Singapore project is first in Asia to win environmental prize rarely given outside US
Sara Pua Straits Times 28 Apr 12;
A NEW man-made waterway in Punggol New Town has won a top international award for Singapore, a first by an Asian country for an environmentally sustainable project.
The Grand Prize for Excellence by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE) is rarely given to projects outside the United States.
My Waterway@Punggol, known to some as the 'Venice of Singapore', clinched the prize for environmental engineering in the environmental sustainability category, said the Housing Board (HDB) yesterday.
Opened five months ago, the $225 million waterway - Singapore's longest - took 21/2 years to build and is the pride and joy of the country's youngest HDB town.
What struck the judges is the way it has integrated three key design elements - Green, Water and People - to achieve a long-term balance of environmental stewardship, economic development and social well-being.
In fact, green practices were adopted right from the start of its construction, with HDB engineers using a 'cut- and-fill' method to fill the low-lying areas around the waterway with excavated earth.
Also, features such as boardwalks, footbridges and areas around the plaza were built with recycled materials. To get good quality water, eco-drains were one of the innovations introduced to ensure surface run- off water is cleaned before entering the waterway.
Recognising that Singapore's people make a difference, the waterway features not only social communal spaces but also seeks to celebrate Singapore's heritage with its Kelong bridge.
The bridge's architecture is reminiscent of stilt houses - wooden offshore platforms that fishermen built in the past for fishing and sometimes, housing.
Said HDB deputy chief executive officer Sng Cheng Keh, who received the award in Washington, DC, this week: 'Winning this award is testament to Singapore's small contribution towards being responsible global citizens by constructing an environmentally friendly waterway.'
HDB wins international award for environmental sustainability
Channel NewsAsia 27 Apr 12;
SINGAPORE: Punggol Waterway helped the Housing and Development Board (HDB) clinch its first international award for environmental sustainability on Friday.
The HDB said it was awarded the Grand Prize for Excellence in Environmental Engineering in the environmental sustainability category, presented by the prestigious American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE).
My Waterway@Punggol, also known to some as the Venice of Singapore, is the only Asian winner for the Grand Prize under the Environmental Sustainability Category. It won the award five months after it was launched.
The award ceremony was held in Washington DC on Thursday.
HDB's Deputy CEO (Building), Mr Sng Cheng Keh, said: "Right from the start, we wanted to build a green, sustainable waterway, and using green construction methods too. We are glad to have achieved both objectives.
"Winning this award is testament to Singapore's small contribution towards being responsible global citizens by constructing an environmentally-friendly waterway."
The HDB said the waterway has winning features such as eco-drains to ensure surface runoff is cleansed before entering the waterway.
It also has aerators, jet fountains and water curtains to enhance water quality.
The waterway was constructed using green practices. One of them was a "cut-and-fill" method of excavation to fill the low-lying areas around the waterway.
Earth excavated from the waterway was re-used to prepare surrounding low-lying areas for future developments.
Features such as the boardwalks, footbridges and areas around the plaza were built with recycled materials.
The HDB said the waterway is an outstanding example of a vibrant and sustainable town with social communal spaces integrated seamlessly along the waterway.
It took efforts to preserve the memories and heritage from old Singapore by artistically weaving in pieces of history, such as the Kelong Bridge that captures the stilt houses of the past.
- CNA/wm
