BCA MEDIA RELEASE
BCA AWARDS SIX ENGINEERS FOR THEIR ENGINEERING FEATS
- Engineers Aaron Foong of KTP Consultants and Kam Mun Wai of Meinhardt (Singapore) Pte Ltd received top awards for creative engineering solutions for their projects which were implemented safely while three other Professional Engineers received merit awards
Singapore, 29 May 2017 – The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) is awarding this year’s BCA Design Engineering and Safety Excellence Awards to six Professional Engineers. Of these six Professional Engineers, three of them bagged the top award for their ingenious engineering solutions which overcome project challenges for safe designs and construction.
2. Commenting on this year’s Award winners, BCA Group Director (Building Engineering) Engineer Chew Keat Chuan said, “By building taller and deeper in Singapore’s densely built-up environment, engineers will have to continually change the way we build by using innovative, practical and safe solutions to overcome challenges such as site constraints and unique design features. Their work involves being creative, resourceful and passionate about using the skills and ‘tools’ they have to achieve outstanding feats in their engineering design and safety during construction. This year’s Award confers recognition on six Professional Engineers who made exemplary contributions, not only to our built environment but also their profession.”
Two exemplary award winners
3. Having to deal with difficult ground conditions and space constraints as well as foundation piles left behind by a demolished building, Engineer Aaron Foong had to devise engineering solutions for The Scotts Tower project. Adding on to his challenge was the site’s close proximity (less than 9 metres away) to two underground MRT tunnels and the architectural requirement for columns – that will support all of the building’s 30 floors above it – to be slanted.
4. In dealing with the difficult ground conditions, Engineer Foong adopted a robust and creative setup that enables two ring walls (inner and outer) to be installed concurrently, allowing excavation work to start once the inner ring is completed. He also used advanced computer software to simulate ground movements during construction so that he could determine the thickness of the walls, keeping any ground movements affecting the two MRT tunnels to a safe limit.
5. The architectural requirement for the slanted columns is an iconic feature of this development. Engineer Foong devised a clever “outrigger” structure that transfers part of the building’s weight to its central core (which comprises lift shafts and staircases [see image on the next page]). While it is an important structural element of the building, Engineer Foong worked closely with the architect so that the outrigger structure becomes an aesthetic feature of the building.
6. Another winner, Engineer Kam Mun Wai, was recognised for his project, the six-storey Singapore Management University School of Law, which houses the Kwa Geok Choo Law Library and David Marshall Moot Court. Its main structure comprises primary and secondary mega trusses made of structural steel, stacked on top of one another in orthogonal directions to provide a large space with no obstructing columns.
7. Today, part of the mega structure becomes part of the exposed architectural element that line part of the building’s underground function hall. To ensure safe and productive excavation of up to 20m deep in difficult and variable ground conditions, rigid, contiguous piles of varying diameters form the “wall” of this development, resisting the lateral forces from the ground around it. With careful planning, the use of the mega trusses enabled excavation and construction to be carried out independently and concurrently over three zones across the site. Engineer Kam used these engineering solutions because of its proximity to conservation buildings (including pre-war shophouses), heritage trees and the Fort Canning Tunnel in the area.
8. The BCA Design Engineering and Safety Excellence Awards recognises Professional Engineers and their teams for their innovative design processes and solutions in overcoming project challenges.
9. The BCA Awards ceremony will be held on the evening of 13 June 2017 at the Resorts World Sentosa. The Minister of for National Development and Second Minister of for Finance Mr. Lawrence Wong will be gracing the ceremony as the Guest-of-Honour.
Factsheets:
Annex A – About the BCA Design Engineering and Safety Excellence Awards 2017
Annex B – BCA Design Engineering and Safety Excellence Awards winners
Issued by the Building and Construction Authority on 29 May 2017
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The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore champions the development of an excellent built environment for Singapore. BCA’s mission is to shape a safe, high quality, sustainable and friendly built environment, as these are four key elements where BCA has a significant influence. In doing so, it aims to differentiate Singapore’s built environment from those of other cities and contribute to a better quality of life for everyone in Singapore. Hence, its vision is to have "a future-ready built environment for Singapore". Together with its education arm, the BCA Academy, BCA works closely with its industry partners to develop skills and expertise that help shape a future-ready built environment for Singapore. For more information, visit www.bca.gov.sg.