Artist’s impressions of the enhanced bus stops which will provide barrier-free accessibility for less mobile commuters and other improved features
Surbana Jurong has been awarded a contract by Singapore’s Land Transport Authority to provide architectural and engineering services to enhance the infrastructure of 415 existing bus stops countrywide.
The project includes creating barrier-free accessibility for less mobile commuters,the replacement of bus stops, safety bollards, seats, bus information panels, rain screen, drains, as well as the provision of green features, cycling paths and covered linkways to adjacent buildings.
The types of services provided are as follows:
Architecture
Civil and Structural
M&E
Traffic Scheme
“This project is challenging due to the large number of bus stops involved. Therefore, careful planning and allocation of manpower will be key to its successful and timely completion. We are glad to be able to contribute to the public transport system and hope to make daily commuting more pleasant for public transport users,” says Yong Wei Lee, Deputy Director, Architecture (Urban Development 1).
Deputy Managing Director, Building Consultancy Services and Senior Director, Architecture Michael Vong (centre) received the BCI Asia Top Ten Architects Award 2017 on behalf of Surbana Jurong.
Surbana Jurong (SJ) has been named one of Singapore’s top ten architects at this year’s BCI Asia Top Ten Architects Awards. The Top Ten Awards ceremony was recently held to recognise the country’s leading developer and architecture firms that have made the greatest contributions to the built environment.
The BCI Asia Awards is one of the most anticipated and coveted awards for the construction sector in the region. It is held in seven Asian territories namely Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Hong Kong SAR.
The awards are given out by BCI Media Group, a leading provider of building and construction information in the Asia Pacific.
Here is the list of winners for the Top Ten Architects Award 2017 – Singapore (in alphabetical order):
Temasek Holdings-owned Surbana Jurong has teamed up with a renowned architecture firm to further deepen its design capabilities and take on “iconic projects” in the Asia-Pacific.It is partnering Safdie Architects to form Safdie Surbana Jurong (SSJ) to jointly pursue major residential, commercial and institutional projects that require special planning and design expertise. Click here to read more.
(Left to right) Mr Moshe Safdie from Safdie Architects with Mr Liew Mun Leong, Chairman of Surbana Jurong, and Mr Wong Heang Fine, GCEO of Surbana Jurong at the signing
Singapore, 25 May 2017 – Safdie Architects and Surbana Jurong Private Limited today announced the formation of Safdie Surbana Jurong (SSJ), a long-term collaboration to jointly pursue major design projects within Asia-Pacific.
SSJ will combine the strengths of each partner to achieve projects of the highest-quality design across a range of typologies. It will focus on residential, commercial and institutional projects which require unique planning and design expertise to create world class iconic architecture projects in Asia-Pacific.
The design effort will be led by Safdie Architects’ Boston office, with Moshe Safdie providing design leadership for all projects undertaken by SSJ and be involved intimately throughout the construction of each project. Surbana Jurong will have a dedicated team to work directly with Safdie Architects to produce the detailed engineering and architectural design efforts, provide overall project management, and lead the construction documentation and administration efforts.
The milestone collaboration presents an opportunity for Surbana Jurong to further develop world-class design capabilities, and allows its younger architects and designers to learn directly from Safdie and his team.
The two partners bring complementary strengths to the collaboration. Safdie Architects is helmed by Moshe Safdie, the world renowned architect, urban planner, educator, theorist and author. The firm has designed and realised a wide range of projects around the world of which many have become beloved regional and national landmarks such as Marina Bay Sands, Sky Habitat Singapore, Jewel at Changi Airport Singapore, Habitat ’67, Montreal; the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Arkansas; Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, Jerusalem; and Raffles City mixed-use development in Chongqing, China. Surbana Jurong is one of the largest Asia-based urban, industrial and infrastructure consulting firms with a 50-year track record in both private and public projects in Singapore and globally such as Biopolis Phase 1, Health City Novena, MKH World, Cleantech I & II, and more.
“We are delighted to join forces with Surbana Jurong. Our teams have unique, complementary capabilities. Together we can expand the realisation of significant projects, embracing our design principles across Asia,” said Moshe Safdie.
“Surbana Jurong is proud to partner with the illustrious Moshe Safdie, whose works have become architectural icons and national landmarks. Safdie Architects is world-renowned for their cutting-edge designs that embrace an inclusive and humane design philosophy. We share this design philosophy – that building a city is about shaping lives. Through this collaboration, we will be able to provide world-class design and expert project delivery to a broad array of clients in Asia. We are looking forward to creating many iconic projects together,” said Mr Wong Heang Fine, Group Chief Executive Officer, Surbana Jurong.
About Moshe Safdie and Safdie Architects
Moshe Safdie is an architect, urban planner, educator, theorist, and author who embraces a comprehensive and humane design philosophy. He is committed to architecture that supports and enhances a project’s program; that is informed by the geographic, social, and cultural elements that define a place; and that responds to human needs and aspirations. The design of each of his projects is responsive to local historic, cultural, and environmental contexts and grows out of a vision of the way it can affect the lives of the individuals for whom the buildings and public spaces are created. In recognition of his work’s impact on the public and his lasting influence on generations of younger architects, Safdie was awarded the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum and the 2015 Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects, the organization’s highest honor for an individual.
Safdie Architects is based in Boston, USA with offices in Singapore, Shanghai and Jerusalem. The firm has designed and realized a wide range of projects around the world, including cultural, civic, and educational institutions; mixed-use urban centers and airports; and master plans for existing neighborhoods and entirely new cities. Many of his buildings have become beloved regional and national landmarks, including Habitat ’67, Montreal; the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Arkansas; Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, Jerusalem; and Raffles City mixed-use development in Chongqing, China.
Safdie Architects’ projects in Singapore include Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort; Sky Habitat residences, Bishan; and Jewel at Changi Airport, which is scheduled to open in 2019.
Surbana Jurong Private Limited (SJ) is one of the largest Asia-based urban, industrial and infrastructure consulting firms. Leveraging technology and creativity, SJ provides one-stop consultancy solutions across the entire value chain of the urbanisation, industrialisation and infrastructure domains.
Headquartered in Singapore and wholly owned by Temasek Holdings, the SJ Group has a global workforce of 13,000 employees in 113 offices across 44 countries in Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, and an annual turnover of around S$1.3 billion.
SJ has a track record of over 50 years, and has built more than a million homes in Singapore, crafted master plans for more than 30 countries and developed over 50 industrial parks globally.
SJ’s motto ‘Building Cities, Shaping Lives’ reflects its belief that development is more than just steel and concrete. SJ creates spaces and infrastructure services where people live, work and play, shaping cities into homes with sustainable jobs where communities and businesses can flourish.
Kallang Trivista, one of the five projects, designed by SJ’s architects which won the BCA Universal Design (Gold Plus) Award 2017
Surbana Jurong (SJ) has won five Universal Design Mark awards by Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority (BCA). The BCA named 30 winners in total for the awards this year.
The BCA Universal Design Mark is a voluntary certification scheme that gives recognition to projects that incorporate user-friendly features to build an inclusive living environment.
The award-winning projects designed by SJ’s architects from Urban Development 1 and Urban Development 2, Singapore are:
Project Name
Award Received
Kallang Trivista
GoldPLUS
Hougang Parkedge
GoldPLUS
Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic and Senior Care Centre
Gold
Capital Tower
Gold
Marine Cove @ East Coast Park
Gold
Goh Hui Hoon, Senior Executive Architectural Associate from Urban Development 1, shared with us some of the universal design features of Kallang Trivista, one of the public residential projects that won the BCA Universal Design Mark GoldPLUS award.
“Universal designs are about inclusivity – designs that cater to as many users as possible. Our approach when designing Kallang Trivista is to focus on the users and come up with the spaces and features they would appreciate, and the ways they would use the spaces and amenities. Kallang Trivista is a good example of how we adopt user-centric designs to enhance connectivity and quality living to residents and the community,” said Hui Hoon.
“We are very proud to have won five out of the 30 awards this year,” she added.
Last year, Surbana Jurong won two BCA Universal Design Mark GoldPLUS awards for public residential developments Acacia Breeze @ Yishun and Punggol Topaz.
The awards will be presented to the winners on 13 June.
Footpaths connect the Kallang riverfront and the precinct. Riverfront amenities such as viewing decks and an open amphitheatre are located near the river. The development is pedestrian-friendly and incorporates user-centric designs within the units and in common areasA network of sheltered footpaths provides easy access to the Kallang RiverThe development is well connected within and with adjacent amenities. Every residential block is directly linked to the multi-storey car park and roof gardens via a network of sheltered link bridgesStudio apartments are fully furnished with elder-friendly kitchen cabinets and wardrobes. The movable cabinets are designed with a lowered height for wheelchair users and are fitted with soft-closing drawers. The bathrooms are step-free and fitted with grab bars
SJ’s Oliver Ng (left), receiving the Honour Award – International Project on behalf of the Landscape team for the outstanding design of Waterway Ridges
Singapore’s Landscape team (Urban Development 1) recently bagged an award at the Malaysia Landscape Architecture Awards (MLAA). Waterway Ridges, a build-to-order public housing project in Singapore won the “Honour Award – International Project” category in the annual design and planning competition which is organised by the Institute of Landscape Architects Malaysia.
We caught up with Oliver Ng, Deputy Landscape Director, to find out more about the award-winning project.
Q: What makes the Waterway Ridges project distinctive?
Waterway Ridges is located on the northern bank of the picturesque Punggol Waterway, in northeast Singapore. The buildings and landscape were inspired by “山水画” or Chinese landscape paintings. The development was designed at varying heights to mimic mountain ranges. We wanted to create an immersive environment where nature and built form intertwine to provide residents with beautiful homes by the water.
Waterway Ridges is Singapore’s first public housing development with a large-scale integration of water-sensitive design elements
Because of its location, Waterway Ridges is part of a joint effort by Singapore’s national Housing Development Board and the national water agency, the Public Utilities Board to create a sustainable network of active, beautiful and clean waters. It is Singapore’s first public housing development to adopt the water-sensitive urban design approach on a large scale. It features bioswales, bioretention ponds, and other water-sensitive urban design techniques. These environment-friendly techniques not only improve water quality but also enhance the biodiversity and aesthetics of the surroundings.
Design features include vegetated swales and bioretention basins to improve the quality of rainwater runoff entering the drain. The designs were adapted to the existing terrain of the site in order for the landscaping instead of concrete drains to be seen
Q: What challenges did the team face?
The project site has a challenging terrain which we turned into an advantage. By placing short retaining walls within the site, we transformed the area into a beautifully terraced landscape with a lookout platform for residents to enjoy spectacular views of Punggol Waterway. These walls carve out smooth curves in the landscape, creating unique spaces. To provide residents with barrier-free access, we designed an elevated ramp to help them manage the steep steps.
Q: What does the achievement mean to the Landscape team?
Globally, there is a paradigm shift in the way environmental resources and water infrastructure can be integrated with landscape design in the planning and design of towns and cities. Combining water resources with landscape design will have an impact on biodiversity and the community. The success of this project has opened possibilities, and we can certainly tap into the growing global market demand for such design solutions.
As China continues to encourage the development of more ‘characteristic towns (特色小镇)’ across the country, Sino-Sun Architects & Engineers organised a roundtable in Beijing recently to discuss the concept of such towns. About a dozen industry partners participated in a robust discussion. Sino-Sun is one of China’s leading voices in developing these unique towns.
Here, Michael Xu Jianwei, President of Sino-Sun explains the concept behind this development:
Sino-Sun President Michael Xu Jianwei discussing China’s development of the ‘Characteristic Towns’ concept
What are Characteristic Towns?
China’s特色小镇, literally ‘small towns with special characteristics’, are towns built around an identified industry theme. For example, Dream Town focuses on internet start-ups and venture capital, Cloud Town focuses on big data and computing and Sweet Chocolate Town focuses on, you guessed it – chocolates!
The concept originated in eastern Zhejiang province, as a way for towns to restructure and reform economically. It makes sense to cluster similar businesses together to foster industry growth and to attract resources and investment.
The successes of these towns have led to plans for more.
Are these just industrial zones?
No. Other than having a central industry theme, the concept of ‘township’, with residential areas and amenities and services to support the community, is important too. The towns are also built with great consideration to environmental protection and cultural preservation.
Some of these towns have also developed into tourist attractions.
One of China’s ‘Characteristic Towns’ in Guangdong designed by Sino-Sun
What do you think of such developments?
One of my laments has always been that many big cities have lost their identities, with no differentiation in architecture and no attention paid to culture when designing buildings. And in their rush towards development, many historical landmarks were lost.
So I think it is great that the government, in developing these towns for economic purposes, have also paid great attention to the architectural aspects, and also in preserving the heritage of the various places.
With proper planning, economic progress can go hand in hand with cultural and environmental preservation.
Eugene, who joined SJ six months ago, was interviewed on his cutting-edge work on automating architectural design. Photo Credit: The Straits Times.
Eugene Lim, Surbana Jurong’s Architectural Associate from Singapore’s Building Information Modelling and Design Technology team (Urban Development 2), was featured in The Sunday Times on the topic ‘Jobs of Tomorrow’ on Sunday, 19 March 2017. It is part of a series sponsored by the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) which profiled recent graduates in future-ready jobs related to technology.
Eugene, who is among SUTD’s pioneer batch of graduates in the Master of Architecture programme, currently leads a team which builds automation capabilities for the design of residential housing.
He shared some highlights from the interview.
After a four-month internship with Surbana Jurong (SJ) which included a brief stint at US-based design software firm FLUX, you decided to stay on to pursue a career with SJ. What prompted your decision?
Eugene: I am passionate about technology and housing design, and SJ is a good fit for me as I am able to focus on both of my passions here. I can be thinking about automating processes one moment and studying the historical and socio-political influences on housing the next! My superiors are also one of the key deciding factors as they are open-minded and receptive to new solutions. They give me the flexibility and freedom to explore new ideas, which I appreciate.
Why is technology important in architecture?
Eugene: Automation is on the rise for many industries as we continue to look for ways to increase quality, reduce delivery time and operating costs. Architecture is no different. Architectural design has always been a lengthy and iterative process, and my team aims to make an impact to the industry by using automation to make design work less arduous and achieve higher accuracy in our projects.
What is your team working on that can disrupt the industry?
Eugene: Our team is leading research and development efforts in SJ to include automation within the design process. We have developed an application that aims to revolutionise the architectural design industry. The Housing Computational Design Tool, as we call it, combines architecture with computer programming, and is built to cut the building design process by up to half the time while reducing errors in our work. This technology can be scaled for other sectors such as commercial and industrial developments. When humans and machines work together, I believe it will bring about even higher quality master plans, buildings and homes for people.
In the spotlight: An interview with Mr Rick Yeo on working overseas
It takes attitude, aptitude and adaptability to undertake an overseas work assignment. Sharing stories of personal experience and challenges, Mr Rick Yeo, from BCS Architecture Studio 1, explains why.
Working on international projects, it is necessary to travel for client meetings, presentations and to better understand the country and its operating environment. For Rick, the opportunity for an overseas job posting was initially borne out of necessity. “I have been working on projects in China for the longest time. I was travelling so much for business that I’d figure it was the right time for me to be posted there. Too many red-eye flights to China and the hotel nights do wear you down.”
Rick, who was posted to China in 2013 and has since returned to Singapore, shares: “When working overseas, I had the opportunity to pick up in-depth market knowledge and cultivate networks. The experience opened my mind and heart to other specialisations outside of architecture as I was involved in other aspects of business operations including management and business development, all of which are valuable exposure for career and personal development.”
Working in a foreign land, it is important to have the right attitude. It also helps to have a strong network of teammates who provide strength and support. Rick shares, “Throughout my two years in China, I am very grateful for colleagues and teammates who always stand ready to lend support. I am thankful for the collaborative work culture in SJ. A special shout-out for my band of dedicated brothers & sisters in SJ China Ops.” Working abroad is certainly challenging and exciting at the same time. He adds, “For colleagues who are presented with the opportunity to work overseas, my advice is to keep an open mind and go for it. After all, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose.”
FUN FACTS ABOUT SHANGHAI & CHINA
Shanghai is the largest and wealthiest city in China
China only has 1 time zone — even though it’s about the same size as the US
A developer in China built a complete 57-story skyscraper in just 19 days
The Shanghai Tower is the 2nd tallest building in the world at 2,073 ft, nearly twice the height of the Eiffel Tower
Shanghai has the longest metro system in the world with 548km of track
Surbana Jurong has clinched one of its largest HDB project to-date after it emerged top in a design competition organised by the Housing and Development Board. We will be providing multi-disciplinary services including architecture, C&S engineering, M&E engineering, cost & contracts management and project management services.
Both Surbana Jurong and CESMA were two of the top five finalists in the competition, pitching against other renowned architectural firms. Surbana Jurong’s submission stood out amidst intense competition, and it won following a Quality Fee Method (QFM) of evaluation which recognises the quality of design as a key criteria.
The new HDB project is a built-to-order (BTO) development in Tampines North (Plots N6 C8-10). It comprises residential, commercial and social facilities and is situated near the main park in the newly master planned Tampines North. This new north region is built as an extension of the existing Tampines estate and will feature a new linear park linking it to the existing Tampines Eco Green and Sun Plaza parks. When completed in 2017, the project will house 2,020 dwelling units.
