 'reserve list'.

The reserve list system of offering land for sale was introduced in June 2001, when property prices were heading south because of too many vacant units.

Under the system, a developer interested in a site on the reserve list must first submit a bid to the Government. The bid must be at or above the minimum price set by the Government before the site is taken off the list and put up for tender.

Since 2001, 12 land sales were triggered this way.

The reserve list system has worked so well that the Ministry of National Development (MND) announced yesterday that it will be a 'permanent feature' of its land sale programme.

The ministry said it will not lift the suspension on the old land sale method of calling for tenders according to a fixed time schedule yet, as the property market had not recovered fully.

Caution about the state of the property industry was also reflected in another announcement: It will extend - till June 30, 2005 - a concession scheme to allow successful tenderers of government land to dispose of these sites if they are unable to continue with their development.

An MND spokesman said: 'We are extending the plan to help developers who may be affected by any external events.'

Since Oct 2001, when the scheme was first introduced, four successful tenderers of government sites have made use of this concession. MND declined to provide details about the four tenderers.

Cheering the decision to stick to the reserve list system, Jones Lang LaSalle managing director Yu Lai Boon said: 'It's a good move by the Government not to aggravate the weak property market.'

At the end of March, there were 13,378 private homes available for sale in uncompleted projects. This is a 28 per cent fall from three years ago, when there were 18,563 available units.

Some analysts predict that the reduced housing oversupply should finally help the recovery of private home prices, which have fallen nearly 20 per cent since 2000.

Knight Frank executive director Tay Kah Poh, for example, estimates that home prices may rise between 1 and 2 per cent in the second quarter of this year.

If all 17 sites on the reserve list for the next six months are taken up, they will add 2,600 apartments, 242,000 sq m of commercial space and 400 hotel rooms to the market.

Chesterton International director Nicholas Mak, however, is worried that if property demand picks up next year, there may not be enough development sites available to meet that need.

'Currently, there is a shortage of large and attractive suburban residential development sites,' he said.

Of the 17 sites offered, property analysts believe that developers would eye the new Jurong West site in particular because of its proximity to Boon Lay MRT station.

Slated for commercial and residential use, it has the largest land area of 3.35ha, and can accommodate 580 units.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

June 27th, 2004, 11:50 AM

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 27 June 2004 1732 hrs

Government not releasing any more executive condo sites for now: Mah
By Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : The government is not going to release any new sites for the building of executive condominiums, at least for now, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan has said.

He was responding to reporters' queries at a constituency event.

"We introduced ECs at a certain time when property prices were very high. Now, private property homes have come down a lot and at the moment, we don't think there's a need to have any more executive condominium sites," Mr Mah said.

"It depends on the situation. We are monitoring it. We have a six month government land sales programme. We can add, subtract various sizes for various uses for different types of development," he said. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

babystan03

June 29th, 2004, 03:41 PM

JUNE 30, 2004
Vacant plots set to buzz with activity
Empty pieces of state land will come under outside agency so they can be managed profitably; tender being called
By Lee Hui Chieh and Joyce Teo

ALL that empty space in the city which says 'State Land - No Trespassing', is about to be put to good use.

The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) is making the unprecedented move of calling for a public tender today for those who want to manage the use of 24 pieces of vacant land - and make a profit out of it.

Already, some in the business of property management are welcoming the chance to turn their hand to this, especially since some are prime plots located near the Bugis, Tanjong Pagar and Orchard MRT stations.

Given that the successful tenderer would make sure the empty spaces pay off, expect a whole hive of activities in the spaces that dot the cityscape.

'People may even want to rent the land as a football field or they could do another Victoria Wholesale Centre, which is very successful,' said Mrs Ong Choon Fah, executive director of property consultancy DTZ Debenham Tie Leung.

Victoria Wholesale Centre sells high-end foodstuff such as abalone and sea cucumber.

While the industry got wind of SLA's intention earlier, Knight Frank's executive director Tay Kah Poh did not expect 24 plots to be offered. 'Most people would want to have a go at the tender. On this scale, you can't ignore it,' he said.

Currently, government agencies such as the SLA, the Housing Board and the Urban Redevelopment Authority manage different plots and they collect rent from those who ask to use it.

The SLA hopes an outside agency would lead to more efficient use of the land.

It decided on it in the wake of Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's Budget speech on Feb 27, in which he said government agencies should review their services and engage the best source to provide them, which could be the private sector.

Previously, when the SLA engaged private managing agents, they were to manage state-owned buildings and sell state land.

Those keen on the plots on offer have to submit a proposal detailing how they would market and manage the land, and how much they would charge the SLA each month for managing it.

To make it more attractive, the SLA is offering the agent an extra incentive-based fee tied to extra revenue generated from the land.

The 24 plots contribute about $300,000 in revenue each year for the Government.

If the agent can make more, they will get a cut of the extra profit. But it must state the size of the cut it wants in the proposal, which has to be submitted by July 28.

The caveats: The land use must benefit not only businesses and entrepreneurs but also the community. The project is for three years.

Among the sites offered are the space bordered by Beach Road and Ophir Road, where French circus Cirque du Soleil performed in March 2002, and the Orchard Turn plot where foreign maids gather on Sundays.

The largest site is the 305,668 sqm space at Marina Bayfront, where all-night dance party ZoukOut was held last year.

The sites could be used for say, flea markets, fun fairs and circus acts, all of which will help add more life to the surrounding areas, said Mr Tay.

Event organisers would also be happy to work with managing agents who would be more involved and helpful, said Zouk's marketing manager Tracy Phillips.

Zouk spent about $120,000 on its event last year, paying for the land rental, cutting of grass, fumigation and building a metal bridge for vehicles.

Said Ms Phillips: 'There were potholes in the ground, no light or water. It would have been helpful to have a managing agent to point us in the right direction.'

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

RafflesCity

June 30th, 2004, 03:17 PM

The largest site is the 305,668 sqm space at Marina Bayfront, where all-night dance party ZoukOut was held last year.

The sites could be used for say, flea markets, fun fairs and circus acts, all of which will help add more life to the surrounding areas, said Mr Tay.

yup..that plot of land can be used for such temporary activities for the next couple of years before they start building on it.

babystan03

June 30th, 2004, 07:03 PM

The New Paper - 01 Jul 2004

Stalled by slowdown
Vision... and the reality
Nice view, but only 15,000 HDB flats have been built out of target of 96,000 homes
By Desmond Ng

HE'S been living in this estate for the past year. But when Mr Siah Chong Thian opens the window of his Punggol flat, he still sees nothing but vast open land.

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-06-30/dnflat-205355.jpg

There's an LRT station right downstairs but it's not running yet.

The drop in housing demand has put the brakes on the Punggol 21 vision of a desirable waterfront estate with a target of about 96,000 homes.

Today, only 15,000 HDB flats sit on the estate.

The forward-looking plan was unveiled during the 1996 National Day rally and construction in the estate began in mid-1998.

Some of the ideas based on growth projections included a mix of housing types (HDB flats, executive condominiums and houses), six to eight clubs run on different themes, a regional park on Coney Island and two seaside villages with shops and food.

The concept initially fired the imagination of home buyers.

But that did not translate into demand.

So what is it like for those living there?

Mr Siah, a 57-year-old retiree, said in Mandarin: 'It's quite inconvenient to get around if the LRT station is not in use.'

He has to walk 10 minutes to the nearest bus stop for a bus to Sengkang or Tampines Central.

But the HDB says it will press ahead with plans to provide more facilities in Punggol 21, including transport links.

Mr Siah's son, 30, and daughter, 26, bought the five-room flat for $248,000 a year ago.

There's a supermarket just downstairs that opened a few months ago - a huge relief as his family previously had to drive to travel to Sengkang to buy groceries.

While he likes the quiet neighbourhood, he wants better transport services and more coffeeshops and supermarkets.

As it's close to Paya Lebar Airbase, he said: 'There're planes flying over in the morning, from 8am onwards. It's so loud that it wakes me up.'

It was reported in The Straits Times that 10 years is the average time it takes for a new town to be developed.

But the slowdown has affected the pace of progress in Punggol.

The 15,000 HDB flats in the estate are a far cry from the expected 57,600 HDB homes, 28,800 private homes and about 9,600 executive condos in the future.

The first few buyers collected the keys to their flats in 2000.

But property agents interviewed said there are no new private residential projects there yet.

For example, a commercial and residential site at Punggol Drive has been on the reserve list since this system was introduced in June 2001.

SITE STILL UNTAKEN

The site, measuring 1.39 ha (about the size of three football fields), has a built-up potential of 205 residential units, and is still untaken.

HDB's annual report shows that since 1994-95, there has been a dramatic drop in the demand for new flats. Demand has dropped from 78,000 flats for the financial year 1994-95 to about 14,000 for 2002-03.

And 12,325 flats in Punggol have been sold, with about 3,000 units under construction as of March 2003.

HDB did not reply to our question as to how many units have been sold so far.

On the issue of the completion date of the town, HDB said: 'As the pace of construction of the flats in Punggol 21 is tied to the demand from the buyers, the timing when the town will be fully developed will depend on the pace of housing development.'

But Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP Charles Chong estimated that at least 90 per cent of the units have been sold, but the home-owners are delaying their decision to move in.

'At night, you can see some blocks with only half of the units lighted up,' he said.

He thinks the state of the amenities and transport services might be contributing to the situation.

Although Punggol was supposed to be a fast-growing estate, that changed when the recession struck, he said.

Mr Chong - who's also the chairman of the town council there - added that his council has told him that few home-owners have moved in or applied for their renovation permits.

And when he does his block visits or walkabouts, he can see that almost 30 per cent of the units showed no signs of activity.

Mr Chong said: 'I think they (HDB) were not nimble enough when the scenario changed. But their built-to-order (BTO) system now for that area is right. They have adjusted to the new reality.'

New flats there are currently offered through the BTO system where a contract will only proceed for tender if the take-up rate is good.

But home-owner Jenny Lim can't wait for the buzz to appear.

Ms Lim, an auditor in her early 30s, said she bought her five-room flat for about $250,000.

She has been living there with her husband for over a year, although the lack of cable TV, amenities and neighbours has been a sore point.

She said: ''We expected more people when we first booked a flat here. So far, it's so quiet that I can't even get a taxi during non-peak hours.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HDB: Food court, shops to be built later this year
THE plans to provide the facilities and amenities in Punggol 21 will not change, said an HDB spokesman.

The Housing Board explained that the MRT service there started in June 2003 while a temporary bus interchange began operations in November 2003.

The road network is being completed progressively and some of the shop clusters and schools have already been completed.

Also in the pipeline is a commercial centre along Punggol Field which will contain a supermarket, a food court and many shops, added HDB.

This is expected to be operational later this year, they said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SLOWDOWN FACTORS:
Falling birth rates...

WHAT has the postponement of marriage and falling birth rates got to do with the slow take-up rate at Punggol 21? Well, if fewer people are starting families, demand for housing will also fall, said Chesterton International's research director Nicholas Mak.

He said those were some of the likely reasons for the slowdown in the Punggol 21 project.

The Government had expected a faster growth in population.

But that didn't happen as birth rates fell and people started getting married later or not at all, said Mr Mak.

'During that time when Punggol 21 was announced, the property market was still at a bit of a high.

'The Government was thinking that the Singapore population would reach six million by a certain year.

'However, that didn't happen. And even plans to encourage Hong Kongers to settle here in large numbers during the 1990s were not successful.'

The economic slowdown also contributed to a slowdown in the construction and property sectors, said Mr Mak.

He thinks the HDB's plan for over 96,000 homes in Punggol 21 might not come to fruition so soon.

'From 1998 to now, which is six years, HDB built about 15,000 flats. On average, that's 2,500 flats a year.

'At this rate, they can only build 10,000 more flats by 2008, 10 years after the announcement,' he said.

'But I don't expect them to build more as demand is still low, with about 10,000 unsold HDB flats here.'

C&H Realty's managing director Albert Lu added: 'Private developers may not be keen on that area because of the location and lack of amenities.

'There's so much vacant land elsewhere and there's an over-supply of residential projects.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
... and Asian financial crisis

HOW did HDB end up with 17,000 unsold flats in 2001?

Former senior civil servant and HDB Corporation chairman Ngiam Tong Dow explained earlier this year that it was due to a fall in demand because of the Asian financial crisis in the mid-1990s.

He said: 'As property prices were rising in the 1980s, there was good cheer all round...

'(But) the Asian financial crisis in the mid-1990s led to a sharp and sudden fall in demand, particularly those who were hoping to make money by upgrading. The queue disappeared, and HDB was left with unsold flats which total some 17,000.'

In response, the queue system was suspended.

It was reported that in 2001, one in two applicants dropped out of the queue.

And from 1997, the number of people in the queue system has fallen from 146,000 to 8,800 in 2002.

NEW SYSTEM

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan announced in Parliament that year that HDB would stop accepting applications for new flats and replace its queue system temporarily with a BTO programme in which flats are built only when there is demand for them.

Mr Mah explained that the queue system worked well when demand was high. But, in a downturn, it was 'not sufficiently responsive to sudden shifts in demand' as flat applicants could drop out of the queue with little financial loss, he said.

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

RafflesCity

July 2nd, 2004, 07:26 PM

heirloom

July 2nd, 2004, 07:51 PM

they could improve things by having duxton plain-unique apartments...

huaiwei

July 2nd, 2004, 08:18 PM

aiyoh...the Punggol plan sounds like a failure for now...

but the idea to make a nice waterfront is very appetising. I also think now HDB will build smaller room flats as family sizes become smaller...
I wont call it a failure by any definition. It is strange that they expect the homes there to be taken up rapidly when the whole area has a reputation of being a semi desert.

RafflesCity

July 2nd, 2004, 08:23 PM

true..they should develop the infrastructure first..I remember that area near Woodbridge Hospital (is that the one?) seemed very ulu and in the middle of nowhere...

babystan03

July 5th, 2004, 08:15 AM

Business Times - 05 Jul 2004

Nicoll Highway on target for year-end opening

SINGAPORE transport minister Yeo Cheow Tong said contractors fixing the collapsed portion of Nicoll Highway expect to reopen the key thoroughfare by the end of this year as targeted.

'This is within the six- to nine-month period that we have indicated earlier on,' said Mr Yeo on the sidelines of the People's Action Party's 50th anniversary celebrations in the South West district, adding that the highway's reconstruction is currently in the design phase.

Investigators and contractors on the scene have been gathering evidence, removing debris such as steel girders and labelling them in order to 'put together a picture of what the tunnel was like before the collapse', in preparation for an official inquiry that will start on Aug 2.

Commenting on the more recent black-out that struck last week and knocked out about 60 per cent of Singapore's 1,800 traffic lights, Mr Yeo said the Land Transport Authority was looking into whether there was a need for traffic-light power back-ups. But the minister did not think such a system was necessary. 'To have a back-up system would be very, very complicated,' he said. 'And such blackouts don't happen very often.'

He acknowledged that back-ups allowed the mass rapid transit trains to continue running during the blackout on Tuesday last week, but said that Singaporean motorists are 'quite careful' and there have not been major problems when lights failed at individual junctions previously.

'The motorists, I think, are aware that when such a situation takes place, they have to be cautious,' he said.

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

babystan03

July 6th, 2004, 10:08 AM

Business Times - 06 Jul 2004

3 waterfront projects to be launched in H2
Homebuyers can choose from the Caribbean, Ho Bee's Sentosa Cove projects and CityDev/AIG's city condo

By KALPANA RASHIWALA

THOSE who see waterfront housing as all the rage will have at least three major offerings to choose from in the second half of this year.

The first to roll out its 99-year leasehold project is the Keppel Group, which is offering 135 units at its Caribbean at Keppel Bay condo in Telok Blangah. It began a preview of the latest batch of units for sale over the weekend for staff and invited guests, sources said.

Across the waters, at Sentosa Cove, Ho Bee Investment is planning to launch a 200-unit condo and eight terrace houses next door - but only towards the end of the year.

Those who fancy high-rise waterfront condos in the Central Business District can look forward to a 1,103-unit development at Marina Boulevard by City Developments and AIG. The project is likely to be released for sale in early October, BT understands.

Keppel has priced the 135 Caribbean units at about $720 per square foot on average, sources told BT. This is about 15 per cent lower than the average of about $850 psf paid by buyers when Keppel last sold units in the project in the third quarter of 2000.

A Keppel spokeswoman yesterday declined to provide the average price for the latest batch, but said prices range from about $680 psf to $790 psf.

Some agents say the current pricing is slightly higher than market expectations and one factor that could have held Keppel back from pricing the latest batch more competitively was the higher prices paid by earlier buyers.

However, to entice buyers for the latest batch of units, which are situated along the water channel and lagoon, Keppel is offering a deferred payment scheme. Buyers need to pay only a 20 per cent downpayment, with the remaining 80 per cent deferred for two years.

The 969-unit condo is expected to receive Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) before end-August.

Sources say that all buyers in the project, including those who bought their homes in 2000, will receive practically free membership at Keppel Marina.

When Keppel last marketed units in the condo in 2000, it sold 305 out of 430 units released for sale.

Buyers taken with the idea of living on Sentosa can wait for Ho Bee Investment's 200-unit condo across the water. Its two grand penthouses will be duplex units of 6,000 sq ft each including a roof terrace of about 1,000 sq ft. The two luxury units will each have a 12-metre by three-metre private pool, generous living and dining areas for entertaining guests, and five or six bedrooms.

Besides the two grand penthouses, there will be 27 smaller penthouses of about 2,800 sq ft each. These will come with their own jacuzzi pools.

Ho Bee's six-storey condo will have 15 blocks. Most of the units will be large - at least three-bedroom units of 1,500 sq ft and above. Only 43 of the total 200 units will have two bedrooms.

The condo, which is expected to be launched in Q4, will have 25 berths, two of which are likely to be sold with the two grand penthouses, says Ho Bee Investment's general manager Chong Hock Chang. 'We've not decided how to allocate the other 23 berths. Some of the other penthouse owners may want to buy berths. But we'll also have to keep some of the berths for common use of the other apartment owners in the condo. We're still working out the details,' he added.

The eight terrace houses which Ho Bee will develop next door will each come with a private berth for a boat about 12-metre long. The houses will have built-up areas of about 3,200 to 3,500 sq ft each.

Ho Bee Group's chairman and chief executive Chua Thian Poh previously said the group hopes to sell the terrace houses for at least $1.7 million each and the condo units for at least $750 psf on average. Their respective breakeven costs are about $1.3 million and $640 psf, he had indicated earlier.

Mr Chong told BT yesterday that the group has received interest from at least 20 parties for the terrace houses, including foreigners from the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand. The Singaporeans who have expressed interest are high networth individuals, some of whom already own boats and who may be thinking of berthing at Sentosa if they clinch a house there.

The terrace houses are likely to go on sale only after the condo has been launched, said Mr Chong.

In Singapore's New Downtown at Marina Bay, where CityDev and AIG are developing the tallest condo here comprising two towers of 70 and 61 storeys, prices are expected to vary widely depending on the height of the units and their facing. However, sources say the developers are eyeing an average price in excess of $800 psf. Nearly 90 per cent of apartments will be of one and two bedrooms.

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

RafflesCity

July 8th, 2004, 03:24 PM

Those who fancy high-rise waterfront condos in the Central Business District can look forward to a 1,103-unit development at Marina Boulevard by City Developments and AIG. The project is likely to be released for sale in early October, BT understands.

October...so long!

RafflesCity

July 8th, 2004, 03:50 PM

Boost for office landlords

8 July 2004

Landmark deals at 2 soon-to-be-ready prime office projects expected

By VINCE CHONG

THE commercial space market could see some 'landmark pre-commitment' for space at two soon-to-be-ready prime office projects within the next four months. This will serve as a timely boost for the market.

http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-07-08/040708A11.gif

CB Richard Ellis executive director Moray Armstrong also said at a property conference yesterday that the sector expects the Business Financial Centre project - currently on the government land sales reserve list - to break ground within 12 months.

This is because it takes about three years to conceptualise and build such prime commercial real estate - the same time in which Mr Armstrong believes the Singapore market will recover from a high double-digit vacancy regime to a single-digit one.

He did not discount the fact that the BFC site may attract official interest before the year is out. The plot can be developed with a maximum gross floor area of 4.71 million sq ft, of which at least 60 per cent, or 2.83 million sq ft, must be offices.

'There really isn't much time left,' Mr Armstrong said in response to a question about whether developers could be holding back from bidding for the BFC plot until the office space situation improves further.

CBRE figures show islandwide vacancy at about 18 per cent. On the bright side, vacancies in niche prime Grade A office buildings have dipped to 7.8 per cent as of March this year, down by almost half from 14 per cent in September.

The latest buildings attracting strong interest, Mr Armstrong said, are One Raffles Quay, with total net floor space of some 1.3 million sq ft, and One George Street, with over 500,000 sq ft, mainly because they have large floor plates of over 30,000 sq ft. This allows a company to accommodate all its operations in one huge office on one floor instead of splitting them up.

'In 1999, demand was stimulated when financial institutions and banks took up space (in new buildings with large floor plates),' he told participants at the Property Prospects Update 2004 conference.

'Watch this space. Some exciting landmark deals can be expected within three to four months, which could signal to the market that the timing is good for pre commitment at attractive rates before the space actually comes onstream.'

Big take-ups that perk up the market usually exceed 100,000 sq ft of space.

Rents in Singapore are at a 20-year low, with prime CBD leases ranging from $3.50-$5 per square foot.

This, Mr Armstrong said, could rise to $6 psf by 2006, although this will still be under 2002's $6.30 psf level. Prime rents were highest in 1989 at $8.50 psf, CBRE figures show.

General office rents in Singapore have fallen to $2.35 psf, from $7.05 in 1996.

heirloom

July 8th, 2004, 04:14 PM

october!@@!£$@!£$!@£$!£! qi1 pian4 my gan3 qing2.... sobsobsobsob i was SO lookign forward to viewing the showflat!!!!!!!

huaiwei

July 9th, 2004, 12:39 AM

JULY 2, 2004

Fire safety code gives more room for building design

THE fire-safety code for buildings is being eased to allow architects more leeway in their designs.

Under the new rules, the Singapore Civil Defence Force will simply spell out general safety objectives new buildings have to meet and leave it to the architect or engineer to determine how to achieve those standards.

Before the changes came into effect yesterday, the SCDF dictated the exact requirements for each proposed building, in an effort to ensure its occupants can be evacuated quickly in an emergency.

This included laying down the law on the number of escape routes from a room in case something catches fire inside, and the number of water sprinklers needed.

So while previously the SCDF may have insisted on four staircases, for instance, architects can now build just two which are wider than normal, if they believe those would be able to do the job.

The new system was passed in Parliament in February under the Fire Safety (Amendment) Bill.

However, SCDF's director of its Fire Safety and Shelter Department, Mr Boo Geok Kwang, said that aesthetic needs will never supersede fire safety.

'At the end of the day, our main focus is still to guard against compromising the safety of a building and its occupants,' he said.

A special computer program, which is often used to test out the feasibility of a design, can also be used by architects to determine if their suggestions fit the safety requirements.

Even if it does, their plans must be approved by a qualified fire-safety engineer and the SCDF's Fire Safety and Shelter Department before construction work can start.

An architect who has been in the business for 23 years, Mr Song Yew Kee, is thrilled by the new system.

'It gives us much more room to explore ideas and designs,' he said.

Referring to the Esplanade's spiky facade, SCDF Commissioner James Tan joked that the new scheme might stimulate more 'durians' to sprout here.

Under the new rules, industrial buildings will have to meet regulations and require a fire certificate from next month.

The transportation of hydrogen and magnesium products, which can be used to make bombs, will also be regulated under the Fire Safety Act by December.

huaiwei

July 9th, 2004, 12:42 AM

Canning Rise section closed for road works

FOR about three months beginning yesterday, the section of Canning Rise from Canning Walk to Fort Canning Road will be closed to traffic so a new underground tunnel can be constructed.

The 350m-long tunnel will run from the junction of Stamford Road, Armenian and Queen streets to Penang Road.

According to the Land Transport Authority, a stretch of Stamford Road running from Queen to Bencoolen streets will also be realigned and the entrance to the former National Library on Stamford Road permanently closed to traffic.

Motorists may still access the carparks next to the nearby food centre by using Armenian Street.

babystan03

July 9th, 2004, 02:21 AM

JULY 9, 2004
Why new four- and five-room flats are smaller

I REFER to the letter, 'Smaller floor areas but still classified as 5-room flats' (ST, July 1), by Mr Alfred Goh Thiam Ho.

Over the years, the design of HDB flats has changed in tandem with changes in Singaporeans' expectations, lifestyle and living standards. We have offered a range of flat types, with different models, designs and layouts for each flat type, to give applicants more choices.

In building flats, HDB tries to meet Singaporeans' rising aspirations while avoiding over-consumption of housing space.

The household size in HDB flats has declined from about 6.2 persons in the 1960s to 3.7 in recent years. In view of this, HDB has re-sized its flats downwards slightly since the mid-1990s.

New four- and five-room flats offered for sale under the Build-To-Order scheme in newer towns such as Sengkang and Punggol are about 90 sq m and 110 sq m respectively. They are functional, space-efficient and come with three bedrooms, which can cater to the needs of most families.

A family of five would have a living space of about 18 to 22 sq m per person, which com-pares favourably with cities such as Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul, where the average living space per person ranges from 7 to 15 sq m.

We would like to clarify that in pricing new flats, HDB takes into account their attributes, such as location, floor area, design and finishes, as well as the prevailing market prices of comparable resale flats.

The board ensures that new flats are priced below their equivalent market prices at the point of offer so that buyers enjoy a subsidy.

HDB continually conducts surveys and reviews its designs to better meet flat buyers' needs and preferences. As the private balconies and study space previously provided in five-room flats were not well received, these are no longer standard provisions.

Lessees are free to decide on the location of the study and how to partition the space, if needed.

We thank Mr Goh for his feedback.

TAY BOON SUN
Senior Public Relations Officer
for Director, Corporate Development
Housing & Development Board

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.