The Singapore Engineer November 2023

THE MAGAZINE OF THE INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS, SINGAPORE

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

November 2023 | MCI (P) 033/03/2023

Sustainable construction of the foundation for the Johor-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Viaduct in a marine environment

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DESIGN AND ENGINEERING SAFETY: Challenges in the design and construction of a co-living development BCA UNIVERSAL DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2023: Tourism and community spaces receive recognition ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The scope for EVs in construction will depend on battery pricing

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CONTENTS FEATURES

COVER STORY

10 Sustainable construction of the foundation for the Johor Bahru – Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Viaduct in a marine environment This article presents the challenges in the construction of the foundation piles and pile caps, as well as the solutions deployed.

DESIGN AND ENGINEERING SAFETY

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15 Challenges in the design and construction of a coliving development lyf one-north is the winner of the BCA Design and Engineering Safety Award 2023, in the Commercial Category.

WORKPLACE SAFETY & HEALTH

22 A decline in workplace fatalities in 1H 2023 There is, however, room for improvement in the Construction and Manufacturing sectors.

15

SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION

25 Holcim Awards 2023 announces Global Winners The selected projects highlight innovative approaches to transforming the built environment.

25 President Mr Dalson Chung Chief Editor T Bhaskaran t_b_n8@yahoo.com

Publications Manager Desmond Teo desmond@iesnet.org.sg Publications Executive Nuraini Ahmad nuraini@iesnet.org.sg

Editorial Panel Dr Chandra Segaran Dr Ang Keng Been Dr Aaron Sham A/Prof Yuzhu Pearl Li Mr Jaime Vega Bautista Jr Dr Victor Sim Mr Soon Ren Jun Dr Alexander Wiegand Media Representative Multimedia Communications (2000) Pte Ltd sales@multimediacomms.sg

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THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER November 2023

Design & layout by 2EZ Asia Pte Ltd Cover designed by Irin Kuah Cover image by One Smart Engineering Pte Ltd Published by The Institution of Engineers, Singapore 70 Bukit Tinggi Road, Singapore 289758 Tel: 6469 5000 I Fax: 6467 1108 Printed in Singapore

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BCA UNIVERSAL DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2023

28 Tourism and community spaces receive recognition Inclusive designs in a new attraction and in the upgraded airport cater to visitors and tourists of all abilities.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

32 The scope for EVs in construction will depend on battery pricing The future looks promising but the breakthrough changes will take time.

28

PROJECT APPLICATION

36 Regium waterfront in Reggio Calabria A range of solutions were provided for the paving and fountain flanking the monumental steps and piazzas, in this project located in Southern Italy.

38 Four towers grow at the same time Formwork and scaffolding solutions are being implemented, in compliance with stringent safety regulations.

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REGULAR SECTIONS 04 NEWS & EVENTS 40 PRODUCTS & SOLUTIONS

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The Singapore Engineer is published monthly by The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES). The publication is distributed free-of-charge to IES members and affiliates. Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or IES. All rights reserved.

No part of this magazine shall be reproduced, mechanically or electronically, without the prior consent of IES. Whilst every care is taken to ensure accuracy of the content at press time, IES will not be liable for any discrepancies. Unsolicited contributions are welcome but their inclusion in the magazine is at the discretion of the Editor.

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER November 2023

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NEWS & EVENTS

PUB launches open grant call to develop breakthrough water technology PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, has launched an open Request-for-Proposal (RFP) to develop innovative technologies and solutions in energy and waste reduction, decarbonisation and water quality.

This grant call falls under the Competitive Funding for Water Research (CWR) initiative which is funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF). The CWR is a funding scheme under the Urban Solutions & Sustainability domain of Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 plan.

Singapore’s water demand is projected to almost double by 2065, with economic and population growth. In tandem, the energy required for producing and supplying water, and for the production of sludge, a byproduct of the water treatment process, will also increase. With climate change, the risk of prolonged drought will also impact the water supply.

Singapore’s Four National Taps are local catchment water, imported water, reclaimed water (NEWater), and desalinated water. NEWater and desalinated water are weather-resilient but more energy-intensive water sources.

PUB’s research and development (R&D) goals are thus aimed at reducing energy and chemical consumption, as well as waste production, while also increasing Singapore’s water resources and improving water quality. These efforts would also serve to moderate PUB’s operating costs in the long-term, while meeting the rising water needs of the nation.

For this RFP, PUB is keen to advance new and existing ideas, as well as develop breakthrough technologies in the following R&D areas: • Desalination, water reuse and used water treatment: To reduce the energy consumption at system 04

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER November 2023

level, for seawater desalination and NEWater production. For used water treatment, PUB aims to attain energy self-sufficiency and eventually develop an energy-positive water reclamation plant.

• Waste reduction and resource recovery: To reduce sludge production in water and used water treatment, recover useful resources from seawater brine and other waste streams of the water loop, as well as reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. Resources, metals or minerals, that are recovered from seawater brine, should either have value to industry or be usable as chemicals in PUB’s water treatment plants.

• Decarbonisation: To capture, remove and utilise carbon dioxide from the environment, using technologies that can be integrated with PUB’s operations.

• Water quality and security: To maintain high water quality standards and ensure more secure water resources for the nation’s needs, through protection of source water; monitoring of fresh water quality during treatment and distribution; monitoring of used water quality during transmission via sewers; and management of contaminants of emerging concern.

There are two tracks under the RFP – the first solicits novel ideas and technologies, with a focus on the above-mentioned R&D areas, while the second focuses on translating and scaling up promising technologies with the end goal of commercialising or integrating the solutions with PUB’s operations.

The maximum funding amounts are SGD 1.5 million and SGD 2 million, for the first and second tracks, respectively.

Dr Pang Chee Meng, PUB’s Chief Engineering and Technology Officer, said, “As we prepare for the challenges of climate change

and increasing water demand, it is critical that PUB continues to press forward with our R&D efforts to maintain the sustainability of Singapore’s water system by leveraging the latest water and digital technologies. We look forward to receiving proposals with novel and scalable solutions that will help us build a sustainable and resilient water system while meeting present and future water needs.”

Under the current RIE2025 plan, PUB had previously launched three grant calls covering areas such as the recovery of chemicals and minerals from the water loop, the projection of climate change impacts on Singapore’s water system, and the use of technologies (e.g. machine learning, radar, satellite and imagery) for the collection of data to support PUB’s coastal protection efforts.

A total of eight projects have been awarded grants. These include the recovery of lithium and mineral precipitates from seawater brine, the development of a machine learning-based model to predict changes in network water quality due to climate change, and the use of novel data-model integration techniques to improve capability in predicting drought events.

This RFP is open to Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), public sector entities and private sector entities based in Singapore or overseas.

Overseas entities must be registered in Singapore to be eligible for funding.

The deadline for submission of proposals is 4 pm (Singapore time) on 2 February 2024.

More information on the funding scheme and the application procedure for the RFP are available at https://beta-pub-gov-sg.cwp-stg. sg/Industry/RandD/InnovationFunding/RFP/RFP-2301

NEWS & EVENTS

New light rail transit opens in Jakarta Officially inaugurated by Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Cawang LRT Station, recently, the Jabodebek light rail transit, in Greater Jakarta, Indonesia, comprises 18 stations, a depot and 43.3 km of track across two lines.

SMEC, as part of the Oriental Consultants team, performed the role of supervision consultant throughout the construction phase. The team’s expertise helped to ensure that the project was completed to the highest standards, by incorporating cutting-edge technology and world class engineering solutions.

SMEC is a member of the Singapore-headquartered Surbana Jurong Group.

A key consideration for the SMEC team was to oversee the implementation of a reliable automation and communication system. This system, known as Grade of Automation Level 3, transmits information between the train control system, the signalling system and the safety systems. The automatic train control system will control the speed and movement of the driverless trains, which will help to improve safety and efficiency.

Another notable feature of the project is the U-Shape Girder system used to construct the viaducts. The slim shape has proved to be an elegant and cost-effective solution, saving space in the dense urban

surroundings. Prefabrication made it easier to build the viaducts. Their shape also helps to distribute the force of an earthquake more evenly.

Having commenced construction in September 2015, Jabodebek LRT symbolises Indonesia’s commitment to modern infrastructure.

Set to carry 500,000 passengers per day, the new LRT provides a comfortable and efficient mode of transportation, enhancing connectivity between communities. The new service deploys 31 trains, with a capacity to carry 1,300 passengers per trip. It connects a main business district in central Jakarta with the cities of Depok and Bekasi in West Java province.

First phase of the Singapore Rail Test Centre completed The Land Transport Authority (LTA) recently completed the first phase of the Singapore Rail Test Centre (SRTC), including the operationalisation of its high speed test track.

Previously known as the Integrated Train Testing Centre, the SRTC is the first train testing facility in Southeast Asia. Occupying a site of approximately 50 hectares, the SRTC is fully equipped to conduct rigorous testing and commissioning of trains and other core railways systems, for both new and existing rail lines.

Phase One of the SRTC involved the construction of the high speed test track. The first two CCL6 trains are currently undergoing testing and commissioning works at SRTC. The second phase of SRTC involves the construction of the two other test tracks (a 3 km endurance looped track and a 2.8 km performance and integration looped track), as well as the three-storey Administration Building, Operations Control Centre Building, and the maintenance and refurbishment

Trains test tracks at the Singapore Rail Test Centre.

workshops. The SRTC will play a pivotal role in the ongoing efforts to renew, upgrade and expand the rail network. Upon completion, in 2025, the SRTC will serve as a comprehensive testing platform for multiple railway systems, including signalling, communications, power and integrated supervisory control systems, before they are deployed on the main lines. This will facilitate roundthe-clock testing and free up limited engineering hours on operational lines for other

works like maintenance and systems renewal – ultimately strengthening the reliability of the rail network.

The SRTC is designed to BCA’s Green Mark Platinum Certification, with energy-saving equipment incorporated into its design and operations. These include features such as LED lighting, solar panels and a hybrid cooling system.

BIcycle parking lots and sheltered linkways will also be provided.

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NEWS & EVENTS

Mr Wong Heang Fine joins Asia Infrastructure Solutions Singapore Global Infrastructure Solutions Inc (GISI) recently announced the appointment of Mr Wong Heang Fine as Chairman of Asia Infrastructure Solutions Singapore, a GISI company, and as a Director of its Asia Advisory Board.

With 40 years of leadership across various built environment sectors in different roles, as a developer, contractor, and consultant, Mr Wong made transformative contributions to top-tier enterprises, including CapitaLand Residential Singapore and Surbana Jurong (SJ). Last year, he retired from his role as Founding Group CEO of SJ which has grown into a global consultancy firm with over 16,000 employees operating in over 40 countries.

Since his retirement, Mr Wong serves as a director on the boards of several companies and government agencies, in addition to

serving as senior advisor to local and international companies.

“Heang Fine’s extensive Mr Wong Heang Fine experience and global networking will be invaluable to the strategic growth of our Asian businesses in the infrastructure, environmental and building end-markets.

We look forward to his guidance, as we shape the strategic future of our businesses, striving to remain pioneers in innovation and technology, and to his stewardship in the development of Asia Infrastructure Solutions (AIS) in Singapore and across Southeast Asia,” said Tony Shum, GISI Co-Founder, Board Director, and Chairman Asia, along with Alex Kwan, GISI CEO Asia, in a joint statement.

“I am honoured to join GISI, embarking on the dual roles of Chairman for AIS Singapore and Asia Advisory Board Director. I look forward to collaborating with the skilled GISI leadership team to deliver better communities in which our people can live and work. Together, we are poised to propel innovation and excellence in the built environment, crafting a sustainable future for all,” said Mr Wong.

GISI GISI is among the largest privately owned construction management firms in the commercial building, industrial and healthcare markets.

GISI is also a leading provider of engineering consulting services in the environmental and public infrastructure sectors, and a global provider of Official Development Assistance (ODA).

Enhanced measures to reduce heat stress risks for outdoor workers The Ministry of Manpower (MOM), in consultation with the Ministry of Health (MOH)’s Heat Stress Expert Panel, has introduced an enhanced set of measures to reduce the risks of heat stress for outdoor workers.

A combination of measures focusing on the four aspects of acclimatise, drink, rest, and shade, will provide protection to outdoor workers, across various industries.

New workers must be given time to gradually adjust to outdoor work and all outdoor workers must hydrate at least hourly, and take regular rest breaks under shaded areas to dissipate accumulated body heat.

Employers are required to monitor the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) for every hour of outdoor work performed,

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THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER November 2023

especially during the hotter periods of the day. WBGT is an internationally recognised measurement that takes into account the main environmental factors contributing to heat stress.

Besides air temperature, WBGT is also affected by humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation.

When the WBGT is 32° C or higher, a minimum rest break of 10 minutes hourly, under shade, has to be provided to workers carrying out heavy physical activities. For workers with pre-existing health conditions, the rest duration should be longer or as advised by their doctors.

Construction sites with a contract sum of SGD 5 million or more, shipyards and the process industry, will be required to have a WBGT meter on-site, for localised measurements, as these workplaces are likely to have prolonged outdoor activities. The requirement of a WBGT meter on-site for localised measurements will become effective from 1 January 2024.

Other workplaces can use NEA’s myENV app to monitor WBGT readings.

Workplaces are also encouraged to effect a buddy system for early recognition of heat injury symptoms and implement prompt interventions when any worker shows signs of excessive heat exposure.

Employers will be required to implement these measures to reduce heat stress risks for outdoor workers and MOM will conduct inspections at workplaces to ensure that these measures are adequately implemented.

NEWS & EVENTS

Winners of the 2023 ‘Going Digital Awards in Infrastructure’ announced at event held in Singapore

Winners of the 2023 Going Digital Awards in Infrastructure were honoured at an Awards Ceremony, held on 12 October 2023, at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.

Bentley Systems Incorporated, a leading infrastructure engineering software company, announced the winners of the 2023 Going Digital Awards in Infrastructure, at the finale of the 2023 Year in Infrastructure and Going Digital Awards event which was held on 11 and 12 October 2023, at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.

SEPA Surrey Hills Level Crossing Removal Project Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Mott MacDonald Standardising Delivery of Phosphorus Removal Schemes for the UK Water Industry United Kingdom

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING

The annual awards programme honours the work of Bentley software users in advancing infrastructure design, construction, and operations throughout the world.

FACILITIES, CAMPUSES, AND CITIES

SUBSURFACE MODELING AND ANALYSIS

Finalists presented their projects at the 2023 event in Singapore, before the global press and 12 independent jury panels. The jurors determined the winners of the 12 award categories from 36 finalists that were shortlisted from over 300 nominations submitted by 235 organisations from 51 countries.

ENTERPRISE ENGINEERING

vrame Consult GmbH Siemensstadt Square - Digital Campus Twin in Berlin Berlin, Germany

PROCESS AND POWER GENERATION

Shenyang Aluminum & Magnesium Engineering & Research Institute Co Ltd (SAMI) Digital Twin Application Project of Electrolytic Aluminum Engineering of Chinalco China Resources Lvliang, Shanxi, China

I-70 Floyd Hill to Veterans Memorial Tunnels Project Idaho Springs, Colorado, United States Hyundai Engineering Automated Design of Civil and Architectural Structures with STAAD API Seoul, South Korea

Arcadis South Dock Bridge London, England, United Kingdom

SURVEYING AND MONITORING Italferr S.p.A. The Digital Twin for Structural Monitoring of St. Peter’s Basilica Vatican City

TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION

RAIL AND TRANSIT

Southern Program Alliance Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

AECOM Perunding Sdn Bhd Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System Malaysia and Singapore

POWERCHINA Hubei Electric Engineering Co Ltd Full Lifecycle Digital Application on Xianning Chibi 500kV Substation Project Xianning, Hubei, China

CONSTRUCTION

ROADS AND HIGHWAYS

Project Controls Cubed LLC EchoWater Project Sacramento, California, United States

WINNERS OF THE 2023 GOING DIGITAL AWARDS IN INFRASTRUCTURE BRIDGES AND TUNNELS WSP Australia Pty Ltd

Laing O’Rourke

AtkinsRéalis

WATER AND WASTEWATER

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NEWS & EVENTS

Groundbreaking year for infrastructure intelligence At its 2023 Year in Infrastructure and Going Digital Awards event, held in Singapore, recently, Bentley Systems described 2023 as a ‘groundbreaking year’ for infrastructure intelligence. Citing users’ projects, CEO Greg Bentley highlighted how infrastructure organisations are overcoming the engineering resource capacity gap through infrastructure intelligence strategies. When asked to quantify the engineering hours saved through digital advancements, the Going Digital Awards finalists reported significant median savings of 18%.

Engineering data serves as the foundation and digital twins as the building blocks of infrastructure intelligence. With the iTwin Platform, engineering data in Bentley Infrastructure Cloud (ProjectWise for project delivery, SYNCHRO for construction, and AssetWise for asset operations) can be aligned, queried and managed, to increase infrastructure intelligence over the lifecycle of projects and assets.

Bentley Systems estimates that the company’s engineering users accumulate at least 100 million new unique digital components per month within their respective ProjectWise environments, teeing up potential infrastructure intelligence benefits across construction, operations and maintenance. As an indication that digital twins are becoming mainstream, the proportion of Going Digital Awards finalists crediting iTwin has risen to 64% in 2023.

Greg Bentley highlighted multiple infrastructure intelligence strategies that organisations are using to further compound the value of their data, including reusing digital components, integrating subsurface modelling and incorporating, into evergreen digital twins, operational data from IoT sensors, drones, and even crowdsourcing.

He also explained how Going Digital Awards finalists and organisations in Singapore are accelerating their 08

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER November 2023

infrastructure intelligence through the use of AI.

Application of infrastructure intelligence in Singapore In Singapore, digital twins are extensively used to optimise decision-making and operations: • PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, is working, in collaboration with Bentley Systems, on a Singapore National Research Foundation-funded project to develop a new system for detecting and localising water system anomalies and leaks in near real time. Through a high-fidelity digital twin, AI-based predictive models, and hydraulic network model calibration and simulation, the project could potentially help in improving network resilience and water conservation.

• SMRT Trains, the leading multi-modal public transport operator in Singapore, uses AssetWise Linear Analytics software as the basis for its Predictive Decision Support System to prioritise maintenance. The digital twin system has enabled SMRT to meet its service reliability targets by optimising maintenance deployments.

• Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) fully leverages Bentley Systems’ EMME and DYNAMEQ mobility digital twin software for its long-term and short-term planning, including operational traffic models for traffic impact and scheme analysis. This includes using Bentley Systems’ agent-based travel demand model.

• Singapore Land Authority (SLA) is a leader in digital twin adoption. Dr Victor Khoo, Director of Survey and Geomatics, SLA, joined the Year in Infrastructure conference this year to discuss Singapore’s national digital twin journey and share how a 0.225 m accurate nationwide reality mesh from aerial surveying is incorporated with extensive inputs from other mapping datasets to produce a complete digital twin of the city, which is then shared with multiple agencies and research institutes to support Singapore’s sustainability initiatives.

Accelerating infrastructure intelligence Following Greg Bentley’s keynote address, Bentley Systems’ product and technology leaders explained how the company’s offerings increasingly help users derive greater infrastructure intelligence from their data.

“Bentley Infrastructure Cloud, including ProjectWise, leverages infrastructure digital twins to unlock data, in order to apply AI and accelerate infrastructure intelligence,” said Mike Campbell, Chief Product Officer.

Henry Okraglik, Global Director of Digital, WSP Australia, joined the Year in Infrastructure conference to explain the benefits of becoming data-centric through Bentley Infrastructure Cloud.

“As we have digitally matured, we have been able to embrace capabilities from Bentley Infrastructure Cloud to improve construction staging and planning, track and export quantity data across project phases, reduce the need for physical site visits, and a lot more,” said Okraglik.

For example, using ProjectWise, SYNCHRO, iTwin and other Bentley products, WSP was able to reduce modelling time by 60%, increase productivity by 25%, and reduce the carbon footprint by 30%, on a rail network project in Melbourne.

Advancing Bentley Open Applications with iTwin To systematically introduce the benefits of digital twins in the design phase, Campbell announced the addition of iTwin capabilities in Bentley Open Applications, for modelling and simulation, starting with MicroStation. With iTwin capabilities and workflows natively integrated, Bentley Open Applications will be able to automatically create digital twins during the design process, enabling users to collaborate in real-time, evaluate the impact of changes more seamlessly, reduce rework and expedite infrastructure intelligence.

NEWS & EVENTS

“Today, digital twins are critical enablers of how infrastructure assets are built and operated.

With iTwin-powered capabilities coming to Bentley Open Applications, all our users will also be able to leverage digital twin technology to improve their efficiency and effectiveness during design,” said Campbell.

Bentley Systems announces executive appointments

Generative AI powered by iTwin Embracing AI’s potential to accelerate infrastructure intelligence, the company highlighted its existing analytical AI capabilities, powered by iTwin, for asset monitoring, and articulated its multi-faceted approach to generative AI for design. This approach is guided by the company’s commitment to help users gain ever more value from their own engineering data secured in Bentley Infrastructure Cloud – maximising their potential from generative AI, while also ensuring each account retains explicit access and control.

Julien Moutte, Chief Technology Officer, provided examples of generative AI for infrastructure engineering, beginning with an AI agent assisting engineers in further optimising site layouts by leveraging designs and data from previous projects. He also showed how generative AI can be applied to minimise time spent on project documentation by automating drawing production with fit-for-purpose annotations.

“We believe iTwin-powered generative AI capabilities will support engineers by augmenting the work they are already doing. We see iTwin becoming a copilot to support better decision-making, reduce repetitive tasks and increase design quality.

It can help close the engineering resource capacity gap – not only by empowering current engineers to produce more, but also by enabling a more rewarding work experience, enticing future engineers to join the community advancing infrastructure,” said Moutte.

Kristin Fallon

Chris Bradshaw

At its 2023 Year in Infrastructure and Going Digital Awards event, held in Singapore, recently, Bentley Systems announced executive appointments.

Kristin Fallon joins Bentley as Chief Marketing Officer, based in Annapolis, Maryland, USA. Most recently, Fallon was Global Head of Brand and Digital Marketing at GE HealthCare, an USD 18 billion medical technology and software company.

Among many accomplishments, she led the company’s rebranding as part of its separation from GE, for which she was named Communicator of the Year by the Association of National Advertisers.

Earlier, she spent 10 years in international aid, leading marketing and communications for social, environmental and economic development projects in Asia and Africa. Fallon is a board member of the University of Maryland’s Center for Social Value Creation and a board member of the International Advertising Association.

She succeeds Chris Bradshaw who takes on the newly created role of Chief Sustainability Officer, based in Easton, Maryland, bringing together Bentley’s sustainability and education initiatives, with the objective of empowering Bentley’s users to achieve sustainable development goals, while ensuring the

Colin Ellam

Oliver Conze

next generation of engineers has the tools and knowledge to succeed.

Colin Ellam joins as Chief Executive Officer of Cohesive, Bentley’s digital integrator business, based in Manchester, United Kingdom. Most recently, Ellam served as Global Head of Nuclear at Capgemini.

He previously led the Capital Projects business for Accenture in the UK, providing consulting and technology services for the infrastructure sector, including Transport, Utilities, and Power.

Ellam has worked across many geographies including Asia Pacific, Middle East, Europe, and Africa, and has lived and worked in the US for three years. He succeeds Mark Bew, who takes on an advisory role, having grown Cohesive into a global organisation of more than 700 colleagues in 15 countries.

Oliver Conze joins as Senior Vice President, Bentley Infrastructure Cloud, based in Heidelberg, Germany. Most recently, Conze was Chief Product Officer at Customs4trade, a B2B SaaS startup automating international trade management, where he was responsible for product, technology, and operations. Previously, Conze spent 15 years at SAP, where he held a variety of executive roles in product management, portfolio strategy, and customer success.

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COVER STORY

Sustainable construction of the foundation for the Johor Bahru – Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Viaduct in a marine environment Main Authors: Ng Pin Yuan and David Ng, One Smart Engineering Pte Ltd Co-authors: Foong CW, Victor Ong, Low HF, Sii HL and Katherine Wong, One Smart Engineering Pte David Ng Ng Pin Yuan Ltd; Hary Agusalim, Chen Chao, Verdy Nurtanio and Cen Yu, China Communications Construction Company Limited (Singapore Branch); and Egwin Law and Mitch Lo, Land Transport Authority, Singapore This article will present the challenges in the construction of the foundation piles and pile caps, as well as the sustainable construction methods to overcome the challenges.

Introduction Jointly developed by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) of Singapore and MRT Corp of Malaysia, the Johor Bahru – Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link is a 4 km rail shuttle service between the Singapore terminus at Woodlands North station and the Malaysia terminus at Bukit Chagar station in Johor Bahru, along a 25 m high bridge crossing the Straits of Johor.

With a capacity of up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction, travelling along the RTS Link will be a fast and seamless experience as the train journey between the two stations will take approximately five minutes.

The Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) facilities of Singapore and Malaysia will be co-located at the Woodlands North and Bukit Chagar stations, which means that passengers need to clear the authorities only once, i.e. at their point of departure, and need not go through clearance again, at the point of arrival. When the RTS Link opens for service at the end of 2026, it will significantly improve connectivity between Singapore and Johor Bahru, and ease congestion along 10

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER November 2023

Figure 1: Alignment of RTS.

the Causeway.

Figure 1 shows the RTS alignment plan. The RTS Link project is split into two contracts. China Communications Construction Company Limited (Singapore Branch) (CCCC) was awarded Contract T235 Construction of the Viaduct and Tunnels for RTS Link.

The consultant for the permanent

structures for the viaduct, tunnel and transition structures is AECOM. One Smart Engineering Pte Ltd has been engaged by CCCC as their bridge construction engineering specialist consultant and consultant for all other temporary works, such as temporary excavation support system, temporary jetty, slope cutting, and temporary staging and formworks.

COVER STORY

Contract T235 is progressing well and is on target to achieve timely completion.

The existing condition of the Straits of Johor is as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The existing coastline is dotted with mature mangroves trees and is relatively free of pollution.

Hence it is extremely important that the construction of the foundation of the viaduct structure across the straits is done in a sustainable way, to avoid any adverse impact on the marine life and coastal habitat, due to pollution.

Viaduct structural and foundation design

Figure 2: The existing coastline at Woodlands is defined by the presence of matured mangrove trees.

The viaduct is to be constructed with precast segmental box girders positioned on the crossheads and piers, as balanced cantilevers, supported by bored piles foundation and cast in-situ reinforced concrete pile cap structures. Figure 4 is an illustration of the overall longitudinal section of the viaduct.

The 730 m viaduct (on the Singapore side) will be made up of 207 segments, with each span length ranging from 50 m up to a maximum of 110 m.

Whilst the RTS Link Viaduct stands at a height of 25 m above the water level in the middle of the Straits of Johor, on the Singapore side, it transitions gradually to underground tunnels connecting to the RTS Link Woodlands North station.

Figure 3: Existing condition of the Straits of Johor.

Construction of foundation piles The foundation system for the viaduct is made of bored piles. The bored piles for this project need to be founded in granite rock formation and this means heavy bored piling machines need to be deployed in the marine environment, to bore through the granite rock to install the piles. The diameter of each pile is typically 2 m and the piles are installed at an average depth of 30 m from the seabed. Once each pile reaches the required depth, it is filled with concrete before the pile cap is cast over the piles.

In order to position the bored piling machine to carry out the boring, there needs to be a temporary plat-

Figure 4: An illustration of the overall longitudinal section of the viaduct.

form and staging in the middle of the sea. The temporary staging will be relatively large and may have a significant impact on the environment. After much consideration, a Reverse Circulation Drilling (RCD) machine has been deployed for the construction of 1.8 m and 2 m diam-

eter bored piles in the marine environment. This RCD machine is more compact and can be mounted on a steel casing when drilling into the seabed. Figure 5 shows the temporary platform for the RCD machine used for the construction of the bored piles.

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COVER STORY

Figure 6 shows the RCD machines used for the project. Through technical discussions and planning and, at the same time, in order to meet the project schedule, two RCD machines were concurrently deployed and were drilling simultaneously at one pile cap.

Construction of foundation pile caps in the marine environment The pile caps for the viaduct are designed as partially submerged pile caps. This challenges the contractor

and the contractor’s consultants to come up with a safe, yet practical, construction method and design for casting of the pile caps. A total of 12 pile caps will be installed on the Sin-

Reverse Circulation Drilling (RCD), also known as airlifting, is an effective drilling method that exploits compressed air, by injecting it into the drill pipe below the water level, to reduce the density of the internal water column and remove slurries through circulation. The mixture of water, air and cuttings is then flushed out through the drill pipe into settling tanks. RCD rings are a highly efficient, safe and an environmentally friendly solution for large diameter drilling to large depths.

For RCD drilling, there is no need to use chemical polymers which will cause environmental damage if they leak into the sea.

Temporary platforms are designed to facilitate the construction of permanent bored piles. The platforms provide a place for human access and for tools and equipment. Crane barges and material barges are provided as the storage area for heavy machines and construction materials. Passenger boats are provided to transport people and light tools during construction.

The temporary platform has been set up via the crane barge. With the barge, the contractor can set up the temporary piles at the designated positions. The temporary piles are lifted from the material barge and directly installed at the location. Pile clamps are installed on the temporary piles to provide support to the horizontal beams of the platform. Using the clamping system avoids hot welding works which will have particles and debris drop into the sea. Besides that, the hot works will cause a deterioration in the strength of steel materials. The temporary pipe piles must be relocated and reused often at different locations. The clamping system allows the steel materials to be recycled and reused for the whole project.

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Figure 5: Temporary platform for the RCD machine used for the construction of the bored piles.

Figure 6: RCD machines used for the construction of the bored piles.

COVER STORY

gapore side to form the foundation for the piers which support the rail viaduct structure on land and over water. The pile caps, with 161 bored piles, will serve as the foundation of the RTS Link Viaduct in the Straits of Johor, on the Singapore side.

In order to build just one of the 12 foundations to be used for the 730 m long rail viaduct on the Singapore side of the RTS Link, in three stages, 5,000 m3 of concrete – enough to fill 2½ Olympic-size swimming pools – are needed. Nine of the 12 foundations are located in the Straits of Johor. The remaining three are sited on land. The construction of the 12 foundations was expected to be completed by October 2023.

Figure 7: Installed concrete panels hang temporarily on the pile casings.

For the construction of the foundation pile caps, the precast concrete panels and isolated formworks method has been adopted. With this method, a working space is provided for the construction, without the need for a large cofferdam which will disturb the underwater environment considerably.

Temporary platforms are subjected to service loads as well as environmental loads such as the temperature load, wind load and current load due to the wave and tidal effect. In this project, there are barges and boats passing by the working area, frequently. The platform is therefore built in an isolated location to facilitate the construction works and minimise impact on the sea environment.

Figure 8: Temporary props are installed to secure the wall formwork on the precast concrete panels.

The temporary pile casings, made of steel, support the precast concrete panels for the pile cap formwork.

These installed concrete panels are temporarily hung on the pile casings, as shown in Figure 7, and form a working platform slab for subsequent construction works. Subsequently, the pile cap wall formwork will be installed around the precast panel platform. Temporary props are installed to secure the wall formwork on the precast concrete panels, as shown in Figure 8.

This forms a so-called ‘bathtub-shaped’ pile cap formwork. In order to lower the whole pile cap formwork to below sea level, temporary synchronised jacks (up to 14

Figure 9: Temporary jacks and pretensioned bars are provided on the precast slab to support the formwork.

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COVER STORY

jacks with a capacity up to 300 t per jack) and pre-tension bars are provided on the precast slab to support the formwork, as shown in Figure 9.

Figure 10 shows, from sideways, where the formwork is submerged in the sea. Since water can now get inside the formwork, the gaps between the steel casing, formwork and precast concrete slab must be sealed and the sea water inside the formwork must be pumped out.

Figure 11 shows the formwork, still above the seawater level, before it is lowered.

tion of the bored piles foundation and partially submerged pile caps in the marine environment, have been environmentally friendly and sustainable.

Conclusion It is important to explore and adopt best practices and determine the most efficient way of construction, that also has the least impact on, and causes the least disruption to, the environment.

The construction methods adopted by the contractor, for the construc-

Figure 10: The synchronised jacks arrangement.

Figure 11: The formwork, still above the seawater level, before it is lowered.

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The consultants have worked closely with the contractor to provide advice and recommendations on the design and implementation of these construction methods.

DESIGN AND ENGINEERING SAFETY

Challenges in the design and construction of a co-living development lyf one-north is the winner of the BCA Design and Engineering Safety Award 2023, in the Commercial Category.

lyf one-north

Project summary The project sought to develop a short-term communal, residential (co-living) development, where residents have their own bedrooms (individual or shared) with an attached bathroom, while they share communal spaces, such as kitchens, lounges and living/entertainment areas, with other residents.

The development consists of two, 7-storey, L-shaped building blocks connected by a link structure at Level 5, which also connects to the roof, and an annexe block with a swimming pool and carpark.

The site, located at Lot CX4-5 of one-north, is bounded by Portsdown Road, Nepal Park and One North Gateway, and has a site area of 4,549 m2 and a GFA of 6,823.5 m2.

Moreover, it is in a narrow strip with a width from 16 m to 18 m, which posed challenges in terms of site logistics.

Figure 1: Site plan.

Figure 2: Land profile.

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DESIGN AND ENGINEERING SAFETY

Figure 3: Design development.

Since the MRT tunnel is located right under the west side of the site, there were restrictions on the piling works that could be done.

The site slopes up towards the north side, with a difference in level, of up to 5 m. In the L-shaped building block, the south entrance of the sub-basement is at the level of Portsdown Road, and at the north side is a 5 m high basement wall resisting all the soil load.

Steel link bridge structure The two, 7-storey, L-shaped concrete structures are connected by the steel link bridge. The main structure has been designed for both gravity (vertical) and wind (horizontal) load conditions, as one integrated block. The structural steel link bridge links the two towers from L5 to the lower roof floor.

The link bridge structure has a trapezoidal form on plan, with a width of 13 m and a length of between 22 m and 29 m.

A full storey, mega-truss concept was first envisaged by the Architect during the concept stage.

Thoughtful design development was carried out with all building professionals, reviewing all aspects of the design, including the robustness of the building, water tightness, buildability, constructability, building services connections, and other considerations. The design option that was finally adopted is 16

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Figure 4: Structural analysis model.

based on a steel portal framework, seated on an L5 transfer plate girder and supported by six, slanted steel columns.

The link bridge structure has four floors, with the main floor at L5 framed by five main transfer beams made of 1200 x 400 Plate Girder (PG). The PG is joined rigidly by full penetration butt welding, with High Strength Friction Grip (HSFG) connections as splicing.

The slanted column provides intermediate vertical support to the PG, at a location about one quarter of the length of the girder.

With regard to the end conditions of the slanted columns, both ends are pinned.

For L6 and above, a simple, single storey, portal frame was designed at 2.5 m spacing and finally supported by the L5 plate girder. All

post bases are pinned. The lateral stability is provided by the frame action from the portal frame and the slab diaphragm from the concrete floor which links to the core wall of the two towers.

In order to ensure water tightness, in particular, of the apartment rooms, movement joints are not provided at the interface between the link structure and the RC building blocks. At the same time, the stress concentration at the interface was carefully studied.

To provide a robust design, the link structure has been designed with redundancy, under three critical scenarios – the Ultimate Limit State (ULS), the Accidental Limit State (ALS) with one interior column removed, and the ALS with one exterior column removed, for the worst design forces.

DESIGN AND ENGINEERING SAFETY

Figure 5: Redundancy check.

Figure 6: Erection of the slanted, structural steel columns with temporary tieback.

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DESIGN AND ENGINEERING SAFETY

LTA Railway Protection Zone The existing MRT tunnel for the Circle Line (CCL) is located right under the west side of the site.

The two building blocks are located on the east side of the railway 1st reserve zone. No piling can be done within the 1st reserve zone and the single-storey ancillary building had to rest only on a footing. Piling works between the 1st reserve line and railway protection line had to be debonded as per LTA’s Code of Practice for Railway Protection.

The CCL tunnels are located directly below the proposed ancillary facility building while the bored piles supporting the apartment structure are located within the RPZ second and third reserves.

Figure 7: Plate girder erection.

Figure 8: Transfer floor plate girder erection completed.

Figure 9: Simple steel portal erection above L5.

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With regard to the geological condition across the site, it generally consists of fill material underlain with Jurong Formation SVI, SV, SIV and SIII material. The existing CCL tunnel is located within competent SV(N>70) or better material.

Impact assessments were therefore conducted, using 3D Plaxis, for the existing CCL tunnels, due to the proposed site formation works and permanent foundation loads, under scenarios involving both debonding and non-debonding piles. Comparison of the assessments indicated that the difference between the two scenarios was minimal. Accordingly, LTA waiver was successfully obtained, enabling the omission of debonding details for 14 piles within the Railway 2nd Reserve Zone.

DESIGN AND ENGINEERING SAFETY

Figure 10: 3D Plaxis modelling.

Figure 11: Modelling input.

Figure 12: Minimal impact demonstrated.

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DESIGN AND ENGINEERING SAFETY

Figure 13: Site formation concept.

excavation and would complicate the ERSS, thereby heavily affecting the site logistics planning. Moreover, a permanent pump system would have to be installed, which would increase the building life cycle cost.

Since the ground profile creates a 5 m sloped terrace, the design team proposed a detention drain along the north boundary of the building.

The drain is designed as an online gravity detention system, controlled by the designed weir and orifice size, in order to meet the requirements of PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency.

PROJECT CREDITS Qualified Person (ST) Er. Teoh Eng Sin

Figure 14: Soil nailing works.

Sloped terrain Taking into consideration the narrow site, the design solution sought to maximise the working area, with the least inter-crossing of the different contractor work trades.

To prepare the site formation for the sub-structure works, soil nail stabilised slopes were cut, at 75° and 80° angles, and at a maximum height of 5.35 m. Fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) bars, 25 mm in diameter, were used for the soil nails, installed within a 150 mm diameter 20

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grouted borehole. Three levels of soil nails were required to reinforce the the slope, and the slope was shotcreted with a 150 mm-thick facing.

Detention system Due to the limited working space on site, a soil nail stabilised wall was developed as the Earth Retaining or Stablising Structures (ERSS) scheme for the temporary site formation.

The design of a traditional underground tank would require further

C&S Consultant Mott MacDonald Singapore Pte Ltd Main Contractor Nakano Singapore (Pte) Ltd Developer DBS Trustee Ltd (As Trustee of Capitaland Ascott Real Estate Investment Trust) c/o lyf one-north Singapore Architectural Consultant WOHA Architects Pte Ltd

DESIGN AND ENGINEERING SAFETY

Figure 15: Detention drain layout.

Figure 16: Detention drain construction behind the building block.

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WORKPLACE SAFETY & HEALTH

A decline in workplace fatalities in 1H 2023 There is, however, room for improvement in the Construction and Manufacturing sectors.

According to the Workplace Safety and Health Report (January – June 2023), from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), in the first half of 2023 (1H 2023), the annualised fatality rate per 100,000 workers dropped by half to 0.8, as compared to 1.6 for the same period in 2022 (1H 2022) and 1.3 for second half of 2022 (2H 2022).

The annualised major injury rate remained stable at 17.2 in 1H 2023 when compared to 17.3 for both 1H and 2H 2022. The improvements reflect the positive outcomes from the Heightened Safety Period (HSP), which ended on 31 May 2023. This also places Singapore back on track towards meeting the country’s WSH2028 aspirations of a fatality rate below 1.0 per 100,000 workers. Based on the country’s safety performance in the past three years, Singapore ranks just below the top four OECD countries.

Workplace fatality numbers and rate (per 100,000 workers).

Notwithstanding the above, there is room for improvement in the Construction and Manufacturing sectors – the two biggest contributors to fatal and major injuries.

For the Construction sector, the number of fatalities at regular construction worksites decreased in 1H 2023 compared to 2H 2022.

However, more targeted interventions are required for smaller-scale construction works such as Addition & Alteration, Renovation, and Facility Management. MOM will work with relevant agencies and industry to enhance the safety standards for contractors involved in such works.

For the Manufacturing sector, there was an overall decrease in fatalities in 1H 2023. However, the number of major injuries increased, particularly in the Metalworking sub-sector, compared to 2H 2022.

The Demerit Point System has been expanded from the Construction sector to the Manufacturing sector in October 2023, as announced 22

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Top five causes of workplace fatalities in 1H 2023.

earlier by the Multi-Agency Workplace Safety and Health Taskforce (MAST). Additionally, MOM will prioritise targeted inspections to detect and deter breaches in the Metalworking sub-sector.

The Government has been sustaining efforts to improve WSH. When Singapore exited the HSP, MAST retained most of the measures introduced during HSP and added a new set of Safety Accountability, Focus and Empowerment (SAFE) measures to instill greater WSH ownership at the sectoral, company and worker levels. MAST will continue to study if additional SAFE measures are required to improve WSH outcomes in specific sectors.

WSH is a collective responsibility.

All stakeholders – the Government, employers, workers, union leaders, industry associations, WSH professionals and members of the public – need to play their part in preventing workplace incidents, and building safer workplaces.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS FATALITIES Top causes of fatalities There were 14 fatalities in 1H 2023, in which Fall from Height (FFH) and Collapse/ Failure of Structures & Equipment accounted for 58% of the fatalities. 79% of all fatalities in 1H 2023 resulted from Type A incidents (i.e. those with a higher fatality risk).

WORKPLACE SAFETY & HEALTH

MAJOR AND MINOR INJURIES Major and minor injury rates The major injury rate remained stable at 17.2 per 100,000 workers in 1H 2023, as compared to 17.3 in 1H and 2H 2022. The reported minor injury rate was also stable at 604 per 100,000 workers when compared to 596 in 2H 2022. This reflects the positive outcomes from the HSP. Major injuries were analysed on the basis of incident Types A and B, to better prioritise the key areas of concern, for more targeted interventions and enforcement.

Major injuries caused by Type A incidents (i.e. those with a higher risk of fatality) accounted for 38% of all major injuries in 1H 2023.

Type A incidents, such as falls from height and vehicular incidents, are stronger precursors to workplace fatalities. Common root causes of these injuries included inadequate fall prevention measures, unsafe worker behaviour, inadequate traffic management plans, inadequate WSH management systems leading to incompatible works, and inadequate lifting plans.

Major injuries caused by Type B incidents (i.e. those with a lower risk of fatality, such as slips, trips and falls, and machinery incidents) accounted for 62% of major injuries. Common root causes included the lack of control measures such as machine guarding, non-compliance with safety measures such as bypassing of safety interlocks, lack of safety measures to manage flow of goods, lack of provision of suitable tools, or failure to provide anti-slip footwear.

Slips, Trips and Falls (STFs) remained the top cause of non-fatal injuries, accounting for 31% of all major and 28% of all minor injuries.

In 1H 2023, there were 95 STF-related major injuries, the same as in 1H 2022. Machinery incidents were the second most common cause for major injuries, accounting for 15% of all major injuries in 1H 2023. There were 46 machinery-related major injuries in 1H 2023, an increase from 35 in 1H 2022 and 42 in 2H 2022. Machinery incidents were also the second most com-

Workplace major injury numbers and rate (per 100,000 workers).

Top five causes of workplace major injuries in 1H 2023.

Top three industries for workplace fatalities in 1H 2023.

mon cause for minor injuries. There were 1,480 machinery-related minor injuries in 1H 2023 (14% of total minor injuries), a 6% decrease from 1,578 in 2H 2023.

INJURIES BY INDUSTRY Construction, Transportation & Storage, and Manufacturing Construction, Transportation & Storage, and Manufacturing accounted for about 93% of all work-

place fatalities in 1H 2023, with the workplace fatalities numbering seven, five and one, respectively.

The annualised workplace fatality rate per 100,000 workers for the Construction sector decreased to 2.7 in 1H 2023, as compared to 4.4 in 1H 2022, and 2.9 in 2H 2022.

Similarly, in the Manufacturing sector, the annualised workplace fatality rate per 100,000 workers decreased to 0.5 in 1H 2023 as THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER November 2023

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WORKPLACE SAFETY & HEALTH

compared to 1.9 in 1H 2022 and 1.7 in 2H 2022. In contrast, for Transportation & Storage, the workplace fatality rate per 100,000 workers rose from 3.4 in 2H 2022 to 3.8 in 1H 2023, the same as in 1H 2022 (3.8). To address vehicular incidents and uplift safety standards and practices, MAST is studying measures to strengthen safe operations of vehicles such as cranes and forklifts, including the adoption of WSH Technology.

Top five industries for workplace major injuries in 1H 2023.

These three industries were also the leading industries for major injuries, and accounted for 62% of all major injuries in 1H 2023. Within these industries, SMEs generally had poorer WSH performance as compared to larger firms.

MOM commenced an enforcement operation from September to October 2023. The operation covered high-risk sectors such as Construction, Manufacturing and Transport & Storage. The operation focused on vehicular safety and other areas of concern, such as work at heights and machinery safety.

The number of dangerous occurrences on a half-yearly basis.

DANGEROUS OCCURRENCES Decrease in the number of dangerous occurrences The number of dangerous occurrences (DOs) decreased from 13 in 1H 2022 and 14 in 2H 2022, to 12 in 1H 2023. Amongst the DO cases, eight involved Collapse/Failure of Structures & Equipment and four involved Fires & Explosions. DOs are incidents with a high potential for multiple fatalities.

OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES Rise in incidence of occupational diseases The annualised Occupational diseases (ODs) incidence rate per 100,000 workers increased from 29.7 in 2H 2022 to 37.2 in 1H 2023.

This increase was driven by the rise in reported Noise-Induced Deafness (NID) cases due to ongoing Enhanced Workplace Health Surveillance (WHS+) efforts which heightened awareness amongst doctors and employers on reporting, and expansion of the surveillance footprint.

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Occupational diseases (OD) numbers and rate.

In 2021, MOM rolled out the Enhanced Workplace Health Surveillance (WHS+) under the national 10-year WSH 2028 strategy to minimise hazards that lead to occupational diseases, including NID. Under WHS+, companies with workers found to have higher exposures to toxic substances or noise are required to adopt upstream risk controls and put in place programmes (e.g. Management of Hazardous Substances Programmes,

and Hearing Conservation Programmes) that effectively reduce health risks. Companies also need to undergo third party audits to ensure their workplace health programmes are effective, and submit an audit report to MOM. MOM will continue to increase the number of workplaces under WHS+, as well as collaborate with the WSH Council to increase awareness and implementation of workplace health programmes.

SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION

Holcim Awards 2023 announces Global Winners The selected projects highlight innovative approaches to transforming the built environment.

The Holcim Foundation recently announced the winners of its international Holcim Awards for 2023, at an event held in Venice, Italy.

From the bustling streets of Madrid to heritage conservation efforts in China, the winning projects exemplify the growing global effort to provide holistic design and construction responses that advance sustainable development.

The competition had 2,380 registrations of interest from 114 countries and 500 submissions that met the entry criteria. Out of these, five projects were awarded the Gold prize for their outstanding contribution to local sustainable development within their region.

These projects, hailing from Canada, China, Ghana, Mexico and Spain, are beacons of contextually-relevant design which thoughtfully balance the need for inclusive, human-centric spaces and environmental stewardship. The winning projects champion advances in approaches ranging from adaptive reuse and material circularity to participatory design and cooperative business models. They also address critical challenges including energy management, community empowerment and issues of land use and restoration.

Laura Viscovich, Executive Director of the Holcim Foundation, highlighted the common ambition of all the winning projects to enhance community health, wellbeing and prosperity. She praised the winners for designs which embody the foundation’s goals for sustainable construction, stating, “In a world where sustainability has multiple interpretations, the Holcim Foundation is proud to shine a light on projects that demonstrate best-inclass solutions for creating uplifting places that meet human development goals while restoring and

Fujian Tulou, Zhangzhou, Fujian, China.

Presentation of the Holcim Awards 2023 Gold for Asia Pacific, to DnA_Design and Architecture, China, for Fujian Tulou, Zhangzhou, Fujian, China.

regenerating natural systems. We encourage all our Holcim Awards winners to use this global recognition as a platform to help speed up the realisation of sustainable construction in their regions.”

Winners of the Holcim Awards 2023 are: Holcim Awards 2023 Gold • ASIA PACIFIC: Fujian Tulou, Zhangzhou, Fujian, China by DnA_Design and Architecture. The project defines a conservation approach

through adaptive reuse and proposes a prototypical framework for giving new value to traditional tulou structures.

• EUROPE: El 17. Composition of Knowledge House, Madrid, Spain

by Husos, Elii, and Ultrazul. A rehabilitation of an industrial building into a vibrant community hub using a comprehensive 360° co-design process that emphasises material circularity and increases urban biodiversity.

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SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION

• LATIN AMERICA: Utopía Estrella Iztapalapa, Mexico City, Mexico

by CANO | VERA Arquitectura. An urban remediation project that aims to transform a site including a former landfill to create facilities for sport, culture, social engagement and ecological education, for the 230,000 inhabitants of Iztapalapa.

• MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA: Surf Ghana Collective, Busua, Ghana

by Juergen Strohmayer and Glenn DeRoché. A responsible tourism co-operative that repurposes an existing building to create a dynamic community space which enhances economic opportunities and empowers youth in Busua.

Ger Plug-In 3.0 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

• NORTH AMERICA: 1925 Victoria Park Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada

by Well Grounded Real Estate, Serotiny Group and CREE Buildings.

A high-tech and low-cost modular housing solution that re-imagines sustainable apartment living through the design of the first 12-floor near-zero, mixed use rental development in Ontario.

Holcim Awards Silver • ASIA PACIFIC: Ger Plug-In 3.0 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia by District Development Unit, Energy-Efficient Design Build, and Ger Hub. A housing prototype upgrades Ger (traditional felt tent) dwellings to provide affordable and energy-efficient housing with integrated infrastructure that improves air quality, health, and wellbeing.

• EUROPE: Urban Nature Project, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom by Feilden Fowles, J&L Gibbons and the Natural History Museum. The landscape programme transforms the two-hectare Gardens of London to increase biodiversity, accessibility, scientific research, and best practice in outdoor nature-learning, while responding to the urgent need to re-engage people with the natural world and urban wildlife.

• LATIN AMERICA: San José De Nueva Venecia School, Sitio Nuevo, Colombia by FP Arquitectura. A refurbishment project that expands and renovates a village school for flexible community use, and provides innovative biological 26

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NUS Yusof Ishak House, Singapore.

waste-water treatment for enhanced ecosystem health.

• MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA: Stream Co-Habitat, Tuzla, Turkey, by Openact Architecture. An ecosystem regeneration and urban re-engagement programme that aims to develop a design scheme, based on the waterlines shaping Tuzla’s natural landscape and lifestyle, while reconnecting it to its historical and cultural roots.

• NORTH AMERICA: Maritime Innovation Center, Seattle, WA, USA, by The Miller Hull Partnership. A deep energy retrofit for a ‘blue tech’ economy hub that reuses much of the century-old heavy timber structure and delivers 105% of the building’s annual energy needs by ground source heat exchange.

Holcim Awards Bronze • ASIA PACIFIC: NUS Yusof Ishak House, Singapore by the National

University of Singapore (NUS).

Adaptive reuse and retrofit of a 1970s university administration building that aims to be the first of its kind on campus to achieve the target of net-zero energy in its operational phase.

• EUROPE: Haus 2+, Berlin, Germany by Office ParkScheerbarth. A mixed-used building extension for a cooperatively organised cultural complex that expands the architectural language of prefabricated timber structures beyond their typical angularity, while maximising energy efficiency.

• LATIN AMERICA: Saving Portete – Sustainable Island, Esmeraldas, Ecuador, by Rama Estudio. A resilience project for a coastal community, following an earthquake in 2016, that creates a sustainable island with affordable and decent housing as well as community infrastructure that responds to local needs.

SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION

• MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA: Kfar Houneh Ecolodge, Kfar Houneh, Lebanon, by Akl Architects. An environmental remediation project located on the outskirts of Kfar Houneh village that promotes responsible tourism and historic preservation and incorporates an ecolodge built with eco-friendly materials and techniques, utilising locally-sourced natural materials.

• NORTH AMERICA: Kaiser Borsari Hall, Bellingham, WA, USA, by Perkins and Will. A university building with on-site energy generation and storage that achieves a 63% reduction in embodied carbon and a 100% reduction in operational carbon, designed according to International Living Future Institute ‘smart building’ standards.

Holcim Awards Acknowledgement • ASIA PACIFIC: Post-Covid Factory, Đồng Nai, Vietnam, by Le Quang-Architect(s). An industrial refurbishment project that delivers a better indoor and outdoor work environment through a more dense yet permeable massing that features breathable surfaces, integrated natural landscape and efficient energy use of equipment and ventilation systems.

• EUROPE: High-Rise H1 Zwhatt Site, Regensdorf, Switzerland by Boltshauser Architekten. A tower of flexible modular apartments for 2,000 residents that concentrates density to reserve land for well-structured outdoor space, and generates around half of the electrical energy required for the apartments via integrated and rooftop photovoltaics.

• LATIN AMERICA: Memories of Water, Rio Negro, Colombia, by TAP Arquitectura, Rojas Arquitectos, Geográfica Sur, Cosme Landscape Architecture and EMS Arquitectos.

An amphibious park system located on a floodplain that seeks to reinvigorate its territory with habitat revitalisation strategies that reconcile and strengthen the living dynamic of the natural and urban landscape.

• MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA: Ezbet Eshaq’s Eco Classroom, Ezbet Eshaq, Egypt, by BENAA Foundation for Sustainable Development.

A learning space constructed with

Post-Covid Factory, Đồng Nai, Vietnam.

the help of the local community in the agricultural village of Ezbet Eshaq, that uses recycled materials including 9,000 reused plastic bottles filled with sand, locally sourced compressed earth blocks, bamboo, and natural clay.

• NORTH AMERICA: Muscowpetung Powwow Arbour, Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation, SK, Canada, by Oxbow Architecture and Richard Kroeker. A traditionally constructed cultural space for an indigenous community, that supports economic objectives by engaging local sources of labour in the building process, using construction approaches that are strategically aligned with local resources and skills.

The selection process The Holcim Awards, with its mission of recognising and promoting projects from around the world, that are accelerating sustainable construction, has a rigorous selection process driven by independent regional juries. The juries assess each submission using a holistic approach to sustainability, which focuses on environmental, social, and economic impacts, contextual relevance and transferability potential.

The Awards Juries The Holcim Awards juries were led

by Manit Rastogi, Founding Partner of Morphogenesis, New Delhi, India (ASIA PACIFIC); Belinda Tato, Founder of ecosistema urbano, Madrid, Spain, and Associate Professor in Practice of Landscape Architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, MA, USA (EUROPE); Tatiana Bilbao, Founder and Principal of Tatiana

Bilbao Estudio, Mexico City, Mexico (LATIN AMERICA); Lesley Lokko OBE, Founder & Director of African Futures Institute, Accra, Ghana, and Curator of the 18th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia (MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA); and Craig Dykers, Founding Partner of Snøhetta, New York, USA (NORTH AMERICA).

Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction The Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction are presented to winners of a significant competition for sustainable design, showcasing projects that contribute to the transformation of the building sector. Established in 2004, the Awards commend projects that combine sustainable design and sustainable construction with architectural excellence. Boasting a global footprint, the Holcim Awards have notably conferred over 340 prizes.

From bolstering project legitimacy to garnering international peer appreciation, the Holcim Awards play a key role in accelerating the best ideas and solutions for a more sustainable built environment.

Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction Founded in 2003, the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction supports change accelerators in the built environment globally. Since its inception, the foundation has investigated and communicated the various aspects of sustainable construction via a series of roundtables and conferences with international experts. It has also recognised excellent contributions in this field, with the Holcim Awards.

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BCA UNIVERSAL DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2023

Tourism and community spaces receive recognition Inclusive designs in a new attraction and in the upgraded airport cater to visitors and tourists of all abilities.

Thoughtful and inclusive features, such as spacious pathways that seamlessly connect walk-through aviaries for parents with prams or seniors using wheelchairs, spacious nursing rooms, and air-conditioned rest areas, enabled Bird Paradise to win the BCA Universal Design Excellence Award (UDEA) this year.

The other two winners are Changi Airport Terminal 2’s expansion project and the integrated community hub, One Punggol.

For Bird Paradise, adopting Universal Design principles and thinking were important considerations from the start, with its three guiding principles of inclusion, sustainability and integration.

“An essential design criterion for Bird Paradise was to ensure that every guest, regardless of abilities and needs, can embark on a seamless journey and enjoy the wonders of nature. By embracing universal design principles, we have incorporated inclusive elements into the guest experience, ensuring accessibility for diverse profiles, from nursing mothers with young children to seniors and their caregivers. Whether strolling through our walk-through aviaries with access to different vantage points or navigating through barrier-free play areas, we want to provide every guest with the opportunity to experience the park in their own way. Thoughtful considerations can go a long way in ensuring that our guests have positive encounters while appreciating close-up connections with our animals,” said Maggie Ang, Vice President of Park Operations, Mandai Wildlife Group.

The project team for the expansion of Changi Airport Terminal 2 strived to upgrade the terminal to meet 28

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the evolving needs of passengers and visitors.

Mr Tan Lye Teck, Programme Director for the Terminal 2 Expansion Project, Changi Airport Group (CAG), shared, “We would like every traveller, regardless of their requirements and abilities, to be able to enjoy the iconic Changi Experience and the contemporary design concepts inspired by elements of nature, as they pass through our airport. The design of our built amenities and training of frontline staff to serve diverse needs, including invisible disabilities, all contribute to ensuring accessibility and easing the stress of travel. We continue to innovate and enhance accessibility features at Changi Airport, with the goal of delivering a truly inclusive travel experience for all our passengers.”

RSP Architects Planners & Engineers (Pte) Ltd, who were part of the design teams for both Bird Paradise and Changi Airport Terminal 2, shared their commitment in adopting Universal Design thinking during the course of their projects.

“We put people, community and environment at the heart of every design endeavour. Through empathic design, we strive to create meaningful spaces where design solves the real needs of humanity, beyond the expected,” said Ms Law Yoke Foong, Head of Business and Executive Director, RSP Architects Planners & Engineers.

As the first completed development within the civic and community district in Punggol, One Punggol, developed by the People’s Association and designed by DP Architects, brought together various amenities into a single convenient location.

Apart from common facilities like the regional library and hawker

centre, that were designed with accessibility and inclusivity in mind, seniors can also spend their time in the day care centre, while families can utilise the child development clinic. The Punggol Regional Library, with the largest children’s collection, houses also accessibility accommodation and collection facilities for persons with disabilities, allowing the library to better serve the needs of the community in Punggol and beyond.

BCA’s Director for Building Plan and Universal Design, Ar. Tan Jwu Yih commented, “Beyond providing user-friendly features and equitable experiences for users of all abilities through planning, design and construction, the winners this year have also placed an emphasis on good building management and customer service to further enhance the experiences of their users. Incorporating inclusive features into building design not only fosters accessibility but can also give businesses a competitive edge.

Many of these features are relatively low-cost and easy to implement, especially when integrated into the design, from the onset. We encourage building owners and operators to follow their lead by adopting Universal Design principles to make their premises more accessible and inclusive, to create a memorable experience for all visitors to their buildings.”

Advancing the adoption of Universal Design in the built environment For the past year, BCA has also been building up a database of newly built buildings with user-friendly features and the level of user-friendliness for four user groups – persons with disabilities, the elderly, families with young children, and expectant or nurs-

BCA UNIVERSAL DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2023

ing mothers. This information is contributed by developers and architects as part of the Universal Design index self-assessment framework that comprises a checklist for them to benchmark the level of user-friendliness of their buildings for the four user groups.

Other initiatives to promote the adoption of Universal Design include a refreshed certification course for Universal Design assessors and the enhanced Accessibility Fund.

WINNERS OF THE BCA UNIVERSAL DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARD (UDEA) 2023 Bird Paradise and Mandai Wildlife West Project details Mandai Wildlife West serves as the gateway to Bird Paradise and the upcoming Rainforest Wild Asia, offering playgrounds, diverse F&B options, and a welcoming arrival area. Inspired by a rich variety of flora and ecosystems, this public space provides an engaging experience for visitors.

Spanning 17 hectares, Bird Paradise is home to 3,500 birds from over 400 species. The park is designed to encourage discovery at every turn, featuring immersive walk-through aviaries representing different world habitats. Alongside highlights like a state-of-the-art penguin habitat and a 2,000-seat amphitheatre hosting animal programmes, and outdoor play areas, the park offers an enriching adventure for all.

node, providing a unique and barrier-free arrival experience between the Concourse and the Upper Deck level.

• On the Upper Deck, wide sheltered walkways ensure visitors with prams, trolleys or wheelchairs are seamlessly connected to the entrance of Bird Paradise and the future Rainforest Park, weaving through public playgrounds and F&B outlets. Additionally, free wheelchairs are provided for the elderly and for persons with disabilities.

Bird Paradise • Within the walk-through aviaries, ‘suspension’ bridges and viewing platforms are strategically located and are designed to be accessible, offering expansive views for everyone to enjoy.

• The railing along the elevated walkway is designed to be porous, which allows children and visitors on wheelchairs to view from a lower angle. Bird feeders are located on the railing to enable close encounters with the animals.

• Ample rest spaces are allocated next to activity zones, allowing visitors of all ages to comfortably interact with the animal exhibits and enjoy the surrounding scenery.

• Thematic pavilions, transition buildings and viewing decks throughout the park serve as rest stops with plenty of seating for relaxation and rejuvenation.

• The Entrance Plaza and Central

Plaza are large gathering areas that provide easy orientation for the visitors to locate family-friendly amenities such as guest services, family toilets, nursing rooms and water refill stations.

• A complimentary, in-park shuttle connects Entrance Plaza to Central Plaza, so that visitors can conveniently catch an avian presentation or get to the F&B outlets. For guests who are in wheelchairs, the shuttle is equipped with clamps to secure the wheelchairs. A dedicated waiting area, which has seats, is reserved for guests with special needs.

• Nursing rooms are provided with generous stroller parking and waiting areas outside. Side tables and ledges are designed for mothers to place their belongings conveniently.

• To enhance the experience for those with hearing impairments, the park provides hearing enhancement facilities at information counters, Learning Centres, and the 2,000-seat Sky Amphitheatre, ensuring that everyone can fully engage in the park’s educational programmes and entertainment offerings.

PROJECT CREDITS Developer Mandai Wildlife Group Architect RSP Architects Planners & Engineers (Pte) Ltd

Mandai Wildlife West and Bird Paradise follow a universal design approach of inclusiveness and brings everyone close to nature. Public areas are designed for seamless and barrier-free movements between activity zones. Accessible facilities, such as nursing and adult changing stations, cater to multi-generation families.

Features Mandai Wildlife West • A feature ramp is integrated behind the waterfall at the arrival

Bird Paradise and Mandai Wildlife West THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER November 2023

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BCA UNIVERSAL DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2023

Changi Airport Terminal 2 Expansion Project details The Changi Airport Terminal 2 (T2) Expansion project seeks to add 15,500 m2 to the terminal building and increase Changi Airport’s overall capacity to 90 million passengers per annum, when the works are completed in end-2023. Spaces are added in both arrival, departure and transit areas to provide more room for travellers and visitors.

The refreshed T2 sports greenery and natural elements at every turn follows Changi’s signature garden theme in its terminals.

Features • The transformed check-in layout in the departure hall features a spacious, common-use central Fast And Seamless Travel (FAST) zone, with more automated check-in kiosks and bag drop machines. The new orientation of the check-in islands sets out to intuitively direct departing passengers to the departure immigration hall after they have checked-in for their flights.

• The arrival and departure immigration halls are expanded and

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reconfigured with more automated lanes. The introduction of the special assistance lanes (SAL)

by ICA, also enables travellers with reduced mobility and family groups of up to four persons (e.g., parents with young children) to enjoy the convenience of using the automated immigration process together.

• Clear way-finding signs with contrasting colours and large pictograms, as well as digital landmark features, are installed to aid passengers and visitors navigate around the terminal easily.

• Ample seating areas are nestled throughout the terminal. All passengers, whether departing, transiting, or arriving, can enjoy comfortable seating in an environment inspired by nature.

• Garden-like seating lounges are created in the arrival ‘meeters and greeters’ hall, featuring double-volume, landscaped seating areas illuminated with soft daylight. Thoughtful touches have been made to the new halls, with adequate resting points furnished with seats of different heights and armrests.

• Care@Changi programme was introduced to provide support and assistance for passengers with disabilities. Under this programme, one initiative which CAG undertook was to make travel easier and more inclusive for passengers with invisible disabilities (PIDs) such as autism and dementia. Airport staff are trained to recognise and approach passengers with unique lanyards that discreetly identify them as PIDs. • CAG also launched the ‘Changi Airport Social Story’ initiative, as part of the Care@Changi programme. This is a customisable step-by-step airport guide that can be used by caregivers to familiarise passengers with special needs on various airport processes and to better prepare them for their journey at the airport.

PROJECT CREDITS Developer Changi Airport Group (Singapore) Pte Ltd Architect RSP Architects Planners & Engineers (Pte) Ltd

BCA UNIVERSAL DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2023

One Punggol Project details One Punggol is an integrated resident-centric hub envisioned as the beating heart of its new, ecologically sustainable community in the northeast of Singapore. The building’s design, the co-location of its many facilities and the synergies it aims to create, are all focused on the underlying theme of ‘diversity in unity’, to appropriately serve Punggol town’s rapidly expanding generation of modern, young workers and families.

Features • One Punggol integrates with the transit infrastructure by means of a new 500 m linear park that has transformed a formerly under-utilised space below the railway into an outdoor community playground and exercise space.

• The building envelope is porous, enabling the weaving of the interior

with the exterior. Entryways without doors lead directly into naturally ventilated and covered spaces within the heart of the development. As a wayfinding mechanism to guide circulation, distinctive floor patterns are implemented at arrival points, transition areas, walking corridors, congregation spaces and landscape activity areas.

• The square acts as the heart of the development, a veritable agora for meeting and social interaction.

Each of the various programmatic departments is provided with visibility into the central atrium. This serves both as a means of orientation as well as a congregating space bringing together diverse agencies and users.

• Punggol Regional Library, as one of the largest co-locating partners, has an overarching theme of ‘inclusivity’, with a focus on diversity of age groups and persons with disabilities (PWD). The

Library’s first storey has a curated PWD collection where bookshelves are specially designed and check-out pods are provided, allowing direct movement of wheelchair users.

• Within the infants’ section of the library on the first storey, a family lounge is provided for parents to prepare food for their babies. The first and second storeys, where the infants’ and children’s section is located, have calm pods that provide safe spaces for children to relax when needed. On the third and fourth storeys, where the adults’ section is, there are changing beds inside accessible toilets.

PROJECT CREDITS Developer People’s Association Architect DP Architects Pte Ltd

One Punggol THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER November 2023

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES

The scope for EVs in construction will depend on battery pricing

by Dr James Jeffs, Senior Technology Analyst, IDTechEx The future looks promising but the breakthrough changes will take time.

For a construction professional, the new report from IDTechEx, ‘Electric Vehicles in Construction 20232043’, shows that there are many reasons for adopting an electric vehicle – they are quieter than diesels, they help with air quality on the construction site, they can be more precise and easier to operate, and so on. But one key factor will determine whether electric machines can become the default choice for construction or a greenwashing gimmick – the total cost of ownership (TCO).

IDTechEx’s research finds that, at current battery pricing, the TCO should soon be tipping in favour of the electric vehicles. This is good news.

In terms of performance and capability, there is little doubt that an electric construction machine will be as productive as its diesel counterparts. The data that IDTechEx has collated through its research shows that much. However, the endurance of the machines and their ability to complete long, arduous days are still questionable.

IDTechEx’s research shows that the average electric machine will fall short, running a continuous eight-hour day. This can be mitigated with fast charging, tethering, or even battery-swapping options.

Even so, the batteries going into these vehicles are still big – really, really big. To get adequate endurance from something like a 23 tonne wheel loader, or a 27-tonne excavator, manufacturers are installing battery packs with capacities in the hundreds of MWh, with some stretching as far as 700 MWh, the equivalent of nearly 12 Tesla Model 3s. These batteries are going to be the bulk of the premium of 32

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building an electric machine. Even at automotive prices, 700 MWh is going to cost around USD 70,000.

The critical question is – will this be repaid in fuel savings and reduced maintenance?

For the car industry, it is well-accepted that the running cost of an electric vehicle is low enough to outweigh the initial premium associated with buying the car. This has a lot to do with the cost of batteries continuing to fall. For large-volume vehicle production, OEMs can expect to pay in the region of USD 100/kWh for lithium-ion batteries.

There is little difference between electric vehicles and internal combustion equivalents at this price.

However, the same cannot be said for the construction industry, yet.

Even for small construction vehicles, like 2 tonne excavators, the electric machine can be twice as expensive as the internal combustion option. However, with a diesel excavator consuming around 2.5 L per hour in fuel, there is still an

Dr James Jeffs

opportunity for TCO savings. Moving to large excavators, the savings become even greater. Although excavators can get as large as 100 tonnes or more, the majority of electric excavators go up to around 30 tonnes, with the odd example in the 40s and 50s. Even at these more modest sizes, the potential fuel savings are huge.

The analysis in IDTechEx’s report, ‘Electric Vehicles in Construction 2023-2043’, shows that the average 30 tonne excavator will consume around USD 18,000 worth of fuel per year. However, operating an equivalent electric machine would mean around USD 9,400 in electricity costs, which means a savings of around USD 8,600 per year. Over the vehicle’s lifetime, say 12 years, that is more than USD 100,000 in savings, before maintenance. However, a machine this size will likely need a 350 kWh-450 kWh battery pack to give adequate endurance.

Reaching the right cost per kWh will be essential for making the transition worthwhile.

Figure 1: Required and average battery capacities. Source: IDTechEx.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Lots of initial electric construction vehicles were produced by retrofitting normal ICE machines with electric powertrains. This was an inherently expensive process. Even after all the maintenance and fuel savings, the TCO would be far more than an internal combustion engine vehicle. Retrofitting has several issues. Firstly, one needs to pay full price for the ICE vehicles before even beginning electrification.

To illustrate, consider the Pon-CAT 323F Z-line electric retrofit from 2018. IDTechEx estimates that the basic 26-tonne excavator would cost in the region of USD 250,000.

On top of this, an electric powertrain (motors, power electronics,

software) is needed for around USD 165,000, plus the labour charges required for retrofitting, which IDTechEx estimates would cost approximately USD 60,000, and finally, the battery. Buying a single battery pack, even a reasonably large one, does not give much leverage for negotiating lower prices. So, firms will be paying in the region of USD 500/kWh for the battery, for a 300 kWh battery needed in these machines, which alone will come to USD 150,000. All costs considered, the USD 250,000 ICE excavator has grown to USD 625,000 for the retrofitted electric machine. The benefits of electrification mean that nearly USD 40,000

should be saved through reduced maintenance, and a further USD 90,000 of fuel savings is possible, but that still leaves the operator nearly USD 250,000 out of pocket.

The equation changes when production is bought in-house by the OEMs. Firstly, the vehicle would be built from the ground up as electric, so there is no retrofitting labour. It could actually be cheaper for the OEM to build the electric machine, as the system is simpler than a diesel engine. Then, it can be assumed that the cost of the power electronics minus the battery is roughly equivalent to an internal combustion engine. Again, this is likely giving a small advantage to the diesels.

However, the OEMs will still need to add a large battery to the vehicle. OEMs building series production vehicles in the hundreds or thousands will have a better position to negotiate battery pricing.

IDTechEx’s research and conversations with industry indicate that OEMs should be able to get prices down to USD 300/kWh.

Figure 2: Fuel costs and savings in excavators of various sizes. Source: IDTechEx.

This still gives a battery cost of USD 90,000 for the vehicle, which will be borne by the customer, but with the reduced operational costs, the customer should still find that they have saved some money over the vehicle’s lifetime.

Table 1: Time in years that an electric wheel loader will take to reach break-even TCO, compared to a diesel equivalent, for wheel loaders of various sizes and a range of battery pricing. This is the time taken for fuel and maintenance savings obtained for an electric wheel loader, in comparison with a diesel machine, to equal the additional cost of the battery. Source: IDTechEx. THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER November 2023

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Simply knowing that an EV will give a return is not all that helpful, though. Owners will want to know when they can expect to start seeing their investments paying off. This is highly dependent on the vehicle sizing and the amount that OEMs are paying for batteries.

Table 1 shows how many years it will take an electric wheel loader to start seeing net savings compared to a diesel vehicle, based on fuel and maintenance savings in wheel loaders of various weights.

To make sure owners and operators start seeing a return on their investment before their vehicles reach their end-of-life, IDTechEx’s report ‘Electric Vehicles in Construction 2023-2043’, finds that battery prices need to fall below USD 400/ kWh. The good news is that OEMs should already be able to secure this sort of pricing when scaling to series production of electric construction machines.

It has taken the automotive industry the best part of a decade to grow a supply chain for electric components and get prices of lithium-ion batteries down. The construction industry can leverage the heavy lifting done by the automotive industry and quickly adopt electric powertrains through an already-established supply chain. Construction OEMs will have quick access to off-the-shelf motors and inverters.

There is already an established, if slightly stretched, battery supply chain, and there is a population of workers experienced in vehicle electrification, that did not exist 15 years ago. This is all to say that the transition to electric should be relatively simple for the construction industry. The only thing that needs to fall into place is battery prices.

Currently, it looks like the OEMs will be able to get batteries at a price that makes sense for a compelling TCO. But once the industry finds its feet and begins to scale, battery pricing could fall as low as automotive levels. If an OEM could build an EV with batteries at USD 100/kWh, owners could see a return on their investment in as little as 2-3 years.

As well as battery prices falling, maintenance is another area where 34

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there is still untapped potential. Most current estimates are that EVs will give a 50% reduction in maintenance, but why not more? After all, EVs have only one moving part, so there is not much to maintain. The majority of the remaining maintenance needs will be for the existing hydraulic systems. Almost all EVs will be keeping heritage hydraulic systems so that owners and operators can keep using their existing accessories, making the transition to EVs simple.

However, using an electric powertrain opens the possibility of using electric linear actuators, instead, which will almost eliminate maintenance as well as providing other benefits such as increased precision and increased efficiency. Another benefit is that the increased efficiency will help to get more endurance out of the battery. Once linear actuators are introduced, maybe on second or third generation vehicles, the return on investment will happen even sooner, and lifetime savings will be even greater.

Unfortunately, these cost savings and cheaper electric construction machines will not transpire overnight. OEMs are currently growing their portfolio of first-generation products. Some companies like John Deere and CAT have not even got that far, yet. It will likely take a couple more years for USD 300/ kWh machines to come to market and a few years after that, to get down to USD 100/kWh. IDTechEx’s report, ‘Electric Vehicles in Construction 2023-2043’, reveals how electric vehicles will change the shape of the construction vehicle market, with a 20-year forecast. It shows that the future is promising for EVs in construction, and with the amount of savings potential in fuel and maintenance, it could also be very lucrative for owners and operators.

IDTechEx mobility research This research forms part of the broader mobility research portfolio from IDTechEx, which tracks the adoption of autonomy, electric vehicles, automotive semiconductors, battery trends and demand, across land, sea and air.

Volvo Construction Equipment invests in battery pack production Earlier this year, Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) announced an investment for battery pack production in South Korea.

With the SEK 80 million (around USD 7.8 million) investment from Volvo Group, a new production facility is being built and equipped, at the Changwon plant in South Korea. Occupying an area of around 1.1 million m2, it is the largest excavator production site in Volvo CE, producing around 55% of the company’s total excavator volumes.

The new facility at the Changwon plant will produce a wide range of common electric storage solutions (battery packs) for Volvo Group and become a core competence centre for electric excavators.

This will enable Volvo Group to offer more sustainable solutions to its APAC markets in a more flexible, cost-effective and agile way, and will include supply chain, manufacturing and logistics.

The new production facility will be built inside the current component workshop at Changwon – without disruption to the existing operation.

Once complete, the facility, including assembly and logistics areas, will occupy about 2,500 m2. The building work was scheduled to begin in April 2023, with battery pack production expected to commence in June 2024.

Volvo CE has successfully introduced compact electric excavators to the global market with the ECR25 Electric, ECR18 Electric, EC18 Electric and the mid-size EC230 Electric excavators.

PROJECT APPLICATION

Regium waterfront in Reggio Calabria A range of solutions were provided for the paving and fountain flanking the monumental steps and piazzas, in this project located in Southern Italy.

The new Regium waterfront project creates a continuum between the port and the Italo Falcomatà promenade.

The new Regium waterfront in Reggio Calabria, Southern Italy, was inaugurated in 2021. Designed

by Zaha Hadid Architects, it has allowed the city to reclaim a new space and transform the area into a tourist attraction and a place where people can come together, creating a continuum between the port and the Italo Falcomatà promenade. This long, panoramic walk, overlooking the Strait of Messina and Sicily, winds its way between pedestrian areas and cycle lanes, and provides a new sense of urban spatiality.

The history of Regium waterfront In 2006, the Reggio Calabria City Council launched an international competition for the design of the new Regium waterfront project.

The winning design was announced in 2007. The award-winner was London-based Zaha Hadid Architects.

The project included construction of the Museum of the Mediterra36

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nean, with a special section dedicated to the Italian fashion designer, Gianni Versace; display spaces; an aquarium; and a library. The aim of the project was to regenerate an abandoned part of the city – the Candeloro neighbourhood – and rejuvenate the area around the port.

The new waterfront extends over an area of 50,000 m2 and will bring in tourists and provide areas where people can come together, through new ways of using spaces in a previously run-down part of the city.

Work was carried out in the area around the port and the Zerbi pine forest, and along the northern part of the Italo Falcomatà promenade.

The main focus of the intervention hinged around the creation of two piazzas situated in the Zerbi pine forest area. These two spaces are connected by a series of access steps flanked by an evocative water feature, with its flow alternating along and through three steps

and three pools. An unmistakable stylistic approach of projects by Zaha Hadid Architects is, in fact, the use of smooth, white, resin-bound concrete to create statue-like architectural forms.

Paving, waterproofing and other works For the paving in the area around the Zerbi pine forest and on the steps connecting the paved areas, the use of Mapei solutions was recommended, in order to create architectural concrete paving with an exposed aggregate effect finish.

To waterproof the pools for the fountain flanking the steps, the solution recommended by Mapei experts was, firstly, to prepare the substrates using PLANITOP FAST 330, a quick-setting, fibre-reinforced levelling cementitious mortar, which is applied on internal and external floors at thicknesses from 3 mm to 30 mm.

PROJECT APPLICATION

The next step was to apply MAPECOAT I 600 W two-component, transparent epoxy primer in water dispersion, followed by a coat of TRIBLOCK FINISH epoxy-cementitious mortar which is used for protecting and smoothing out vertical and horizontal concrete surfaces subject to damp, where good chemical resistance and high resistance to abrasion are required.

The pool surfaces requiring a coloured finish were then finished and painted with ELASTOCOLOR WATERPROOF which is especially suitable for surfaces in permanent contact with water. This easy-toclean, flexible acrylic paint provides sufficient protection against the sun, acid rain and atmospheric agents, in general.

The surfaces of the shelter at the bus terminus in the port, which is completely open on the sides facing the sea and the city, were waterproofed with MAPELASTIC flexible, two-component cementitious mortar. While the first layer of MAPELASTIC was still fresh, MAPENET 150 alkali-resistant, fibre glass mesh was applied to reinforce the protective, waterproof mortar.

These surfaces were also painted and protected with ELASTOCOLOR WATERPROOF. The walls below the pine forest and alongside the fountain were skimmed with PLANITOP 210 one-component, fine-textured, water-repellent cementitious skimming mortar or with PLANITOP 217 coarse-textured, water-repellent cementitious skimming mortar, according to the texture required in the different areas.

Once the skim coats had dried, the surfaces were finished off with QUARZOLITE BASE COAT coloured, acrylic undercoat which is used to level the substrates and improve adhesion of the following coating layer. The final step was to apply QUARZOLITE TONACHINO acrylic plaster, which is suitable for coating internal and external surfaces. It forms a layer that is resistant to all weather conditions, in general, including aggression from smog, saltwater and sunlight.

Mapei solutions for exposed aggregate concrete surfaces were used to create the paving on the monumental steps and piazzas in the area around the Zerbi pine forest.

The surfaces of the shelter at the bus terminus in the port were waterproofed with MAPELASTIC flexible, two-component cementitious mortar.

PROJECT DATA

INTERVENTION BY MAPEI

Project Regium waterfront, Reggio Calabria, Italy

Contribution by Mapei Supply of products for paving, preparing and waterproofing substrates in the water tanks, and levelling and coating of walls

Owner Reggio Calabria City Council Design Zaha Hadid Architects Filippo Innocenti Proger SpA Artuso Architetti Associati Main contractor Cobar Spa Works direction Domenico Richichi Mauro Cuocci Period of construction 2017-2021

This editorial feature is based on an article from Realtà MAPEI INTERNATIONAL ISSUE 98. Images by Mapei.

Application of Mapei products Preparing substrates – MAPECOAT I 600 W, PLANITOP FAST 330, PLANITOP 210, PLANITOP 217, TRIBLOCK FINISH Waterproofing substrates – MAPELASTIC, MAPENET 150 Coatings – QUARZOLITE BASE COAT, QUARZOLITE TONACHINO, ELASTOCOLOR WATERPROOF Website for further information www.mapei.com/sg utt.mapei.com (Some products are available in Singapore. Please contact customer service at Mapei Far East for the available products).

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER November 2023

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PROJECT APPLICATION

Four towers grow at the same time Formwork and scaffolding solutions are being implemented, in compliance with stringent safety regulations.

Developed by Groß & Partner, FOUR Frankfurt in Frankfurt, Germany will rise to a height of up to 233 m.

After its planned completion in 2025, the tower quartet will change the face of the German metropolis, with its pioneering architecture and sustainable urban development concept. The tower quartet is a symbol of urbanity without compromise. At the heart of Frankfurt’s skyline, new vibrant, international neighbourhoods are emerging that combine accommodation, office space and amenities, in an impressive way.

The four towers will differ in terms of their height and purpose. T1, the highest tower in the quartet, will reach a height of 233 m and, on completion, will offer 56 floors of office space. T2 and T3 are two highrise residential towers, with heights of 178 m and 128 m, respectively.

Tower T2 will be one of the highest residential towers in Germany, when completed. Tower T4 is the smallest tower in the ensemble, with 25 floors and a height of 104 m.

A total of around 600 flats with recessed balconies are being built in addition to a hotel, serviced flats and office space. With facades constructed from different materials and the clever layout of the towers, the tower quartet will also provide a pleasant residential and working atmosphere with a sophisticated light show and direct sensory exposure to the weather and clouds.

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Four 233 m high futuristic towers will soon soar high into the heart of Frankfurt’s skyline.

The construction concept involves the use of diverse and innovative PERI system solutions.

also include numerous wall and slab formwork systems, solutions from the PERI UP Scaffolding Kit as well as a wide range of components.

Partnership-based project planning and execution

Cooperation between PERI and the contractor, GP Con, commenced at an early stage, with the development of the construction concept, in order to realise the demanding architecture and to enable efficient structural planning.

PERI is playing an important role in the project by proving a wide range of systems including the formwork, scaffolding and climbing technology segments, which are subjected to the most stringent safety regulations, and a sophisticated logistics concept.

The comprehensive concept involves the use of a diverse range of PERI system solutions which are used on the construction site, as part of the partnership-based cooperation and with the constant support of a PERI project manager. In addition to PERI climbing systems, the solutions

All four towers are built on a multi-storey contiguous basement structure which, in turn, supports a podium that forms the nucleus of the new district. The passageways with their retail and catering outlets provide direct links to Frankfurt’s city centre and the

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER November 2023

Efficient solutions for partnership-based cooperation

PROJECT APPLICATION

surrounding neighbourhoods. The PERI team came up with cost-effective solutions for the erection of the basement structure and the podium, as well as the adjoining towers, which ensured that the project ran smoothly.

PERI concepts for the four towers Due to the varying requirements of the four towers, the PERI solution used for this large-scale project comprised a range of different, optimally coordinated systems. For the inner cores of the four highrise buildings, different variants of the ACS and RCS Climbing Systems were used which, in turn, were supplemented with BR Shaft Platforms and PERI Panel Formwork.

SKYDECK Panel Slab Formwork, MULTIFLEX Girder Slab Formwork and, for T2 and T3, additional project-specific slab tables, were used for the facade slabs. This meant that every ground plan could be formed efficiently and short cycle times achieved, thanks to the SKYDECK early striking option. PERI climbing protection panels were used to completely enclose the leading edges of the upper floors.

As a result, the construction site staff were protected against fall hazards, falling objects and strong winds, at all times.

Systematic special solutions Special solutions involving the PERI VARIOKIT Brace Frames and a PERI UP Facade Scaffold were required for the construction of the high storeys and the cantilevers for the forward- and backward-sloping slabs. In tower T1, a PERI UP shoring solution was also used for the double storeys with cast-in-situ concrete slabs. By using a MULTIPROP and PERI UP support, the outrigger assembly on the 43rd floor of T1 as well as on the 28th to 31st floors of T2, were carried out efficiently and safely.

Synchronised climbing of multiple platforms The decision to use the RCS MAX Rail Climbing System on Tower T2 ensured a particularly high level of

Using the RCS MAX Rail Climbing System on Tower T2 ensured a particularly high level of efficiency and safety.

PERI climbing protection panels were used to completely enclose the leading edges of the towers’ upper floors. As a result, the construction site staff were protected against fall hazards, falling objects and strong winds at all times.

efficiency and safety. Synchronised climbing of several platforms, which was carried out by means of the RCS MAX Hydraulic Units and the Drive Rails C and CL, sped up the process of moving to the next section considerably. At the same time, this innovative concept kept the number of open leading edges and falling objects to a minimum. The platforms were firmly anchored to the wall, at all times, during this process.

PERI material catch fans on the facade of T2 increased safety levels even further. Not only did they ensure that work operations on the shell of the building were safe, they also increased safety levels during the subsequent facade assembly process and in the immediate vicinity of the inner-city construction site.

Support services The PERI project management team was available on site to advise the construction site team on how to solve issues on a daily basis. In addition to organising punctual delivery of the formwork and scaffolding materials, PERI also provided material forecasts.

Lead times of up to six months were required for timely delivery of materials due to the scale and location of the project. Provision of up-to-date material and cost statements as well as important key figures on the project were the other support services provided.

All images by PERI SE THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER November 2023

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PRODUCTS & SOLUTIONS

The WRC 240(i) Rock Crusher from Wirtgen The WRC 240(i) from Wirtgen expands the portfolio of wheeled soil stabilisers designed especially for the processing of stony ground.

In addition to the crushing of rocks and stones with an edge length of up to 300 mm and a compressive strength of up to 200 MPa, the machine can add cement and water in the same pass, for instance in the preparation of base layers.

Here, the cement is pre-spread with a binding agent spreader and the water required is sprayed into the mixing chamber of the rock crusher via the machine’s Varioinjection bar.

The working width of 2,320 mm and a working depth of up to 510 mm enables an output of up to 600 tonnes per hour.

The machine can also be used for soil stabilisation. For this application, the pre-spread binding agents such as lime or cement are mixed into the existing soil with insufficient bearing capacity, transform it in-situ into a high-grade construction material and deposit it evenly behind the machine.

The main task of the WRC is the granulation and mixing of a variety of soils, courses and layers to produce a homogeneous final product in a continuous process. As opposed to the removal and replacement of material, the processes here are characterised by shorter construction times, conservation of resources and lower CO2 emissions.

The rugged and resilient crushing and mixing rotor with toolholders,

The Wirtgen Rock Crusher 240(i) enables the crushing, processing and homogenisation of hard core, concrete fragments, cobblestones and stony ground.

developed especially for crushing applications with HT18-tools, delivers optimal results when working in stony ground. The tools are fitted with large, impact-resistant carbide cutting edges and the holder bases are protected by wear-resistant protective elements made from high-tensile steel.

This ensures high machine utilisation rates and process reliability in demanding applications. Robust edge protectors reduce wear on the rotor’s edge ring segments. The rotor is driven via a transmission, developed especially for the WRC, that enables the realisation of high rotor speeds.

In order to ensure long-term resistance to the enormous stresses encountered when crushing rocks, the rotor housing of the rock crusher is lined with abrasion-resistant wearing plates made from tough high-tensile steel. These guarantee a longer service life and increase

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the overall stability of the housing.

The entire mixing chamber is lined with these hard-wearing plates which can be individually replaced if and when required.

The WRC 240(i) offers several setting options that enable the achievement of the desired grain size and consistently uniform distribution in a wide range of applications. Nine rotor speeds, a variable crushing stage, exchangeable screens with a range of clear mesh sizes and adjustable distance from the rotor, adjustable rotor plate pressure and the machine advance rate enable the configuration of the machine to meet the needs of actual site conditions and the desired application.

By enabling precise, automatic steering, the satellite-based AutoTrac system helps the WRC to achieve greater process efficiency and, as a result of this, a high degree of environmental compatibility.

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