Singapore Digest- June/July 08

Recent News

URA unveils plans to improve pedestrian experience along Upper Serangoon Road

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) recently unveiled design proposals that seek to enhance pedestrian experience at Upper Serangoon.

Titled “Colours of History. Trails of Memories�, this environment improvement project is part of the Parks and Waterbodies and Identity Plans exhibited by URA in 2002. It will provide continuous walkways, new crossings and better landscaping along a 1.2 km stretch at Upper Serangoon Road, from Yio Chu Kang Road to Simon Road.

The improved walkway will double up as a memory lane as storyboards and sculptures contributed by the community will be installed along the walkway to depict the rich and colourful history of the area.

The design proposals for Upper Serangoon was exhibited from 27 June to 29 June 2008 at the Heartland Mall and will move to Hougang Hub from 4 July to 6 July 2008, before going to the various Community Centres in Aljunied GRC. Members of the public, including the residents, are welcome to give their feedback on the proposals.

Design-Environment Group, Architects has been appointed to design the pedestrian walkways. Construction will begin in the second half of this year and will be completed in 2010.

More information can be found at the URA website.

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The New Downtown Line Stage 1and Bugis Station

Downtown Line Stage 1

Come 2013, commuters taking public transport in the city will be better served as the new Downtown Line Stage 1 (DTL1) starts its services.

DTL1 will run from Bugis Station on the East-West Line to Chinatown Station on the North East Line. The six stations on DTL1 are Bugis, Promenade, Bayfront, Landmark, Cross Street and Chinatown.

DTL is planned to serve existing and upcoming developments in the Marina Bay area, including One Raffles Quay, The Sail @ Marina Bay, Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resorts and the Marina Bay Financial Centre.

Bugis Station

The new Bugis station for DTL1 will be sited under Rochor Road and partly within the adjacent land to the west. As the land currently occupied by the New Seventh Storey Hotel is required for the construction of the station box and the at-grade station structures, such as the station’s entrance and lift facility, the hotel will have to be demolished. The hotel owner and occupants will move out by the end of December 2008.

More information can be found at the URA website.

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Singapore Hosted Three International Conferences on Sustainable Development

From June 23 to 27, some 5,000 senior government officials, policymakers, city planners, experts, practitioners and academics from more than 60 countries converged at three major international conferences in Singapore to share plans, ideas, and studies on city development and sustainable living.

The three conferences were namely World Cities Summit which looked at public governance and sustainable urban development, East Asia Summit’s Conference on Liveable Cities which examined best practices in addressing urbanisation and the environment in East Asian cities, and the Singapore International Water Week which explored sustainable solutions for the water industry.

Details of each of the three events can be found at www.worldcities.com.sg.

Also, read The Straits Times’ “Keeping Cities Alive� Special Report.

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Cutting-edge Technologies for Future Cities

Nine cutting-edge technologies for future cities developed by Singapore’s leading public research agency, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), were exhibited at the World Cities Summit and the Singapore International Water Week from 24 – 26 June 2008.

Noteworthy innovations on showcase include The A*STAR Institute of High-Performance Computing (IHPC)’s 3D simulation software that is designed to help urban planners construct 3D models easily and quickly for megacity planning.

The models that are generated by use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) data can be put through simulations to qualify their structural soundness and environmental friendliness.

Also on showcase was the A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research’s Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors that enable remote, real-time and non-destructive monitoring of the structural health of urban infrastructure like bridges. These sensors are valued for their small size, robustness and suitability for use in multiplexed sensor networks. When an FBG detects a mechanical strain and/or a temperature change, a change in its Bragg wavelength will alert observers to the strains in the infrastructure.

Other innovations can be found on the A*STAR website.

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The Government Land Sales Programme

The Ministry of National Development (MND) recently announced The Government Land Sales (GLS) Programme for private residential, commercial and hotel developments for the second half of 2008.

A highlight of the GLS Programme is the offer of 2 new sites which will help to transform the Jurong Lake District and Kallang Riverside into attractive destinations for work, live and play, in line with the recently unveiled draft Master Plan 2008.

A new white site at Jurong East Street 13 will help to kick-start the development of the commercial hub at Jurong Gateway. Another new site is a hotel site at Kallang Riverside, a new waterfront lifestyle precinct by the edge of the city.

Apart from the GLS Programme, the Government also makes available other supply of land and properties which provide additional residential, commercial and hotel space.

More information can be found at the URA website.

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Coming Soon

Seminar on The Science and Art of Green Building Design

The National Library Board is holding a seminar “The Science & Art of Green Building Design� on 22 July 2008.

Seminar speakers include Mr. Jeffery Neng Kwei Sung, Deputy Director of Green Mark Department of BCA, Dato’ Dr. Ken Yeang, Principal of T.R. Hamzah & Yeang, Prof. Tay Kheng Soon, and Assoc. Prof. Lee Siew Eang. There will also be a roundtable discussion themed “Future of Green Buildings� that will be chaired by Mr. Koh Seow Chuan, Founder of DP Architects.

Download the Programme Sheet and Registration Form here.

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SIA-Getz Architecture Prize 2008 Deadline Extended to 31 July 2008

The SIA-Getz Architecture Prize for Emergent Architecture in Asia honors bi-annually an architect who contributes to emergent architecture in Asia. In the last decade, Asia has seen an overwhelming rate of development. This is beginning to leave an impact in architecture history now as well as in the future. It is therefore timely to recognise and promote emergent Asian architects and architecture - in a similar way that Pritzker Prize has done for the worldwide community of architects.

The prize recipient will receive US$30,000 and a specially-designed medallion.

Nomination is now open. The closing date for nominations has been extended to 4.00 pm on 31 July 2008.

Nomination forms and more information can be found at the Singapore Institute of Architects website.

Xu just started walking on the FiveFootWay and she is loving it.